The following are the principal reasons that are usually offered for admitting only men to the priesthood. I will also give you critiques that are frequently given in response. First, Christ chose only men as apostles. This was not simply because Jewish culture at that time excluded women from positions of authority and leadership in religious society, for Jesus showed that He was able to rise above conventional norms, yet He did not do so in this case. His exclusive choice of men as apostles must have been a deliberate decision which remains binding on the later Church. Moreover, Jesus invited only the Twelve to attend the Last Supper at which He instituted the Eucharist, although it was customary for all members of a family, male and female, to take part in the Passover supper.
Response: Jesus chose twelve men as His inner circle of disciples in order to symbolize the renewal of Israel descended from the twelve patriarchs. This has nothing to do with deciding whether women can be ordained presbyters. Presbyters are not the same as Apostles.
In Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
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