Non require Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Non require - Essay Example inning as a renegade sect of Judaism that was banned by the Roman government (largely because it did not allow for the kind of religious pluralism that the Roman state was based on), to a tolerated, legal but minority religion (under the reign of Constantine),1 very briefly back to being an illegal religion (under Julian the Apostate) before finally becoming the official religion of the Roman state.2 Along with these changes in official status came changes in church structure – early Christian churches likely operated on a very small scale, with priests and bishops (where they existed) mainly serving the role of teachers and communicators, without actually wielding much power.3 As Christianity became more officially recognized, it became a more strongly organized church in itself, with greater emphasis put on hierarchy and the power and authority of church elders and leaders, and less emphasis on the importance of individual believers. Through these broad changes many disagree ments emerged: questions about who were church leaders, how their power was exercised, who got to set doctrinal legitimacy, and theological questions such as the nature of the divine. Through the broad history of Christianity, it becomes apparent that more and more of these conflicts were solved by the creation of a strict hierarchy, which put older, educated men at the head, forming church policy, while diminishing the importance and voice of anyone else. The role of women in the Church was an early issue that demonstrates the shift of power from ordinary believers into the hands of the same kind of people that ruled Roman society, older, patriarchal men. Women played an incredibly important role in early Christianity – Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of Jesus were both incredibly important members of the early church. Likewise, Paul had many â€Å"coworkers† that demonstrate that women were indeed an important part of the early church.4 Women may have even had a role in