Women in Creation , Fall and Redemption : The Classical Paradigm

The classical Western Christian theological paradigm for interpreting gender, male and female, in relation to creation, fall and redemption was developed by St. Augustine in the late 4early 5 centuries. Augustine originally followed the views taught by the Greek Church Fathers, such as Origen and Gregory Nyssa. According to the Greek view humanity was originally created in immortal incorporeal unity without gender differentiation. Gender difference was added by God only in relation to sin or the fall which brought mortality and hence the need for sexual reproduction to perpetuate the human species.