Dr Francesca Stavrakopoulou makes a number of staggering statements in forthcoming BBC2 series The Bible’s Buried Secrets.

The presenter, who has a doctorate in theology from the University of Oxford, argues that Eve was not the first woman in the Bible, as the story of the Garden of Eden does not belong in the first Book of the Old Testament.

She said: ‘Eve has been unfairly maligned as the troublesome wife who brought about the fall.

‘Don’t forget that the biblical writers were male and it’s a very male-dominated world. Women were second-class citizens.’

And Dr Stavrakopoulou, a senior lecturer in the department of theology and religion at Exeter University, does not believe in God.

She said: ‘I’m an atheist with a huge respect for religion. I see what I do as a branch of history like any other.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1364018/Atheist-Dr-Francesca-Stavrakopoulout-BBC-face-religion.html#ixzz1G0ZqJ0QB