Comments on: Is that a canon in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? http://inthebeginningwastheblog.com/2009/04/16/is-that-a-canon-in-your-pocket-or-are-you-just-happy-to-see-me/ Excursions in theology Thu, 01 Jul 2010 01:27:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Matthew Smith http://inthebeginningwastheblog.com/2009/04/16/is-that-a-canon-in-your-pocket-or-are-you-just-happy-to-see-me/comment-page-1/#comment-1046 Matthew Smith Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:47:46 +0000 http://inthebeginningwastheblog.com/?p=133#comment-1046 I was thinking the status and role of women in the early church might be one of the things at stake - I think it will be an interesting topic to follow up on. McKechnie is not really interested in the debate in this chapter but just lays out a quick background of the key texts and why he will be focusing on the traditional canon - the New Testament as we know it for the rest of his book. Thanks for reading BTW! I was thinking the status and role of women in the early church might be one of the things at stake – I think it will be an interesting topic to follow up on. McKechnie is not really interested in the debate in this chapter but just lays out a quick background of the key texts and why he will be focusing on the traditional canon – the New Testament as we know it for the rest of his book. Thanks for reading BTW!

]]> By: Lisa http://inthebeginningwastheblog.com/2009/04/16/is-that-a-canon-in-your-pocket-or-are-you-just-happy-to-see-me/comment-page-1/#comment-1044 Lisa Fri, 17 Apr 2009 02:46:58 +0000 http://inthebeginningwastheblog.com/?p=133#comment-1044 It has relevance if you start looking at some of the non-canonical gospels, for instance, which suggest that women played a much bigger part in both the ministry and human life of Jesus. One of them (I think that it was the Gospel of Mary, but couldn't be sure without digging up a copy) suggests some hostility between Mary and Peter, for instance, and that one of the Mary's, at least, was much more closely involved in the inner circle than the canonical gospels suggest. We have some Catholic and, in some places, Anglican congregations tearing themselves apart over the role of women in the ordained ministry. So, if my memory of what I have read of the non-canonical gospels is right, it seems quite possible that women were among the original 'ordained' ministers, depending of course on what you take 'ordination' to mean and where in the gospels you take the basis for it. This is just from one perspective, and I haven't read enough to know what other themes an arguments arise once you start reading more widely, though I have vague recollections that the whole question of resurrection was quite contentious in some of the alternative writings. It has relevance if you start looking at some of the non-canonical gospels, for instance, which suggest that women played a much bigger part in both the ministry and human life of Jesus. One of them (I think that it was the Gospel of Mary, but couldn’t be sure without digging up a copy) suggests some hostility between Mary and Peter, for instance, and that one of the Mary’s, at least, was much more closely involved in the inner circle than the canonical gospels suggest.

We have some Catholic and, in some places, Anglican congregations tearing themselves apart over the role of women in the ordained ministry. So, if my memory of what I have read of the non-canonical gospels is right, it seems quite possible that women were among the original ‘ordained’ ministers, depending of course on what you take ‘ordination’ to mean and where in the gospels you take the basis for it.

This is just from one perspective, and I haven’t read enough to know what other themes an arguments arise once you start reading more widely, though I have vague recollections that the whole question of resurrection was quite contentious in some of the alternative writings.

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