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<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica size=2>Hi Eogan!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> I'm sure you noticed that I caught on that "reply
to" meant "to the author" and not "to the list" - thank you for your offer to
forward the message.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> I realized upon reading your responses that we
are at cross-purposes. I was addressing women priests who were Christian, and
you were addressing "ordained by the early church", with "church" meaning the
Roman Church. That gives us each different parameters. No way would I state that
the Roman practise, or even the Eastern, after the 300s, allowed or condoned
women officiates! The question for me is did they exist as Christian priests
before that time within the developing church, which is what the reference to
Paul and Peter's letters is addressing (and the quote that I cannot find at this
time is out of one of the Jesuit articles, but danged if I can find it now. It
was a pass-by on my way to finding a particular article about "Celtic" saints).
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> Tracing down stories and references to Irish
Christianity before/during the time of Patrick is tough, and again, the question
of women officiates is not the thrust of my research, but I do find references
to this, as well as discussion within the community about eucharistic practises
by non-Catholics. But finding anything definitive is nigh impossible, and as
your response clearly showed - what works as possible evidence for one
researcher, is not acceptable to the other.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> Perhaps we should examine something easier - like
the pagan references and themes within the saga known as "Beowulf"?
*grin* (the Anglo-Saxon list nearly exploded just recently with the hot debate.
Hoo babay! I'm glad I'm not an English professor!)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Rosine</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>