The Christian Church has never denied the difference between a man and a woman. For the modern world, which seeks to erase these differences, this approach often becomes a pretext for accusations of "discrimination on the basis of gender." One of the burning issues is the restrictions associated with women's critical days. The question of restrictions for women in critical days was raised in the first centuries of Christianity, theologians answered it in different ways.
History of the issue
At the dawn of the history of the Christian church, there was an extreme point of view in some communities. It was believed that a woman during critical days has no right not only to receive communion, but also to pray, touch the Holy Scripture and even listen to how it is read, because at this time, the Holy Spirit is removed from the woman, being replaced by an unclean spirit.
This approach is associated with the Old Testament tradition, where the concept of purity and impurity occupied a large place. Anything connected with death, including bleeding, was considered unclean. This attitude to bleeding, including menstruation, existed in paganism, but in the Old Testament religion it had a special meaning.
Death in the Bible is interpreted as a consequence of the fall of man. Consequently, any reminder of her, including the monthly female bleeding, is a reminder of human sinfulness, therefore it makes a person "unclean", makes him stay away from religious life. In Old Testament times, Jewish women were really forbidden to take part in prayer during critical days, moreover, it was not even possible to touch a woman at that time, she was isolated.
In Christianity, which is based on the Savior's victory over sinfulness and death, such an unambiguous approach could no longer exist. Discussions about women's critical days have continued for centuries. Some theologians, seeing in bodily impurity an image of spiritual impurity, forbade women to receive communion on these days (St. Dionysius, St. John the Postnik, St. Nicodemus Svyatorets), while others considered female bleeding a natural process and saw no obstacles to communion during critical days (St. Clement of Rome, St. Gregory Dvoeslov).
The attitude of the modern Church to critical days
In antiquity and the Middle Ages, there was another reason for restrictions for women during critical days: blood could get on the church floor, thereby desecrating the temple. Such strict rules apply to any blood - even if a person accidentally cut his finger, he must immediately leave the temple to stop the blood.
Modern hygiene products can solve this problem, therefore, at present, women are not prohibited from visiting temples, praying, lighting candles, and kissing icons during critical days. At the same time, the ban on participation in the sacraments on these days remains. A woman in this state should neither confess, nor receive communion, nor be baptized if she is unbaptized.
All these prohibitions are canceled if the woman is seriously ill and there is a danger to life.
