Page 263 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

T H E T E S T I M O N Y A N D D I A K O N I A O F O R T H O D O X W O M A N
ideas lies in his concept—which still persists in Western theol-
ogy (and, unbelievable as it may sound, even among some
contemporary professors of Orthodox dogmatics!)—that rec-
ognizes only reason/logos as the “image of God” in man. Con-
sequently, according to him, a woman is not made in the im-
age of God unless she submits to her husband, and only ac-
cording to the degree of that submission to his guidance.
The position of the Eastern Church Fathers with regard to
this issue differs significantly. According to them, man’s “im-
age of God” is not to be found in reason as the function of
intellect, but in his rational ability to govern freedom and in
self-determination.
Indeed, this concept of the holy Church Fathers—that the
rationality of man consists in self-determination—made it
possible for them to escape the influence of the prevailing
prejudice based on the natural and biological valuation of
woman in comparison to man. By emphasizing self-govern-
ment and self-determination, the holy Fathers perceived in
woman the perfect image of God, complete and lacking noth-
ing in comparison to man.
St. Basil, in his sermon on the holy martyr Julita, places the
following words in her mouth, which clearly distinguish West-
ern and Orthodox theology with regard to the equality of
women:
“We are made from the same composition as men. We are
created in the image/icon of God just as they are. A woman is
capable of attaining the same virtues as a man because the
same Creator created both. We are similar to men in all things,
for not only was the body taken from Adam in the creation of
the woman, but the bones of his bones were also taken. Con-
sequently, like men, we too are indebted to God, the Master,
for our strength, energy, and endurance.”
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