sacred feminine

[orthodoc]

I didn't realize this thread had continued, and that people had asked me particular questions ... sorry. I want to apologize for the tone of my initial post, which was pretty unpleasant. I should have phrased things differently and not used the icon. From now on I'll try not to post when I'm angry ...

As far as my statement that the Church is feminine in nature goes, first I should say that I'm only referring to the Orthodox Church, not the Roman Catholic. The Orthodox view of the Church as feminine probably starts with various passages from the New Testament that refer to Christ as the Bridegroom. The Orthodox don't typically proof-text (we refer to larger sections of Scripture, so that verses aren't taken out of context, and we don't rely solely on Scripture to discuss an issue), but a few places where the Bridegroom references may be found are Matt. 9:15, 25:1-13; Mk 2:19; Luke 5:34-35; John 3:29; Eph. 5:25.

The first several references are developed in the Bridegroom Matins services at the beginning of Holy Week (the week leading up to Pascha, known as Easter in the West). These services take the references as applying mostly to individuals and the need to be ready for either our own deaths or the second coming of Christ; however, there is also an understanding that the Church is represented by the virgins in that parable. Some references, where Christ refers to Himself as Bridegroom, mention the Apostles as His 'friends'. The Bride is implied, here. The illustration of Christ as Bridegroom and the Church as Bride comes from the portrayal in the Old Testament of the covenant between God and Israel as a marriage covenant. The covenant is fulfilled with Christ as Bridegroom and the Church (the New Israel) as Bride.

In the Ephesians reference, Christ is again portrayed as a Husband to the Church. Many people read this passage as being demeaning to women, seeing only the admonition to wives to respect their husbands; however, husbands are admonished to love their wives sacrificially, to the point of being willing to give up their own lives (whether physically or figuratively), in imitation of what Christ did for the Church. The entire passage is a compressed discussion of marriage as a mystery that, ideally, portrays the relationship between Christ and the Church.

A further concept is that, within the Christian community and especially during services, the priest is a 'type' of Christ, and the congregation is the Church; they are masculine and feminine 'types'. Masculine and feminine are fulfilled, balanced and working in harmony in the fullness of the Kingdom. The priesthood is not about power or privilege (again, please, I am not referencing any RC ideas, only Orthodox); it is about servanthood and accountability. The priest is shown respect as a 'type' of Christ, while every member of the community is shown respect as an icon of the image of God and the temple of the Holy Spirit. Church members are censed during services as an indication that they are 'living icons'. If Christ had never become incarnate, we would not have known how to represent Him; but He came to us as a Man (fully God and fully man) and He is represented in icons and in the community as a man.

I'll post a few direct citations from Church Fathers regarding the nature of the Church shortly ...