The biblical book of creation, Genesis recognizes two Additional traditions about the creation of man and woman, and both affirms the equal dignity of both. The oldest transcribe what looks like a typical poem of oral transmission: "God created man in his image / in the image of God made man-and female he created them." That is, the two sexes are part of what is called in Hebrew 'ish', which is the natural living soul, rational and spiritual, able to relate to God by virtue of similarity. Both were divine attributes this similarity in similar degree. So much so, that the terms man and woman are not distinguished in Hebrew at its root: we speak of 'ish' and 'isha'. In the second tradition, expresses the radical equality of men and women through the figure of Adam's rib, a story which has often been raised to signify the inferiority of women, when in fact its meaning is the opposite: "This really is meat my flesh, "exclaims Adam. First, God paraded before the Man in all living beings created and then presented with the Woman, not just to identify with the animals, but to recognize in her a creature radically different from all others before it, an identical being himself.
Genesis Another sign of the dignity of woman found in the story of the fall, that Hassatán, snake-shaped (figure derived from the dragon, that in cultures of the fertile crescent symbolizes the chaos), tempts Eve and not Adam. Here is a deep anthropological meaning: the devil knows that the fall of women, somehow, will drag the whole human race because it attacks the very life, the same creative power of God, perverting the most perfect and infesting time and all mankind (symbolized by Adam and Eve). Diabolical intelligence, exalted by his angelic status, but perverted in its aims, realized that perhaps Adam had fallen before Eve, but Eve would have been difficult to fall dragged by Adam because in some ways it was more "like" God. Satan had to gamble on who could offer more resistenicia, the woman, but it ensured the downfall of the whole human race.
and baste here with the Christian tradition. It is overwhelming to see that the path to salvation taken by God, runs a similar path to undo the theft committed in Paradise, before introducing the world to the "New Adam" (the Messiah awaited by the Israelites), manifests New Eve and, if Satan seduced Eve by proposing a lie ("be like God"), God offers something to the New Woman: Your assistance needed to bring the Messiah into the world. And without seduction or coercion, only exposing the simple truth. In short, the "yes" of Mary is not only reverses the old "no" to God for Eva, but far, far surpasses it off, allowing the redemption that would do the Messiah. For this reason, in the Byzantine churches, the Royal Doors of the iconostasis, which lead to the altar, and by entering and leaving the priest alone in the highlights of the celebration, especially in bringing Communion to the faithful, are always painted on them the scene of the Annunciation, to mean that Mary is the Gate of Paradise.
Despite what often pretends, Christianity has a positive view of women. Thus, Paul expressly, in the language of his time, that women should submit to their husbands, but almost like clearing himself clarifies that husbands should also love and respect their wives and delivered to them as Christ does the Church . That is, there must be reciprocity under the equal dignity of men and women. This positive view is observed in concrete, such as spiritual influence (even on Papas), which have had women as Catherine of Siena, St. Teresa of Jesus, or put us in the twentieth century, Chiara Lubich. Or the administrative power (comparable to a bishop) that, for example was in Burgos, the abbess of the Monastery of Las Huelgas. In the Christian Middle Ages, despite the distortions that have been perpetrated on this time authors like Ken Follett or Umberto Eco, it was precisely in recognition of the dignity and legal equality of men and women, unknown to Roman law. Not surprisingly, it is in the medieval Christian culture where there is the concept of "person", even if they wanted to appropriate subsequent currents.
The fact that the Church has always commanded men to the ministerial priesthood is not based on discrimination by nature, but on the principle of "imitatio Dei," ie, to follow the reference model Christ. This was characterized by an open and close with the women, contrary to what was customary at the time. Therefore, can not be considered discrimination as the reason that led him to choose only men to exercise the apostolic ministry and priesthood. In any case, the essence of priesthood is sacrifice, and it was unthinkable for women to demand such a thing, because it should always be served and no servant. (Ayuará to understand this point Paul's doctrine of marriage, the woman symbolizes the Church as the man to Christ who has come to serve and delivered by it). Over time, unfortunately, the temporal power to interfere in the Church-so paradigmatic in Byzantium, Holy Orders began to be coveted as an instrument of power. Even today the priesthood is seen by some not as a full delivery service to the people who can lead-and, indeed, carries on many occasions, the bloodshed, but as a privilege that they feel unfairly excluded . This should be challenged to Catholics, both priests and laity about whether externalize what it means to the ministerial priesthood and if properly valued the common priesthood of all baptized, men and women share.
Unfortunately, although sometimes the doctrine is very clear, in practice there are flaws. Just as the Church in the Middle Ages, condemned torture and still be covered by ecclesiastical performed at the time of the Inquisition, just as there were some who said they were Catholics and they planted bombs in Ulster, or just as there are priests that contradict their vocation with his behavior, has also happened that many Christian societies have not been completely permeabilized by the positive view of women offered by Christianity. Have been maintained over the centuries from customs and tribal atavistic behavior. Moreover, foreign flows to the trunk of orthodox Christianity, especially pseudoprotestante aspect, misogynist behavior and Puritans devoted extracted from a biased and manipulated interpretation of the Bible. Aggravated by the fact that the lack of culture and religious background of modern society makes the attitude of these groups come to confuse with genuine Christian doctrine and attitude, for example in the media (it is a paradigmatic example of the lack rigor of the journal "Public", for example, information came to qualify for a Protestant fundamentalist sect as a Catholic group. The error was so gross that it is difficult not to discern a manipulative intent in it.)
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