Priscilla Papers | Academic Journal | Winter 2008
An interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed academic journal exploring Bible interpretation, theology, church history, and other disciplines as they address a biblical view of women’s equality and justice in the home, church, and world.
"Priscilla and Aquila instructed Apollos more perfectly in the way of the Lord." (Acts 18:26)
Academic JournalsThe opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of CBE International or its members.
Winter 2008
Volume: 22 | Number: 1
Early Christian Women
Our hope is that you will be encouraged by these examples of saints of our history who were dedicated to bringing in Christ’s rule so that you might emulate the best of their thoughts and actions.
Contents
Eighteen hundred years ago, a cell group of Christians was arrested during the persecution of a.d. 202–203 that accompanied a brief stopover at Rome of the pugnacious Roman emperor Lucius Septimius Severus. At Antioch on January 1, 202, Severus had declared his son Bassianus (nicknamed “Caracalla,” or “greatcoat” for the military outfit he habitually wore) joint [...]
It is no secret that the vast majority of the voices that speak to us from the days of the early church are male. Early church history is filled with stories of famous martyr-bishops such as Ignatius of Antioch (d. ca. a.d. 107–8), Polycarp of Smyrna (d. ca. a.d. 156), and Cyprian of Carthage (d. [...]
In the time of Herod, king of Judea, a young Jewish girl gave birth to a child who would change the course of history. What is mentioned of her in Scripture is significant, yet, throughout the centuries, the identity and person of Mary has been elaborated upon by Catholics and often overlooked by [...]
Gregory the Great clearly expressed a belief in fundamental human equality. This required him to offer some explanation, if only to himself, of his position at the top of the thoroughly hierarchical social and ecclesiastical authority structure of the sixth century. While his biographers have made his difficulty in accepting his episcopal calling well [...]
One of my spiritual mentors is a woman who lived six hundred years ago: Julian of Norwich. I admire her for the clarity of her descriptions of spiritual experience, her balanced and orthodox presentation of God as mother, and the divine comfort of her vision of our sin and redemption.
November 16 is the feast day of a remarkable woman: St. Margaret of Scotland. Margaret spent most of her early life in Hungary during her father’s exile. She returned to England with her family in 1056 or 1057, and, shortly after this her father died, leaving her brother as a possible heir to the childless Edward [...]
Could Mary have refused,
when it was offered her,
As with Mary,
it was the sound of angel wings
that broke the silence.
In a time when wealth and prosperity are more welcomed than the cost of discipleship, Climbing the Dragon's Ladder is a timely historical novel. No greater identification can be made about the cost involved in persevering as a Christian than identifying with a martyr such as Perpetua. Andrea Lorenzo Molinari, president of Blessed [...]
