by Joel V Webb | Mar 20, 2024 | Uncategorized
Has it ever happened to you, in the middle of a conversation
someone jumps in at exactly the wrong moment, and without the context of the
last few minutes, hears a line that on its own sounds really bad? I could be
talking with someone about their computer not working and say “did you try
unplugging it and giving it a kick?”, but at that moment a person joins the
conversation, and not knowing things I’m talking about a person and is horrified. This example
is a bit silly, and probably unrealistic, but it illustrates the point. Context
is key in understanding not just what someone is saying, but why as well.
Often times when we read 1 Timothy 2:11-15, we walk away
with the conclusion that Paul is saying women can’t preach in church, and then
infer from that women can’t be pastors. Seems like a simple reading of the
text, right? But what about why Paul is writing these specific words to
Timothy?
I will be summarizing several thoughts from Marg Mowczko,
who wrote a fascinating post about the connection to Gnostic literature and
this passage. (I will also link the full post at the bottom of this one).
We know that Gnosticism was one of the primary heresies that
was plaguing the early church. Gnosticism comes from the Greek work gnosis
meaning knowledge. Within this heresy it was believed that a person could received
secret knowledge from God that superseded the teachings of Jesus. This was
often used to promote either strict asceticism, or be the foundation for living
immorally. What is fascinating is that some of the gnostic literature has been
recovered, and reveals that one of the key components was perverted teachings
when it comes to the story of Adam & Eve. Often in these gnostic
narratives, Eve was elevated as the first, and often as the teacher, and
superior to Adam (specific quotations from these writings are found in the
linked blog post from Marg).
So what is the connection?
Textual evidence (1 Tim. 1:3–7; 2:5, 15; 4:1–4, 7; 6:20) and
writings from Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Eusebius suggest that one of the primary
issues faced by Timothy in the city of Ephesus was dealing with Gnosticism. As
we know Paul’s letters were usually written in response to problems facing
these churches of the recipients, it is very likely that Paul is addressing elements
of gnostic teachings in this letter. This would address why Paul writes specifically
about women teaching, and why he lays out the Biblical account of Adam & Eve
as a means of correcting the error being taught by the Gnostic.
What do we do with this?
We know that Paul was writing in context, addressing
specific issues in the church. The problem was not that women as a whole were
teaching. It seems that because of wrong gnostic teaching, women felt superior and
justified in supplanting men in ministry on the whole. Because of other
evidence in Paul’s writings, and the affirmation of women in position of
teaching in home churches, the writings specifically in 2 Timorthy, and in
other areas like 1 Corinthians are addressing issues of order and false
teaching, rather than a general ban on women in ministry.
Again, I hope you will check out Marg’s post specifically on
this topic as she covers it much more in depth.
https://margmowczko.com/adam-and-eve-in-gnostic-literature/
by Joel V Webb | Dec 22, 2023 | Uncategorized
Women in Ministry Part 3
Many have guarded the front doors of the Church from feminism, while at the same time keep the back door open to misogyny.
– Sandra Glahn
In our day and age, it is very difficult to walk in tension because of the mass polarization we see in the culture. Some may see it as impossible, or even compromise. Despite what many naysayers would state, two things can be true at once.
We can empower and open ministry roles to women, as the gospel allows and mandates, without giving into radical liberal theology and compromise. These two are not tied together, nor deterministic. In the same breath, many arguing against women in ministry, whether intending to or not (and I will always argue they do so with the best intentions for both men and women), continue to perpetuate actual misogyny and in some cases abuse in Church culture.
There is no ontological difference between man and women. Both are equally made in the image of God.
The gospel is the enabling of humanity through the power of the Holy Spirit because of Christ’s redemption on the cross to return to the Edenic ideal of both men and women being the stewards of creation, and priests to God.
Be it in the Gospels, letters of Paul, patristic fathers, even early church councils, and the wives of many of the reformers we see women who participate and are voices in public ministry as a benefit to the body of Christ.
You can read PART 1 and PART 2 of this series
by Joel V Webb | Dec 20, 2023 | Uncategorized
1 Timothy 2:11-15, 11 Women should learn quietly and submissively. 12 I do not let women teach men or have authority over them.* Let them listen quietly. 13 For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing,* assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.
* 2:12 Or teach men or usurp their authority.
* 2:15 Or will be saved by accepting their role as mothers, or will be saved by the birth of the Child.
1 Timothy 2:11-15 stirs up a lot of emotions on whichever side of the discussion you are on. To some it seems like a clear and direct command, HOW COULD YOU DISAGREE WITH GODS WORD!?!? I don’t. And that is why I know it does not give a general ban of women in ministry.
Anyone who has done any amount of serious Biblical interpretation knows before you can understand what a passage is saying you have to go below what the English rendering is and understand what and why it is being said (the textual and historical context). Unlike other books written by Paul, the book of 1 Timothy is a specific letter written to a specific person (Timothy). Unlike books like Romans, Galatians or Corinthians which are written to the general audiences of the churches in those cities.
The most likely exegesis done on this text demonstrates that what Paul is talking about in this passage is specific instruction for a specific issue that Timothy is dealing with at the time of writing with the church in Ephesus.
The word that Paul uses for ‘permit’, in every other passage it is used in does not give us an understanding of a permeant ban of something. So why would that change here? Not to mention that we know from the rest of the New Testament that Priscilla instructed Apollos, Phoebe was a deacon and Paul’s emissary to Rome, and Lydia oversaw the church at Philippi. Junia is called an apostle and was imprisoned for her witness. It seems unlikely that these things could have been accomplished while being quiet in church or without any church authority.
Another interesting thing of note is that the Greek word Paul uses for authority (authentein) is not found ANYWHERE ELSE in the NT Canon. So there is not a clarity provided elsewhere in Scripture as to the use of this word. The best meaning that has been found for this word is the thought as said above is in usurping authority wrongly. So what is being said is not that women cannot have authority, but that they cannot wrongly usurp it, which really would apply to anyone. But it must be assumed that Timothy was dealing with a specific issue at the time of writing that Paul is addressing.
As well, many on the complementarian side argue about the argument from creation when Paul goes back to the beginning. The interesting thing with this argument is the immediate forgetting of 2 things. Firstly, while yes Eve was deceived, it was Adam who WILLINGLY sinned against God, then tried to blame it on Eve right after. Secondly, the command concerning the fruit of the tree was only given from God to Adam directly. So it would have been Adam who transmitted the command to Eve. When the serpent is conversing with Eve and he asks her what God commanded; Eve adds the statement about not just eating the fruit but also not to touch the fruit. That was not in the command that God gave to Adam. He only told him not to each the fruit but had nothing to say about touching it. So, the onus if we track from there is on Adam for incorrectly transmitting God’s command to Eve by adding to what God commanded, adding to the likelihood of her being deceived. Interesting, right? So ultimately this argument doesn’t track.
Finally, what about salvation through childbirth? From 1 Timothy 4:3, we know that some people in the Ephesian church were forbidding marriage and were probably teaching that celibacy was a moral, and even a necessary, virtue. In more than a few early Christian texts, virginity and celibacy were associated with salvation and the resurrection in some way. 1 Timothy was written because of false teachings. 1 Timothy 2:15 addresses one of these false teachings. This verse does not represent Paul’s or Jesus’s general views on salvation or on having children. Jesus didn’t have children, and it’s possible that neither did Paul. If having children was actually necessary for women to be saved, wouldn’t they have helped a woman this way?
With all that said and done where are we? Scripture does not prescribe a general ban on women in ministry. Paul was addressing specific issues, that yes could have application and be of help in our day, but they in no way say that women cannot minister in the Church. Everything else the New Testament has to say provides an allowance and basis that women too can be minster of the gospel. We are all a part of the priesthood of all believers; and there is neither Jew, nor Greek, free nor slave, man nor women in Christ Jesus.
You can read PART 1 and PART 3 of this series
by Joel V Webb | Dec 18, 2023 | Uncategorized
Women in Ministry
In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul is specifically addressing issues of orderly worship, not establishing who can and cannot be elders in the Church.
1 Cor 14:34–35 – Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says. 35 If they have any questions, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings.
Some would argue this is Paul making a blanket command for all time. But when you look at the context of the day (because Scripture was not written in a vacuum) we know that in that day women were most likely not educated, and likely would have had many questions about what they were hearing in church services.
So, in order to ensure church continued orderly, Paul is specifically addressing the issue of a bunch of side conversations that would have been very distracting. In other parts of this very letter, Paul lays out orderly worship that does not specify men and women prophesying, speaking in tongues or speaking in other contexts.
How we exegete Scripture is important. And part of that process is understanding the cultural context in which it was written. Even outside of that, within context of the surrounding verses there is no argument here not allowing women to participate in church services.
You can read PART 2 and PART 3 of this article series
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