“WHO WILL ROLL AWAY THE STONE?” (MARK 16:3): THEOLOGICAL AND SOCIO-CULTURAL REFLECTIONS ON WOMEN’S ROLE IN THE RESURRECTION AND NIGERIAN CHRISTIANITY

Abstract

This study, “Who Will Roll Away the Stone?” (Mark 16:3) Theological and Socio- Cultural Reflections on Women’s role in the resurrection and Nigerian Christianity, explores the symbolic and theological implications of women’s witness in the resurrection narratives and their applicability for gender inclusion in Nigerian Christianity. The aim is to reinterpret Mark 16:3 through a contextual and feminist hermeneutic that highlights women as agents of divine emancipation and equality. Using a qualitative interpretive methodology, the study integrates biblical exegesis, theological reflection, and socio-artistic analysis. Primary sources include the resurrection narratives, while secondary data derive from African feminist theologians such as Oduyoye, Njoroge, and Kanyoro. Findings reveal that the rolled- away stone in the Gospel of Mark functions as a metaphor for disassembled patriarchal barriers and affirms the divine priority in women’s emancipation. The study further shows that Jesus’ post-resurrection commissioning of women reconfigures apostolic authority as embedded in faithfulness rather than gender advantage. It concludes that Nigerian Christianity must embody a resurrection- inspired theology by espousing inclusive ecclesiastical structures, reforming theological education, and promoting women’s full participation in ministry. Recommendations prompt churches to roll away institutional “stones” of rejection or exclusion and to affirm resurrection as God’s model for justice, equality, and collaborative renewal.