ABSTRACT
Cultural complexes are basic patterns of the collective unconscious. This chapter is about early Christianity and its roots in the antique culture of the time. The stories of St. Paul and of the martyr St. Perpetua are examined to show the transformation of pagan pattern and images into the new mythology and social world of Christianity. Women played a significant role in the spread of Christian values in the Mediterranean world. Whereas in the Roman Empire women had only a few rights and an inferior voice in Roman and Jewish religion, the original statement of St. Paul gave them equal rights. The result was an Early Christian Woman’s Emancipation Movement. There are similarities to cultural transformations in our times. Women’s empowerment and the development of an image of God are linked. Religion is seen as a process.
