Page:The early Christians in Rome (1911).djvu/429

 To take two notable examples—the position of women and the exclusive position of Israel. The Gospel teaching is completely different on the position of women from what we find in the authoritative teaching of the Talmud treatises. With our Lord the woman was the equal in all respects of the man, in this world and in the world to come. The striking inferiority of women in Israel is brought forward again and again in the sayings of the great Rabbis. We would quote a very few of their authoritative Talmudical teachings here:—

R. Meir—second century (Mishnah): "A man is bound to repeat three benedictions every day." One of these was, "Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, who hast not made me a woman."

And again: "Are not slaves and women in the same category? The slave is more degraded."

"Blessed is the man whose children are sons, but luckless is he whose children are daughters." (Baba Bathra.)

"The testimony of one hundred women is only equal to the evidence of one man." (Yevamoth.)

The stern exclusiveness of Israel is pressed constantly in the Talmud. This is diametrically opposed to the New Testament teaching so conclusively formulated by S. Peter (Acts x. 34, 35): "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth Him and worketh righteousness is accepted with Him."

While in the Talmud we read—

"Almsgiving exalteth a nation [that is, Israel], but benevolence is a sin to nations,"—that is to say, for the Gentiles to exercise charity and benevolence is sin. (Compare Baba Bathra, fol. 10, col. 2.)

And again: "All Israelites have a portion in the world to come." (Sanhedrim, fol. 90, col. 1.) "The world was created only for Israel; none are called the children of God but Israel, none are beloved before God but Israel." (Gèrim.) they are as the angels which are in heaven" (S. Mark xii. 25). The prominent position of women in the early Church is asserted in the "Gospels" and "Acts"; they never are alluded to as occupying an inferior place. See below, p. 380, for a further note on the position of women.]