When reading the Bible, many individuals often place emphasis on the substantial male individuals such as Jesus, God, Peter, and Joseph while not entirely recognizing the importance of the female figures present in the New Testament such as the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene. Without the Virgin Mary, there may not have been Jesus, the son of God. Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary play essential roles in the New Testament and in a way, ensure the continuation of Christianity and the existence of Jesus. Prominent individuals in the New Testament, the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene both communicate the significance of committing oneself to one’s faith and the importance of women in society to present-day Christian women. One of the most …show more content…
In Mary (New Century Theology), the author, Sarah Jane Boss, expresses that “the Blessed Virgin shares an identity with the deep from before the dawn of time, [and] she is connected to the whole divine work of creation” (Boss, 5). Therefore, the Virgin Mary represents the entire aspect of a nurturing mother to Jesus as well as to the rest of civilization. In addition, the Virgin Mary proves “essential to the Christian account of God and creation…she imparts the humanity and is a moral agent in the world’s salvation” (12). Without Mary, the world would not know benevolence and compassion, and even today, the stereotype of women to be empathetic and caring mothers exists partially due to the original role of the Virgin Mary as the mother of Jesus. This timeless figure “gave her free assent to the conception of Christ,” and overall, she shows how complete …show more content…
Sometimes viewed as a prostitute or sinner, Mary contrastingly “became the embodiment of Christian devotion, which was defined as repentance” (Carroll). Society initially perceives her as a wrongdoer because the Bible describes her as “Mary surnamed the Magdalene, from which seven demons had gone out” (English Standard Version, Luke 8.2). More specifically, since Mary Magdalene appears so elusively throughout the Gospels, various different images come to light regarding her overall representation: “most consequentially, she [is] a repentant prostitute, and her legend has been to discredit sexuality in general and disempower women in particular” (Carroll). However, Mary Magdalene shows the ultimate potential of atonement when she becomes one of Jesus’ closest followers and overcomes her evil and demonic past. She speaks the message that women can triumph over any obstacle and represents how one can completely change the course of one’s life whenever deemed necessary or desirable to do so. Remaining loyal to Jesus, “unlike the men who scattered and ran, who lost faith, who betraye Jesus, the women stay…and chief among them is Mary Magdalene” (Carroll). Because of her utmost devotion to Jesus and religion, Mary has become viewed as a saint in various Christian denominations and is noted as the first one to witness the
Her choices of metaphors are simplistic explanations providing the backdrop for the emotional and spiritual connection we seek in following Christ. The symbolic comparisons of Mary Magdalene, her relationship to Jesus, mirrors some of Julian of Norwich’s personal spiritual journey of prayerful contemplation while seeking intimacy in her relationship to God.
... call to be His servant. Embedded in Mary’s decision was the full awareness that she would suffer ridicule, contempt, and loneliness.
Warner's book details the special importance of the Virgin Mary throughout Christianity and explores her religious and secular meaning. She discusses such things as the Church's attitude toward virginity, the role model of the Virgin martyr, the Virgin's relics, and her role as an intercessor with God.
In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman. The mother women seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels. (p.29)
The depiction of Madonna and Christ is among the most ancient and common in Christian iconography and has an extensive number of variations because apart from its symbolic religious functions, it allows one to interpret the link between mother and child in many aspects. (8)
Images of biblical women have been used for centuries but some are much more controversial than others. One of the most infamous women associated with the bible is only directly mentioned in the bible once. Lilith is a woman whose story stems from Babylonian myths, demonology, and was the answer to a conflict in the Jewish creation story. She first appears in the folklore and more importantly the story of Gilgamesh, her story has grown into a femme fatale. The effect of social constructs on the interpretation of femme fatale archetypes such as Lilith are evident in the comparison of Lilith’s mythological beginnings to sexualized representation in Gabriel Rossetti’s painting Lady Lilith 1886. This transformation can be understood through analyzing the mythology surrounding Lilith, application of Jungian female archetypes, and the examination of art associated with Lilith.
...ualities and influences we want to accept as truth instead of blindly accepting the book of myths. She encourages women to descend the ladder and find the “thing itself” and the meaning that thing has for each individual woman.
Women in the biblical bible represent a transitioning and evolutionary turn for women in the future. Biblical women have open doors of opportunities that allow women to become more independent, confidents and sophisticated. History has shown how women first were seen as a typical care taker or protector compared to a “provider,” which was more associated with men. However, over the century, there has been a chain broken and opportunities released that allowed women to become more like men to a certain degree. There has been a change in status, roles, and education. Biblical women have allowed women in the twenty-first century the chance to obtain a higher status role such as, a provider for their family. Therefore, allowing women to stand up for their rights and what they believe in using sexual techniques. Such as, manipulating men, using their body as a weapon and the power of “sisterhood” to get what they want.
Religion is a key aspect to the culture of today’s society, as well as, for thousands of years prior. One major key distinction remains, most religions are male dominated traditions. Catholic, Islamic, and Jewish philosophy truly exemplify this. However, the importance and major role women play within the realm of different theologies is evident. Mary, the Catholic Virgin Mary, the Jewish Rachel, and Islamic Fatima are three important saints whose influence and importance is recognized. The term saint sometimes may blur between mortal beings and heavenly realms. Nonetheless, the three saints named have significance within their particular religious content. Rachel, Mary and Fatima contrast significantly in legends, descriptions and religious philosophies, but are comparable in devotions and reasons revered.
The number of feminist scholars critically assessing Biblical narrative has risen since the second feminist movement of the 1970s (Scholz 2014). A common theme of their scholarship has been to what extent the Bible may be seen to favour men. Some feminist scholars may not be able to legitimately assess the Bible and remain faithful to it because of such outdated views on women in a time when women’s equality is encouraged. I will firstly discuss the difficulties of being a feminist scholar and a Christian or Jew with particular reference to belonging to men, being of less value in society, and finally with a focus on key issues arising from Genesis 2 and 3 whereby gender roles and woman’s blame for the Fall of Man have been central to feminist interpretations. I will then assess ways in which such difficulties may be overcome with a different interpretation, beginning with refuting claims concerning the Creation story. This will be followed by analysing how the Bible is read and the value of historical context when doing so. By discussing these aspects, I will reach a conclusion as to how far you can be both a feminist scholar and a faithful Christian or Jew.
Carroll, James. "Who Was Mary Magdalene?" SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE. N.p., June 2006. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
as well as how God has chosen Mary “above the women of all nations” (3.42). Similarly the Gospel by Luke shows the angel Gabriel visiting Mary and telling
Later in the story, the narrator builds the theme of religion by indirectly revealing a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This devotion is taken t...
Despite the patriarchal society from the biblical days, God is taught as being just as much a Mother as God is a Father (102). The willful ignorance of religious scholars of the time just show that they were making a conscious effort of trying to keep women from retaining any power that they had. This relegation of religious roles in an effort to keep Men in power is a poor example of how Christianity is a religion which promotes for the love and care of all people, no matter their status. The interpretation of God from these times clash severely with my notions of what is now considered to be an all-loving entity. Women of these times were obviously not equal to their male counterparts. In modern days however, women are thought of as equals in society. The problem is that they are still not being treated as equals in a religious aspect as well as many other aspects.
During the Renaissance, the Virgin Mary was prevalent theme throughout this period where artists such as: Fra Angelico, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Bothicellical and Perugino were inspired to paint the Virgin Mary. The paintings show a motherly pleasant looking women holding or caring for her child. The paints are capturing the Mary as a human but giving her a divine appearance. The child being Christ shows her power by giving birth to him and by caring for the Son of God. In essence providing love, caring, and protection for the young child of God. For example, plate 15 and frame 23, these plates show a compassionate caring mother that is humanistic in depiction but larger or more encompassing of the painting than the Christ child. This is implying her importance in the early life of Christ. This also shows the power or her earthly influence over the child even though she is a human and not a deity. This gives her a special place in the church as the earthly Mother that is the most perfect of humans, other than Christ.