ABSTRACT
For centuries, Christians have chosen to emulate and imitate the suffering of Christ; they have also been admonished to do so patiently. Christian thinkers have found significant models and praise for suffering in the Scriptures, the New Testament, and the Hebrew Bible as well. While imitation of Christ on the cross doubtless poses the predominant mode of thinking about suffering in the Christian tradition, the suffering of Eve complicates the thinking about the suffering that women endure. Eve was sentenced to bodily suffering as well as subordination because of her transgression. In Eve's story and its interpretation by Christian exegetes, the theology of suffering is intertwined with a theology of obedience and with a theology of ownership. The chapter emphasizes the theme and the theology of patient suffering, while recognizing its close relationship to obedience and ownership.
