F ROM G YNOCENTRISM TO P ATRIARCHY A Timeline Adaptation of Gerda Lerner’s Theory

T IMELINE PART 1 Paleolithic cultures perhaps worshipping the Great Goddess Approx. 10,000 years ago: Neolithic cultures worship female creator goddesses Approx years ago: in Middle Eastern cultures the goddesses now have young male partners Ca years ago: In Southern Europe and the Middle East the goddesses are reduced to being daughters and wives, the male gods become dominant 3500 years ago: Religions of male gods are well established, except for Crete 5 th century B.C.E.: Socrates teaches in Athens 5 th century B.C.E.: Plato teaches in Athens 4 th century B.C.E.: Aristotle teaches in Athens

T IMELINE PART 2 1 st century C.E.: Jesus Christ teaches, dies, first Gospels are written 3 rd century: the Gnostic Gospels are banned by the bishops 3 rd century: Plotinus introduces Neoplatonism 4 th century: The Roman emperor Constantine converts to Christianity; The Church Council in Nicea 325 establishes dogma 4 th century: Augustine studies Manichaeism, Neoplatonism, and converts to Christianity th century: Hypatia is murdered in Alexandria 5 th century in Ireland: St Patrick introduces Christianity to an early “Transition” culture 7 th century in Athens: Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum are closed by Christians, scholars flee to the Middle East 8 th century in Arabia: Aristotle scholars influence Islam

T IMELINE P ART 3 10 th century (year 900): Catholic Church determines that women have souls, by 1 vote 9 th -11 th centuries: The Vikings flourish in Northern Europe (a late transition/early patriarchal culture) 12 th century: Aristotle is rediscovered by Western theologians, partly thanks to the Crusades Hildegard of Bingen teaches, writes, composes, is rejected by the University of Paris 13 th century: Thomas Aquinas reads Aristotle, and publishes Summa Theologica. 14 th -15 th centuries: Universities in Europe use Aristotle’s classifications of fields of study, and exclude women scholars. 16 th century: The Reformation (Lutheranism, Calvinism, etc. split off from the Catholic Church) 18 th century in Europe: Classical feminism is introduced 19 th century: Thomas Aquinas becomes the official Catholic theologian. Suffrage movements in America and Europe 20 th century: Women win the right to vote in America and Europe.