Patriarchy in the Israelite Religion: Implications for the Present-Day Christianity

Abstract

That Christianity was formed and nurtured in, and inherited, many of the features of the Israelite religion have long been acknowledged. One of such features is a patriarchal orientation which implies a system ruled or controlled by men, giving power and importance only to men. Patriarchal became a feature of the Israelite religion right from its origin, exacerbating the dimensions of that orientation as time progressed. It is a highly discriminatory feature which makes the female folk altogether non-existent, incapable of attaining or manifesting the spiritual attributes or being used by, or attuned to God. This parochial orientation has filtered into all facets of social life leading to other dimension of discrimination and abuse of human rights and dignity. This feature, having been inherited by Christianity at its earliest origin and, in some Christian denominations, sustained till the present day, makes the Christian faith discriminatory against the women folk, leading to abuse of the rights of women and a debasement of their dignity, especially in appointment to priesthood and leadership positions. This paper examines the patriarchal orientation of the Israelite religion within which Christianity was formed, and the transfer of that feature to Christianity; and appraises the implications of that orientation to the Christian faith in the present-day society where efforts are being made to eliminate all forms of primitive discrimination and abuse of rights and debasement of the dignity of all segments of the human society.