WOMEN OF FAITH

- BY MIRA NEAIMEH

Speaking about women, their roles, and rights, has always been a very exciting and controversial subject, especially in those regions torn between third-worldism and the invasive modernism of the first world.

The Middle East is one of those regions known for being in the front lines, where confessional movements, economic and social crises suddenly spring up in one place or another.

Within this particular context, it is difficult to tackle the specific topic of women’s ordination, although women’s active presence in the life of the Church is prominent in its development.

The issue of women’s participation in the core life of the Church, and particularly in its ministry, has been a topic of discussion and debate in the ecumenical movement since the movement’s origination. The main dilemma is whether to accept having a woman as a deaconess. What does it mean to have a deaconess?

What kind of ministry has been assigned to her?

Going back to the linguistic background of the word diakonos in Jewish, Aramaic, and Greek, it should be highlighted that the concept in the New Testament differs from that of the Jewish and Greek societies before the time of Christ. As per the Book of Acts, it is obvious that a woman’s ministry is one of the tables, or “social service,” which is not separated from the ministry of the Word, that of the altar.

Certainly, we should be developing together the concept of diakonia (Greek), which is a noun used 32 times in the New Testament and variously translated as “ministry,” “service,” “relief,” or “support.” The concept has been broadly used in the Bible, notably in Luke 10:40 of Martha’s meal preparations for the Lord while Mary sat at His feet and listened to Him. It is also used in Acts 6:1 regarding the serving of food and in Acts 6:4 referring to the “ministry of the Word.” In Acts 11:29, diakonia refers to famine relief in the form of a monetary contribution. In Acts 20:24 and 21:19, Paul uses the word to refer to his ministry among the Gentiles. In Romans 12:6–7, it is referred to as a spiritual gift—the gift of serving. As with the English word service, diakonia can have a broad spectrum of meanings and nuances depending on the specific context.

The active presence of women in Christianity has been recognized from the beginning: “There were also women,” the Evangelist tells us, “who had followed him [Jesus] and cared for his needs” (Mark 15:40–41).

One day, the disciples “were surprised to see him talking with a woman” (John 4:27), but Jesus Himself never made a distinction between man and woman in His relations with them. He spoke of woman as being equal to man in nature (Matthew 19:4) and in destiny (Matthew 22:30).

A second witness to the value of the Christian woman comes to us from the early Christian community. Woman is there as virgin, spouse, mother, widow, martyr, and nun. She contributed from the beginning to the building of the Church as a “community of love”.

From here we can move on to highlight women’s role in our Eastern context.

The Syrian Orthodox Church is keen on paving the way before women for service, as it prepares them for opportunities which it sees fitting. Some of the ministries in which women in the Syrian Orthodox Church are involved in include choirs, the order of nuns, and deaconesses who help in the service of Mass without being allowed to approach the Sanctuary.

As for the Greek Orthodox Church, and as per a document written by Ms. Frida Haddad and presented to the Holy Council of Antioch under the title, “The Deaconess in the Heritage of the Eastern Church,” from the time of the apostles, women have been assigned a special role in the Church. In Antioch and Byzantium, there were deaconesses in the Church until the twelfth century. Referring to the scriptures, four women played the role of diaconate according to the understanding of the Church Fathers. To name them, Miriam, sister of Moses and Aaron, Deborah the Judge, Huldah the prophetess, and Anna, daughter of Phanuel. Then, we have the ultimate example of the deaconess in the Eastern church, the Virgin Mary. Furthermore, the image of the Virgin Mary is one of spiritual guidance and Christian upbringing, the ultimate role of prophecy. She is the guardian of the faith, which she does through living the faith and putting it into practice, rather than following a philosophical and theological education.

Turning to the Armenian Orthodox Church, and whenever the monastic movement flourished, a deaconess was also a nun, but differed in the special order she received from the bishop. Father Kegham Khatcherian, currently His Eminence Archbishop Kegham Khatcherian, in a consultation in 1983, stated that a deaconess has different duties and obligations. She is to preach and read the Gospel in the convent for the nuns and take part in the service of the altar during the breaking of the bread. It should be noted that the unstable situation that the Armenian Church passed through has affected the place of women and weakened their role in the service of the Church, which has also caused the ebb and flow in the history of the ministry of deaconesses.

In the Evangelical Church, Reverend Habib Badr mentioned in the same consultation that the concept held by the Evangelicals differs from that of the Eastern churches. The office of deaconess exists within all the Evangelical Churches. It can take different forms and is not universal among all Evangelical churches as is the case in the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. But whenever it is called Diakonia, no distinction is made between the deacon and the deaconess, therefore what applies to one applies to the other.

Finishing with the Catholic Church, Father Jean Corbon explained that from the very early beginning there was no objection to the message and to the ordination of deaconesses, but historical developments that occurred for different reasons caused the negligence of this office and established as a substitute other form of service that do not require ordination.

Women, throughout the different history of the churches, have served and are still serving in one way or another. However, the discussion has always been around the nature of their service and its limitation.

Finally, and in case there is still doubt in the centrality of women in Christianity, we ask, was it not a woman that bore the child of God? Was it not women that came to the crucifixion and stood by the Lord’s side? Was it not women that announced the good news of resurrection?

Mira is a long-time member of the Orthodox Youth Movement from Lebanon. Initially a sworn public translator following her Masters degree in Translation. Mira has filled the role of WSCF-ME Executive and Program Director for Peace Building and Overcoming Violence for four years. She is a firm believer of youth potential drive, as well as the role played by women in any kind of ministry.

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