The Original Unity of Man and Woman

I first came across this when preparing a sermon on the bride of Christ for my classwork. My friend Paul sent me some of this writings which spoke of the Hebrew for man and woman is/issa and how the woman was like but different from man. I did a search and came across this from Pope John Paul II. I had never read anything by him before and, quite frankly, I was blown away by the depth of his writing. I can see why they made him Pope.

There really isn't a "pull quote" from it that does it justice (you'll just have to read it for yourself...click on the title of the entry for the link) but the suffice it to say I find the text far more beautiful and meaningful than I did before.

It is clear, too, that the text emphasizes the equality of woman with man. This may come as a surprise to some, but the more I study the scriptures in depth, the more I realize the inadequacy of the typical evangelical approach to reading the Bible literally. So for example, without an understanding of how ancient Hebrews expressed themselves and talked about the world it is impossible to know the literal meaning of God forming Eve from Adams rib.