The Nobility and Excellence of Women, and the Defects and Vices of Men Imagery

The Nobility and Excellence of Women, and the Defects and Vices of Men Imagery

The imagery of Greek biology

The history of depicting women as a weaker gender was started by Greek biology to give men an advantage over women. The author writes, "Greek biology assumed that women were inferior to men and defined them merely as child-bearers and housekeepers. This view was authoritatively expressed in the works of the philosopher Aristotle."

The imagery of masculine principle

The superiority of men over women is brought out using the imagery of masculine principles. The author writes, “The masculine principle was considered superior even in the womb. Man's semen, Aristotle believed, created the form of a new human creature, while the female body contributed only matter."

The imagery of Christian Doctrines on Women

The imagery of Christian doctrine on women clearly shows how religion orchestrated the burden of original sin on women and limited them to the realm of family and obeying their husbands. The author writes, "The Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament authorized later writers to limit women to the realm of family and to burden them with the guilt of the original sin.”

The imagery of the serpent

The imagery of the serpent shows the origin of the assumption that the woman must suffer the consequences of being deceived by the serpent and convincing her husband to eat the forbidden fruit. The price the woman must pay is being under the control of a man for the rest of her life. The author writes, "As read by the Christian theologians from Tertullian to Thomas Aquinas, the narrative made Eve responsible for the fall and its consequences. She instigated the act; she deceived her husband; she suffered the greater punishment. Her disobedience made it necessary for Jesus to be incarnated to die on the cross."

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