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Introduction - Women in Ministry in the Early Church

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In the early Church, we encounter the teaching, preaching, and leadership of women such as Junia, Phoebe, Priscilla, Lydia, and Mary, the mother of John Mark—all confident, independent, generous, faithful women, aware of their spiritual power and authority. The story of Thecla, a woman apostle who appears in the apocryphal book Acts of Paul and Thecla, reveals the tremendous impact of women’s solidarity in times of opposition, crisis, and rejection. The convincing women whose powerful testimony and activist lives fill the pages of this book are radiant reflections of the feminine face of God. They show us how to be strong witnesses to the Holy One in our midst. These women invite us to experience woman-courage, woman-hope, woman-strength, woman-wisdom, and woman-passion. Their spirit liberates, energizes, and empowers us. Dialogue with these models of faith. Establish a relationship with these companions, champions, and change-agents among us. Argue with these prophetic witnesses to ...
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Junia

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Junia from Praying with the Women of the Bible by Bridget Mary Meehan I n Romans 16:7, Paul identifies Junia and Andronicus as “outstanding apostles.” It is the only time that Paul refers to someone other than the Twelve or himself as apostles. Some biblical translators changed Junia, a female name, to the male name Junias, and up until recent years the male name appeared in most Bibles. However, tradition does not support this name change. Junia was a common female name in the Roman Empire at the time of the early Christian missionary movement. Patristic sources acknowledged Junia as an apostle. The fourth-century bishop of Constantinople, John Chrysostom, recognized Junia as a member of the apostolic circle: “Oh, how great is the devotion of this woman that she should be counted worthy of the appellation of apostle!”1 In addition, several other well-known scholars such as Origen of Alexandria, Saint Jerome, Hatto of Vercelli, Theophylact, and Peter Abela...
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Phoebe

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Phoebe from Praying with the Women of the Bible by Bridget Mary Meehan I n Romans, Paul commends deacon Phoebe of the church at Cenchreae near Corinth, as a leader and missionary. He exhorts the community to welcome her and “help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well” (Rom 16:2). It is interesting to observe that Paul identifies Phoebe as diakonos, which means deacon. Paul’s reference to Phoebe as “our sister and diakonos” is the same word used to describe Timothy as “our brother and God’s diakonos” (1 Thes 3:2) and Tychicus as “our beloved brother and faithful diakonoss” (Col 4:7). In the past, this term was translated “missionary” or “minister” when applied to men, but as “helper” or “deaconess” when referred to Phoebe. Also, Paul calls Phoebe a “leader,” prostatis, not a “helper” as the term is usually translated. This word appears nowhere else in the Christian scriptures and always means leader or o...
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Prisca (Priscilla)

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Prisca (Priscilla) from Praying with the Women of the Bible by Bridget Mary Meehan When Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome, Prisca (or Priscilla) and her husband Aquila moved to Corinth where they joined Paul in his work and ministry. Like Paul, they were Jewish Christians and tentmakers. Like Barnabas, Prisca and Aquila were missionaries and coworkers with Paul. Their house churches in Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome were centers of missionary activity and Christian life. Prisca is mentioned six times in the Christian scriptures. Though Prisca and Aquila worked together as a ministry team, in four out of six places her name is mentioned first. This indicates that she is the more prominent of the two in the first-century Church.1 The Church gathered in their home, in Rome (Rom 16:3–5), and in Corinth and Ephesus (Acts 18:18; 2 Tm 4:19; 1 Cor 16:19). Prisca, in addition to being a coworker of Paul and a partner in ministry with Aquila, is a missionary apostle, a teacher of ...
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Lydia

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Lydia from Praying with the Women of the Bible by Bridget Mary Meehan Lydia, an influential and successful businesswoman of Phi- lippi, was a “seller of purple goods.” These luxury items may have been either a secretion of a species of mollusk or murex or purple-dyed cloths. More than likely, she was self-supporting and financially independent. There is no mention of male relatives. She was the head of her household. Perhaps she dressed often in purple as she walked through the streets of Philippi. There, by the banks of the Gangites River, she met with a circle of Jewish women to worship God, although she probably was not Jewish. The term “worshiper of God” referred to a Gentile who attended Jewish services and believed in Jewish teachings about God. Here at a Sabbath service, Paul and Silas met with the women and related the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As Lydia heard the message, God opened her heart “to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul.” Soon afterward she and h...
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Mary, Mother of John Mark

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Mary,  Mother of John Mark  from Praying with the Women of the Bible by Bridget Mary Meehan M ary, mother of John Mark, was a leader of one of the house churches in Jerusalem. Scholars believe that Hellenist or Greek Christians— not the Hebrew Christians associated with James—gathered in her home. She was an independent woman with considerable resources, including a spacious home which became an important center for first-century Christians to meet for worship and prayer. Some commentators believe that Mary presided at Eucharist there and that her home was the headquarters of the Jerusalem church.1 It is significant that this “Mary” did not sell her house and give the proceeds to the apostles for the common need as described in Acts; and that she dedicated her home as a center for Christian gatherings. In Jerusalem this was dangerous because Christians had had to give up worship in temple and synagogues due of the threat of persecution.2 It is interestin...
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Thecla

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Thecla  from Praying with the Women of the Bible by Bridget Mary Meehan T he Acts of Paul and Thecla is one of the rare, second- century texts of early Christianity from Asia Minor wherein a woman occupies the central role. Some scholars believe it has a historical basis. Others think that originally it was an oral folk tale told by women storytellers that later was written down in a form that resembles the Hellenistic romance.1 This popular, apocryphal book was translated from the original Greek into Latin, Syrian, Armenian, Slavonic, and Arabic. It tells the exciting story of Thecla’s conversion by Saint Paul and recounts her courage throughout her various trials.2 Thecla convinces Paul to accept her as a missionary disciple and coworker. After Paul takes her with him to Antioch, a man named Alexander falls in love with her. When this occurs, Paul denies knowing Thecla and abandons her. Then, Alexander, assuming that he can have his way with her, attempts to ra...
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Women in Ministry RESOURCES

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ sciencetech/article-2510473/ Vatican-unveils-frescoes- Catacombs-Priscilla-paintings- FEMALE-PRIESTS.html https://www.ncronline.org/ news/vatican/women-priests- delighted-google-vatican- catacombs-tour RESOURCE list for Praying with Women of the Bible Thecla https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmlQ0Qyw894 <iframe width="560" height="315" src=" https://www.youtube.com/embed/wmlQ0Qyw894 " frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Women In Ancient Christianity: The New Discoveries Scholar Karen King examines the evidence concerning women's important place in early Christianity. She draws a surprising new portrait of Mary Magdalene and outlines the stories of previously unknown early Christian women. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/first/women.html Th...
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