Another Look at What the Bible Says About Women

Why is this such a difficult topic?
As a woman in ministry, I have always felt like I was walking a tight-rope, trying to be exactly what God called me to be, do everything that God led me to do, but not over stepping whatever restrictions I had because I am a woman.
For the past year, I have read several books, studied Bible passages, and prayed for clarity and revelation about this, not just for me, but for other women. I want to think that my grand daughters would feel free to do anything that God put on their heart to do.
I am finally ready to put my thoughts out there, for whoever may read this blog. Like it, love it, hate it, believe it, or don't believe it. I just want to communicate what I have learned.

I am starting at the end of the study. I have learned a lot, and I have much to say about the positive examples of women in the Bible. But, whatever I have read or seen, there are always a few passages that seem to negate everything else. I want to start with those passages first, to get that out of the way. 

We have seen before that the ancient world had a very fallen view of women.

Jesus set the captives free, which included women.  The way he treated women was revolutionary.

The first person to know that the messiah was coming was a woman. The first person that he told he was the messiah was a woman. The first person to know that he was resurrected was a woman.

Jesus taught women. Women followed him, travelled with him, and supported him.

As the church was born, we read  Peter's words, quoting Joel. 

Acts 2:17  "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

Paul was very bold when he wrote the Galatians. 

Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

But there are some passages that seem to restrict women.

These are from the writings of the Apostle Paul. Paul wrote 13 letters which became books of the Bible, and in only 2 he speaks something regarding restricting women.

We need to look at these in context, with light from the culture of the day, and in light of God’s character, His nature, and in the overall consistent speaking of the Bible.

This is not the only time we do this. We do it other places almost without thinking of it.

Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
We are quick to say that Jesus did not mean we literally to hate our family. We know that because overwhelmingly he spoke of loving other people, of honoring our parents, caring forour family.

Matt 5:29-30 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.  30  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.
If you came to me and said you had a problem with pornography, and I told you to poke your eyes out, you would think I was crazy. We know that Jesus did not mean that literally because that is not consistent with the rest of Scripture.

And, there are many more passages that we do that. So, we have precedents in looking at the passages about women in that light, and I think we should. 

1 Cor 14:34-35

34  the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also 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.

There are a  few ways that this passage has been explained.  I want to share the explanation that I think is the most accurate.

Paul wrote this letter as a response to a letter that the Corinthian Christians wrote to Paul with some questions.  We can see this clearly in several verses from the letter.

1 Cor 7:1 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman."
No one takes that question out of context and makes a rule out of it! We understand that                       Paul is not saying this, that he is quoting what the Corinthians asked.

1 Cor 7:25-26 Now concerning the betrothed,  I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. 26 I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is.

1 Cor 8:1

8 Now concerning  food offered to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." This "knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up.

Obviously, he is answering questions.

1 Cor 9:1-4

 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 This is my defense to those who would examine me.

Paul did not just jump in to defend himself out of the blue. He is answering accusations.

So, it is in this context that we come to 14:35. The Greek language did not use quotation marks, so we can’t look for them.

The clue is in verse 36. At the beginning of this sentence, the Greek has a little symbol,

“e” which is a disjunctive particle. One of its uses is to distinguish things which exclude each other.

It is like a negative exclamation mark, which is at the first of the verse.  This little symbol is usually translated "or", "neither",  “What” or “Nonsense”  like “No way”.
 

The Interlinear Transliterated Bible gives the literal translation of this verse.

1 Cor 14:36

36 What? out from you? the word of God came or unto you only? came it

Interlinear Transliterated Bible. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved. [For more detail see the full copyright page.])

This little symbol is found in the following verses:

1 Cor 6:15-16 Know( ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

1 Peter 3:17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

So, Paul is quoting what men of Corinth said about the women, and then he says, “No! do you think God  just speaks to you? "  Or, "What, nonsense. Do you think you have special speaking from God about this?" 

Seeing one little Greek word or symbol makes a huge difference in the way the passage is interpreted.

This is really confirmed when you notice the phrase "as the law also says". The law did not say anything like that. Paul was an expert in the law, and would have never misquoted it. The Corinthians did not know the law and could easily have thought it said something it did not.

Finally, the idea that the women should wait and ask questions of their husbands really does not make sense because they were all very new Christians.  A new believer husband would not likely have any answers for the new believer wife. 

This analysis of 1 Cor 14:34-35  makes sense because in chapters 11, 12, and 14, Paul talks a lot about everyone in the church expressing their gifts when the church gathers. He tells women to cover their heads when they speak. (because in that day only immoral women went in public without head coverings). For Paul to suddenly say that women are to be silent does not fit with those passages. 

Paul was not restricting women in this passage. It really seems that he was arguing against the restrictions that some were presenting.