‘Nwanyi Bu Ife’: Affirming the Creation of Women in the Image of God (A Glowing Tribute to Women as CIDJAP Clocks 36)

(4/10/1986 – 04/10/2022)
Rev. Fr. Ambrose Okwuchukwu Ofodile

PREAMBLE

Different cultures and religious inclinations have varied understanding of women and their role and place in the scheme of things. While women are lauded in some circles, they are disrespected in some places. For instance, Judeo-Christian traditions assign women ‘a subordinate place’. This disposition towards women cuts across many cultures including our native Igbo culture.

The description of women as subordinates finds support in the Old and New Testaments., The book of Genesis is very important in understanding women. Most of the Old Testament books are replete with negative insinuations against women and so a cursory look at the book of Genesis would reveal a certain display of ambivalence toward the nature and place of women in creation. The same attitude is experienced in the New Testament especially by St. Paul when we consider: 1 Cor. 11:2-16; 14:33b-35; 1 Tim. 2:8-15; Col. 3:18; Eph. 5:22. In Jesus we see a proper attitude toward women which we could emulate as Christians.

WOMEN IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS 1 & 2

The first and second chapters of the book of Genesis offer different perspectives about the place or notion of women in creation.

The first chapter of Genesis present what could be described as simultaneous creation of man and woman aptly seen in Gen. 1:27 – “So God created human kind in his image in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them”. In the above, we notice that humanity is represented in the male and female. What God created was not an androgynous human being. He made two distinct human beings – male and female.

While Genesis chapter 1 maintains the simultaneous creation of man and woman, it is important to infer that by creating man and woman at the same time, the creator intended to show that both are equal and complementary to each other. In this wise, we could argue that both man and woman were individually created in the image of God. If the above is understood, then we must agree that the image of God is not exclusively male, but the image of God is both male and female.

On another hand, perusing the second chapter of Genesis, we could infer what could be described as chronological precedence of man. It shows that man was chronologically created before a woman. The second chapter places man as preceding the woman in creation. This is gleaned from the understanding of the Yahwist author who described the act of God in creation from the anthropomorphic point of view as distinct from the priestly author of Genesis chapter one. For the Yahwist author/tradition of Genesis chapter 2, what existed prior to God’s creative acts is not some watery chaos as obtainable in chapter 1 but a desert. The first to be created was human which must be understood in a generic form to mean humanity – man and woman as enunciated in chapter 1.

Consequently, the motive for the creation of woman is given in chapter 2 “It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a help mate”. Even though human beings and other creatures are living beings yet there was a lacuna in creation. Man was found incapable and incomplete until a woman was created! Man was alone and lonely and desperately needed a helper in the way he was created.

When God made man to fall into a deep sleep, he did so in other that man should not witness the mystery of creation. He created a woman from the side of man. This is not an indication of servitude or subordination but an indication of equality of both sexes. The woman is not subservient or inferior to the man but this creation account underscores the common nature and bond which man and woman share.

Against the backdrop of negative insinuations against women by the society, especially Judeo-Christian tradition, the book of Proverbs present women in a good light and the climax is the closing chapter of the book.
The book of Proverbs started with an apparently impossible question, a perfect wife- who can find her?

While I may not dwell on the possibility or impossibility of this search or the personification of wisdom which is the theme of the book of wisdom, permit me to dwell on the qualities of a perfect wife/woman who is a paradigmatic figure for all those who await the second coming of Jesus.

A perfect wife/woman exudes happiness, self control. She is hardworking, peaceful, and charitable, she is a woman of harmony, charitable, wise, merciful, and God-fearing etc.

While all these qualities may not in-here in some, it is however important to note that some women are making serious efforts in imbibing these qualities that make for a perfect and good wife. By extension, all Christians are also expected to possess these qualities for a true Christian living.

Furthermore, it is important that we see in the description of this perfect wife, the preparedness that is expected of every Christian at these perilous times.

JESUS CHRIST AND WOMEN IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Our discussion on Jesus Christ and women will be incomplete if we don’t preface it with the most significant woman in his life- Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Our Savior who played and continues to play a great role in the life of Jesus.

Significantly, her response to the angel’s salutation in the Annunciation summarizes the many roles of Mary to the economy of salvation, hence, the need for a discussion on the Annunciation.

“FIAT MIHI SECUNDUM VERBUM TUUM”-BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

The angel Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary took the pattern of both old and New Testament annunciations: Annunciation to Zechariah, to Joseph, Abraham, and Samson’s parents, Moses, Gideon etc. The steps or patterns of these annunciations share the same similarities; however, Mary’s annunciation is significant because of its salvific nature of the annunciation. The visit of the Angel Gabriel, and his message of the incarnation of ‘God’s Son, through the Blessed Virgin Mary, elicited from the young virgin, “How can this be since I know no man?”.

The response to the above question and the subsequent *FIAT* of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the beginning of the history of our salvation. Incarnation is described as “sacra commutatio” holy-exchange. The invisible was made visible for the salvation of man. At the “fiat” of the Virgin Mary, God who lives in an unapproachable light became man in other to restore the broken relationship between God and man caused by the sins of Adam and Eve.

Incarnation put simply forwards that the sinless were made into sin, life took on the garment of death, and immortality assumed mortality for the sake of the salvation of man, John 3: 16 captures this unique sacrifice. Philippians 2: 6-11 also brings out properly this mystery *”Even though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not count equality with God, a thing to be grasped…”

For St. Pope Leo the great *”To pay the debt of our fallen state, the nature which was inviolable, was united with a nature which was possible”*. The *”yes”* of Mary, her acceptance to cooperate in the Divine plan was instrumental to our salvation. She believed in the words of the Angel that she shall conceive and bear the Son of the eternal father.

We celebrate the “Yes” of Mary which ushered us into the Messianic era. Jesus Christ, as God the Son, is invisible; however, he was made visible by taking flesh in the Blessed Virgin Mary. The condescension of the Son of God: the being one with mortal men, *the bending down in pity, is not a lack of power but a sign of victory and humility (cf. Phil. 2: 6-11)*.

The Son of God enters our world. He came down from His glorious throne. He veiled his infinite majesty so that with his divinity he divinised human nature and humanized His divinity. He took up the nature of man to sanctify it and elevated the nature of man to a divine status thus man becomes one with God.

He is both true man and true God and there is no deception in the union. It is a kind of “kenosis”, an emptying of self, self-immolation, self-abnegation and self-effacement. God revealed himself in time and situation.

In Luke 8:1–3, the Evangelist presents what could be described as the women disciples of Jesus. The presence and support of women in the ministry of Jesus cannot be overemphasized. Against a culture that was abhorrent, biased and denigrating of the dignity of women, we find throughout the ministry of Jesus an attempt to raise the place and nature of women.

Amongst the Jews, women were only better than slaves, however, it was not foreign to find women supporting Rabbis and their disciples with their resources like food, but it was unheard of and considered a scandal for a woman to be considered a disciple of a Rabbi not to talk of leaving home and travelling around with a Rabbi. More abominable and scandalous was the fact that some of the women had no good reputation.

In the case of Jesus, he allowed women to be part of his travelling band. He allowed them to participate in the work of evangelization thereby illustrating his appreciation of their roles as women disciples. He involved them in his ministry to show the kingdom of God which does not discriminate between men and women.

These women are faithful witnesses of what Jesus had done in Galilee and many other places.

Another interesting figure in the ministry of Jesus is Mary Magdalene. Tradition identifies and accords Mary an important place in the ministry of Jesus. There are so many ‘Marys’ during the time of Jesus but this one is distinguished by her birthplace, a town called “Magdala” near Tiberias on the shore of the sea of Galilee where Jesus spent much of his early public life.

She was a constant companion of Jesus and was among the women providing for him. Mary Magdalene is the Lord’s most ardent female follower. It was from her that seven demons were expelled, the sinner who anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped it with her hair ( still in contention), she is also identified as the Mary of Bethany ,the sister of Lazarus and Martha, who sat at the feet of Jesus and listened with rapt attention to his every word.

Mary Magdalene stood with the mother of Jesus and other women at the foot of the cross (John 19: 25b). She witnessed the burial (Mk. 15: 40) and was the first to see the empty tomb on Easter Monday.
She is singled out as the first witness of the resurrection of Christ and thus became “apostle of the apostles”, in the early Church.

Jesus’ inclusion of women also demonstrates the concept of *”Nwanyi bu Ife”* among the Igbos. It seeks to restore the proper place of women as the image of God.

THE IMPLICATION OF THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN THE IMAGE OF GOD
CONCLUSION

Having established the facticity of the creation of women in the image of God, we must accord them respect and dignity due to their status as created in the image of God. A denial of this image of God’s status is tantamount to the denial of their inalienable rights. An appreciation of this God-given image is also an appreciation of the beauty, elegance, poise, charm, dedication, hard work, resilience, grace, humility, grandeur, excellence and character which the creator gave them.

It is an appreciation of God in whose image the woman was created. Different cultures and traditions have different renditions regarding the place and dignity of women. Of particular importance is the Igbo culture of Nigeria that sees in the aphorism “Nwanyi bu ife”, a systematic appraisal/appreciation of the role and place of women in a male centered/dominated society. Before the advent of the movement for the emancipation of women, the Igbo culture has the same ambivalent attitude against women. Women were practically relegated to the background but recently their status and place have become significant and appreciated.

This article is a call for an attitudinal change. It is a clarion call for a proper realization and appreciation of the role of women in society. From religion to politics and to social life, all forms of delimiting and mitigating factors against their emancipation must be dismantled. Women are to be accorded their respect. While religion and cultures have limited their operations, there is a need for sanitization of the different cultures and religions that have contributed to the denigration and relegation of women.

In conclusion, women do not have a lesser image of God. They enjoy as much the image of God as men. They should be seen as equally sharing in the image of God as their male counterparts. When the above is done, the purpose of this article “Nwanyi bu ife” would have been served.

“Nwanyi Bu Ife” literally means that women are significant, women are great, women have value and women are important. If women are so understood, then the discriminatory attitudes, violence, rape, and denigration targeted at women would be a forgotten story and the life and place of women would be valued, enhanced and respected.