This is an excerpt from a written account of the heresy trial of Filippo Regis. Waldensians were routinely questioned about their knowledge of the elusive barba—the itinerant Waldensian spiritual leaders. Such accounts are often distorted: it is unlikely a barba would have taught to deny the virgin Birth, or to deny that "the sons" could perform miracles.
Of course not only women were attracted to the heretical sects that diverged from early church orthodoxy, but women were prominent in their leadership and teachings. Why might this have been?
The Apostle's writings are foundational to the standard interpretation of what women's role in the church should be. But examined carefully, his points about women raise several puzzling questions
