Women in Ministry by Kevin Livermore

Women in Ministry (as Teachers) a page by Kevin Livermore with a dictionary article block quote added by Rick Livermore at the bottom

Luke 10 Mary and Martha: Mary is at the feet of Jesus learning. This was something only men did when they learned from a rabbi. E.g. Paul at feet of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel…" so he could be a rabbi in turn). Jesus approved of her positioning which was in the customary male space of the room. 

Galatians 3 Main point: God has one family not two. It is not about how we relate to one another. Verse 28: In Greek, Paul doesn't say neither male nor female, he says there is no male or female. 

1 Cor. 11:5 "When women are praying or prophesying they should cover their heads" (i.e. look like women and not men). The assumption is they do already speak in church and do not remain silent. 

1 Cor. 14:34 "Women should remain silent" in the ancient near Eastern culture and even in India today, men and women sit on opposite sides…Back then the men understood certain dialects, language nuances, etc. as most women were not as educated as men so the women would reach over to talk to men asking what something meant which was disruptive…but Paul says to wait till you get home to ask your husband as the next verse says 35"If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church."

John 20 the first person to be commissioned to share resurrection news is Mary Magdalene.

Now Jesus chose 12 men as disciples which represented the 12 tribes of Israel which were headed by men. This was an accommodation in the practical and cultural world of their day where they had specific missions, etc. but basically all 12 fled and/or forsook him but Mary Magdelene and other women were still there and they were entrusted with the news of his resurrection. E.g. first evangelists in a culture where a woman's testimony did not even matter in a court of law.

Romans 16:1 Phoebe is called a deaconess of church Cenchrea 

Romans 16:7 Junias "outstanding among the apostles" (Woman considered an apostle)

Priscilla and Aquila (Women) Teach Apollos

Acts 18:24-26

 24 Now there came to Ephesus a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria. He was an eloquent man, well-versed in the scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord; and he spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more accurately. 

Why do some churches let women preach when 1 Timothy 2:12 prohibits it?

Why do all churches let women braid their hair or wear jewelry or nice clothes when 1 Timothy 2:9 condemns it?

1 Tim. 2:8-15

8 I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument; 9 also that the women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided, or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes, 10 but with good works, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God. 11 Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. 12 I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.

Summary: Paul faced a problem in Ephesus because some church leaders had lost any semblance of godliness. They were apparently influencing women to follow them in their practice of contentious, self-seeking rebellion. The women in Ephesus had neglected home responsibilities and had selfishly tried to claw their way to a position of dominance in the local church. Paul wanted to see the practice of serious Christianity make a return to Ephesus.

Verses 8-10

Concept summary: Men and Women, don't go with the stereotypes. E.g. women don't think your life is defined by elaborate hair or jewelry. Women, don't get trapped into the cultural thinking that this is your true identity and that's all it means to be a woman. 

Verse 11

Key is to recognize women too should be allowed to study and learn (like Jesus approving of Mary at his feet), they are to be in full submission (in attitude as learners of submission to God/gospel which is true for men as well). "Let her learn in peace in all submissiveness," "let her learn" manthento in Greek is where we get the word mathetes or disciple. Even saying women should learn is quite radical in the ANE culture of the time. 

Paul's command that the women "learn" reflects Christian practice which differed from the customs of Judaism. Judaism would enforce physical silence on women without concern for their growth in knowledge. At this point Paul was not borrowing from his Jewish heritage but was reflecting as a Christian a greater appreciation for the role of women in spreading the gospel.

Paul specified two features about a woman's attitude in learning. First, she was to learn in "quietness." The word hēsychia emphasized the attitude or spirit with which the woman was to learn and prohibited her dashing about as a busybody (5:13). Paul was not demanding physical silence but a teachable spirit. Second, she was to learn in "full submission." Paul was not specifying to whom the submission was due, but it at least included the leaders of the congregation, who were responsible for giving instruction in doctrine. The submission did not demand a surrender of the mind or conscience or the abandonment of the duty of private judgment. It was a warning against abusing the leadership of the congregation by disrespectful, boisterous actions.  

This was most likely partly due to the separate nature in which men and women would sit in the congregations as was the ANE custom. Women would disrupt the service by trying to ask the men what certain things meant. Also, due to the influence of the Artemis cult.

Verse 12

Could also be translated "I do not mean to imply that I am now setting up women as the new authority over men in the same way that previously men held authority over women." which makes more sense in context.

Paul was writing to Timothy while he was in Ephesus. Paul visited Ephesus several times. In around 57–58 AD, he stayed there for over two years as part of his third missionary journey. (Acts 19). Paul stresses the aforementioned points to confront the main religion (a female only cult with a female deity) in Ephesus where the god Artemis/Diana had a massive temple (priests were all women and men were kept on the side in their proper place). So Paul is writing a letter to someone in a small new religious movement with a base in Ephesus, and saying because of the gospel of Jesus, the old ways of organizing male and female rules had to be re-thought from top to bottom with one feature being now the women were to be encouraged to study and learn (like Mary in Luke 10) was so they could in turn be teachers. 

So Verse 12 is denying Christianity should rise like this new female only cult with women only teachers. Women should be set free from expensive clothes, braided hair, etc. so they could be public benefactors and do good for society (verses 9-10). "The temple was one of the ancient world's Seven Wonders. The cult connected with it used women in sensuous, orgiastic practices. The prominence of women in the cult may have affected even Christian women." Additionally, Braided hair, gold jewelry, and expensive clothing flaunted wealth. And Paul wanted "those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited" (1 Timothy 6:17).

Paul's favorable comments on women as teachers (Romans 16, 2 Tim 1:5; Titus 2:4) seem to rule out the likelihood that his intent was to characterize all women as naive and gullible. The Ephesian women may have been credulous pawns in the hands of false teachers, but Paul knew most women were not.

Verse 12 "authority over men" is word "Authentein" in Greek has 12 meanings including "to dominate as a superior" or "to murder" or "originate" or "act independently" so it is a diverse word. Paul's expression "I do not permit" (a woman to teach) employs the Greek verb epitrepō . He used the Greek present tense for "I do not permit" (epitrepō). This tense indicates that Paul was delivering authoritative instructions for the situation he encountered at Ephesus, but it is tenuous to decide for or against the permanence of Paul's injunctions based on the evidence of tense alone. The use of epitrepō in the New Testament, in every case, is "related to a specific and limited set of circumstances" (A.C. Perriman, "What Eve Did, What Women Shouldn't Do: The Meaning of Authenteō in 1 Timothy 2:12″, Tyndale Bulletin 44.1 [1993] 130). 

So Paul's prohibition of women teaching can easily mean to be only meant for that time and place especially since the cult of Artemis was influencing women at that time with elaborate fashion and false teaching.

Paul wanted the women to "be silent" (lit. "to be in silence"). The word for "silence" is identical to "quietness" in v. 11 and calls for the women to demonstrate a teachable spirit. Most modern translations suggest Paul intended that the women show their teachable attitude by remaining physically quiet (cf. "she must keep quiet," Williams). It is more likely that Paul was banning disruptive behavior rather than enforcing complete silence on women in worship settings. (See 1 Cor 11:5, where Corinthian women prayed and/or prophesied.)

Verse 13-15

Paul's point was that Adam's status as the oldest carried with it the leadership role suitable for the firstborn son. Paul transferred this quality of leadership role in the congregation to the male. What Paul seems to have suggested is that a woman's assumption of the role of teacher would make her an overseer and would overturn the principle of headship in marriage (1 Cor 11:1–8), jeopardizing the God-ordained foundation of husband-wife relationships in marriage. Paul did not want the practices of the church to weaken marriages in any way.

Paul also had concerns about women teaching because he was concerned about marriages and the raising of children. There is evidence in 1 Timothy that some women were neglecting their roles as wives and mothers (1 Tim 5:11–15). Paul may have feared that a combination of personal ambition and the demands of the office of elder/overseer would prevent the women from serving effectively as wives and mothers. He was perhaps taking steps to prevent this situation from developing further. Nothing in Paul's words need be seen as a suggestion that women were incompetent to serve in the office of elder/overseer. His concern was for marriages in the church and the mothering role

The role of the teacher mentioned in this passage is most closely linked with the office of the pastor or senior pastor in contemporary churches. The normative principle behind Paul's directive is that the woman should not carry out the role of senior pastor. This does not amount to a prohibition against a woman's teaching or against her ministry to men. The New Testament has examples of significant teaching roles by women (Acts 18:26—both Priscilla and Aquilla were involved; Titus 2:3–4; 2 Tim 1:5; 3:15—women teach the faith to other women and children; 1 Cor 11:4–5—women prayed and prophesied). Paul was not suggesting that the woman is incompetent to occupy the role of pastor/teacher. His concern related to the effect the woman's position would have on marriages in the church and on the value of the mothering role. Paul would assert the value of the role of motherhood in v. 15

Verse 14: 

Doesn't make too much sense because Adam still ate so he was also deceived but this is not the main point here anyways. 

We can verify this interpretation by seeing how Paul uses Eve's deception as a paradigm for how both men and women can believe bad teaching in 2 Corinthians 11:3 "3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by its cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ."

Verse 15:

1 Timothy 2:15 assures God's help during childbirth since Ephesian women believed Artemis kept them alive -- a role Eve took on in later Gnosticism.

Paul knew women would fear for their lives if they rejected their local religion and no longer honored Artemis. Women believed Artemis protected them as a divine midwife during labor. So 1 Timothy 2:15 says God will do what people believed Artemis was supposed to do.

Below are pictures of the Ephesus god Artemis and the temple recreation dedicated to her. 

 https://i1.wp.com/margmowczko.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Artemis-statue-from-2nd-century-AD.jpg

 https://i1.wp.com/margmowczko.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Artemis-temple-800px-Miniaturk_009.jpg

The following is a comment by Rick Livermore:

Feminism, Christian.

A movement for women's equality rooted in Scripture and Christian faith. The seeds of American Christian feminism were planted in Europe centuries ago. Christian humanist, Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1469-1536) stressed women's right to education, including Bible reading. Though most Reformation Protestants still barred women from church leadership, radical Puritan* groups in seventeenth-century England granted women more freedom. Congregationalist* women voted in church; Baptist* women publicly confessed their faith; Quaker* women preached.* (Quaker Margaret Fell wrote Women's Speaking Justified, the first such document by a woman.) Most colonial American women preachers were Quakers. John Wesley,* the founder of the Methodists,* believed lay* women could receive an extraordinary call of God to publicly testify and pray. Soon women on both sides of the Atlantic served as Methodist class leaders.

In America, Christian feminism mobilized in the climate of nineteenth-century revivalism* where the Spirit's call, not necessarily ordination* or education, qualified one to preach. Evangelist Charles Finney's* "new measures"* allowed women to speak in the presence of a gathering of men. Later, women like Phoebe Palmer* gained national fame in the mid nineteenth-century Holiness Movement.* African-American revivalist Amanda Smith* effectively preached abroad and epitomized the courage of African-Americans who overcame the double barriers of race and sex.

Religious freedom* and disestablishment in America contributed to new denominations* which were able to utilize women however they chose. Free-Will Baptists* had female preachers as early as 1797 (Sally Parsons) and 1819 (Clarissa Danforth). Congregationalists, setting aside Antoinette Brown* for the ministry in 1853, became the first U.S. denomination to fully ordain a woman. Methodist Holiness churches often utilized women as preachers. The first American women's rights convention in 1848 occurred at a Wesleyan Methodist chapel in Seneca Falls, New York. By 1900 Unitarians* and Universalists* had ordained about seventy-five women.

Temperance,* abolition* and women's suffrage* helped spur Christian feminism. Abolitionist Sarah Grimké* (Letters on the Equality of the Sexes, 1837) saw links between the misuse of Scripture* to endorse slavery and the demand for female submission. Frances Willard's* Women's Christian Temperance Union* put socially concerned women in pulpits. The post-Civil War rise of female foreign missionaries meant women now studied Bible and theology* in training schools (See Women's Missionary Movement). Even early fundamentalists* often endorsed female public ministry. Bible institutes* trained women (often barred from seminary*) as evangelists,* pastors* and Bible teachers.

Diversity marks twentieth-century feminism. Early Pentecostals* (e.g., Maria Woodworth-Etter* and Aimee Semple McPherson*) and charismatics (e.g., Kathryn Kuhlman*) continued the tradition within Methodist-Holiness churches of advocating women's public ministry. All of the Protestant mainline* denominations now ordain women to the ministry. Evangelical* feminists officially organized in 1973 to form the Evangelical Women's Caucus. Post-Vatican II* American Catholics increasingly question female exclusion from the priesthood.*

A number of women have taken prominent theological roles both within the churches and the academe. Feminist theology—critical theological reflection carried out from a distinctly feminine perspective—has become a recognized theological movement among both Protestant and Roman Catholic theologians. Rosemary Radford Ruether and Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza have achieved prominence within this diverse movement that in some expressions has become confessedly non-Christian.

Christian feminism was never uniquely American. Catherine Booth* of The Salvation Army in Britain, Pandita Ramabai in India and Catherine Juell in Scandinavia each preached in the context of revivalism. Nor was the movement unified; feminists still debate priorities and strategies. But it was rooted in biblical Christianity: women created equally in God's image, made one in Christ through redemption, fully gifted by the Spirit for service. Such liberating theology continues to fuel Christian feminists in America as they enter the twenty-first century.

See also Inclusive Language Movement; Ordination of Women; Women's Suffrage.

Bibliography. C. De Swarte Gifford, ed., Women in American Protestant Religion, 1800-1930, 36 vol. reprint collection (1987); R. R. Ruether and R. S. Keller, eds., Women and Religion in America, 3 vols. (1982-1986); Women and the Church in America: Microfiche Collection, American Theological Library Association (1985); N. A. Hardesty, Women Called to Witness: Evangelical Feminism in the 19th Century (1984).

J. R. Hassey

Dictionary of Christianity in America.[1]

Bibliography

[1]Reid, Daniel G., ed. Dictionary of Christianity in America. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.

The Theology of C.S. Lewisby Kevin Scott Livermore (Author)

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