Adia Keene

Pd. 3
AP World - Women and Religion DBQ

In Europe and Southeast Asia, from 600 C.E. to 1400 C.E., women were not in the

forefront of religious practices and at times were even suppressed. However, toward the end of

this period, some Abrahamic religions became more welcoming of women. Prior to 600 C.E., a

significant portion of the world’s religions were polytheistic. Many featured male and female

deities, but historians noted that over time many female deities were either demoted or replaced

by similar male deities. With the emergence of the monotheistic religions that often cited

Abraham as their source of origin, though there were some aspects that were more egalitarian,

their patriarchal nature contributed to the initial prominence of men within these faiths.

One facet through which the dominance of men in religion during this period was

obvious was the expectation that women remain subservient to men. While this period did not

see a surge in practices as drastic as sati, which required a widow to be burned so that she may

pass with her husband, there was an inherent expectation of female subservience. An example of

this is the lack of female autonomy in the realm of marriage. The Torah demanded that, in cases

where a husband passed away without giving his wife any children, if his brother was unwed he

must take on the widow as a wife (D1). While it may be a nice way to ensure that a man’s legacy

is carried on, it neglects whether or not the woman wishes to be remarried after her husband’s

death. There were also conflicting standards for practicing prayer for men and women. In

Christianity, for example, while men were expected to “pray...without anger”, women were

asked not to adorn themselves and to “learn in quietness and full submission” (D2). These were

points selected straight from the Medieval Bible. While women could learn the Torah, it was

assumed that a man who taught his daughter holy texts was making a treacherous mistake (D4).
This idea comes from a prominent Torah scholar of the time period, so it likely holds some

weight. Islam made a similar decree, asking of women not to “display their ornaments” except in

the company of closely related men within the Quran (D3). Though veiling is a practice often

associated with the Islamic faith, during the time period between 600 C.E. and 1400 C.E. it was

adapted in a variety of regions. Similar conciliatory practices were not widely practiced by men

during this time period. Religion was very restrictive in respect to the freedom of women to

participate within the faith and the greater culture.

Despite the limitations set on women during this time, there was some progress made

with respect to how women could behave between the beginning and end of this era. When it

comes to learning the Torah, for example, women were given the opportunity to be educated,

even if there was not equal compensation (D4). Earlier many Western cultures had prohibited

women from playing even minor roles in sacred religious institutions. Though Hajj al-Abdari

comments upon the idea with shame, it is evident that women were given more bodily autonomy

and an opportunity for public life circa 1300 C.E. (D5) He has a biased perspective but if it is

looked at objectively, his writing can provide information surrounding the cultural climate at the

time. Toward the end of the era, some women were even writing texts, given that Christine de

Pisan was able to develop ​The Book of the City of Ladies,​ which decrees that because man is

derivative of biblical Eve he must not scorn her (D6). This is an interesting and likely reliable

source as it is a primary source from a woman of the time period. There is also evidence of

monastic practices providing refuge for women within major religions. A painting from 1440

C.E., which is trustworthy in its narrative due to its proximity to the time period, features the

matriarch Madonna, or Mary, watching over nuns (D7).

 While women were not given complete freedom during this time period, there were

certainly changes that opened up a place for women within the dominant faiths.