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Why can't women be priests?
Answer to Question 586 From the very beginning when God established the Jewish priesthood, he intended that only men would be ordained into this priesthood. When God became man (that is Jesus) he chose the Apostles to continue this priesthood. Jesus was a man and every priest is an image of Christ. Tradition has continued up to our day with men only priests. That is how God has ordained it and who are to to question his reasoning? I understand that women would like to be priests, but they can serve the church in many other ways. I would have loved to have had the experience of carrying a child inside me and giving birth but God ordained that only women would have this great blessing
Same member Also, phoebe was a deacon. So appears first century women run home churches
Reply The early church had many Deaconesses, but it is essential to make clear that at no time have the Deaconesses of the Orthodox Church taken part in the Divine Liturgy as an ordained Deacon or as they do in the Anglican church. During the first centuries of persecution, the Deaconesses had the blessing to give Holy Communion to the people, and as women, it was much easier for them to pass through the prisons and give Communion to the Christian prisoners. Also they were indispensable during the Baptisms of Adult women and would anoint the bodies with the Exorcised oil, something which understandably was not permitted for the Priests to do. Today, our Church doesn't have the need of the Deaconesses of old, but if we were again to have times of persecution (something which the Church of Russia suffered in contemporary History), then the Order of the Deaconess could again serve the Church.
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