The Beginnings of Feminist Oppression - Essay Example

The Beginnings of Feminist Oppression In the book Adam, Eve, and the Serpent Elaine Pagels makes the case that women have been placed in a second class status by the early church's portrayal of sex as sin. The radical positions of Paul have been perpetuated by the church and have resulted in celibacy being honorable and sexual drive a weakness. The author tells of the work of Clement who attempts to correct the misinterpretation of original sin as sexual intercourse a hundred years after Paul's death.

The book is a historical recount of Roman, Jewish, and Christian traditions that relate to women and the approach to sexuality. The Roman's expressed their sexual drive through the practice of prostitution and homosexuality. Jewish tradition allowed for polygamy and divorce. While the interpretation of the story of Adam and Eve was used to justify divergent stands on this issue, Christians in the first centuries regarded all these practices as sinful. The transgressions of sexual behavior have been attributed to Eve and have resulted in the subjugation of women for 2,000 years.

The story of the Garden of Eden has been characterized by sexual overtones and depicts sex as sinful. Yet, it has forever been the greater sin for the woman. Eve was the temptation that Adam succumbed to. Paul writes in Corinthians that, "Let those who have wives live as though they had none" (17). Paul preaches that marriage and therefore women are a necessary evil. According to the original scriptures as taught by Paul and later Augustine, woman's only purpose is procreation. Laws were written and the foundation of the church was based on this institutional bias against women.

The monopoly on morality has been used by individuals as well as the church to maintain power. Augustine declares that Adam's sin, the sin of the carnal knowledge of Eve, transformed the "structure of the universe itself". The eventual result was the punishment of death. To validate its authority the Catholic Church adopted Augustine's belief that "death comes to us by will, not by necessity" (145). The continued belief that sex equates to sin, and henceforth death, has been handed down and promotes the church as the only moral authority and our only hope for salvation.

Elaine Pagel's book, Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, is a straightforward explanation for the bias we see in our laws and prejudices towards women. It helps to explain why a woman's sexuality may be condemned while a man's will be admired and should be read by anyone wishing to understand sexism in today's world. By equating the original sin to Eve and death, this book clearly illustrates how biblical teachings have justified relegating women to a position of subservience to men. By illustrating that these deeply held mores are based on misinterpretations of biblical texts to maintain the church's power, Pagels makes the case as troubling as it is enlightening.

Our earthly suffering from the result of sin may not be escapable and the Christian traditions on sex and feminism will continue to pervade our society and our individual understanding of the world. References Pagels, Elaine. Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. New York: Random House, 1988.