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In ancient Egyptian esotericism and religion, the view of women was complex and comprehensive. While women were often depicted as subordinate to men in certain contexts, they also played important roles in society, religion and mythology. Ancient Egyptian religion revered numerous goddesses, such as Isis, Hathor, and Nephthys, who embodied various feminine principles like magic, fertility, and protection. These goddesses were often depicted as powerful and wise, highlighting the importance of feminine qualities in Egyptian cosmology.
In ancient Egyptian society, women could own property, participate in trade, and even serve as priestesses in certain temples. However, men generally held positions of authority in government and religion. The Instruction of Ptahhotep, an ancient Egyptian wisdom text, advises men on how to treat women with respect and kindness, but also reinforces patriarchal norms. In Egyptian esotericism, women were believed to have spiritual potential equal to that of men. The goddess Isis, in particular, was revered for her magical powers and wisdom. The myth of Isis and Osiris highlights the importance of feminine wisdom and magic in achieving spiritual transformation and resurrection. The Westcar Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian text, contains stories that showcase women’s intelligence, wit, and magical abilities. These stories demonstrate that women were valued for their wisdom and resourcefulness, even if they were not always depicted as equals to men in societal roles.
The Ethiopian Bible, also known as the Ge’ez Bible, contains 88 books, including the standard biblical texts and additional books like Enoch, Jubilees and Meqabyan. The Ethiopian Woman in Numbers 12, the Bible mentions an Ethiopian woman, likely referring to Moses’ wife, who was criticized by Miriam and Aaron.
In the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, women play important roles, but their participation is often limited by traditional gender roles. Senior women have been involved in managing church properties, and some have held positions of influence, like the Queen of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church venerates the Virgin Mary, emphasizing her purity, fertility and submission to God’s will.
As a scholar, I must confess that the woman world is the world of reality. Another interesting point here is to know the true meaning of word ‘devil’. The word devil is from Greek word ‘diabolos which means ‘slanderer’. Now the word slanderer according to Webster New Encyclopedic Dictionary is a noun and means, ‘the utterance of false changes or misrepresentations which defame and damage another’s reputation’. This word is from Middle English ‘sclaundre, slaundre, from Old French esclandre, from late Latin Seandalum meaning stumbling block, offence, a defamatory statement about a person. The original King James Version of the Bible regularly translates daimonion as devil. This has led to endless confusion. The English word devil is actually derived from the Greek word diabolos, which has no direct relationship with daimonion. It is obvious that some women are slanderers but not demons or Satan. Therefore those who lifted up their stones to cast on me should drop same in pity because women (wonderful creatures) are highly equipped with the greatest delicacy of intuitive perception.
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In the words of Margaret Mead, “Women want mediocre men, and men are working to be as mediocre as possible”. In the world of man, just as God is inactive without the devil, so also men are incomplete without women hence men are seriously heading towards the path of mediocrity in order to please the women folk. Men are simply glorified slaves and most intelligent women are aware of this. In their nature, they attempt to keep men in error for them to perpetually manipulate our consciousness. A situation which propelled Noel Coward to say, “Certain women should be struck regularly, like gongs”. Dr. Rebecca West disagreed and silently enthuse, “The main difference between men and women is that men are lunatics and women are idiots”. To all extent I agree with Dr. Rebecca because there is a great woman behind every lunatic man. No wonder Friedrich Nietzsche says, “Two things a real man likes are danger and play. He likes women because they are the most dangerous playthings”.
There is a serious argument hitherto going on among scholars concerning the nature of women. Some say they are not created well (according to the account of the Bible, Koran and other holy books), few say they are stronger than men hence the common slogan, “whatever a man can do, a woman can do better”. It is consequent upon this that made Margaret Thatcher to infer, “If you want anything said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman”. It is this superiority in women that made Charles Baudelaire to conclude, “The man who gets on best with women is the man who knows best how to get on without them”. Thanks to Soren Kierkegaard for his philosophy of salvation from the woman’s cocoon. He says, “The great trick with a woman is to get rid of her while she thinks she is getting rid of you”. Albert Einstein’s experience made him to enthuse, “When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder, a second seems like an hour…”
From the foregoing, it is very obvious that no matter how happily a woman be married, it always pleases her to discover that there is a nice man who wishes she were not. Women do not find it difficult nowadays to behave like men, but they often find it extremely difficult to behave like gentlemen. Recently a friend of mine told me of what happened in his office, he said that a particular woman came into his office and introduced herself as Chief… and he consequently asked her of her Lolo (being her husband) and she frowned. The topsy-turvy of our tradition has changed our society to something else. Before now, the chieftaincy title was exclusively reserved for men while their wives became Lolo after conferment. Today, the reverse is the case. The gospel of equality with men informed by women liberation has eroded our traditional values. While in America I came across a particular Bible where the feminine pronoun was used in the place of God the creator, instead of the masculine pronoun. Is it because women claim that they are holier than men? Yes, their minds may be cleaner simply because they change it more often. A terrible situation which made the great philosopher Anon to conclude, “Women will be the weaker sex as long as they are strong enough to get away with it”. In a lighter mood Stuart Turner says, “If you think women are the weaker sex, try pulling the blankets back to your side”.
A woman who strives to be like a man lacks ambition because there is no way a woman can be like a man. For instance, if a man is the bread winner, the woman will be happy, but the moment the woman becomes the bread winner, the man loses his value. I am aware that Adam may have had his troubles, but he never had to listen to Eve talk about the other men she could have married. I remember my interaction with Oprah Wilfred some years back when she said, “…if you are a woman living, you’ve been done wrong by a man”. Women can be better behaved if they decide to be spiritual. We have had enough of this disgraceful conduct. A woman of today is certainly ashamed of wearing a long dress if fashion decrees a short one, but she is not ashamed to expose almost three-quarter of her body, offering it to glances of all on festive occasions. Oh women the beauty of creation!
When will you realize that you are made to beautify creation? When shall your uncontrolled mentality of material acquisition come to an end? When will you stop hurting men? When will you understand how to use your tongue rightly in order to promote peace, harmony, unity, justice and equity for which you are created? When shall you cease from meaning “NO” when indeed “YES” is in your heart? Oh when shall your going to Abuja, Lagos, Calabar and Enugu be truly for seminar, workshop and training and not otherwise? The world will know true peace only when some women decide to answer these questions.
