There have been many men throughout literature who have warned about the powers of a woman. The Apostle Paul has been one such man.
Paul has had much to say about Eve. He has had a lot to say about women in general. Mention the Apostle Paul in a room full of women and you will notice a couple of eyes rolling in exasperation at a man some label as a woman hater. It is interesting such a rule breaker and renegade as Paul would make a statement about women causing so much debate and angst such as: I Corinthians 14:33-35:
“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husband at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.”
Another statement of Paul’s causing contention is found in I Timothy 2:9-15;
“I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women, will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love, and holiness with propriety.”
Paul was not a man who mixed words. Paul was not a man afraid to be used by God. He received a revelation from God to preach to the Gentiles and he did not let anything or anyone stop him as evidenced by Galatians 2:6, “As for those who seemed to be important---whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance---those men added nothing to my massage.”
It would seem Paul should have understood about the necessity to break the established rules in favor of kingdom work. Did he undrstand that there would arise a time that would make it necessary for women to break the assumed rules of silence for kingdom work? Do you truly believe Paul wanted the role of women in Christianity limited?
What do you think about the statements made by Paul about women? Could an apostle of God really not value the role of women in Christianity?
2 comments:
Borg and Crossan in their recent work, The First Paul, suggest that he was quite radical within the context of his culture and that the onerous statements attributed to him were probably inserted by others to "correct" his radical views. Their arguments are persuasive.
Sorry for the blatant self promotion, but my own recent work of historical fiction entitled A Wretched Man, a novel of Paul the apostle, takes a similar view. The novel was recently released to critical acclaim for its historical accuracy and authenticity. For any who are interested, more information is available by clicking here.
Thank you for your comment and I do not mind you leaving your book as a resource for further study. I myself broke down Paul's statement in the context of what was occuring at that point and time in history and found his statements were not against women in general but to combat goddess worship in that area. Will try to get your book to add to my library.
Post a Comment