Quote:
Originally Posted by Evangelical
Your question is related to my previous post about the Jewish perspective.
I would say that woman was created weaker, but not inferior, to man.
Woman was subjected to inferiority as a consequence of the fall. In Judaism, a woman could be divorced at will etc. According to the Hebrew rendering of Gen 3:16 - it's a dictatorship, not a democracy. It should have been a democracy, but became a dictatorship. What was foretold in Gen 3:16 came to pass in Judaism.
She has been restored to her original position in Christ (Galatians 3:28) and is no longer inferior, but remains weaker.
I think Paul's restrictions on women are due to weakness not inferiority. 1 Peter 3:7. It's like on a farm job, you don't give a woman a job she is not strong enough to do. It does not mean she is inferior, just weaker. In a physical sense men have broad shoulders to carry out physically demanding work, women have narrow shoulders. I could say like Paul does relating to head coverings, "does not even nature tell you that women are weaker".
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Genesis 3:16 is an origin narrative. The story answers the question: Why is it that women are inferior to men? To a large extent, women were held to be inferior and treated accordingly in ancient Hebrew society as were they in much of the world until the late modern era. Genesis 3:16 justifies that situation. Again, it's not surprising that a patriarchal society would have text justifying its practice. Nor is it surprising that traditionalists would seek to maintain patriarchy by sacralizing such an ancient text.