In order to begin the history of woman from its very beginning, we must mention our mother Eve…

She was a necessity, created to be a helper to man.

The Lord God said, “It is not good that Adam should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” (Gen. 2:18).

By this creation, Adam the solitary became a social human being. The reason for the creation of Eve was for Adam’s benefit, to be a helper to him, a partner in life, a companion and friend.

And it is not true what some people think, that woman was imposed upon Adam without his desire!

For the story of Eve’s creation, as narrated in the Book of Genesis, indicates that Adam was in need of a creature comparable to him, to be his helper. Adam’s need, and his feeling of this lack, ascended to the Lord, who responded and created Eve.

Concerning this, the Scripture says (Gen. 2:20–22):

“So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs…”

Thus Adam felt the need for a helper, and the Lord responded immediately. The matter, therefore, was not an imposition,

but rather a remedy for a condition and a response to a feeling.

For this reason our father Adam erred when he said to the Lord, as though reproaching Him: “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me…” (Gen. 3:12). Were you not, Adam, the one who did not find a helper for yourself, especially when you looked at all the animals and birds and found them living together in social harmony, and thus felt a lack…?

And Eve lived with Adam as a friend, as a sister…

She did not begin her life as a wife, but lived simply as a companion in life, in complete innocence, far removed from sexuality, which was not known until after the Fall… And we do not know how long these two saints, Adam and Eve, lived as friends.

The expression “comparable to him” means the equality of woman with him:

This was further affirmed by her creation from his side… How many reflections commentators have offered concerning Eve’s creation from one of Adam’s ribs, from his side.

It has been said: God did not create her from his head lest she rule over him, nor from his foot lest he trample upon her, but from his side so that she might be equal to him.

It has been said: from beneath his arm, that she might be under his care and protection, and from a place near his heart, that she might be beloved by him…

And by creating her from the man’s rib, it was established that they were one body even before marriage.

For Eve was created from Adam’s own body; she was a part of him, of that one body. Adam sensed this and said concerning Eve, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:23).

Another proof of the equality of the first woman with man is that she received the same authority and blessing that were given to him, and she was created in the image of God just as he was.

Concerning this, the Scripture says:

“So God created man in His own image… male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth’” (Gen. 1:27–28).

Woman differed from man in sex, but not in nature, nor in authority, nor in gifts, nor in blessing.

Eve was complementary to Adam:

She completed the male gender, the human race, or humanity. Through her it became possible for the Lord’s saying to be fulfilled:

“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” She and the man would become a unity, a complete creature…

And Eve received two names, each of which has its significance. It was Adam who named her.

God did not give her a name. She was included under the name “Man,” which encompassed both her and Adam.

And Adam called her “Woman” immediately after her creation, “because she was taken out of Man” (Gen. 2:23).

The significance of this name is her relationship to man. It is as though Adam intended by saying, “This is from me, from man,” to emphasize her connection to him…

And after the Fall, “Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living” (Gen. 3:20).

Thus this name signifies her motherhood and her relationship to humanity, and it is her name after the Fall.

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An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – El-Keraza Magazine – Eighth Year (Issue No. 6), 11 February 1977.

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