Women Under Judaism

18, 19. What was the status of women under Judaism, and how did this come about?

¹⁸ As we have seen, the Law of Moses protected women’s rights and, when followed, allowed womenfolk to lead a satisfying life. But as time went by, particularly after the destruction of Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E., there developed the religion of Judaism, based more on oral traditions than on the written Law of Jehovah. From the fourth century B.C.E. on, Judaism absorbed much Greek philosophy. By and large the Greek philosophers paid little attention to the rights of women, so there occurred a corresponding drop in the status of women within Judaism. From the third century B.C.E., women began to be separated from men in the Jewish synagogues and were discouraged from reading the Torah (Law of Moses). The Encyclopaedia Judaica acknowledges: “As a result few women were learned.” Education was principally for boys.

¹⁹ In his book Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus, J. Jeremias writes: “On the whole, the position of women in religious legislation is best expressed in this constantly repeated formula: ‘Women, (Gentile) slaves and children.’ . . . We may add to all this that there were plenty of disdainful opinions expressed on women. . . . We have therefore the impression that Judaism in Jesus’ time also had a very low opinion of women.”

1. In what way did Jesus’ earthly ministry prove to be a blessing for women?

JESUS’ earthly ministry was truly a blessing for Jewish women. The work he began was going to bring comfort, hope, and a new dignity to women of all races. He paid no heed to the traditions of Judaism that “made the word of God invalid.” (Matthew 15:6) Many of those traditions flouted the basic God-given rights of women.

Jesus’ Attitude Toward Women

2. Why can it be said that Jesus’ approach to women was revolutionary for the times?

² What a marked contrast there was between Jesus’ attitude toward women and that of Jewish religious leaders! To quote the Encyclopaedia Judaica, the latter considered women to be “greedy, eavesdroppers, lazy, and jealous.” Conversation with a woman was frowned upon, and “it was disgraceful for a scholar to speak with a woman in the street.” (Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus, by Joachim Jeremias; compare John 4:27.) Much more could be said about the disdainful attitude of the leaders of Judaism toward women.

Furthermore, the incident involving Martha and Mary clearly shows that unlike the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus did not feel that a woman had no right temporarily to leave her pots and pans in order to increase her spiritual knowledge.