Gender and Sexuality 17

Let the woman learn in silence, with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to use authority over the man: but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed; then Eve.

Roberta Magnani (2017): “Powerful Men have Tried to Silence Abused Women since Medieval Times.” In: The Independent, 02.11.2017. The quote is apparently from between 48 and 61 AD.

The apostle Paul or Paul of Tarsus (10 BC - 60 AD), who was a missionary, in his letter to Timothy (1.11 - 14) from the New Testament. There are doubts, however, as to whether Paul was actually the author, or whether it was a later imitator who passed himself off as Paul. The New Testament, which begins with the birth of Jesus, is the part of the Bible that distinguishes Christianity from Judaism.

The idea of Eve as seductress illuminates a deep-seated tradition in which women are viewed as scapegoats for various evils. In biting the apple, she banishes humankind from paradise. This tradition is widespread in all three monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) as well as in other world religions (Stover and Hope 1984). Some have argued, however, that the three religions initially aimed at liberating the oppressed, but as they got established and accumulated power, these liberating impulses were eradicated (Swidler, 1974: 168). The disciplining of women played an important role in Christian colonial missionary work. This was because missions aimed to plant Western ideas of civilization, virtue and morality in the thinking of colonised countries.

*Roberta Magnani (2017): Powerful men have tried to silence abused women since Medieval times. *Ronald G. Stover & Christine A. Hope (1984): Monotheism and Gender Status: A Cross-Societal Study. In: Social Forces Vol. 63, No. 2, S. 335-348. *Leonard Swidler (1974): Is Sexism a Sign of Decadence in Religion? In Judith Plaskov & Joan A. Romero: Women and Religion. Scholar Press.

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