For Adam was formed first, then Eve : A feminist literature analysis of Paul´s letters

Christianity is the largest religion worldwide and the Bible remains the most read book in the world. Thus, the Bible has had a great influence on the worldwide views of women, and continues to influence these views in modern society. With this in mind, one can through studying the views on women and the female characters in the Bible and obtain a grander understanding of society today and its views on women. This study incorporates a quantitative analysis of gender proportions in the Pauline letters, as well as a qualitative analysis of Pauls’ statements on women and the problematics of translation in regard to his letters. The readers are also presented with previous research focusing on similar matters, as to entice their interest, and enable them to form their own opinions. The result, in its essence, presents that women are grossly underrepresented in the Pauline letters, in both numbers and space. The study also points to the probability that Paul’s androcentric opinions may have been strengthened by the continuous translations and countless copies of the texts. Lastly, the study presents a discussion on what can and is desirable to do to ensure that women are correctly represented in historical texts relating to early Christianit