Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1998 19:56:50 -0700 (PDT)
From: Carol Bateson <bateson@almaak.usc.edu>
To: crosstalk@info.harpercollins.com
Subject: Re: GThomas and women

>
>To: y.kuchinsky@utoronto.ca
>From: Carol Bateson <bateson@rcf.usc.edu>
>Subject: Re: GThomas and women
>Cc:
>Bcc:
>X-Attachments:
>
>Greetings,
>
>I am new to this list and so I would like to introduce myself - Carol
>Bateson, an undergraduate student at USC majoring in Classics/minor in
>religion.  That said, I would like to offer a comment on this particular
>thread:
>
>Regarding the status of women: it might be helpful to remember that the
>sphere of women in the 1st Century was inside the house.  Further, it
>might be useful to remember that women were, for the most part not free to
>move around publicly with men who were not either their father, brother,
>husband or some other male agnate;  for them to do so would be considered
>unrespectable.
>
>Another way to "read" this verse IMHO would be something like this:
>
>Jesus (who is assuming the role of agnatic kin in this new Kingdom of God
>where all are brothers and sisters) said, "I myself shall lead her in
>order to make her FREE TO MOVE AROUND like a male, so that she too may
>become a living spirit resembling you males.  For every woman who will
>make herself FREE TO MOVE AROUND (with her new brothers/sisters) will
>enter the Kingdom of God.
>
>I would argue that Jesus is calling women to assume a new status - a
>status that grants them to roam around with Jesus and his followers.
>Peter's comment about Mary  - that as a woman she is not worthy of "Life"
>could be read as "she is not of the proper status to live the kind of life
>of freedom that we as males live".
>
>My $02
>
>Carol Bateson
>(who should be studying for a Latin midterm, but isn't)
>
>
>>On Mon, 6 Apr 1998, Stevan Davies wrote:
>>
>>	...
>>
>>> 114) Simon Peter said to Him, "Let Mary leave us, for women are
>>> not worthy of Life."
>>>      Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her in order to make her
>>> male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you
>>> males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the
>>> Kingdom of Heaven."
>>>
>>> This is "women" specific and "male" specific. Woman bad, male
>>> good.
>>
>>Steve,
>>
>>I would say it is "woman bad _as woman_". But if woman joins the Thomas
>>community, she will be "good".
>>
>>Thomas did not invent male domination. Male domination was all around in
>>contemporary society. It seems to me that Thomas, and perhaps Jesus, were
>>trying to bring in more equality for women.
>>
>>> Not "reproduction" and not "anti-sexual" (22 is
>>> anti-sexual --- and contrasts with this here).
>>
>>Thomas does not recommend reproduction for women, or for men, this is
>>clear. He's saying escape from reproduction is good for everyone.
>>
>>Yuri.
>
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>