Topic 17Paul and Women

1
Topic 17 Paul and Women

• Bibliography
• Victor Paul Furnish, The Moral Teaching of Paul
• Craig Keener, Paul, Women, and Wives
• Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, In Memory of Her
• Evelyn and Frank Stagg, Women in the World of
  Jesus
• Was Paul a male chauvinist or a womens
  libber?
• Distinguish disputed and undisputed texts.
• Attend to Pauls principles and his practice.
• Distinguish universal Gospel principle from its
  cultural-specific or situation-specific
  application.

2

• A. Pauls principles (undisputed letters)
• All human distinctions become irrelevant in
  Christ (Gal. 327-28).
• No longer Jew or Greekslave or freemale and
  female for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
• Ethnic and sexual differences are not erased, but
  their significance is relativized.
• All members of the body of Christ are equally
  valued (1 Cor. 1212-31).
• Less honored members are indispensable (v.
  21-26).
• Arguing for equality of marginalized groups like
  poor, slaves, and women.
• Christian ministry is based on giftedness, not
  gender (Rom. 123-8).
• Possession of a gift carries obligation to
  exercise it.
• Nothing is said about gender.

3

• B. Pauls practice (undisputed letters)
• Women in Pauls ministry are numerous and
  prominent.
• Counts them as co-workers calls them by name
  takes them seriously as persons holds them in
  high regard.
• Examples
• Phoebe deacon commended on her mission
  benefactor of many (Rom. 161-2).
• Junia outstanding among the apostles (Rom.
  167).
• Prisca (Priscilla) co-worker risked her life
  instructed Apollos in theology usually mentioned
  before Aquila (Rom. 163-5 1 Cor. 1619 Acts
  1824-25).
• Euodia and Syntyche leaders in Philippian
  church co-workers beside me in the work of the
  gospel takes their dispute seriously (Phil.
  42-3).
• Mary has worked very hard (Rom. 166).
• Tryphaena and Tryphosa workers in the Lord
  (Rom. 1612).
• Persis has worked hard in the Lord (Rom.
  1612).
• Julia Paul greets her (Rom. 1615).
• Apphia our sister co-recipient of Philemons
  letter (Phlm. 2).

4

• B. Pauls practice cont.
• Men and women are equal partners in marriage (1
  Cor. 7).
• Remarkably mutual, evenhanded in dealing with
  husbands and wives.
• Each has rights and obligations toward the other.
• Is Pauls treatment of veiling/hairstyle issue
  consistent with his principles (1 Cor. 112-16)?
• Allows women to pray and prophesy in Christian
  worship.
• Derives from principle of equality in Christ.
• Moves in direction of greater freedom for women.
• Insists on proper veiling (or hairstyle) when
  doing so.
• Calls man the head of woman puts limits on
  women he does not put on men (does not make women
  inferior or subordinate).
• Makes concession to prevailing culture
  (culture-specific) when dealing with a specific
  problem in Corinth (situation-specific).
• Should we praise Paul for the freedom he allows
  or criticize him for the limits he invokes? (Is
  the glass half-full or half-empty?)
• How do we apply this text today?
• Take Pauls limits and apply them today?
  (cultural concession)
• Move in Pauls direction (freedom) and go
  farther? (Christian principle)

5

• C. Disputed texts
• Domestic Code (Col. 318-41 Eph. 521-69)
• More conservative on women than undisputed
  letters.
• Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to
  the Lord.
• Husband is head of the wife as Christ is head of
  the church.
• Could be viewed as a falling away from Pauls
  egalitarian principles by a later writer.
• Text does not establish patriarchal hierarchy
  (husband as head) as the Christian or
  biblical pattern of family.
• Patriarchal hierarchy was typical Roman
  pattern.
• Author presupposes and modifies it how to live
  Christianly within prevailing pattern .
• Roman pattern is Christianized towards greater
  equality (Gospel principle modifies
  culture-specific pattern)
• Whole code is under rubric of mutual submission
  spirit of humility and concern for others
  interests (Eph. 521).
• Submission is voluntary subject yourself, not
  somebody else!
• Husbands are to love wives as Christ loves
  church.
• Principle of self-sacrifice goes both ways.
• Treats all family members as persons in Christ.
• Each has mutual responsibility to the others.
• Why insist on male domination as biblical mandate
  if not also on slavery, which is part of the same
  code?

6

• C. Disputed texts cont.
• Pastorals on women (1 Tim. 28-15 cf. 1 Cor.
  1434-35)
• Even greater retreat from Pauls principle of
  equality.
• Women to remain silent, submissive not to teach
  or have authority over men.
• Very different from Pauls attitude in undisputed
  letters.
• Closer to ancient Hellenistic and Jewish writers
  than to undisputed Paul.
• Conventional ethics silenced and marginalized
  women (see Topic 14 for examples).
• Pastorals seem more concerned to fit in than to
  challenge the culture (delay of Parousia
  settling down in world).
• Still not as harsh as many ancient writers.
• How do we apply such texts today?
• Consider them in light of the culture in which
  they were written (culture-specific).
• Consider possibility that they are aimed at
  specific, local problems (situation-specific).

7

• Summary and conclusions
• Pauline teaching on women is mixture of
  egalitarianism and restriction.
• Undisputed letters are quite egalitarian.
• Women are equal participate in ministry in
  unprecedented ways.
• Paul does make concessions to prevailing culture
  (veils).
• Disputed letters mark retreat from Pauls
  principle.
• Significant borrowing of patriarchal patterns
  from Roman culture (submission, silence, etc.).
• Still more egalitarian than typical Roman
  attitude (mutual submission, love, etc.).
• Reflects overlapping of the ages (alreadynot
  yet).
• Principle of new age is equality of women a
  new age is dawning in which women participate in
  unprecedented ways.
• Still live in this age hence, he makes
  concessions to cultural norms.
• Applies principle in culture-specific setting.
• This is what we mean by cultural conditioning.

8

• Summary and conclusions cont.
• Hermeneutical task today
• Distinguish between Christian principle and
  cultural concession (or culture-specific
  application).
• Apply principle of equality in Christ to our
  culture as Paul did to his.
• Follow Pauls lead in moving toward greater
  freedom for women, (without necessarily stopping
  where Paul stopped).
• Avoid taking cultural concessions as Christian
  principles. (Cf. issue of slavery.)
• Avoid taking treatment of a specific, local
  problem as a permanent rule.
• Consider difficult texts in light of Scriptures
  total witness.
• Consider all texts in light of Gods revelation
  in Jesus, the criterion by which all Scripture
  must be evaluated.