Women And Christianity


Neither Male Nor Female:



Who is Doing the Work?:

Chart: Women in Ministry in Early Centuries




Church history is full of female martyrs. There probably thousands of women who died for the charge of Christianity. Here I recored a very scant handfull. There are also many more deaconesses and women who spread the gospel in the centuries after the Apotles.This is only a small sample.

Women in Gospels



Mary the Mother Gospels Theotokas
Anna Luke Prophetess
Mary Magdeline Gospels witness to Resurrection/evangelist
Mary Bethany John friend of Jesus
Martha Bethany John friend of Jesus
Susana Luke 8:1-3 helper
Joana Luke 24 first witness to Resurrection/evangelist
Salome Mark 16 first witness to resurrection/evangelist
Sameritan woman John witness Jesus' ministry/evangelist
Mrs Pilate Luke defended Jesus to Pilate



Women in Early Chruch (in NT)



Phoebe Rom 16:1 minister/President chruch Cenchrea
Priscilla Rom 16:3 Teacher/chruch leader
Mary Rom 16:6 church worker
Persis Rom 16:6 church worker
Junia Rom 16:7 Apostle
Tryphena Rom 16:12 church worker
Tryphosa Rom 16:12 church worker
Mother of Rufus Rom 16:13 Motherly figure
Julia Rom 16:15 saint
Sister of Nereus Rom 16:15 Christian greeted by Paul
Euodia Philipians 4 co-worker of Paul
Syntyche Philipians 4 co-worker of Paul
Apphia Philemon 2 house chruch leader
Lydia of Thyatira Acts 16:15 house chruch leader
Nympha of Laodicea Colossians 4:15 house chruch leader
Four Daughers Philip Acts 21:8-9 Prophetesses, teachers, historians
Elect Lady(?) II John chruch leader



Age of Apostolic Fathers (post NT)



name century source ministry/accomplishment
Marianne("sister of Philip") 1 western canon deconess/prophetess
Flavia Domatilla late 1 Western canon martyr
Theckla* late 1 Eastern canon Apostle/prophetess/founder of community
Ammia of Philidelphia** early 2 Eusebius Chapter XVII. via Miltiades prominant prophetess
Philumene 2 canon visionary/martyr
Perpetua 2 canon visionary/martyr
Unnamed Prophetess Carthage early 3 Tertullian (On the Soul 9.4) prophetess/healer/ teacher
unnamed Prophetess of Asia Minor Prophetess, mid 3 Cyprian (Epistle 74.10) ecstatic prophetess/healer/celibrated eucharist and baptized.
2 Unnamed Deaconesses mid 2 Pliny Letter to Trajan 10.96 Deaconesses/tortured
Nina of Georgia (Cappadocia) 3/4 canon/legond slave/preacher/cured Queen Nana of Georiga, converted nation.
Paula of Bethlehem 347-404 canon ealry monastic
ST.Melania the Elder 343-409 canon Patroness/Pilgrim/evangleist/friend of Augustine
Clotilde 474- 545 39 converted Franks through husband Clovis
Meliana younger 383-439 canon founder of commuities/Patron/early monastic
St. Catherine of Alexandria 305 canon visionary/evengelist to Philosophers/martyr
Amprucla 4th St John Chrysostom Epistle ciii deaconess/social reformer
Pentadia 4th Chrysostom epistle civ social reformer/deaconess
Olypia 4th Chrysostom 17 letters to her head deaconess Constantinople/social reformer/liberator
Unnamed Deaconessess Alexandria 4th Theadoret (lauding them for their zeal and devotion deaconesses
Celeria 4th Theadoret deaconess
Macrina (sister of St. Basil) Gregory of Nissay Life of Macrina 5 deacnoness/founder of community at Annesi in Pontus
Unnamed female preists of Itally 5 Gelasius, Epistle 14.26 priests

*Theckla is a saint in the Eastern chruch, she was attested by several chruch fathers, who called her "equal to the Apostles," she was also said to have "enlightened many," euphimism for batpism.

**She was very pomenant in her day, and is held up as a standard againt the montanists.