When Women Were Priests by Karen Jo Torjesen
Women's Leadership in the Early Church and the Scandal of Their Subordination in the Rise of Christianity
A historical investigation into the early Christian church that argues women once held significant liturgical and leadership roles—including deacons and presbyters—supported by textual, epigraphic, and archaeological evidence. It traces how shifting theological interpretations, evolving church structures, and Greco-Roman gender ideologies gradually restricted and erased women’s authority, culminating in formal exclusions from ordained ministry. The narrative connects these developments to broader cultural forces in late antiquity and considers how recovering this history reframes contemporary debates about women’s roles in the church.
Purchase from
Bookshop.org
- Published
- 1993
- Nationality
- American
- Length
- Unknown
- Pages
- Unknown
- Original Language
- English
- Avg User Rating
- No ratings yet
- Alternate Titles
- None
This book is not currently on any lists.