The Gospel according to gender : new representations of four New Testament outcast women

This dissertation examines the way in which the Christian church, through its various discourses places women in an ideologically inferior position to men. These discourses influence what it is possible for women to say, do and be in the Christian community. Such ideologies are founded on notions of \ideal womanhood\" that have their origin in the Old and New Testament of the Bible which is said to be \"God's word\" for all time. This paper examines the way in which Christianity has been \"patriarchalized\" by the discourses of First Century Palestine and the surrounding Greco-Roman community. As well as an analysis of contemporary Christian fundamentalist literature this paper illuminates the way in which women are marginalized exploited or abused in the church community. By applying the principles of post -structuralism with a Christian feminist perpsective I have examined four New Testament stories about \"outcast\" women and offered alternative readings through the creative process of imaginative identification. Some recommendations for reform as well as suggestions for further research conclude the dissertation."