This article is built upon the observations andthe framework presented in "AnInitial Foray into Hermeneutics." It isstrongly recommended that you first read that article with itsillustration on a woman's role in the church before proceedinghere.

Without a doubt there are many different churchesteaching many different doctrines about this subject. Is the Biblethat unclear and difficult to understand? Are the principlessurrounding this subject that obtuse that even the experts areconfused about what we should be doing? Or is it a case of peoplecoming to the Bible with predetermined ideas about "how it should be"and then using their cookie cutters to conclude that scripture agreeswith them? What happens when the basic interpretation processsuggested in "AnInitial Foray into Hermeneutics" isapplied to the controversial subject of a woman's role within theworship assembly? Let's take a somewhat brief but hopefully adequatelook at this subject.

Step One: What Did Paul Intend toCommunicate to The Original Readers Back Then?

When reading the Bible, it seems common for people to immediately jump to the question, "what does this mean for me today." That is not the question being discussed here. The question within this first step is, what did the author intend to communicate to his original readers.Whether or not there are principles which will alter the author's meaning is beyond the scope of this first step.

1 Corinthians 14:33-35

From the context, it is clear that in much of 1 Corinthians 14 Paul was establishing regulations for the worship assembly of the saints. 1 Corinthians 14:19, 23-24, 26, 28, 34 Paul taught that the women at Corinth were to remain silent in the church (assembly). They were to be in submission within the worship assembly.

What did it mean for them to be silent? In contradistinction to speaking in tongues and prophesying (14:26-32) or praying (14:15-17), the women were to be silent. Furthermore, this prohibition forbade them to ask any questions. Hence, this prohibition prevented them from the public roles of addressing the congregational assembly (preaching, teaching) as well as speaking for the congregational assembly (praying).

1 Timothy 2:11-15

The intended setting for this context is harder to determine, but since "in every place" (2:8) appears to be an idiom for "in every meeting place," and since the text under consideration preceeds Paul's statement that he has been writing about how the household of God should conduct itself (1 Tim. 3:14-15), it would seem that the context of this passage involves Paul's instructions to Timothy regarding the worship assembly. Furthermore, the message of 1 Corinthians 14 which does deal with the worship assembly agrees with Paul's message found here.

Once again women are to be "silent" and in "full submission." Paul specifically indicates that a woman is not to teach or have authority over a man. As in 1 Corinthians 14 the silence stands in contrast to those who are in the public role of teaching.

From the context of both of these texts, it would appear that Paul did not intend to prohibit their singing within the congregation nor their saying of the "Amen." What is prohibited are the public roles of teaching in the assembly or speaking for the congregation through prayer.

While I believe that these two passages of scripture exhaust the relevant texts concerning the role of women within the worship assembly, some may claim that I have overlooked a few relevant texts. Therefore it is necessary to examine a few more scriptures.

1 Corinthians 11:3-16; Acts 21:9, etc.

The New Testament describes regulations for women praying and prophesying. It is clear that certain women were prophetesses. Some will make the assumption that these texts imply (demand?) that these women were praying and prophesying within the worship assembly. Is that what Paul intended to communicateback then to his original readers?

If our agenda is to simply but accurately understand what Paul was writing in 1 Corinthians 11:3-16, we find that Paul regulated the practices of prophesying and praying for men and women. The practices he prescribed were the universal practices among the churches. 1 Corinthians 11:16 But nothing is said of the context in which these men and women are prophesying and praying.

Since 1 Corinthians 11:18f. contains instructions for the worship assembly, some have assumed that the prior section of 11:3-16 also falls under this same canopy of the worship assembly and hence it should be understood as providing regulations for women prophesying and praying within the assembly. However, the text gives us no reason to understand this. Instead, it suggests the exact opposite.

1 Corinthians 11:17, 18 indicate that with these verses Paul began a new context as he turned his attention to the failings within the Corinthian church's worship assembly. As 11:18 reveals, the first item Paul discussed within this new context is their division when they met together.

The text does not teach that Paul provided instructions for how women ought to prophesy within the assembly. 1 Corinthians 11:3-16 does not describe the occasion but only the regulations for praying and prophesying. What they do teach is that when women pray and prophesy they were to do so with their heads covered. In other words, 1 Corinthians 11:3-16 provide regulations for daily practices. To insist that these verses are regulating practices within the worship assembly, not only fails to account for the textual evidence of a break in the context but it also causes Paul to contradict himself within the same letter! And yes, Christians did prophesy outside of the worship assembly. Acts 21:10-11

 

Galatians 3:28

When we step into the middle of Paul's discussion in Galatians 3 we find him teaching the Galatian churches that they are not obligated to fulfill the works of the Mosaical Law. Galatians 3:2-3; 2:16, 21; 5:1-6 Paul's method for arguing this within Galatians 3 involved teaching that righteousness comes through faith in Christ not by the works of the Law. As a result all nations can receive the inheritance which was promised to Abraham since this blessing does not depend upon the Law but upon the promise. As Paul concluded his argument he described 1) the path by which the nations can be born of God so that they might belong to Him as His children (Galatians 3:26-27) and 2) the final state of those who have become sons of God, namely that in Christ they are all one and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:28-29). Salvation is open to all. No group or classification is excluded. Those Jews who respond to Christ are not placed in a different body of Christ than Gentiles who rely upon Jesus. No, rather "you are all are one in Christ." Barriers have been broken down. Equality before God is realized for all. No one is ostracized, excluded or receives a second class inheritance because he or she is labeled by a particular category. Christ brings oneness. As Paul proceeds to explain, the equality he is promoting is that everyone who is in Christ receives the inheritance. Galatians 4:1-7

For reasons suggested elsewhere, a responsible handling of the text will not only seek to understand the message which the author intended to communicate, but it will also limit the interpretations and applications of the text to the author's intention. Using standard exegetical principles, clearly Paul's intent in Galatians 3:28 was to affirm that all nations and classes of people are blessed through their faith in Christ and are united in him without reference to the Law. In describing this inclusive nature of the new creation which has been offered, Colossians 3:10-11 presents much of the same basic message.

But what about the idea that since "Tthere is ... neither male nor female ... in Christ" this teaching should be expanded to also teach that within Christian worship no distinctions should be made between the roles of men and women? Should both men and women should therefore be able to teach and publically lead in prayer within the worship assembly?

In neither Galatians 3:28 nor Colossians 3:10-11 does the apostle have in view instructions for the worship assembly. It is dangerous* to claim that since Christ removed class distinctions from terms of salvation that therefore this also necessarily means that gender distinctions have been removed from within the worship assembly especially when clear apostolic teaching regarding the context of the saints assembling makes distinctions based upon gender. These texts were not intended to be relevant to a discussion about a woman's role within the assembly of the saints.

* Clearly Paul's message is that everyone receives the same inheritance in Christ; everyone who has faith becomes a part of the one body of Christ. In light of the fact that 1) Galatians 3:28 is not teaching about the worship context, 2) that an apostle of Christ elsewhere has enjoined silence upon women within the assembly and that 3) it is possible for God to offer the inheritance to all equally but for God to still intend for genders to take different roles within the assembly, it would be arrogant for anyone to assert that Galatians 3:28 proves that there are are no gender roles within the assembly.

I conclude that the message the apostle intended to communicate regarding the role of women within the assembly of the saints is clear. They were to remain silent in terms of preaching, teaching, questioning and praying. They were not to demonstrate any authority over a man.

 

Step Two: What do 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 and1 Timothy 2:11-15 mean for us today?

The greatest source of doctrinal conflict on thissubject does not come from what people understand Paul to havetaught, but whether or not what Paul taught should be applied totoday's churches. Some claim that Paul's instructions should befollowed today. Others assert that Paul's teachings are notapplicable to us today because either they were merely an apostolicsolution for a local cultural problem or certain doctrinalconsiderations nullify these teachings.

Was Paul merely guarding against the problem of women being disruptive?

Some have asserted that Paul's instruction for women to be silent was simply Paul's method for handling the problem of disruptive women at Corinth and Ephesus and therefore this does not apply to those situations where women would behave decently. While it is possible to claim almost any motivation and background for the context, the evidence does limit the possibilities of what is true.

In 1 Corinthians 14:27-33 Paul addressed the problem of disruptions within the worship assembly. He did not tell the offending members to be silent, rather he provided regulations so that everything would be done decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:40 Since this was Paul's method for handling confusion within the assembly, why did Paul not use this same method when writing about the women? As we will see below, Paul was addressing a larger issue than merely disorderly women.

Was Paul merely handling a cultural problem?

There are some who claim that Paul placed these restrictions upon women within the assembly because at that time women were not educated. Hence, for a woman to have taught or asked questions would have been disruptive. Their argument continues that since in modern culture women are often highly educated, it is therefore now appropriate for women to teach, pray, and preach within the worship assembly. Their conclusion is that Paul's command for women to be silent was only an apostolic accommodation to his context which is not bound upon us today.

First of all, if we recognize the validity of the principle that mere cultural forms are not normative for all places (e.g. holy kiss), then their argument can not be lightly dismissed. It warrants further investigation.

As a starting place, it should be observed that the argument "this was just cultural" can be used to illegitimately dismiss anything in scripture which a person might consider objectionable. Why? Because everything that a person thinks and does is cultural. If a people believes that there is one God that is a cultural belief. If a religious group proselytizes using a particular message and forms, that message and forms are cultural. Forms of worship are cultural. Everything we do and believe can be classified as being cultural. Accordingly, someone could illegitimately dismiss anything within scripture by claiming "Oh, that was only cultural."

Although everything Christians might do and believe can be classified as being cultural, not everything is only cultural. There are doctrines and practices which rise above being merely cultural and attain to the status of being the normative standard to which God calls all peoples to conform. How different people sift out of the text what was merely cultural from that which is super cultural is a major source for the differences among those who claim to be followers of Christ.

Unfortunately, when somebody falsely ascribes "it was only cultural" to something which God intended to be normative, that person has anesthetized himself against hearing the voice of God. Every time he hears God's teaching, he will lightly dismiss it with a clear conscience because he falsely believes he has the inside scoop. Accordingly, we need to be very careful in rejecting some doctrine or practice as simply being cultural.

If we value hearing God's voice instead of our own culturally driven whims, how do we distinguish between what was cultural accommodation and that which God wants us to consider to be normative? One biblical indicator is to examine the reasons which are given. Are the reasons for doing something a particular way culturally based or are they doctrinal? Do the reasons for the prescription come from within that particular culture or beyond it? If we are going to allow the text to shape us and not simplistically apply our cultural value based cookie cutter to the text, we must look at the nature of the reasons given within scripture.

Paul's reasoning rose above the cultural level

In the two scriptures where Paul taught that women were to be silent within the assembly, he provided four reasons to support this teaching.

1) The Law says they are to be silent. 1 Corinthians 14:34

2) This is the Lord's command. 1 Corinthians 14:37

3) The order of creation indicates that this is what is to be done. 1 Timothy 2:13-14

4) Historically, in the garden it was the woman who was deceived and not the man. 1 Timothy 2:14

While we may not understand all of the "why's" behind his reasoning, one thing is clear. Paul's argumentation rose far above the borders of his culture. This teaching was not only the Lord's command but it is anchored in the very order of creation. Paul was not merely providing a cultural solution to a cultural problem. He taught that women were to keep silent "in all the churches of the saints." 1 Corinthians 14:33b

Step Three: Does This Understanding ofScripture Dovetail With What We Know From Early ChurchHistory?

The following statement accurately summarizes the evidence of the role of women within post-apostolic Christianity. "Except in some heretical and schismatic groups, the churches in the early patristic period evidence prohibitions on women speaking in the assembly and serving in leadership positions of bishop/presbyter or presiding at liturgical functions." Everett Ferguson, "Women in the Post-Apostolic Church" in Essays on Women in Earliest Christianity, (College Press, 1993), p. 513.

 

Conclusion

Now the rubber meets the road. Paul's words areclear. His reasoning does not suggest that he was merely giving acultural command. The early Christian practice does not give usreason to reassess our understanding of the text. Whatam I going to do if I find myself standing on the opposite side ofthe fence from Jesus? Will I apply myculturally based cookie cutter upon the text because I am going toinsist that "my way" represents a better way than the Lord's? Armedwith my definitions of love, will I seek to overturn God's will. Whois Lord of my life? Me or Jesus?

I am convinced that on this issue people mayraise a lot of smokewhich can cloud the eyes, but ultimately it comes down to a questionof the heart. "Will I try to find someway to justify what I think is best and right or am I going to submitto what the Lord actually commanded?" How will people follow God'sway if they accept the praise from one another but make no effort toobtain the praise that comes from God?

Barry Newton, Copyright © 2000

Other Articles Which Might Be ofInterest:

A Page From Korah's Playbook (Pursuing an "enlightened path" which led to rebellion)

An Initial Foray into Hermeneutics

A Short Handbook on Love

The Gravity of Grace

Going Beyond Simplistic Answers (On Legalism)

Reading Room

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