WOMEN in CHURCH LEADERSHIP? (Part 2 of 3)
Last time we finished looking at the treatment of women in the New Testament. Now we look to the Old Testament …
Old Testament.
From Moses until the end of the Old Testament, only a limited number of Israelites were permitted inside the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies in the temple or tabernacle. Those allowed included males of a certain age of the lineage of Aaron, actually only Levites, and only if they were physically whole and ceremonially clean. The only permitted exception was the prophet of God. All other Hebrew peoples were restricted to the temple courts. Women were not excluded from worshiping and bringing offerings, even taking vows before God (example: I Samuel 1:10–13). The temple had several courts. One of the first was the nearest Gentiles could come to the sacred presence of God. It was probably in this court where Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers. Further on was a court where women and children could go to worship. Nearest, Israelite men who were not lame or blind were allowed. Worship was segregated by race, gender, lineage, and physical wholeness.
Further, there are stories of important women, such as Esther, the queen; Deborah, the Judge; prophetesses; even the prostitute Rahab is held in high regard because she hid the Israelite spies and helped them escape; which is particularly unsettling due to 2 facts. First, most turncoats are treated badly by both sides, but she was revered by the Israelites. Second, she was held in such high regard that she was honored in the Bible and included in the physical lineage of the Savior. That is a heady honor indeed.
In the prophetic writings, looking forward to the New Testament and beyond, Joel 2:28-29 speaks of God’s pronouncement that his Spirit would be upon both sons and daughters and both would prophesy.
Remember, this is the Old Testament which doesn’t hide the idiotic, selfish, or sinful behaviors of the judge Samson, King David, or the prophet Jonah. Neither does it hide the respect God has for women.
“AS the LAW SAYS…”
To what Law is Paul referring? There is no Israelite law that prohibited women from speaking. Its not in the 10 Commandments. It isn’t in anything in the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Bible). There are no known traditions that prevent a wife from asking her husband a question when not at home.
Paul was a Jew of Jews, he knew the Law. He was also a Pharisee. Pharisees were well versed in Jewish law and tradition. So, this could be a Jewish tradition, and we might take it as such if Paul hadn’t specifically mentioned the Law.
However, Paul also was very aware of how ordered the sacrifices were. Every movement was prescribed. Each priest had to prepare by bathing, avoiding certain activities (like touching a dead body), staying spiritually pure, and putting on a clean uniform in order to perform his duties. Priests were not running around performing tasks in a random order. God is not a God of disorder.
Even so, Paul wrote to the Romans that believers are not under the Law but under grace. So, why even mention the Law here?
He is not referring to a decision by the church fathers in Jerusalem. Other pronouncements coming from headquarters were written into the New Testament letters. For example, the rules Gentile believers should follow were recorded in Acts 15:20 (there were 4 rules…I wonder when these rules were cancelled, for we don’t hear about them anymore).
Ah! But Paul was also a Roman citizen!!! He referenced that fact several times. Roman law, unlike Jewish customs had some restrictions for women in public. Corinth was a Roman city. The laws and customs of Rome were followed there. Both Jews and Gentiles living there would know the way of Roman customs.
Corinth was the capital city of its Roman province. It was a generally accepted custom that males who were citizens had a right to speak up in a public assembly. Men were allowed to ask questions and seek clarification. However, non-citizens, women, and children were not permitted to speak.
Nevertheless, it is also clear from reading 1 and 2 Corinthians that the society in which that church existed was extremely “modern.” That is, almost anything was possible in that city. It was very sinful and secular.
OK! Well, I am not a Roman scholar. I can’t even name all the emperors. However, Paul’s reference in these verses to “as the Law says” is obviously puzzling. It is clearly meant to be understood by the recipients of his letter (the Corinthian church).
BUT SERIOUSLY
You may have noticed something about my study of “the Law.” I changed the question. It is a great political choice that when someone asks a question you answer it with something they did not ask about. Paul did not say there was anything in the Law about women speaking in public. That’s a false understanding of the 1 Corinthian 14 passage. He was connecting, instead, the idea of Law and women being under submission. The Law has nothing to do with women speaking or being in leadership roles or being ordained. Paul brings up the Law to refer back to the importance of women being submissive. If you remember, previously he spoke about their hair being covered as a sign of being submissive to the authority system God set up. There were, as we know, God-ordained women in the Old Testament. God’s Spirit was upon them. I bet they had their hair covered, and they were definitely submissive, but God made them leaders.
Clearly, since the letter was sent to a church which had both Jewish and Gentile believers, and neither was any longer held under the Old Testament Law of worship (the veil had been torn, and the Gospels make a big deal about it), it seems unlikely that Paul is insisting that Jews and Gentiles alike follow the Old Testament Law. Rather, I believe it is a reminder of the need for proper worship and proper authority. God must be worshiped properly, even though sacrifices no longer needed to be made. God is holy. He must be reverenced! The heart and the behaviors of his worshipers should reflect God’s holiness.
How does an early church leader teach these things to Gentiles who have never known God? How does an early church leader maintain that type of careful respect for God among Jews, who used to worship in gender-defined groups, but now worship together? Teaching proper worship behavior to people of differing backgrounds who are now all together must have been difficult.
[PLEASE NOTE that Don is always open to discussing the thoughts and opinions he shares here and welcomes comments as shared in the comment section. He doesn’t use other social media platforms and won’t see whatever you’d like to share with him if you post it elsewhere.
ALSO, Don is always open to offer his thoughts on various topics. If you have a specific request, you can let him know in a comment; he reads – and replies to – them all. ~ Sherry]
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