Question

Women in Judaism and early Christianity

A) could hold the positions of rabbi or priest.
B) could not hold important offices in both Judaism and Christianity.
C) have been recorded in history as being major figures of their time.
D) under Roman law could not be persecuted or tortured.
E) could not preach sermons.

Answer 1

In Judaism and early Christianity, women could not hold the positions of rabbi or priest and faced societal and legal restrictions, despite sometimes being influential in other roles. Over time, particularly in Iberian and Muslim lands, Jewish communities found greater freedoms compared to the persecution they faced in Christian-dominated societies.

Step-by-step explanation:

Within both Judaism and early Christianity, women historically could not hold the positions of rabbi or priest. While there were important female religious figures and groups such as the Vestal Virgins and priestesses in other ancient religions, in the monotheistic traditions of Judaism and early Christianity, leadership roles were predominantly held by men. This is not to say that women did not play significant roles; for example, Jewish communities in the Middle Ages valued literacy, and in Christianity, deaconesses sometimes served as assistants due to their accessibility to households.

During the Roman period, Christianity saw severe persecution until the conversion of Emperor Constantine in the early 4th century, leading to its eventual establishment as the official state religion. Women in these faiths, like men, faced various legal and societal restrictions under Roman law, and were not immune from persecution or torture. In the Iberian Peninsula and Al-Andalus, Jews found more freedoms and were often better off than in Christian lands, serving as important merchants, scholars, and traders.