The Beginnings of discrimination against women in the Church Some insights from 4th century Latin biblical exegesis and translations

Abstract

During the first centuries of Christianity, the transmission of Jesus' message was in many respects at odds with the ways of thinking and the customs and mores of the society in which it was being disseminated. In particular, with regard to the recognition of the dignity of women and the repercussions that this recognition had on the social level, the Christian message was novel and, in the extreme, counter-cultural. Despite the difficulties, there is evidence to suggest that, albeit in a precarious way, the power of the message was gaining ground and Christian women had a certain level of prominence in the early communities. With the passage of time, however, different factors began to impose a setback on the path that had begun until a turning point was reached, as far as the Latin Church was concerned, in the 4th century. The changes that the Church underwent at this time generated a new way of thinking and acting that needed an adequate theological justification. Several factors influenced the change and the analysis of some biblical exegesis texts and translations are significant of this new way of thinking.