Greek philosophy considered woman to be incomplete human beings.
‘The relationship between the male and the female is by nature such that the male is higher, the female lower, that the male rules and the female is ruled.’ - Aristotle
Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) Greek philosopher, student of Plato, teacher of Alexander the Great. In metaphysics, Aristotelian’s profoundly influenced philosophical and theological thinking in the Islamic and Jewish traditions in the Middle Ages,
and it continues to influence Christian theology, especially Eastern Orthodox theology, and the scholastic tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. With the push for women priests, Aristotle's philosophy is the object of active academic study today.
According to Aristotle, women are inferior because of a defect.
“Women are defective by nature” because they cannot produce semen which contains a full human being. When a man and a woman have intercourse, it is the man supplies the substance of a human being (the soul, i.e. the form.) If conception occurs, the woman provides only the nourishment (the matter).
The fundamental principle for Aristotle – there
are two factors or components in every being, ‘form’ is superior to ‘matter’, sexual reproduction was considered beneficial because it demanded that the one who gives the ‘form’ (the male) be separate from the one who supplies the ‘matter’ (the female). Thus, the ‘lower’ is not mingled with the ‘higher’ in the same individual.
Aristotle subscribed to what philosopher Caroline Whitbeck calls the
‘flower pot theory’ of human generation.
Since the female is deficient in natural heat, she is unable to ‘cook’ her menstrual fluid to the point of refinement at which it would become semen (i.e. ‘seed’). Therefore, a woman's only contribution to the embryo is its matter and a ‘field’ in which it can grow. A woman's inability to produce semen is her deficiency. ‘A woman,’ Aristotle concludes, ‘is as it were an infertile male’ (Generation of Animals, I, 728a). ‘A male is male in virtue of a particular ability, and a female in virtue of a particular inability’ (Generation of Animals, I, 82f).
This link is about the roadblocks women hurdle who are attempting to change the Christian Church's point of view but it does give the background voiced by Aristotle and continues with other early church leaders having their opinion floating in the mix
http://www.womenpriests.org/traditio/inferior.aspWomen were held responsible for bringing original sin into the world, and for being a continuing source of seduction therefore woman are to be in a state of punishment for sin.
Tertullian, 160 – 220 AD, a philosopher/theologian admired by early Church Fathers – later, because of his view on Jesus as God not man, he was excommunicated – that did not seem to stop his views on women to continue to this day by the Curia to be front and center –
Although, few practice "Churching" any longer, as a young Catholic Mother I was expected to partake of that purification blessing after the birth of my babies which
allowed me to attend Mass again and to receive Holy Communion which stems from Tertullian philosophy.
Tertullian say, –
“Do you not know, woman, that you are (each) an Eve? The sentence of God on this sex of yours lives in this age: the guilt must of necessity live too.”
- “You are the devil's gateway!
- You are the unsealer of that (forbidden) tree!
- You are the first deserter of the divine law!
- You are she who persuaded him (Adam) whom the devil was not valiant enough to attack!
- You destroyed so easily God's image, man!
- On account of what you deserved - that is, death - even the Son of God had to die!"
- “How could such sinful creatures be channels of God’s grace?”
Women were considered ritually unclean because of their monthly periods. According to Church Fathers St Augustine of Hippo and St Jerome, all sex is tainted with sin and a woman’s womb is
“simply revolting”. e.g., Rules in the diocese of Canterbury (690 AD):
“During the time of menstruation women should not enter into church or receive communion, neither lay women nor religious. If they presume to do so all the same, they should fast for three weeks”.
“In the same way those women should do penance, who enter a church before their blood is purified after birth, that is for forty days”.
These were cultural prejudices held for thousands of years
before the Christian Church – they became theological prejudices assumed in Church doctrine as they were entwined for centuries in secular law. These are ACTIVE beliefs that women are confronted with especially among those who attempt to share their spiritual calling with others.
Yes, there were a few women throughout history who achieved remarkable success in governess and if a woman was wealthy she had the power to influence the politics of the Secular and the Church however, the average women within her own home did not have much more power than a slave – pillow talk is a fine way to feel good that women did influence society however, that kind of power was no better than a favored slave or concubine who were the favored runners between Cardinals and men of property during the Middle Ages.
Obviously I have little truck with the concept that men and women are equal victims in their power, based on gender type cast. We will just have to agree to disagree on that one. [/list]
