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About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman Was
Paul Anti Woman? Many people read Paul's
letters and conclude he was anti woman, as many men in the male-dominated
Greco-Roman world in his day were. There
was, however, a women's liberation movement that had been liberating women
in areas of education, commerce, and sexuality since the mid first-century
B.C.. This bit of history
helps us in our study of Paul's views about women.
The biggest influence in
Paul's adult life was the gospel of Jesus, and so he taught that there is
no distinction between a man and a woman in regard to salvation (Galatians
3:28). He believed that men
and women are inherently dependent upon each other (1 Corinthians 11:11 -
12) hinting at the metaphoric portrayal of woman being created from man's
side (Genesis 2:22). He taught
that all Christians, including men and women, are to live in mutual
submission (Ephesians 5:21 - 22). Paul had no problem
associating with women, as seen in his interaction with a number of them,
including In Romans 16 Paul acknowledged nine women co-workers in ministry, the first being Phoebe (verse 1) who appears to be a liberated woman. He chose her to deliver his letter to the Roman house churches. Many scholars suggest that she would have read this letter to its recipients, and thus, would have been qualified to address all questions or concerns relating to Paul's theology. Many Greek scholars also believe Phoebe was a church deaconess, as the Greek text might imply. Paul also shows respect for Priscilla (verses 3 - 4) a female teacher and Junias, a female apostle (verse 7).
I now turn to the
critical passage that for some proves Paul was anti woman.
1 Timothy 2:11 and 12 read: "A woman should
learn in quietness and full submission.
I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man;
she must be quiet." Some history will
explain why Paul told Timothy not to allow women to teach or to usurp
authority over men, when in fact he believed that women were permitted to teach.
In the first-century, Greco-Roman world the women's liberation
movement promoted the worship of goddesses like Cybele, a popular goddess
in Ephesus
where Timothy lived when he received Paul's letter.
Male worshippers of Cybele castrated themselves, lived like women
as they submitted to female domination in accordance to Cybele theology.
Some men actually committed suicide as an act of sacrificial obedient
worship to Cybele. Cybele theology was
influencing some women in the Ephesian church.
It was for this reason why Paul did not want women to teach or
usurp authority over men in the Ephesian church.
This instruction, then, was specific to the Ephesian church, not to
all churches. 1 Timothy 2:11
and 12 does not show Paul to be anti woman.
In fact further study shows he was more pro woman than many think,
and was ahead of his day when it came to women's issues.
This has been an
extremely brief introduction to the issue of Paul and women.
I comment more on this issue in my book
"Confirm Your Call To Lead," chapter 12. For a detailed study of this issue I recommend "I Suffer Not a
Woman" by Richard and Catherine Kroeger, published by Baker
Publishing Group, 1998. For an
exhaustive study on the liberation of women I mentioned, I suggest reading
"Roman Wives and Roman Widows" by Bruce Winter, published by Wm.
B. Eardmans Publishing Company, 2003. You
can also read "Paul, Women and Wives," by Craig S. Keenrer,
published by Baker Academic in 1992.
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