God Speaks to Women - The Journal

Aphrodite was deceitful, manipulative, and disgraceful by flaunting her sexuality in a way that would have equated to a prostitute amongst mortal women.

Helen of Troy shamed her husband and her polis by leaving her family for another man; by doing so, she caused the deaths of countless warriors as her husband fought for her return. With these myths to guide their way, it is no wonder that those who could afford it — usually men of the noble class — kept their women in seclusion, as the fables clearly outlined the perils of allowing women to exercise independence.

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The Greek patriarchy was evidenced not only in mythology and philosophical literature, such as that of Xenophon, but continued in the workings of the rest of society. Greek playwrights often had female characters in their tales; however, these characters were never played by female actors, as this would have necessitated a woman exiting seclusion and taking the stage.

But I will give men as the price for fire an evil thing in which they may all be glad of heart while they embrace their own destruction. Despite the fact that it was Prometheus, a male deity, who began the divine-mortal conflict, neither he nor Zeus were ever blamed for their part in releasing evil into the world. That designation was given solely to Pandora, a woman who would not have been created had Prometheus not stolen fire from the gods. The designation of blame is one of the most patriarchal themes of this tale: The patriarchal and misogynistic ideologies continue throughout the rest of the story, especially when Hesiod chronicled Pandora opening the container: Hope only remained in a prison she could not escape… for the woman had replaced the great heavy lid.

But the other numberless miseries were spread over all humankind. Had Epimetheus turned Pandora away when she was sent to live with him, the box would not have been opened and evil would still lie safely tucked away, away from the prying and obviously destructive hands of women. She shut the lid of the container before hope could rush out and mitigate at least some of the effects of the newfound darkness.

In the household, women could be shaped and molded by men to be obedient, submissive, and subordinate, three characteristics that would counteract the deceptiveness that Pandora displayed. The isolation of elite women seems to have been done for three main reasons: Mortal women like Pandora were not the only ones portrayed as deceitful and manipulative; Aphrodite, the immortal daughter of Zeus, was relatively consistently represented as scheming, untrustworthy, and cunning.

After Aphrodite was struck with lust for Anchises, she flew down to Troy prepared to use all her wiles to seduce him: Sappho explains that the goddess puts on a disguise because she did not want her godhead and divinity to frighten Anchises after he opened his eyes; yet Aphrodite later lied to Anchises when he asked her what goddess she was, as it is not readily apparent through her disguise. Why liken me to the immortals? I am no more than a woman. She did not want Anchises to know her true identity because he would not otherwise have slept with her.

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There was nothing the men could do to escape the wanton lust of Aphrodite, and in this she served as an example of all women. Eva Cantarella explains the idea further: For if an immortal goddess could not obey the rules of society, how would flawed, mortal woman? The safest place men could keep their women was safely locked away in the house, away from the temptations of adultery and other sins. Separated from and subordinate to men, there was no way elite women could use the wiles that nature had given them to tempt men into their grasp. Xenophon also supported the segregation of women as a means to control them, protect the household, and keep women from succumbing to their natural lustful desires.

Looking at the conversations between men described in Oeconomicus , it is easy to deduce that they believed women were good for two things only: In the second excerpt, the responsibility of childbirth and rearing the children was placed solely upon the shoulders of the wife; there is nothing in the passage that implies Ischomachus took any great interest in child raising. Obviously Ischomachus, and Xenophon by extension, hoped that, with the responsibilities of the household and children, women would be kept far from anything that might unleash their buried deception and manipulatively.

Such was the power of the goddess of love.

Though this is true, Helen was still portrayed as a cause of the Trojan War since she abandoned her husband, family, and kingdom in favor of a younger, more virile lover. Her beauty was a curse. Paris desired to have Helen as a lover because she was the most beautiful woman in all the world; Menelaus, his brother Agamemnon, and their individual armies followed Helen to the shores of Troy in order to bring that beauty back to where she belonged.

Even Helen recognized her depiction as the downfall of the city and a punishment to men. Brother-in-law to a slut. If Helen has already been designated as a slut, a scourge to Troy, and a punishment for all the men fighting for her, how is she still the glory of women? This effectively placed all other women below her in terms of male expectation of obedience. If Helen was promiscuous, so were all other women; if Helen caused destruction and devastation, so could all other Greek women; if Helen had the ability to cause a war and bring turmoil to the entire Greek world, so did all other women.

In order to keep their world from repeating the disastrous fate of the Trojans, men needed to censor and separate women from the public realm; only then could there be any possibility of a relatively peaceful life. The story of Helen of Troy explained to men, quite clearly, the consequences when this segregation was not enforced. With this history in mind, Classical Greek noblemen strictly imposed the misogynistic policy.

Preventing this from taking place was paramount to any Greek male. Cultural portrayal of women in ancient Greek mythology is both a representation of and an influence on the treatment or place of Greek women within society.

Did You Know?

Men were in charge; women, even those of a comparable status, were never seen as equal to their male counterparts. In part, this reality was due to the lessons imparted through instructional literature. The rise of the so-called New Calvinism, which often teaches that credentialed ministry is open to men only, is causing many young men and a few young women to step back from our historic commitment to equality in ministry. Four core beliefs define the message of the Assemblies of God: Here are related sermons.

The Women in Ministry web site is by women in ministry for women in ministry to support, connect, and strengthen the women of God and the infinitely creative callings they embrace in the 21st Century. CWS promotes gender reconciliation and the inherent dignity of all persons, with hope toward equality and healing for humanity.

Enrichment Journal Boonville Ave. All 29 years of the out-of-print Paraclete magazine. Excellent source of Pentecostal themes and issues, theological articles on the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit, and sermon and Bible study material. Now the entire Advance archives — 30 years of information and inspiration, helps, and history — is available on CD. Back Table of Contents for this issue.