There has long been a debate in many different Christian denominations about the role of women in ministry. Some say women can have the same roles as men to pastor, teach, oversee churches, and carry out all the other common functions within church ministry. Others take the opposite stance and say that women are not allowed to hold positions of authority, especially over men, and they are limited to duties and responsibilities apart from leadership. The debate is understandable because some verses can be interpreted to disallow women from all forms of ministry within the church while others clearly show women holding leadership positions. Proper exegesis of these verses can help clear this matter up, but those who have staunchly held to a viewpoint for a long time are unlikely to change their mind. So, what does the Bible contain on this topic?
1 Corinthians 14:34, Paul provides this piece of instruction: “women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as the law also says.” If we go no further, we could conclude that women should not hold ministerial positions. But there is more to read. We need to think about the context of this verse. First, we need to consider if any cultural context would prohibit women from speaking in a church setting during the first century. The culture of the day encouraged women to avoid publicly speaking in mixed-gender environments. This was a cultural norm, not a legal one, but women would look out of place if they spoke in these environments. We see this cultural context in the writings of Plutarch[1] and Valerius Maximus[2] whose views and writings were popular in the first and second centuries. One should also consider other cultural norms of that day and how Paul’s statements on those topics weigh on the church today.
Paul discusses head coverings for women in 1 Corinthians 11, but very few churches continue that practice today because it is accepted as a first-century cultural norm. This would have especially been important in Corinth where Strabo informs that more than 1,000 prostitutes worked in a city temple.[3] Those prostitutes likely had their heads shaved and dressed immodestly, so it would be good for a Christian woman to do the opposite. Paul also encourages greeting each other with a kiss in 2 Corinthians 13:12. I am not aware of any church that practices that custom. And that particular cultural element was not a kiss on the cheek. They were light kisses on the lips![4] So, again, we recognize today there were different cultural norms during the time Paul was writing these letters. We cannot dismiss some of Paul’s culturally focused instructions to the Corinthian church as traditions that do not continue in the church today and other culturally focused instructions as traditions that need to continue into modern times. This would allow one to pick and choose what they want to follow, or in this case, to enforce. Another thing to consider in 1 Corinthians 14:34 is Paul’s citing of the law.
Paul mentions the law, but there is no law in the Old Testament that stipulated women could not speak in public nor was there one that put women in subjection to all men. Paul was likely referencing Genesis 3:16, where part of the judgment against Eve was that wives would be subject to their husbands. Continuing to 1 Corinthians 14:35, Paul tells wives to ask their questions of their husbands at home. As this context develops, we see that Paul was likely addressing wives and not all women, and he was addressing the issue of interrupting the service to ask questions.
Most women living during the first century in the Middle East were not well educated. This was especially true with Israelite women when it came to biblically related topics. Boys began their education of the Torah around age five while women and girls were not afforded the same opportunity.[5] So, naturally, the men would have an advantage in a synagogue setting and have a better understanding of foundational topics. If a man interrupted to ask a question, it would have likely been appropriate as it was culturally acceptable for an educated person to ask questions during a public speech, but unacceptable for one who was uneducated.[6]
Someone once used a modern analogy to explain this problem. If a 4th-grade student was admitted to a 7th-grade math class, she would not understand all the terms in use or some of the calculations, causing her to ask a lot of questions about things the rest of the class already understands. This would require the teacher to spend more time with this one student instead of teaching the rest of the class. A wise teacher in this situation could instruct one of the 7th graders to answer the younger student’s questions after class to get her caught up. Understanding the culture of that day, the lower education afforded to women, and Paul’s reference to women in ministry in other letters should all be considered when interpreting this passage.
Paul does not restrict women from prophesying in 1 Corinthians 11:5, specifically mentions Phoebe as a deacon in the church in Cenchrea (Rom. 16:1), lists Junia as an apostle a few paragraphs later (Rom. 16:7), and reveals Euodia and Syntyche evangelized alongside him (Phil. 4:2-3). Paul also outlines additional requirements for a deaconess in 1 Timothy 3:11. Some have argued that Paul, in this passage, was prescribing requirements for the wives of deacons, but in context, this makes little sense because Paul did not prescribe any such rules for the wives of bishops listed just a few verses earlier (1 Tim. 3:1-7). Paul was telling Timothy there were a few additional requirements for female deacons.
What does this all add up to? One way to properly interpret Scripture is to use Scripture. In the case of Paul, because we have so many of his letters, one can look at the totality of his writing and conclude that he did not restrict women from being in ministry or leading in the church. If anything, Paul is challenging culture in 1 Corinthians 14:34 by telling men to take an interest in their wives’ education by teaching them the Scriptures. Women, be free, go, and fulfill the purpose God has for your life!
[1] https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0181%3Asection%3D32
[2] http://www.attalus.org/translate/valerius3b.html
[3] https://archive.org/details/Strabo08Geography17AndIndex
[4] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition. (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2014), 522.
[5] Mishnah Avot 5.21.
[6] Plutarch, Lectures 4.