From Equality to Exclusion: Women's Roles in the First-Century Church

Abstract

The letters claiming Pauline authorship have the heaviest influence on women's roles in the modern Christian church. However, those who use these scriptures as justification to bar women from ordination are misguided. Under Paul's guidance, the first century church--which was simply a Jesus-following movement within Judaism--affirmed women. Women were not only regarded as equals in this movement, they were prominent leaders within the Pauline communities.