The Mahdi Times The Mahdi Times Issue #25 December 2014 | Page 9

example. Rather and even when
the Divine legislation and
judgments/rulings get replaced
with another, then those
abrogated Divine
judgments/rulings remain just
and truth from Allah, the
Glorious and all of them fall
under the law of Allah, even if
some of the details were
changed due to the time and the
people and the need of the
Divine wisdom.
[2] No sane person would see
that the woman is equal to the
man in everything, and for that
there is nothing wrong with
giving an example from these
paragraphs, from the text of the
message of Pope Shenouda the
Third, about the opinion of the
Coptic Orthodox church in
regards to granting the women
Priesthood. [This message] was
presented by Bishop Bishoy in
the conference of Lambeth for
the Anglicans in England in year
1988.
Pope Shenouda the Third said:
So if we search in the Holy Book
and the traditions of old Church
we shall find the following:

1. Women do not teach in the
church:

In this respect, Saint Paul the
Apostle said, Let a woman learn
in silence with all submission.
And I do not permit a woman to
teach or to have authority over a
man, but to be quiet. For Adam
was formed first, then Eve. And
Adam was not deceived, but the
woman being deceived, fell into
transgression. Nevertheless she
will be saved in childbearing if
they continue in faith, love, and
holiness, with self-control. (1
Tim. 2:11-15).
In the teachings of Saint Paul the
Apostle on this subject, we
recognize that he gave a
justification for forbidding such
a thing. This justification has
nothing to do with the prevalent
social circumstances at that
time, nor with the circumstances
of the church that his disciple
Timothy pastored. However, he
relied upon aspects concerning
men and women since the
beginning of the creation, even
prior to the banishment of Adam
and Eve from paradise due to
sin.
If we have come to know that
women should not teach in the
church, then chiefly it is not
permissible to grant her any
priestly ranks, since the priest
serves the holy sacraments