Does anyone know of a Biblical reference referring to denying the education of women?

Question

Or any Mesopotamian law referring to denying a woman an education?

Answer 1

No! But then again, education or learning as we know it is a relatively new thing among the masses. Most women in Ancient Mesopotamia, rarely acted as individuals outside of the context of their roles within the family. The exception was of course royal women or women with powerful husbands or sons who often acted in the background to further their husband/sons ambitions.......

Women were limited in most advanced ancient societies and their roles relegated to acting as wives, mothers or daughters. We of course know of some few women who broke from the mold but they really are the exception rather than the rule.

Some of the most educated people during the Renaissance period were women...i.e. nuns who were allowed to pursue learning since they were not planned for marriage and family and had no need for "that kind of learning".

Answer 2

There have been many who have looked at the Story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 as a lesson to kind of keep women under control.

Eve was seduced by the serpent into breaking the only rule God gave them: don't eat from the tree. She then "tempted" Adam to do the same. It doesn't say much for Adam that he ate the fruit even though he knew it was wrong but some scholars point to this as an early archetype for women as "seducers" and "temptresses." Thus, they must be shut in and not allowed out into public. Besides for the obvious biological imperative of feeding and caring for newborn children this may have been the origin of the idea of women staying home to work in the home. They just can't be trusted if left up to their own devices. Men can't let women run around in public or they'd be seducing men and causing havoc all over. If they can't follow God's rules, then they can't follow the rules of society. Keep em locked up.

This of course is a short, crude and shallow paraphrase of some keen scholarly observations of really smart folks like Joseph Campbell and others.

have a nice day.

Answer 3

Paul admonished women for talking to much at "church" but, then that particular church had a problem with gossiping women. Education didn't exist in the same sense as it does today. Proverbs carries on at length about the value of a wife with a lot of business sense that invests in property, so a high level of knowledge is assumed.

Females, after all, are made in the image of God. It is male dominated societies that look for interpretations of scripture to support their domination, thus breaking the 3rd commandment.

Answer 4

there is no such thing in the bible