Thomas Aquinas' Twofold Subjection Explained, Part 3

Early Church and Equality from Creation

The 4th century church believed Eve was subjected to Adam because of her sole guilt in the fall of humankind, since she had displeased God by taking the fruit. The idea behind it was the Roman concept of the enslavement of a person who had hurt an equal, the rational behind the enslavement of captives of war.

This brings us to the conflict between modern theology and the early church. Since the patristic church taught Eve was subjected to Adam as a result of her sin they had to also believe Eve was created equal to Adam. Do we find this? 

Yes, we do.

Jerome, for example, wanted virgins to remind themselves that Genesis 3:16 was only for the married woman, for the life they had accepted was independent from sexual differentiation. In Jerome’s theology, the married woman was considered inferior and subjected to the man because of the sole guilt of Eve; chaste women were equal to men in accordance with Galatians 3:28.

And, indeed, when chastity is observed between man and woman, it begins to be true that there is neither male nor female; but, though living in the body, they are being changed into angels, among whom there is neither male nor female. The same is said by the same Apostle in another place: “As many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Because Genesis 2:24 explicitly mentions marriage, Jerome explained that marriage is not found in the image of God, but is a metaphor of Christ and the Church. Since Christ had been a virgin in the flesh, husbands ought to love their wives as Christ – chastely, wherefore even a married woman could become the man’s equal through continence. Jerome explained further that “when difference of sex is done away, and we are putting off the old man, and putting on the new, then we are being born again into Christ a virgin." I.e., we return to the time before the Fall. 

 

The patristic church could not have subjected the woman to the man as a result of the fall had the church not believed in equality from creation. Because of this problem, the modern church must explain why the patrisic church subjected the woman after the fall, if the church has always taught subjection from creation.

Sources:

Adrian Hastings, ed. A World History of Christianity, (Grand Rapids: MI,  Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999), 47.

Jerome, “Letter XXII: To Eustochium,” The Letters of St. Jerome 18-19.

Jerome, Against Jovinianus, Book I, 20.

“Letter XLVIII: To Pammachius” The Letters of St. Jerome.

“Letter XXII: to Eustochium” The Letters of St. Jerome. Irenaeus (180) believed Adam and Eve were virgins in the Garden) but the exact reason for his belief is uncertain (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book III, XXII).

Against Jovinianus, Book I, 27.

Apology of Jerome, Book I, 28-29

Jerome, Against Jovinianus, Book I, 16