ST. PAUL’S TEACHINGS ABOUT WOMEN, Part 5
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Paul wrote, “There is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). But we must also acknowledge the challenge Paul had in building a Church from two cultures, Hebrew and Greek, both of which were based on hard-core dominance by men. Also, Paul had to proceed cautiously because of Augustus Caesar’s Marriage Laws. All non-military men up to the age of 60 and all women up to 50 (including widows) had to marry and have children. Those unmarried would lose their inheritance. The fewer the children a couple had among the elite, the more taxes the couple had to pay. Once a woman had three children, she was free of her husband’s authority without divorcing him. And we must remember that Roman law did not have a state attorney to prosecute crimes; any citizen could place charges and have another arrested and brought to court. We saw this happen to Paul those times when he was stoned and put into prison.