Wives, be submissive to your husbands, as it is fitting to the lord. ~Colossians 3:18
21st Century translation: "Woman, go make me a sandwich."
Well this is awkward. Not many verses of the bible bring so much discomfort-especially among us ladies- than this one. Repressed womanhood comes to mind, as well as abusive men taking advantage of the "weaknesses" of a woman. You know what, enough of this balderdash. The sixties are long gone, and we have had more than our fair share of feminism. It's time to rethink the inherent goodness of the gender role, stripping it of it's stigma. How am I going to do this, you ask? Come with me to a much...simpler time. A peaceful, joyful, happy time....(ha ha).
ANCIENT ROME.
I will not be giving all of yehs a history lesson, so to make this brief:
- Troy falls/burns. (Think of it as a city-wide bonfire.)
- Romulus escapes with his pops and son.
- Romulus founds Rome
- Romulus' daddio (Aeneas) brings flame from burning Troy and keeps it burning in Rome for years to come-Called Sacred Flame of Vesta-(Vesta=goddess of the hearth/home/family)
- Priesthoods established in Rome to administer to gods.
- Vestal Virgins established to keep watch over sacred flame. GIRL POWER!
The Vestal Virgins hanging out...as usual.
So, I'm not really sure why I'm so fascinated by these six fly ladies, but I am. Maybe it's the way they preserved the flame and kept the temple. Or maybe it's the fact that six women managed to live together for their entire lives without any major problems.
"Is that my veil you are wearing, Aquilia, THE NERVE?!"
I think the most interesting little fact about them was the emphasis placed on their purity and virtue. Guess what the penalty for violating their vow of chastity was?....
Being. Buried. Alive.
Yep. AND not just buried alive like in a coffin, but actually having to climb down a ladder to an underground chamber with a little couchette and enough food for two days, which, upon arriving to, was sealed off for eternity with layer upon layer of earth. Harsh, right? The Romans knew what was up.
Down she Goes!
Not that I think this punishment was necessary or justified, by any means, but one must look at the reason that a devirginified (it's a word, dangit!) vestal virgin would cause such disgust. The vestal virgins were literally the EPITOME OF WOMANHOOD in ancient Rome. They were the only female priests, the only women of power (state and religion were virtually indistinguishable), and the state of their character, womanly virtue, and virginity actually defined the state of the Roman empire. Wow. No pressure, virgins!
Now, I'm not saying that I necessarily agree with Rome on this one, but look at society as a whole. Ladies, we have always defined our world. The standards that women hold, the levels of respect they require, and the worth placed on their bodies and souls has always caused men to rise to the occasion to honor them. Which was exactly the case with the vestal virgins. Think about it. The state of the ROMAN EMPIRE depended on the essence of womanhood, who guarded the flame of Vesta that represented the woman in the home. As long as the women kept the home fires burning, men could go off and hunt, fight battles, kill Julius Caesar, and the Roman state was still "sacred" and imperial. How cool is that?
Now, to get back to the real reason I'm writing this, I think the vestal virgins can teach us something about this bible verse. Submission literally means under the same mission. The virgins devoted their lives to the same mission as Rome. Think of Rome as their theoretical spouse, if you will. They shared this common goal with him. Now, I know Rome was a bit oppressive and unforgiving, and I'm not saying that that is the inevitable fate of a woman at all, because after it is written for women to "be submissive to your husbands," this is also written:
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church". HINT: You never see Jesus sending sinful ladies down ladders to their underground fates...Just saying.
This is how he loves his bride:
Men shouldn't expect anything less.
In Christ,
Bridget Ann
Mmm...yes. This is really great, thank you for the great post!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I think you could tie in the second had of the verse too, "as to the Lord." Wives are not just supposed to submit to their husbands, they are to submit as if they were serving the Lord himself!! Now of course, guys can take something away from that point as well. What woman could submit to her husband "as to the Lord" if her husband's mission is not in accordance with the Lord's mission? Therefore, men should learn to always be focused on Christ, and therefore pursue godly things and love their wives.
Amen to that!
DeleteActually, the root word sub means under another or inferior in rank; not same. Furthermore, nobody should be subordinate to anybody. We should all be equal. Gender roles should be abolished so that every person can be who they want to be, and not be persecuted for not fitting a certain gender role because not everybody does fit their gender role. Gender is a spectrum, and people fit into many different places on this spectrum. It's not just male and female (that is sex not gender).
ReplyDeleteReally? No disrespect, but I've always thought that God created man and woman for a reason...
ReplyDeleteActually, the Latin word "sub" means "below." That is where we get the prefix from. And she said that. "Sub" or "under" "missive" or "mission." Therefore, the wife is to be under the husband's mission, but as I noted, the husband's mission ought to be God-pleasing. If you're saying that this passage means that the wife ought to be inferior to the husband because of the "sub" prefix, how can you say that there should be complete equality among everybody?
You have the right to think that way because you are entitled to your own beliefs and religion, just as I am. I'm disagreeing with the passage itself because I don't think wives should be submissive to their husbands. I think that a husband and wife should have the same mission and be equal partners in their relationship, but I dont think that this message is represented through this. To me, this passage sounds like it's saying a wife should be inferior to their husband, and luckily you may not interpret it that way, but somebody else reading the bible may interpret it that way because that is how it sounds. A biblical literalist might read this and think it's ok to think of his wife as inferior. Which is what I don't approve of because I think everyone is equal. Personally, I'm not religious, so I don't believe that God created man and woman in one way for one "right" path. And when I talk about not fitting into gender roles in society it could be as simple as a little boy that would rather play with Barbies than a baseball; because that doesn't fit the gendered norm.
ReplyDeletePaul was influenced by the society of the time, when women were supposed to be submissive to men. Actually, women in early christianity held some important roles, there was mention of a deaconess named Phoebe in Romans 16:1, and for what Paul said about them, it wasn't nearly as bad as many want to see it. Also, the text could also be interpreted with men and women being equal in the end, with both of them sacrificing for each other.
ReplyDelete