Woman Begat Woman

Alfred Brittain writes in “Women of Early Christianity” about the inferior position of women in the first Century. He says “A common prayer was: "O God, let not my offspring be a girl: for very wretched is the life of women." It was said: "Happy he whose children are boys, and woe unto him whose children are girls." Public conversation between the sexes was interdicted by the rabbis. "No one", says the Talmud, "is to speak with a woman, even if she be his wife, in the public street." A close friend once said to me ‘I am following Jesus but at a distance’. She explained that while growing up, she had internalised the message from the Bible that God was only interested in men. How sad to have this perception of Jesus who loved and valued women differently to what culture dictated and to whom women responded with love and gratitude. Women like Joanna gave up the comfort of being the wife of Herod’s business manager in order to travel on th...

There is a story in the bible of an African woman who was harassed not only for being a woman and black but also because she was a slave. Hagar's story begins after years had passed and there was no sign of a child for Abraham and his wife Sarah, Hagar's mistress. Sarah decided a solution was for Hagar to be a surrogate mother! (Genesis 16:1-3). However relationships at home become unbearable between the two women when Sarah started ill-treating Hagar and she  decided to flee. The Angel of the Lord found her at the road leading to Shur and told her to return to Sarah but not before making her the amazing promise that she would be the ancestress of a multitude that could not even be numbered. (Genesis 16:9-12).   She was also given a name for the child, Ishmael, meaning, "God hears".   In response Hagar does what no male or female had ever done before! She gives God a name. She calls God, El-roi, "the God who sees me". She is amazed that she can say, ...

Two air flights, a taxi and a bus trip have taken a family member to St-Jean-Pied-de Port to walk the Way of St James. She plans to return 32 days later after walking 804 kilometers. In about AD 55 another brave woman, Phoebe, undertook a journey, mentioned by Paul in Romans 16, to deliver an important document to Rome. The journey that Phoebe undertook from Corinth was dangerous. No air flight only trav el on a sailing ship for a great distance from Greece to Puteoli on the stormy Mediterranean Sea. On arriving at Puteoli there would be no bus or taxi to Rome, she had to travel on foot or caravan for the rest of the way. However Phoebe, woman of valour, had the strength to undertake this treacherous journey. Scholars agree that the reason for her journey was to carry Paul’s letter to Roman Christians and Paul had no doubt that Phoebe could be trusted to deliver this important correspondence. The letter was to introduce himself and his message to the Romans before his imminent arr...