Launch of a new book by John Wijngaards.
On Wednesday, 4th of July, at 6.00 p.m. Lavinia Byrne will launch "The Ordination of Women in the Catholic Church. Unmasking a Cuckoo's Egg Tradition", by John Wijngaards, publisher Darton, Longman and Todd, London 2001. The venue will be Mowbrays Bookshop, 28 Margaret Street, near Oxford Circus. Everyone is welcome! Please, put the date in your diary!
In this book John Wijngaards explains in a methodical and eminently readable fashion how the practice of not ordaining women in Catholic Tradition came in from outside the Church. It was a 'cuckoo's egg tradition', to use a term coined by the author. It did not find its origin in Sacred Scripture or in other Christian sources, but in pagan Roman law which had excluded women from holding any public responsibility.
The issue of the ordination of women to the priesthood will not go away. Throughout the Catholic Church, unease with the current position is increasing. Many Catholics instinctively feel that women should be ordained. Would Jesus have refused women? they ask themselves. Does the exclusion of women from holy orders not contradict the full equality of men and women in God's sight?
In this landmark book the biblical scholar and historian John Wijngaards shows how this Catholic intuition has been proved right. He examines the historical evidence and the traditional arguments that underlie the Vatican's position. Scripture itself leaves the question open. During the early centuries there were natural developments in the Church, such as the sacramental ordination of women deacons, which would have led to priestly ordination of women in the course of time. However, social prejudice prevailed and was eventually institutionalised by the Church's adoption of
principles from ancient Roman Law which barred women from holding any position of leadership or authority.
The non-ordination of women thus became what the author calls 'a cuckoo's egg tradition', a tradition that entered church practice not from Christian but from pagan sources. In a brilliant and original analysis, Wijngaards traces the authentic Catholic tradition preserved in the sensus fidei, the sacramental ordination of women deacons, the age-long devotion to Mary Priest, and the persistent witness of women called to the priesthood. At the same time, prejudice against women hardened in countries dominated by Latin culture. When the Church adopted the framework of Roman law, it resulted in a pagan idea being mistaken for authentic doctrine.
The author looks at the Vatican's case for rejecting the ordination of women, critically examining the historical evidence and the theological arguments that underlie Rome's position. He includes extracts from key historical records, and supplies website links to comprehensive documentation, making this the most complete and authoritative resource on the issue, indispensable for anyone with an interest in the future of the priesthood and the place of women in the Catholic Church.
More information about the book on www.womenpriests.org/interact/cuckoo2.htm
On Wednesday, 4th of July, at 6.00 p.m. Lavinia Byrne will launch "The Ordination of Women in the Catholic Church. Unmasking a Cuckoo's Egg Tradition", by John Wijngaards, publisher Darton, Longman and Todd, London 2001. The venue will be Mowbrays Bookshop, 28 Margaret Street, near Oxford Circus. Everyone is welcome! Please, put the date in your diary!
In this book John Wijngaards explains in a methodical and eminently readable fashion how the practice of not ordaining women in Catholic Tradition came in from outside the Church. It was a 'cuckoo's egg tradition', to use a term coined by the author. It did not find its origin in Sacred Scripture or in other Christian sources, but in pagan Roman law which had excluded women from holding any public responsibility.
The issue of the ordination of women to the priesthood will not go away. Throughout the Catholic Church, unease with the current position is increasing. Many Catholics instinctively feel that women should be ordained. Would Jesus have refused women? they ask themselves. Does the exclusion of women from holy orders not contradict the full equality of men and women in God's sight?
In this landmark book the biblical scholar and historian John Wijngaards shows how this Catholic intuition has been proved right. He examines the historical evidence and the traditional arguments that underlie the Vatican's position. Scripture itself leaves the question open. During the early centuries there were natural developments in the Church, such as the sacramental ordination of women deacons, which would have led to priestly ordination of women in the course of time. However, social prejudice prevailed and was eventually institutionalised by the Church's adoption of
principles from ancient Roman Law which barred women from holding any position of leadership or authority.
The non-ordination of women thus became what the author calls 'a cuckoo's egg tradition', a tradition that entered church practice not from Christian but from pagan sources. In a brilliant and original analysis, Wijngaards traces the authentic Catholic tradition preserved in the sensus fidei, the sacramental ordination of women deacons, the age-long devotion to Mary Priest, and the persistent witness of women called to the priesthood. At the same time, prejudice against women hardened in countries dominated by Latin culture. When the Church adopted the framework of Roman law, it resulted in a pagan idea being mistaken for authentic doctrine.
The author looks at the Vatican's case for rejecting the ordination of women, critically examining the historical evidence and the theological arguments that underlie Rome's position. He includes extracts from key historical records, and supplies website links to comprehensive documentation, making this the most complete and authoritative resource on the issue, indispensable for anyone with an interest in the future of the priesthood and the place of women in the Catholic Church.
More information about the book on www.womenpriests.org/interact/cuckoo2.htm