Why do Women and Gender Studies Matter at

Why do Women and Gender Studies Matter at a Christian University? Philip B. Payne, Ph. D. , University of Cambridge Author: Man and Woman, One in Christ $32. 99, here $19. 99 Teacher: Fuller, Gordon-Conwell, Bethel, Trinity, Cambridge President: Linguist’s Software, Inc. You may download this talk at: www. pbpayne. com

1. “Male headship” Liddell Scott Jones, Greek-English Lexicon, lists 48 translations of “head” (kephalē) as a metaphor. None means “leader” or “authority” In only 1 of 171 instances where “head” in Hebrew may convey “leader” did the in LXX (Greek OT) translate it “head” (kephalē) clearly as a metaphor meaning “leader”

“Male headship” Seven of the ten people Romans 16: 1– 16 names as Paul’s colleagues in ministry are women: 1 -2 “Phoebe, deacon of the church in Cenchrea” 3 “Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ” 7 “Andronicus and Junia … outstanding among the apostles” 6 “Mary, … 12 Tryphena and Tryphosa, … 12 Persis… women who work hard in the Lord”

2. “Wives, submit to your husbands” Ephesians 5: 21– 22 Context: mutual submission 23 “head” explained as “savior” by apposition 25 savior + husband “gives himself for” 29 “nourishes and cherishes” 1 Timothy 5: 14 Wives “be house despots” 1 Corinthians 7 Wives and husbands equal 12 x

Equality in Marriage: 1 Corinthians 7 Mutual: 2 possession, 3 conjugal rights 4 authority over the other’s body 5 sexual obligations 10– 13 prohibition of divorce 14 consecration and sanctification freedom to remarry if deserted 16 potentially saving influence 28 choice in marriage 33– 34 a, c focus on pleasing the other 32, 34 b focus on pleasing Christ 15

3. “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man” 1 Timothy 2: 12 • Authentein is best translated: “to assume authority not rightfully held” • Paul typically uses the conjunction (oude) to join two elements to convey a single idea • “I am not permitting” normally not universal • Paul permitted women to teach elsewhere

NT Affirmations of Women Teaching: Acts 18: 26 “Priscilla and Aquila … explained to [Apollos] the way of God more accurately” Acts 21: 8– 9 “Philip … had four daughters who prophesied” 1 Cor 11: 5 “But every woman who prays or prophesies…”

NT Affirmations of Women Teaching: 1 Cor 14: 5 “I would like every one of you to …prophesy” 1 Cor 14: 24 “while everyone is prophesying” 1 Cor 14: 26 “brothers and sisters … each of you has … a teaching, a revelation” 1 Cor 14: 31 “you can all prophesy … so that everyone may be instructed” 1 Cor 14: 39 “brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy”

NT Affirmations of Women Teaching: Colossians 3: 16 to the whole church: “teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” 1 Timothy 3: 1– 2 “Whoever aspires to be an overseer … is to be … able to teach” Titus 2: 3 “teach the older women … to teach what is good” 2 Timothy 2: 2 “entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others”

NT Affirmations of Women Teaching: 2 Tim 1: 5; 3: 14 -16 “your faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice … from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures” Hebrews 3: 1, 12; 5: 12 “brothers and sisters, … by this time you ought to be teachers”.

NT Affirmations of Women Teaching: God revealed inspired Scripture through women: • Luke 1: 46– 55 Mary’s Magnificat • Exodus 15: 21 the song of Miriam • Judges 5: 2– 31 the song of Deborah • 1 Samuel 2: 1– 10 Hannah’s prayer • 1 Samuel 25: 24– 31 Abigail’s prophecy and blessing of David’s enduring house • Luke 1: 25, 42– 45 Elizabeth’s blessing

4. “The Creation Order Establishes Man’s Priority” 1: 26– 27 and 5: 2 “God said, Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 1: 26, 28– 29, God gave both dominion over the earth.

5. Woman is Man’s “Helper” Genesis 2: 18 ʿēzer = “help, savior, rescuer, protector, strength, might” Elsewhere in OT 16 x “God is our help, ” 3 x of a military protector “as in front of him” kĕnegĕdô (kĕ = as) + (negĕd = in front of/ before) + (ô = him) HALOT: “like his opposite > proper for him. ”

5. Woman is Man’s “Helper” Together this expression conveys: “Strength as in front of him” (literal) “a strength corresponding to him” (flowing)

6. “He will rule over you” Gen 3: 16 • A statement of what will result from the fall, not God’s decree of what should be • Male rule, not just “bad rule, ” comes from the fall. Neither Hebrew Lexicon (HALOT 2: 647– 48 and BDB 605) lists any negative meaning for “rule”

6. “He will rule over you” Gen 3: 16 • We should not foster any result of the fall including man’s rule over woman

7. “Pattern of male leadership” in OT • God sent the prophetess Miriam “to lead” Israel Micah 6: 4 • Deborah prophetess, the highest leader in all Israel Judges 4: 4– 5 • Queen Esther, “Wrote with full authority. Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations” Esther 9: 29– 32

7. “Pattern of male leadership” in OT • The leaders and the people accepted the prophetess Huldah’s word as divinely revealed, sparking Israel’s greatest revival. 2 Kings 22: 14– 23: 25; 2 Chronicles 34: 22– 35: 19 • “would that all the Lord’s people were prophets!” Numbers 11: 29

8. “Only males were priests” • Deuteronomy 23: 17 prohibits temple prostitutes This explains why women were not priests • Exodus 19: 6 The OT ideal was for all of Israel to be “A kingdom of priests and a holy nation” • Isaiah 61: 6 predicted a future when all of God’s people “Will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God”

9. “Only males were apostles” • Jesus chose men for symbolic parallel, not to ban women leaders. • Luke 10: 38– 42 encouraged female disciples like Mary of Bethany • John 20: 14– 18 commissioned Mary Magdalene to announce his resurrection and ascension

10. “Only males were elders, overseers, or pastors” • The NT does not name anyone – man or woman – as overseer (episkopos) or pastor (poimēn) apart from Christ (Hebrews 13: 20; 1 Peter 2: 25; 5: 4)

10. “Only males were elders, overseers, or pastors” • John refers to himself twice as “The elder” (2 John 1; 3 John 1) • 1 Peter 5: 1 Peter “Fellow-elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings” (synpresbyteros) highlights his special status as eyewitness

10. “Only males were elders, overseers, or pastors” Clearest identification of an individual with a local church office: “Phoebe, deacon of the church in Cenchrea” Romans 16: 1

10. “Only males were elders, overseers, or pastors” • Paul encourages all believers to desire the office of overseer by stating, “Whoever desires the office of overseer desires a good work” 1 Timothy 3: 1

10. “Only males were elders, overseers, or pastors” • 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 have as their subject “anyone” There is not a single masculine pronoun or any other limitation to men in either list, contrary to most English translations

10. “Only males were elders, overseers, or pastors” Doug Moo and Thomas Schreiner acknowledge “man of one woman” does not exclude women • • Hugenberger: throughout the Bible prohibitions addressing men also to apply to women • = monogamous • qualifications for women are included under deacons (1 Tim 3: 11), so “man of one woman” in the very next verse of this section must not exclude women

11. “Let women be silent in the churches” 1 Corinthians 14: 34– 35 This is the only Bible passage that silences women Compelling evidence it was not in Paul’s original letter, but was added in the margin later

11. “Let women be silent in the churches” 1 Corinthians 14: 34– 35 Overwhelming evidence this Vaticanus distigme-obelos marks 1 Corinthians 14: 34– 35 as added text

Principle for determining the original text Bengel’s First Principle: “The text that best explains the emergence of all other texts is most likely original”

Where was 14: 34– 35 first written? 3 Possibilities: 1) After 1 Corinthians 14: 33 2) After 1 Corinthians 14: 40 3) In the Margin

1 Corinthians 14: 34– 35 is unique No other manuscript of Paul’s letters moves any passage this long this far without an obvious reason It was scribal custom, however, to write omitted text in the margin and for scribes to copy text from the margin into the body text

11. The Significance of 1 Corinthians 14: 34– 35 being Marginal Text Its meaning is not constrained by context Its purpose, authorship, and date is unclear It is unique. It does not undermine the reliability of any other passage

11. “Let women in the churches be silent” 1 Corinthians 14: 34– 35 contradicts 1 Corinthians 14: 31 “you can all prophesy … so that everyone may be instructed” 1 Corinthians 14: 39 “brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy” 1 Corinthians 11: 5 “But every woman who prays or prophesies…”

11. “Let women in the churches be silent” 1 Corinthians 14: 34– 35 contradicts • Psalm 68: 11 (12 Hebrew MT) “The Lord announced the word; the women (feminine plural) proclaiming it are a great company”

12. “Separate roles for women” • 1 Corinthians 11: 11 “The important point, however, is that neither is woman separate from man, nor is man separate from woman in the Lord” • About Prophecy. Therefore, there must be no gender-based separation in church leadership

12. “Separate roles for women” Galatians 2: 11 -14; 3: 28 Any exclusion of women as a class from participation in the church is contrary to the gospel • Galatians 3: 28 doesn’t merely state that all can be saved. It calls for radically new social interaction based on equality in church •

Objections to Equality Answered The Bible Teaches: 1. Shared leadership, NOT Male Headship 2. “Submit one to another, ” NOT just “Wives submit to your husbands” • Women may not teach

Objections to Equality Answered The Bible Teaches… 4. Shared dominion in Creation, NOT Man’s priority in the Creation Order 5. Woman is “strength corresponding to” man, NOT man’s subordinate “helper” 6. Male rule is part of the Fall. “He will rule over you” is NOT God’s ideal

Objections to Equality Answered The Bible Teaches… 7. There women leaders in the OT 8. All believers being priests is the ideal, even though only male priests in OT 9. Women leaders in the apostolic church, even though only males in the 12 Apostles

Objections to Equality Answered The Bible Teaches… 10. Phoebe was a deacon. NT gives no man by name a local church leadership title 11. Women should not speak in church 12. Exclusion of women from church leadership is contrary to the Gospel, NOT separate roles for men & women

Theological Axioms Entail Equality of Man and Woman Man and woman are equally: in God’s image given dominion over the earth given the creation blessing given the creation mandate and are equally in Christ

Theological Axioms Entail Equality of Man and Woman • Mutual submission in the church • Mutual submission in marriage • The oneness of Christ’s body • The priesthood of all believers • Liberty in Christ • The new creation • Inaugurated eschatology

Theological Axioms Entail Equality of Man and Woman • The Spirit gifts all for ministry • Servant leadership fits both • There is no male-female division in Christ • Male and female are not separate in the Lord • God shows no favoritism

Conclusion • The Bible affirms the equal standing of man and woman in church + marriage • The Bible provides a solid foundation for affirming women’s & gender studies • A Christian University is uniquely well qualified to foster women’s and gender studies