allowed to do whatever they were fitted to do."

All this within a few generations came to an end. Widows of sixty and
over retained the power which had been given, and a new order
arose,--deaconesses who were not allowed marriage. Neither widows nor
deaconesses could teach, the Church being especially jealous in this
respect and in substantial agreement with Sophocles, who said, "Silence
is a woman's ornament."

Tertullian waxes furious over the thought of a woman learning much, and
still more, venturing to use such acquirement; but heretical Christians
insisted that the respect which Romans had paid to the Vestal Virgin was
her right, and each founder of a new sect had some woman as helper. But
as a rule, her highest post during the first three centuries of
Christianity was that of doorkeeper or message-woman, her economic
dependence upon man being absolute. Social problems remained chiefly
untouched. No objection was made to the existence of slavery. In this
gospel of love the Christian slave became the brother of all, and
kindliness was his right; but their faith demanded contentment with all
present ills, since a glorious future was to compensate them. A
Christian slave-woman was the property of her master, who had absolute
power over her; but no objection seems to have been made to this.

In the mean time many doubts as to marriage seem to have arisen. Paul
had set his seal on the subjection of women, and Peter followed suit.
Antagonism to marriage grew and intensified, till hardly a Father of
the early Church but fulminated against it. Fiercest, loudest, and most
heeded of all, the voice of Tertullian still sounds down the ages. This
is his address to women: