Are Women In Ministry In The Bible?
As you know, the Greek word APOSTOLOS translated apostle means "one sent forth," a sent one.
A true apostle is always "one with a commission" - not one who merely goes, but one who is sent.
A missionary who is really called of God and sent by the Holy Ghost is an apostle.
What marks do we look for in an apostle today?
1. Outstanding spiritual gifts.
2. Deep personal experience.
3. Power and ability to establish churches.
4. Able to provide adequate spiritual leadership.
If a woman meets this list then what are we to think of her.
Exodus
15:24: Miriam, the daughter of Aaron was a prophet and one of the triad
of leaders of Israel during the Exodus from Egypt.
Judges 4 & 5: Deborah, a prophet-judge, headed the army of ancient Israel.
2
Kings 22:14; 2 Chronicles 34:22 Huldah, a prophet, verified the
authenticity of the "Book of the Law of the Lord given through Moses" -
the Book of Deuteronomy. She triggered a religious renewal.
Acts
9:36 The author of Luke referred to a female disciple of Jesus by her
Aramaic name Tabitha, who was also known by her Greek name Dorcas. She
became sick, had died; St. Peter brought her back to life.
Acts
21:8: Philip the evangelist had four unmarried daughters who were
prophets. Philippians 4:2: Paul refers to two women, Euodia and
Syntyche, as his co-workers who were active evangelicals, spreading the
gospel.
Romans 16:1: Paul refers to Phoebe as a minister or
deacon of the church at Cenchrea. The Greek word which describes her
function is "diakonos" which means literally "official servant."
She
is the only deacon in the Bible to be identified by name. Some
translations say deaconess; others try to obscure her position by
mistranslating the Greek as a simple "servant" or "helper". Paul later
refers to Phoebe as a woman, calling her "our sister." This prevented
later church leaders from hiding her gender as they did with Junia in
Romans 16:7 below - by changing her name and implying that she was a
man.
Romans 16:3: Paul refers to Priscilla as another of his
"fellow workers in Christ Jesus" (NIV) Other translations refer to her
as a "co-worker". But other translations attempt to downgrade her status
by calling her a "helper". The original Greek word is "synergoi", which
literally means "fellow worker" or "colleague."
It is
worth noting that Paul refers to Priscilla and her husband as "Priscilla
and Aquila" in this passage and as "Aquila and Priscilla" in 1
Corinthians 16:19. It would appear that the order is not important to
Paul. As in Galatians 3:28, he apparently believed that there is no
distinction among those who have been baptized into Christ between male
and female.
Romans 16:7: Paul refers to a male apostle,
Andronicus, and a female apostle, Junia, as "outstanding among the
apostles" (NIV) Every Greek and Latin church Father until Giles of Rome
(circa 1000 CE) acknowledged that Junia was a woman. 2,3 After that
time, various writers and translators of the Bible resorted to
deceptions in order to suppress her gender. For example:
The
Amplified Bible translates this passage as "They are men held in high
esteem among the apostles" The Revised Standard Version shows it as
"they are men of note among the apostles". The reference to them both
being men does not appear in the original Greek text. The word "men" was
simply inserted by the translators, apparently because the translators'
minds recoiled from the concept of a female apostle.
Many
translations, including the Amplified Bible, Rheims New Testament, New
American Standard Bible, and the New International Version simply picked
the letter "s" out of thin air, and converted the original "Junia" (a
woman's name) into "Junias" (a man's). Again, it was probably
inconceivable to the translators that Paul would recognize a woman as an
apostle.
There are many Gospels and other early Christian
writings that never made it into the official canon. Some shed light of
the role of women in various early Christian groups:
The
Christian Gnostic tradition represented one of the three main forms of
early Christianity - the others being Jewish Christianity and Pauline
Christianity. Gnostic texts show that women held senior roles as
teachers, prophets and missionaries. They conducted rituals such as
baptism and the Eucharist. They performed exorcisms.
The Gospel
of Philip, was widely used among early Christian congregations. It
portrayed Mary Magdalene as the companion of Jesus, in a position of
very high authority within the early Christian movement.
The
Gospel of Mary described Mary Magdalene as a leader of Jesus' disciples.
She delivering a passionate sermon to the disciples after his
resurrection. This raised their spirits and inspired them to evangelize
the known world.
Philoumene, a woman, headed a Christian theological school in Rome during the second century CE.
...Paul
mentioned 40 names in his letters...and talked about the big missionary
enterprise of which there are dozens of people or participants... Of
those 40 people, 16 are women. That's a considerable proportion of women
involved in the Pauline missionary effort." Helmut Koestler 4
...it
is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood, for very
fundamental reasons. These reasons include: the example recorded in the
Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men;
the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in
choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has
consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in
accordance with God's plan for his Church." Pope Paul VI 8
Fact be told...women are living souls just the same as men...and God looks at the heart, not the sex genes.
As in so many religious beliefs, we see a major split between conservative and liberal Christians concerning female ordination:
Many
conservative Christian denominations allow only men to be ordained. A
major support for this decision is Paul's statement in 1 Timothy 2:11-15
in which the author did "not permit a woman to teach or to have
authority over a man; she must be silent." Further, 1 Timothy 3:2
specifies that overseers and deacons must be men. Finally, 1 Corinthians
14:34b-35 states that women must be silent and in submission when in
church. If they want to clarify some theological point, they should wait
and approach their husband at home.
Any
of these statements would totally preclude women becoming ministers or
pastors. Much of their opposition to equal treatment of women is derived
from their concept of the inerrancy of the official canon of the Bible.
Most believe that such books as Timothy and Titus were written by Paul
prior to his death circa 65 CE.
Many liberal theologians note that:
In
the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), women's roles were highly
restricted; they rarely held positions of power; they were often
considered as property by their "owners" -- their fathers and husbands.
Jesus
violated 1st century customs in Palestine by generally treating men and
women as equals. Of the dozen or so individuals who made up Jesus'
inner circle, about half were women.
Paul appears to have also
treated women in the early Christian movement as equals, as co-workers,
and as deserving of positions of authority, including the ministry.
An equally valid translation of 1 Timothy 2:11-15 is "I do not permit a wife to teach or to have authority over her husband..."
Through
the use of Biblical criticism, liberal theologians have dated the books
1 Timothy and Titus to 100 to 150 CE. That is perhaps a half century
after Paul's death. 1 Timothy 1:1, and Titus 1:1 declare that Paul was
their author. Religious liberals consider the books to be clearly
pseudonymous (written under an assumed name). The true author is
unknown. Some theologians theorize that the books might have been
written partly to counteract Paul's acceptance of women as equals, and
to justify the church's gradual slide into a male-dominated institution.
Liberals
would argue that the policies of Jesus and Paul in the area of gender
equality are a higher standard than the oppression of women which is
expressed in the Hebrew Scriptures and in some of the pseudonymous
epistles. They believe that the present North American secular standard
should be followed with respect to female ordination. They would prefer
to abandon the restrictions on women that were implemented within
Christendom, starting in the late 1st century CE.
Until the early
years of the 20th century, very few Christian faith groups allowed
women to be ordained. Since then, most of the liberal denominations have
accepted female ministers and pastors. Mainline denominations followed.
Very conservative denominations generally do not. The historical trend
appears obvious - it may be just a matter of time before almost all
denominations will remove their gender barrier, and finally match the
rest of society.
Acts 9:36: Paul refers to a woman (Tabitha in Aramaic, Dorcas in Greek, Gazelle in English) as a disciple.
Acts
18:24-26 describes how Priscilla, a woman, and Aquila, her husband,
both acted in the role of an official pastor to a man from Alexandria,
called Apollos. Various translations of the Bible imply that they taught
him in the synagogue (Amplified Bible, King James Version, Rheims, New
American Standard, New American, New Revised Standard). However, the New
International Version has an unusual translation of this passage. The
NIV states that the teaching occurred in Priscilla's and Aquila's home.
Romans
16:1: This chapter is apparently unrelated to chapter 15 and to the
rest of the book. It appears to be an independent note that has been
attached to the epistle to the Romans. It starts with a letter of
recommendation which introduces Phoebe to a group of people associated
with the church at Corinth. Paul refers to her as a "deacon in the sense
of a preacher, a minister, because Paul uses the same word for himself.
He calls himself, in a number of instances, a deacon of the new
covenant in 2 Corinthians." 4 It is often translated "deaconess" or
"servant" or "helper" in English translations - perhaps in order to
disguise her true status. The same Greek word appears in Ephesians 6:21
where it refers to a male and is normally translated "minister." It also
appears in 2 Corinthians where Paul used the word to refer to himself.
Dr.
Helmut Koester comments: "Most of the persons named in this list are
not simply personal friends of Paul in the church of Ephesus, but
associates and co-workers. This is shown by the repeated references to
their functions. The fact that such a large number of women appears in
this list is clear and undeniable evidence for the unrestricted
participation of women in the offices of the church in the Pauline
congregations."
Romans 16:3: Paul refers to Priscilla, a woman,
as another of his "fellow workers in Christ Jesus" (NIV) Other
translations refer to her as a "co-worker". But still other translations
attempt to downgrade her status by calling her a simple "helper". The
original Greek word is "synergoi", which literally means "fellow worker"
or "colleague."
Romans 16:7: Paul refers to a male apostle,
Andronicus and a female apostle, Junia, as "outstanding among the
apostles" (NIV) The Amplified Bible translates this passage as "They are
men held in high esteem among the apostles."
The Revised
Standard Version shows it as "they are men of note among the apostles."
The reference to them both being men does not appear in the original
Greek text. "Men" was simply inserted by the translators - we suspect
because the their minds recoiled from the concept of a female apostle.
Many
translations, including the Amplified Bible, Rheims New Testament, New
American Standard Bible, and the New International Version simply picked
the letter "s" out of thin air. They converted the original "Junia" (a
woman's name) into "Junias" (which they considered a man's name) in
order to erase all reference to a female apostle.
Junia
was first converted into a man only in the "13th century, when Aegidius
of Rome (1245-1316) referred to both Andronicus and Junia as "honorable
men."5 One source 4 refers to Hans Lietzmann who studied names used in
ancient times. He found no evidence that "Junias" was ever used as a
man's name. "Junias" might possibly have been used as a short form for
"Junianus," which did exist. But there are no references to it in
antiquity. It appears obvious that Junia was definitely an outstanding
female apostle, and that many Bible translators have been trying to
suppress this information.
1 Corinthians 1:11: Chloe is mentioned
as the owner of a house where Christian meetings were held. There is
some ambiguity as to whether the women actually led the house church or
merely owned the building. Similar passages mention, with the same
ambiguity:
The mother of Mark in Acts 12:12, and
Lydia in Acts 16:14-5, and 40, and
Nympha in Colossians 4:15.
1
Corinthians 11:3: "...Christ is the head of every man, and a husband
the head of his wife, and the head of Christ is God. (NIV)" Conservative
Christians often quote this passage as proof that a husband should
retain full authority over his wife in family matters. This concept of
women being in an inferior power position might logically be extended to
the church organization as well. Some liberal Christians note that the
Greek word translated "head" is "kephale", which can be interpreted in
two ways: "having authority over," or alternately "source" or "origin."
Looking at verses 3 to 12, each interpretation looks equally valid. The
former would support rejection of women in positions of authority; the
latter would not.
1 Corinthians 11:7-9: "For a man...is the image
and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man did not come
from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman but
woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman
ought to have a sign of authority on her head." (NIV)
Paul
is attempting to give an explanation why women should cover their hair
while in church. This passage is often quoted by conservative
theologians to justify the inferior position assigned to women and thus
deny them access to positions of power in churches. Liberals might point
out that this passage is largely ignored in practice; most women today
do not cover their hair during church services. Also, it does not appear
to say anything about female ordination.
1 Corinthians
14:34b-35: "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 husbands at home; for it is
disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church." (NIV) There are many
interpretations of this short passage:
Many conservative
theologians accept this passage in its plain and literal meaning and
interpret it as prohibiting all talking by women during services in
every society, forever. This would of course prohibit a woman from
accepting a position of pastor, minister or priest.
Bible scholar
Hans Conzelmann concluded that this passage is a forgery*, inserted
into St. Paul's original text by an unknown writer. (1) Thus, it cannot
be regarded as the writing of Paul. The verses were not in the original
version, and thus cannot be considered inerrant. He cites a number of
reasons for this conclusion:
this passage contradicts Chapter
11:5 where women are described as taking an active role in church
assemblies by praying and prophesying during services. Either the above
passage or 11:5 must be invalid.
there are "peculiarities of linguistic usage, and of thought" in this passage which are not found in the rest of the Epistle
bullet
the passage "spoils the flow of thought" and "interrupts the theme of
prophesy." There is a discontinuity between verse 36 and 37. Verse 37
links up neatly with verse 33a.
If verses 34b to 36 are simply
removed, then the chapter flows smoothly, as it was probably originally
intended to do. The forgery* was rather crudely done.
Others
point out that Paul would hardly cite the Torah (the Law) as
justification for restricting roles of women; his entire ministry
involved the exact opposite: he preached liberation from the Law.
Some
Biblical scholars say that Paul is here describing divisive practices
being promoted by the Jewish Christians in Corinth - those who believed
in Jesus as Lord while still following the Torah. They were generating
discord by teaching that "As in the synagogues, women should remain
silent.....as the Torah says."
That is, they wanted to
translate synagogue practice, as defined by the Torah, into the
Christian assemblies. Women were not allowed to speak in synagogues, so
they should not be allowed to speak in Christian assemblies. Paul
follows up this passage with verse 15 which severely criticizes the
Jewish Christians for this position by asking "Did the word of God
originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached?" From
this interpretation, restriction on women, as taught by the Torah,
should be rejected; men and women should be treated equally with respect
to their behavior and roles in church.
Still others point out
that the purpose of 1 Corinthians was to answer a number of questions
raised by the Church at Corinth. Paul's style was to write a brief
quotation supplied by a Corinthian Christian, and then respond to it.
Verses 3:1, 5:1, 6:1, 7:1, 8:1 are some examples.
Following this same
pattern, Verse 14:33b to 14:35 is not a comment by Paul. Rather it may
be a question raised by a Corinthian who objected to women speaking in
church.
The church member may have asked: "As in all of the
synagogues of the holy ones, women should remain silent in the
synagogues. They are not allowed to speak but must be in submission, as
the Torah says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask
their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak
in the synagogue."
Paul would then have responded with an attack
in Verses 36 - 38, and concludes the chapter with Verse 39, an
instruction from the Lord to his "brothers and sisters" to be eager to
prophesy, but in a fitting and orderly way. All that is required to come
up with this translation is to rearrange the original Greek slightly.
Ancient Greek was written without punctuation marks, divisions into
sentences or spaces between words. This leads to a single passage having
many different interpretations.
Others speculate that St. Paul is restricting the roles of women, but referring to:
a temporary problem of a local nature at the church at Corinth
women chattering during services
women interrupting services with emotional outbursts
women speaking about certain specific items in church
Still
others regard the passage as an indicator of St. Paul's poor regard for
women, which originated in his Greek and Jewish background and was not
overcome by his religious conversion to Christianity.
That
is, it was an expression of his personal beliefs and can be safely
overlooked in the present day. Just as we have learned to ignore
Biblical passages regarding slavery, passages concerning women covering
their hair in church, passages prohibiting certain types of jewelry, we
should learn to recognize the evil of Paul's sexism and recognize that
this passage should be disregarded.
1 Corinthians 16:3:
Paul refers to two, a married couple: Priscilla and her husband Aquila
as his fellow workers in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28: "There is
neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all
one in Christ Jesus." (NIV) This is perhaps the most famous passage in
the New Testament that assigns equal status to individuals of both
genders (and all races, nationalities and slave status). Some religious
conservatives believe that this equality refers only to salvation and
not to status.
Philippians 4:2: Paul refers to two women, Euodia
and Syntyche, as his co-workers who were active evangelists, spreading
the gospel.
This study could go on, but you get the point.
Women
are living souls with minds and hearts and spirits just the same as
men. No one is self generated. No one can minister outside of God's
anointing upon their life. A male apostle relys upon God for his
anointing. A woman can and does rely upon God for her anointing!
The
idea that women are less then men is ridiculous! It is only the
container that we are in that determines our sex. Paul refers to this
container as a "tent." Our human body is only a "space~suit" that allows
us to function on this earthly plane. Its sexual orientation has
nothing to do what~so~ever with our living soul that Christ died for.
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