Were there women leaders in the early church?
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The role of deaconess was provided in the early Church. There is a discussion of this in the answer to:
How were women to serve the church according to the Apostolic Fathers?
The Apostolic Constitutions declare:
Ordain also a deaconess who is faithful and holy, for the ministrations towards women. For sometimes he cannot send a deacon, who is a man, to the women, on account of unbelievers. Thou shalt therefore send a woman, a deaconess, on account of the imaginations of the bad. For we stand in need of a woman, a deaconess, for many necessities; and first in the baptism of women, the deacon shall anoint only their forehead with the holy oil, and after him the deaconess shall anoint them.
But this was not a leadership role, as you suggest. From Apostolic times, women were specifically excluded from assuming any sort of leadership role in the Church. This is obvious from Paul's admonition that women should not even speak in the Church (1 Corinthians 14:34). The only possible exception might be the role of abbess, which developed in the 3rd century as monasticism took hold in Egypt and elsewhere. Even here, though, a women's monastery (or "convent") required the occasional service of a (male) priest to administer the sacraments.
Upvote:-1
Yes, there's one denounced in Revelations for false teaching.
Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
(Revelations 2:20-23)
This is a part of the section of the Book of Revelations that consists of letters to seven contemporary churches is what is now Turkey. They're not symbolic, but very literal discussions with them about their successes and failings at that time.
So, yes, there were clearly female leaders and teachers in the early church. If there wasn't, Jezebel wouldn't have been able to teach the things she got denounced for - and yes, the Jezebel mentioned here was a real, contemporary woman, and not a symbolic reference to an Old Testament figure with the same name.
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