Will Ederer

Period 4 Mogge

Mary Had a Little Lamb: Analyzing Religious Doctrine and the Role of Women
Women have been given subordinate societal roles in history for a variety of reasons. In

the historical period between 600 and 1400 C.E., religion was a dominant factor in most peoples

lives, and had an especially large part in shaping the role of women at the time. As a result of

religious doctrine and practices between 600 and 1400 C.E. in Europe and the Middle East,

womens physical appearances were restricted, while the ability for them to voice their opinion

and make autonomous decisions was diminished.

Women who engaged in public activities were often made to cover themselves in specific

ways, in accordance with religious doctrine. Although not always the case, Muslim scholar Ibn al

Hajj said that covers for women were the norms. In his comments on Muslim Women in

Fourteenth Century Medieval Cairo, Ibn al Hajj is somewhat unreliable because he takes a very

opinionated stance on women being uncovered (D4). However, his comments still show the

popular opinion of religious scholars, and he is supported by the text of the Quran. The Quran,

which is said to be the direct word of God and thus a reliable source of Islamic doctrine, tells

women to cast down their looks and guard their private parts (D2). Requiring women to cover

up was not a practice limited to the Middle East, however. In a painting of a French hospital

staffed by nuns, every woman working is wearing a head covering, as is every statue of the

virgin Mary (D7). The lack of historical detail to authenticate this document makes it somewhat

unreliable, but there is no clear reason an artist would add head coverings, suggesting that this

was normal for nuns at the time. Religious doctrine restricted womens physical appearances,

although this is not the only aspect of a womans life that was limited by religion.

The ability for women to voice their opinions in medieval times was also limited, because

of religious doctrine. In Pauls letters to Timothy in the Medieval Roman Catholic Bible, Paul

writes, I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men. She is to keep silent (D1).
Paul is an incredibly important figure in Roman Catholicism, and his letters are the basis for

much Roman Catholic religious doctrine. Since the women were ordered to stay silent by the

religious doctrine of the time, women in medieval Europe had their voices stifled, and if anyone

chose to speak, they would likely be ignored or silenced. For the Jewish women of the time,

there was not much hope, either. According to Moses ben Maimon, who wrote a Medieval

commentary on the Torah called the Mishneh Torah, A woman who studies Torah will be

recompensed, but not in the same measure as a man. Moses ben Maimon, who was a reliable

historical figure, remarked that women had little reward for study, and later quoted the sages as

saying men should not teach their daughters Torah, as women have not a mind adequate for its

study (D6). Since education for women was regarded less highly than it was for men, the voices

of women would be also regarded thus, as less educated and less respectable. This, in turn,

diminished the voices women had in Jewish communities, but there was even less voice for them

when it came to making their own decisions.

Women had little autonomy in their decisions in this time period, often as a result of

religious doctrine. In Jewish communities, the Torah, which is the Jewish book of religious

stories and doctrine, decided what happened if a womans husband died before they had children.

According to the Torah, The brother of her dead husband shall go in unto her and take her to

him to wife and perform the obligations (D3). In this instance, the woman has no choice

whether or not she will remarry after her husbands death; instead she is forced to marry her

brother-in-law and have children. For Christian women, the doctrine of the time prevented them

from interacting with women from other religious communities. According to the Decree of the

Fourth Lateran Council of the Roman Catholic Church, which was an important meeting

regarding Catholic religious doctrine, It sometimes happens that by mistake, Christians have
intercourse with Jewish or Saracen women and Jews or Saracens with Christian women (D5).

This document shows that it was incorrect conduct for Catholic women to interact with other

women, as it was a mistake, and thus that women were limited in who they could interact with,

because of their religion. In addition, in Catholic doctrine, women were also seen as inherently

sinful. In Pauls letter to Timothy, paul says that Adam was not deceived, but the woman was

deceived. An additional piece of evidence toward this is the biblical story of Samson and

Delilah, in which Delilah repeatedly tempts and tricks Samson to find the source of his great

power. Because of womens perceived sinfulness at the time, Paul wrote that woman will be

saved through bearing children (D1). This leaves very little choice for women in their life

decisions, as either they settle down and have children, or they take the punishment for being

sinful, which was eternal damnation. Overall, religious doctrine of the time was very restrictive

towards women, especially limiting the choices they could make in life.

Religious doctrine in the period from 600 to 1400 C.E. in Europe and the Middle East

restrained the role women had in society by restricting their physical appearances, diminishing

their voices, and limiting their ability to make autonomous decisions. To contextualize this, it is

important to note that the main job women had at the time was to bear and raise children, rather

than work the fields with men, so religious doctrine probably reflected and extended that norm.

This relates to the development and transformations of social structures, for as the regions

developed, so did their religions, and these religions transformed social structures by reducing

the role of women.