Dr. Anne Clifford argued in her lecture Monday that Jesus was one of the first womens’ rights advocates.

Clifford, associate professor of philosophy and religious studies, took the audience through the Bible, discussing how Jesus was portrayed by the various writers, as well as Jesus’ attitude regarding the role of women in the society of biblical times.

“Jesus is considered to be truly human and truly divine,” Clifford said. “He represents what humans are called to be and do.”

Clifford addressed that each of the four gospels in the Bible portray Jesus differently.

“None of the New Testament books provides an eyewitness report,” Clifford said. “Events and portrayals of Jesus often depended on which group of people [the different writers of the New Testament books] were trying to reach.”

The Gospel of Mark, believed to be the first gospel written, portrays Jesus as a suffering prophet, tormented by the role he is to play. The Gospel of Matthew portrays Jesus as a “New Moses,” providing new interpretations of God’s law. The Gospel of Luke portrayed Jesus more as a kingly, royal figure and emphasized Jesus’ attitudes regarding the role of women in society. The Gospel of John focused on Jesus’ miracles, portraying him to be purely divine.

While the coming of Jesus is foretold in the Old Testament, he is never mentioned by name. Clifford connected the two by discussing the concept of “Wisdom Sophia,” a theological concept of the wisdom of God, which in the original Greek was “Sophia.”

“Wisdom is said to have poured forth from God before creating the world,” Clifford said. “It was she that determined the limits of how far the land and the water extended.”

Wisdom is frequently referred to as female in the Bible. Jesus even mentions her directly in Matthew:

“The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold a man gluttonous, and a drunkard, a friend of publicans and sinners.’ But Wisdom is the mother of all her children.” (Matthew 11:19)

Clifford described the role of women in biblical times to be oppressive and extremely limited.

“Women subdued to men,” Clifford said. “Their job was to keep to the house at nearly all times. Even going to pray was considered a distraction from their household duties.”

The Bible, particularly the Gospel of Luke, emphasizes that women played an important part in the life and death of Jesus. Clifford described a moment during which Jesus was carrying his cross to the hill he was to be crucified on. It was during this painful journey that several women from the crowd supported Jesus as he continued to make his way to the hilltop.

She also mentioned a story in which Jesus is anointed in oil by a repentant prostitute. After Jesus is said to have died, the Bible states that women were the first to witness his resurrection.

“Jesus was a bracing contrast to the conventional wisdom of society at the time,” Clifford said. “Women have a fundamental human dignity. Women in the Bible wisely function as disciples of Christ.”

Above all, Clifford emphasized that discipleship had no societal qualifications.

“All are one in Jesus Christ,” Clifford said. “Discipleship requires a generous spirit and a willingness to work with others. You don’t need higher education or even a complete understanding of Jesus’ message to be a follower.”