Women in Montanism and Gnosticism (Ryan, Adam, Emily R)

First we discussed issue of Monastic prophecy for the proto-orthodox, which was that there can be no new revelation, because it threatens adjudication and institutionalization. Photo-orthodox doesn’t reject the idea of prophecy after Jesus, but it must agree with apostolic teachings under the Classic Model. We also talked about how women could be leaders within the Monastic church, and within gnosticism women were not excluded from receiving revelation/gnosis. While Gnostics do not exclude women from being able to receive gnosis, they encourage a rejection of femaleness and the destruction of womanhood. They encourage this not because they hate women but because characteristically female things like marriage, motherhood, and sexuality all tie one to the material world. On the other hand maleness is connected to spirituality, so Gnostics encourage women to reject their femaleness and become more male in spirit.