The concept of gender plays a significant role in the interpretation of religious artifacts. Many historians, religious insider, and academic scholars spend their time trying to decipher the meaning of a religious text. The purpose of this essay is to justify the inversion of Peter’s gender to that of a woman, in Matthew 16: 13-20, based on the concepts that Jesus was the most accepting of sinners, women deserve a chance at redemption, and women are the archetype for motherhood and creation. In addition, by changing the gender it will establish an equality of gender, in this passage that it is lacking. To fully understand this text and the inversion, the context in which it was written must be examined.
To begin with, the passage of Matthew …show more content…
Assuming that the concepts of gender norms are kept constant, the validation of the change in gender can be supported by a couple different theories. To begin with, in Jason Noble Pierce article, “The Masculine Power of Christ,” he discusses at length how Jesus was known for accepting the sinners. Some examples are when Jesus ate dinner with the tax collector instead of his disciples, when he healed the lepers, or when he saved an “adulteress” woman from being stoned to death. Jesus seemed to be the most accepting and caring towards the people that were perceived as second class citizens in society. Jesus took the time to take care of the people who needed his love, acceptance, and guidance the most (Pierce 1-25). If Jesus was known for accepting all types of sinners, it would be fitting if Jesus established the Catholic Church through a woman. This is because a woman, Eve, is to blame for humankind being cast down from paradise, they are perceived as the first sinners. Therefore, if Jesus is the most forgiving and accepting of sinners, then he should entrust the redemption of humankind through the Catholic Church, in a woman. This will allow for Petra to prove that one mistake by their gender is not enough to forsake them in the eyes of the Lord. In doing so, Jesus will prove that he is the true savior by forgiving the gender that created original sin. He will also promote his lifestyle and teachings, by accepting one of the largest groups of second class citizen. By entrusting Petra with the foundation of the Catholic Church he will be establishing the means in which women can salvage redemption and
To begin with, the passage of Matthew …show more content…
Assuming that the concepts of gender norms are kept constant, the validation of the change in gender can be supported by a couple different theories. To begin with, in Jason Noble Pierce article, “The Masculine Power of Christ,” he discusses at length how Jesus was known for accepting the sinners. Some examples are when Jesus ate dinner with the tax collector instead of his disciples, when he healed the lepers, or when he saved an “adulteress” woman from being stoned to death. Jesus seemed to be the most accepting and caring towards the people that were perceived as second class citizens in society. Jesus took the time to take care of the people who needed his love, acceptance, and guidance the most (Pierce 1-25). If Jesus was known for accepting all types of sinners, it would be fitting if Jesus established the Catholic Church through a woman. This is because a woman, Eve, is to blame for humankind being cast down from paradise, they are perceived as the first sinners. Therefore, if Jesus is the most forgiving and accepting of sinners, then he should entrust the redemption of humankind through the Catholic Church, in a woman. This will allow for Petra to prove that one mistake by their gender is not enough to forsake them in the eyes of the Lord. In doing so, Jesus will prove that he is the true savior by forgiving the gender that created original sin. He will also promote his lifestyle and teachings, by accepting one of the largest groups of second class citizen. By entrusting Petra with the foundation of the Catholic Church he will be establishing the means in which women can salvage redemption and