A woman who is totally given to that genius within herself
is an irresistible force.
is an irresistible force.
Barbara Marx Hubbard
The 50 or 60 years of the women’s movement had liberate us, but not just be equal to men. To be Co-Creators. Men, obviously, have within them their own essential spiritual creativity. But the structures of patriarchy and the success model that men are trained to, they get harmful. And what really works for a man, I have found, it’s very tricky here. Is if the woman who is vocationaly aroused and loving, because it is a loving urge, it’s not a dominating urge, loves and needs the creativity of the male. She liberates him. What women really want is co-creative partnership. We yarn for the man who do access his own essential self and be able to use the strength of the masculine, which is different than the strength of the feminine. There’s no doubt, men are builders, men have the capacity for form, that many of us don’t have. And I loved when I had in life men partners and partnering, not necessary romantic partners, there’s nothing greater than evolving woman with the evolving man, together forming evolving work. That’s more exciting than having a family, that’s more exciting for many of us than having many babies. Maybe you have chosen child, or no child, but the real passion to the world is the expression of joy and creativity. So the evolutionary woman she yearns for the evolutionary man. - Barbara Marx Hubbard
I believe that the future of the human kind is dependent on women waking up fulfil their destiny, to their purpose, which will lead to the unavoidable changes in the society, re-establishing strong female role in the matters of leading, nurturing and educating humanity, and so bringing back the forgotten days of the harmonious and war-less matriarchat. Therefore I'm willing to do the research on the subject. My goal is to find as much information about female role in Christianity as possible and to restore the damage that patriarchy had done to the humanity in general. I have a long history of personal engagement in feminism movement via my art practices, at the same time standing for equal, for human rights; and lifelong individual studies in spirituality, religions and occult, yet I'm more than certain, that there are still tons of information hidden from the public eye, which could help us to have a more balanced perspective towards females, and I'm gonna play the detective, bringing back to light what was pushed away into the dark corners of history.
Dominykas Bliznikas. Vilnius. Peronas. 2019.
WOMEN PLAYED A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE RISE OF CHRISTIANITY
MAJORITY OF CHRISTIANS IN THE FIRST CENTURY HAVE BEEN WOMEN
WOMEN IN THE FIRST CENTURY OF CHRISTIANITY
After the death of Jesus, women continued to play prominent roles in the early movement. Some scholars have even suggested that the majority of Christians in the first century may have been women.
The letters of Paul - dated to the middle of the first century CE - and his casual greetings to acquaintances offer fascinating and solid information about many Jewish and Gentile women who were prominent in the movement. His letters provide vivid clues about the kind of activities in which women engaged more generally. He greets Prisca, Junia, Julia, and Nereus' sister, who worked and traveled as missionaries in pairs with their husbands or brothers (Romans 16:3, 7, 15). He tells us that Prisca and her husband risked their lives to save his. He praises Junia as a prominent apostle, who had been imprisoned for her labor. Mary and Persis are commended for their hard work (Romans 16:6, 12). Euodia and Syntyche are called his fellow-workers in the gospel (Philippians 4:2-3). Here is clear evidence of women apostles active in the earliest work of spreading the Christian message.
Paul's letters also offer some important glimpses into the inner workings of ancient Christian churches. These groups did not own church buildings but met in homes, no doubt due in part to the fact that Christianity was not legal in the Roman world of its day and in part because of the enormous expense to such fledgling societies. Such homes were a domain in which women played key roles. It is not surprising then to see women taking leadership roles in house churches. Paul tells of women who were the leaders of such house churches (Apphia in Philemon 2; Prisca in I Corinthians 16:19). This practice is confirmed by other texts that also mention women who headed churches in their homes, such as Lydia of Thyatira (Acts 16:15) and Nympha of Laodicea (Colossians 4:15). Women held offices and played significant roles in group worship. Paul, for example, greets a deacon named Phoebe (Romans 16:1) and assumes that women are praying and prophesying during worship (I Corinthians 11). As prophets, women's roles would have included not only ecstatic public speech, but preaching, teaching, leading prayer, and perhaps even performing the eucharist meal. (A later first century work, called the Didache, assumes that this duty fell regularly to Christian prophets.)
The letters of Paul - dated to the middle of the first century CE - and his casual greetings to acquaintances offer fascinating and solid information about many Jewish and Gentile women who were prominent in the movement. His letters provide vivid clues about the kind of activities in which women engaged more generally. He greets Prisca, Junia, Julia, and Nereus' sister, who worked and traveled as missionaries in pairs with their husbands or brothers (Romans 16:3, 7, 15). He tells us that Prisca and her husband risked their lives to save his. He praises Junia as a prominent apostle, who had been imprisoned for her labor. Mary and Persis are commended for their hard work (Romans 16:6, 12). Euodia and Syntyche are called his fellow-workers in the gospel (Philippians 4:2-3). Here is clear evidence of women apostles active in the earliest work of spreading the Christian message.
Paul's letters also offer some important glimpses into the inner workings of ancient Christian churches. These groups did not own church buildings but met in homes, no doubt due in part to the fact that Christianity was not legal in the Roman world of its day and in part because of the enormous expense to such fledgling societies. Such homes were a domain in which women played key roles. It is not surprising then to see women taking leadership roles in house churches. Paul tells of women who were the leaders of such house churches (Apphia in Philemon 2; Prisca in I Corinthians 16:19). This practice is confirmed by other texts that also mention women who headed churches in their homes, such as Lydia of Thyatira (Acts 16:15) and Nympha of Laodicea (Colossians 4:15). Women held offices and played significant roles in group worship. Paul, for example, greets a deacon named Phoebe (Romans 16:1) and assumes that women are praying and prophesying during worship (I Corinthians 11). As prophets, women's roles would have included not only ecstatic public speech, but preaching, teaching, leading prayer, and perhaps even performing the eucharist meal. (A later first century work, called the Didache, assumes that this duty fell regularly to Christian prophets.)
EUODIA AND SYNTYCHE
IN EARLY CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES WOMEN OFTEN OWNED
THE 'HOUSE CHURCHES' WHERE CONGREGATIONS GATHERED TO WORSHIP
SAINT JUNIA
JESUS MADE ME A FEMINIST
RISE AND FALL OF THE WISE WOMAN
History and ancient texts point to a time when women were worshiped and entrusted with secret teachings, holding influential positions of power. If this knowledge is allowed to flourish, could there be a rise of wise women in the future and, if so, might this also pave the way to a time when patriarchy and matriarchy rule together? I think it is important to reconnect with our past. Matrilineal civilizations were often times very peaceful, and according to the video, it was only after the Male became the dominant figure in society where we find the absorption and complete intoxication from the power of war. It was only after the male secured dominance that we collectively started studying war and making instruments to better express our darker, some may say darkest, shades of humanity.
Watch it on https://www.gaia.com
MARY MAGDALENE WAS JESUS’ WIFE?
She was a woman from Magdala, a small Galilean town known for its fishing, who became a female disciple and was first witness to Jesus’ resurrection, the cornerstone of Christianity. But the team behind the new film Mary Magdalene, directed by Garth Davis, is hoping to get back to basics. The movie, which came out in the U.K. on March 16, tells the story of Mary Magdalene (Rooney Mara), detailing her fraught existence in Magdala as a single woman determined not to marry, before she meets Jesus (Joaquin Phoenix) and follows him to Galilee and then Jerusalem, where he’s crucified. Yet, in stripping away the myths, this film portrayal of Mary Magdalene underlines what some scholars see as the real — and unexpected — reason why she’s so controversial.
Rooney Mara in Mary Magdalene (2018)
GOSPEL OF MARY
Gospel of Mary, a “very mysterious document” discovered in the 19th century. It’s thought the text was written some time in the 2nd century, but some scholars claim it overlaps Jesus’ lifetime.
Magdalene is framed as the only disciple who truly understands Jesus’ spiritual message
In the Gospel of Mary, which isn’t officially recognized by the Church, Mary Magdalene is framed as the only disciple who truly understands Jesus’ spiritual message, which puts her in direct conflict with the apostle Peter. Mary describes to the other apostles a vision she has had of Jesus following his death. Peter grows hostile, asking why Jesus would especially grant Mary — a woman — a vision.
IN 1969 THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ADMITTED THAT
IT HAD MISTAKENLY IDENTIFIED MARY MAGDALENE
AS A SEX WORKER
At the heart of the controversy is the idea that Mary Magdalene’s connection to Jesus was spiritual rather than romantic. For example, in the film’s version of the Last Supper, Mary Magdalene is seated on Jesus’ right-hand side. Though the tableau echoes a key scene in the 2006 film version of The Da Vinci Code, in which the characters examine Leonardo Da Vinci’s mural The Last Supper and debate whether the effeminate figure to Jesus’ right was in fact Mary Magdalene, the new movie doesn’t place her there as his wife. The significance of her seat lies instead in Mary Magdalene taking the prized position above any of the twelve male apostles, as Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) looks on in jealousy.
This version of the story is the real reason why Mary Magdalene is dangerous to the Church, according to Professor Joan Taylor of King’s College, London, who worked as historical advisor for Mary Magdalene.
Mary’s central role in the Gospels has historically been used by some as evidence that the Church should introduce female priests — and since 1969, when the Catholic Church admitted that it had mistakenly identified Mary Magdalene as a sex worker, the calls for women in church leadership positions have only grown louder.
This version of the story is the real reason why Mary Magdalene is dangerous to the Church, according to Professor Joan Taylor of King’s College, London, who worked as historical advisor for Mary Magdalene.
Mary’s central role in the Gospels has historically been used by some as evidence that the Church should introduce female priests — and since 1969, when the Catholic Church admitted that it had mistakenly identified Mary Magdalene as a sex worker, the calls for women in church leadership positions have only grown louder.
“Within the Church she does have tremendous power, and there are lots of women who look… to Mary Magdalene as a foundation for women’s leadership within the Church,”
Professor Joan Taylor of King’s College, London
JESUS KISSED MARY MAGDALENE OFTEN ON HER FACE
Jealous men. Why does the Catholic Church hide the importance of female role in Christianity? JESUS LOVED MARY MAGDALENE MORE THAN ALL HIS STUDENTS, according to the Gospel of Philip, one of the Gnostic Gospels, a text of New Testament apocrypha, which dates around 3rd century. It was lost in modern times until an Egyptian man rediscovered it by accident, buried in a cave near Nag Hammadi, in 1945. Of course it is not accepted as canonical by the church since it clearly shows how Mary Magdalene was THE WOMAN who was MORE IMPORTANT to Jesus Christ THANK ALL MEN around him. How else they could preserve the dictatorship of patriarchy and male dominion in religious institutions? ‘Wisdom, who is called barren, is the Mother of the Angels. The COMPANION is Mary of Magdala (Mary Magdalene). JESUS LOVED HER MORE THAN HIS STUDENTS, HE KISSED HER OFTEN ON HER FACE, MORE THAN ALL HIS STUDENTS and the students said, ‘Why do you love her more than us?’ The Saviour answered, ‘why do I not love you like her. The one who sees and the one who is blind (in darkness) - they are the same. When light comes the one who sees - will see light, the blind man stays in darkness.’ In 1969 the Catholic Church admitted that it had ‘mistakenly’ identified Mary Magdalene as sex worked. Maybe it’s time in 2019 to admit more ‘mistakes’?
THE LOST BRIDE - MARY MAGDALENE
The controversy surrounding Mary Magdalene and her relationship to Jesus has gained widespread international interest since the publication of Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code, which specifically cites Margaret Starbird’s earlier works as a significant source. In Mary Magdalene, Bride in Exile Starbird examines the many faces of Mary Magdalene, from the historical woman who walked with Jesus in the villages of Judea to the mythic and symbolic Magdalene who is the archetype of the Sacred Feminine. Starbird reveals exciting new information about the woman who was the most intimate companion of Jesus and offers historical evidence that Mary was Jesus’ forgotten bride.
Margaret Starbird is the author of seven books arguing for the existence of a secret Christian tradition that held Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, calling it the "Grail heresy", after having set out to discredit the bloodline hypothesis contained in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail.
Expanding on the discussion of medieval art and lore introduced in her bestselling book The Woman with the Alabaster Jar, Starbird sifts through the layers of misidentification under which the story of the Lost Bride of Christ has been buried to reveal the slandered woman and the “exiled” feminine principle. She establishes the identity of the historical female disciple who was the favored first witness of the Resurrection and provides an interpretation of Mary’s true role based on prophecy from the Hebrew scriptures and the testimony of the canonical gospels of Christianity. Balancing scholarly research with theological reflection, she takes readers deeper into the story and mythology of how Magdalene as the Bride embodies the soul’s own journey in its eternal quest for reunion with the Divine.
Margaret Starbird is the author of seven books arguing for the existence of a secret Christian tradition that held Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, calling it the "Grail heresy", after having set out to discredit the bloodline hypothesis contained in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail.
Expanding on the discussion of medieval art and lore introduced in her bestselling book The Woman with the Alabaster Jar, Starbird sifts through the layers of misidentification under which the story of the Lost Bride of Christ has been buried to reveal the slandered woman and the “exiled” feminine principle. She establishes the identity of the historical female disciple who was the favored first witness of the Resurrection and provides an interpretation of Mary’s true role based on prophecy from the Hebrew scriptures and the testimony of the canonical gospels of Christianity. Balancing scholarly research with theological reflection, she takes readers deeper into the story and mythology of how Magdalene as the Bride embodies the soul’s own journey in its eternal quest for reunion with the Divine.
MARGARET SHARE FROM HER TREASURE TROVE OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE AS WE TALK ABOUT:
- How Margaret first became interested in the search for the Holy Grail and reclaiming the “Sacred Feminine” in Christianity.
- What lies at the basis of the belief that Yeshua and Mary Magdalene may have been married and had a child.
- Where the title “the Magdalene” came from.
- How the ancient cults of “Sacred Marriage” is related to the story of Mary Magdalene and Yeshua.
- What happened to Mary Magdalene after the Crucifixion.
- Why this truth the “Sacred Union” at the heart of Christianity was lost.
- How the information about the Sacred Marriage in Christianity managed to survive.
- What Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper” have to do with the suppressed tradition about Mary Magdalene as the “Lost Bride”.
- How the very first heresy was the denial of the Bride.
- Why Margaret believes that the Passion of the Christ does not begin at Gethsemane or the Last Supper but at the beginning of the week with the anointing of Yeshua’s body.
- How synchronicities played an important part of Margarets path.
- How Mary Magdalene & Yeshua are the archetypes for the union of flesh and divinity – as are you.
- How Margaret first became interested in the search for the Holy Grail and reclaiming the “Sacred Feminine” in Christianity.
- What lies at the basis of the belief that Yeshua and Mary Magdalene may have been married and had a child.
- Where the title “the Magdalene” came from.
- How the ancient cults of “Sacred Marriage” is related to the story of Mary Magdalene and Yeshua.
- What happened to Mary Magdalene after the Crucifixion.
- Why this truth the “Sacred Union” at the heart of Christianity was lost.
- How the information about the Sacred Marriage in Christianity managed to survive.
- What Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper” have to do with the suppressed tradition about Mary Magdalene as the “Lost Bride”.
- How the very first heresy was the denial of the Bride.
- Why Margaret believes that the Passion of the Christ does not begin at Gethsemane or the Last Supper but at the beginning of the week with the anointing of Yeshua’s body.
- How synchronicities played an important part of Margarets path.
- How Mary Magdalene & Yeshua are the archetypes for the union of flesh and divinity – as are you.
THE APOSTLE PAUL’S CO-WORKERS - WOMEN IN THE NT
“Greet Prisca and Aq′uila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I but also all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks; greet also the church in their house.” – Romans 16:2-5 (RSV)
Prisca and Aq′uila
SISTER APPHIA
SISTER APPHIA
Paul writes primarily about his friendship with two men, Philemon and Onesimus, but a woman, Apphia, is also addressed in the letter. Apphia, however, is addressed and described individually, as are Philemon and Archippus. Who was Apphia, and what was her role, or position, in the church at Colossae? The three people greeted by Paul are described with different ministries or ecclesial descriptions. Philemon is called “our dear friend and co-worker,” while Apphia is called “the sister”. Paul used the description of “sister/brother” for certain individuals who were his ministry colleagues. Apart from Apphia, Paul refers to one other woman in his letters as “sister.” That woman is Phoebe, deacon (diakonos) and patron of the church at Cenchrea (Rom. 16:1-2).
Rather than being the wife of Philemon, Apphia may have been his ministry partner.
A few women involved in Pauline missions are mentioned in ministry partnerships with men, but many more are mentioned without any reference to a male relative: Phoebe, Euodia, Syntyche, Tryphaena and Tryphosa, Mary of Rome, Persis, Nympha, etc. It is not clear if these women were widows, single, or married. Nevertheless, they were active in ministry and prominent in their churches without, or despite, a husband. Apphia is likewise prominent and identified as an individual. She was certainly known well enough by Paul to be mentioned by him in his letter.
I suspect Apphia was one of a number of high-status women who were attracted to early Christianity, and she may have been a patron of the congregation that met in Philemon’s or Archippus’s home, or she may have been a patron of a network of house churches in Colossae. Perhaps she was like Phoebe who was patron and deacon of the church at Cenchrea. Was Apphia another Phoebe? If so, this makes Apphia a woman of considerable influence.
It seems Paul’s greeting to Apphia is some kind of respectful acknowledgement of her. And just like Philemon and Archippus who are mentioned alongside her, she was a minister in the church at Colossae, and quite possibly its patron.
I suspect Apphia was one of a number of high-status women who were attracted to early Christianity, and she may have been a patron of the congregation that met in Philemon’s or Archippus’s home, or she may have been a patron of a network of house churches in Colossae. Perhaps she was like Phoebe who was patron and deacon of the church at Cenchrea. Was Apphia another Phoebe? If so, this makes Apphia a woman of considerable influence.
It seems Paul’s greeting to Apphia is some kind of respectful acknowledgement of her. And just like Philemon and Archippus who are mentioned alongside her, she was a minister in the church at Colossae, and quite possibly its patron.
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philemon 1:1-3 (NRSV)
To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philemon 1:1-3 (NRSV)
Source: https://margmowczko.com/apphia/
THERE IS NO “MALE OR FEMALE” IN PRIVILEGE
OF BEING A CHRISTIAN
Every day they used whatever gifts the Holy Spirit had given them to take the Gospel to the lost, work in their local churches,
and give aid to the poor and destitute like Christ did.
and give aid to the poor and destitute like Christ did.
There is no “male or female” in privilege of being a Christian (Galatians 3:28). All are called to serve.
There must have been many, many women who served in the Church, but Paul mentions a few specially in Romans 16. “Mary, who labored for us” was one such woman (Rom. 16:6). Some scholars also believe that Persis was a female. If so, she was also an evangelist and these women used their influence and means to make the Gospel known. One woman in the book of Romans is referred to as “apostle” – that is Junias, the wife of Andronicus. Paul refer to Junias as “outstanding among the apostles” (Rom. 16:7). Paul also said that they were “in Christ before me” (Romans 16:7) . This may indicate that Junias and Andronicus had become Christians some years before Paul did. Apparently at one time the couple was arrested at the same time as Paul and were in prison with him. Junias’ faithfulness to Christ was demonstrated in her willingness to suffer imprisonment and possible execution for her witness. When Paul lists the gifts of the Holy Spirit in I Corinthians 12 and Ephesian 4, apostles are listed among them. Since the point Paul makes is that the Spirit gives many gifts as He wishes to all believers, apostleship is given as a gift to many believers. This includes men and women. They are missionaries. The most important thing is that Junias was faithful to her calling. Paul makes it very clear that Junias was “outstanding among the apostles”. We should be encouraged by her example.
All of these godly women used their personal gifts, financial means,
and influence to serve the Lord with gladness because
they had experienced the joy of salvation.
and influence to serve the Lord with gladness because
they had experienced the joy of salvation.
Paul commends them for their dedication and service. These words should be an encouragement to all Christian women today as they labor in whatever calling they received from the Lord.
As we have seen in the Gospels and the book of Acts, men and women were to work side by side in the new community of faith. Jesus started it. The apostles continued it. Paul assures us that men and women would be equal partners in the kingdom
As we have seen in the Gospels and the book of Acts, men and women were to work side by side in the new community of faith. Jesus started it. The apostles continued it. Paul assures us that men and women would be equal partners in the kingdom
True servants are like Jesus –they are concerned about God and others, not their rank or position.
It's one thing to go vertical to God. And my desire is to express the universal principle of creaton. That makes me evolutionary women. Feminine co-creator. The purpose of evolution is coming up through great avatars, like Jesus Christ. We are moving towards becoming gnostic humans. It is the next stage of human evolution.
WOMEN ARE GIVING BIRTH TO AUTHENTIC FEMININE SELF
We have technologies and resources and to-know-how for the begin our life as the citizens of the Cosmos.
What story can humanity express, mainly through our artists, that would be able to be so powerful that it would transform the world? The synchronization of social systems. In health, in economics, in media, in relationships, in environment. The new systems coordinate in this vision. We have the technologies and know how. Also we have consciousness, the heart, the connectivity. The story of Christ is the story of the birth. What Christ and others avatars came to tell us is the truth. We are one body, we are whole, we are good. We have to go and tell the story to the world. You get inspired and you ask questions and you demand to know and it will come. My purpose is to be a storyteller. Humanity is going through transformation.
Women are giving birth to authentic feminine self.
- Barbara Marx Hubbard, 'Women waking to purpose'
Barbara Marx Hubbard refers to herself as an evolutionary. Born with a curious mind, asking even more curious questions, it was not until Barbara was finished with her childrearing that she expressed her own voice in the form of Conscious Evolution. Her most recent expression is a film titled, Visions of a Universal Humanity. In this conversation she speaks of the future of humankind as being dependent upon women waking to their purpose, which will necessitate a new kind of partnership. Buckminster Fuller has called Barbara Marx Hubbard “the best informed human now alive regarding futurism and the foresights it has produced.” Widely regarded as his philosophical heir, Barbara is a social innovator, speaker, author, educator and leader in the new worldview of conscious evolution.
What story can humanity express, mainly through our artists, that would be able to be so powerful that it would transform the world? The synchronization of social systems. In health, in economics, in media, in relationships, in environment. The new systems coordinate in this vision. We have the technologies and know how. Also we have consciousness, the heart, the connectivity. The story of Christ is the story of the birth. What Christ and others avatars came to tell us is the truth. We are one body, we are whole, we are good. We have to go and tell the story to the world. You get inspired and you ask questions and you demand to know and it will come. My purpose is to be a storyteller. Humanity is going through transformation.
Women are giving birth to authentic feminine self.
- Barbara Marx Hubbard, 'Women waking to purpose'
Barbara Marx Hubbard refers to herself as an evolutionary. Born with a curious mind, asking even more curious questions, it was not until Barbara was finished with her childrearing that she expressed her own voice in the form of Conscious Evolution. Her most recent expression is a film titled, Visions of a Universal Humanity. In this conversation she speaks of the future of humankind as being dependent upon women waking to their purpose, which will necessitate a new kind of partnership. Buckminster Fuller has called Barbara Marx Hubbard “the best informed human now alive regarding futurism and the foresights it has produced.” Widely regarded as his philosophical heir, Barbara is a social innovator, speaker, author, educator and leader in the new worldview of conscious evolution.
JESUS IN INDIA AND TIBET
Buddhist monks at Hemis Monastery took him in, and while the Russian adventurer recovered, the head lama revealed the religious community’s strange secret: Its library contained a text titledThe Life of Saint Issa, which chronicled the years Jesus of Nazareth spent traveling and teaching in India and Tibet.