Below are six reasons we do not allow women to be ordained as priests in the Orthodox Church.

God came as a man.

When man (i.e., Adam and Eve) sinned and fell, the Almighty, Omnipresent, Omnipotent God took flesh and became man to restore humans to their original incorruptible state, i.e., to redeem them. Some Church Fathers write and say that God has no gender, but when He revealed Himself to man, He revealed Himself (grammatically and linguistically) as male. And when He became man, He came to earth as a man, since the first human, Adam, was a man. And God had to become like the first human to redeem humanity.

Also, at the time of Jesus, Jews would not have accepted the testimony, message, and sermons of Jesus if He had been a woman. In addition, if He came as a woman, He would have been forbidden to enter the temple and the synagogues. Now the point was that Jesus came to offer a sacrifice, namely Himself. And because He will be a man when He makes the sacrifice, the grace (or function) of the priesthood was reserved for men as a result.

Because of this, in the Old Testament, God chose men, Aaron and his sons, to hold the priesthood, since they were (on the priesthood side) a symbol of Jesus in the New Testament. The type of priesthood of Jesus, however, is different. It is that of Melchizedek. However, for the reasons stated, the priesthood was for men only and also only certain men, not just anyone.

Jesus is still High Priest

Not only was Jesus a priest on earth, but He was also a high priest, and He has held that position as high priest to this day, ever since He was resurrected and ascended to heaven. As St. Paul explains in his Epistle to the Hebrews, “For we have not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

And since Jesus (God) will come to earth as a man, the high priest (and of course the other priests) can/may only be men.

Priests are representatives of Jesus

The priest (Abouna) on earth in the Mass is a representative of Jesus. Now if the priest were a woman, how could she be a representative for Jesus the man? Of course, that’s not possible!

The relationship between Jesus and the Church is that between husband and wife.

St. Paul explains in Ephesians 5:21–26:

“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.”

So, St. Paul says that Jesus is the second Adam and the church is the second Eve. Since both were married to each other, so were Jesus and the Church. Jesus is the head of the church, and the church, the believers, are his body. In this way, we form a common unity, and therefore Jesus could not die by having his head severed (or any other death) in order not to be separated from us.

Now St. Paul explains that in marriage, man is a symbol of Jesus Christ and the priesthood, and woman is a symbol of the church and is the bride of Jesus.

If the wife is the priest in marriage, then the roles are reversed, which would be like a marriage of a woman to a woman. God forbid! Man is a symbol of Jesus and the priesthood, and the church is the bride of Jesus.

The Orthodox Church follows the Apostolic Tradition

The Orthodox Church has remained a faithful custodian of the Church traditions since the time of the Apostles. The Apostolic Church never had women act as priests or serve any of the sacraments. Jesus Himself called and appointed only male priests, the apostles, to lead the church after His ascension.

The priesthood is similar to other jobs that require criteria to be fulfilled

Let’s use an example. Suppose the fire department puts up a job advertisement saying that they are looking for new fire brigade candidates. Well, equality would say that everyone can apply, but not everyone can be accepted, because this job has certain criteria that have to be met, such as the candidate must be strong, agile, fast, etc. to perform their function on the job. In this example, both men and women are accepted if they pass the training.

It’s the same with us in the church with the priesthood; certain criteria have to be met. In this case, one of the criteria is that you have to be a man.

Conclusion:

For these reasons, we do not allow the priesthood itself for women in the Orthodox Church.

The fact that women are not allowed to receive a priesthood has nothing to do with the equality or honour of women since women are very honoured in our church. Only once in human history did a woman come from a man (in Adam and Eve), but after that, men came from women, including priests. And Jesus Christ Himself came from a woman, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Saint Mary, a woman, is the most honoured saint in the church, even more than angels.

Women are priests, spiritually speaking, in Old Testament language because, like Old Testament priests, they received the Holy Spirit in the Myron-anointing and may partake of the Eucharist, the Holy Mass. And of course, they raise their hands and pray, just like the priests in the Old Testament. Women get all the spiritual grace through faith, prayer, fasting, charity, and the church sacraments, exactly as men do.

It’s not a case of inequality, but a case of function or role.

For more articles on the Coptic Orthodox traditions and mysteries, follow these links:
Category: Sacraments and Worship
Category: Tradition

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