This has been the hardest to write, and I admit I tabled the subject for some time because I don't feel like anyone will listen or care, or at most they will simply come up with all kinds of reasons why I'm wrong. So, after long deliberation, and letting go of my fear of man, here we are.
Let me begin by saying that I am not a feminist, that I understand as well as the next God-fearing woman that we fulfill different roles than men do. We are physically weaker, more maternally oriented, less brute, we shave our armpit hair, etc. That being said, I have to say that while a woman wants to feel protected by a man, she does not want to feel demeaned by him for the simple fact that she is a woman. I also want to be honest in saying that I don't know all the answers, that I'm not positive of all that I'm about to say, but I at least have a brain (that works!) to question what's been accepted as law - or unspoken rule.
I want to take you all down a logical road. Starting with the word "Law." Mentioned a billion times in Scripture, it was taken to mean "Scripture" when it could have meant traditional Jewish law, the new "law of the covenant," and most often, the law of Moses, or the Old Testament.
I. Traditional law vs. Biblical Law
A. Distinguishing between these is imperative to understanding the Bible; this is mainly demonstrated by Jesus' consistent breaking of Jewish traditional laws. The best example on this topic is the woman at the well.
John 4:7-9 " When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
Traditional Jewish law forbade men to even address a woman:
"A man should ever avoid women; thus he should never make any gestures at them, either with his hands or his feet, nor wink at them, nor jest with them… A man must not greet a woman under any circumstances, and he is forbidden to send his regards to her even through her husband” (Ref. 1)
So here is Jesus breaking traditional rabbinical law, not simply deviating from Jewish prejudice by talking to a Samaritan, but by breaking (in repeated other incidences, too) the law of the Jewish nation. This woman became the first among missionaries carrying the news of the arrival of the Christ to her Samaritan town. She was not scorned for her declarations, for her Witness, (also, highly unheard of) instead they listened to her and went to Him.
B. In the early church, there were traditional rules that were followed in the name of propriety, but was considered as beneath the Law of God. Even today, certain traditions, mentioned in scripture, are not considered relevant. Let me explain since I sounded like a heretic just now.
1. Head covering
1 Cor 11:6 "If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head."
(Vs 11-15) "In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering."
So here is Paul's reason that women don't wander around with scarves on their heads anymore, but I want you to understand how serious it was that Paul allows this seemingly trivial thing: The removal of the symbol of Eve's shame. Understand, this was not law, traditional or otherwise, except for Paul. He was from the Assyrian city of Tarsus. Assyrian Law required all women to cover their heads in public with "a shawl or a robe or a mantle," with the exception of prostitutes, who are forbidden to cover their heads (ref 2)
Essentially, I think Paul was freaking out in these Roman towns where new Christians thought wearing a head covering was optional. Not because Christ had revealed to him on the road to Damascus that Christian women should cover their heads, but because he came from a background where only prostitutes walked around without one!
2. Silence in the church
1 Cor 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 husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church."
Again, if you know the makeup of the traditional temple gatherings, and subsequent church gatherings, the women and men sat on complete opposite sides of the sanctuary. That means if a woman had a question - this same woman who is not allowed by law to speak in public - she would interrupt the ceremonies to lean over her pew and likely in an obnoxious loud-whisper ask her husband - the only male person she's allowed to talk to - whatever it was she needed answers for.
1 Tim 2:11-15 "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."
With regard to speaking in public, the Jewish traditional law stated that women were not allowed to participate in public affairs. Eastern women could take no part in public life. This was true of Judaism in the time of Jesus, in all cases where Jewish families faithfully observed the Law.
This is all clearly cultural, and has been recognized as old-fashioned by culture as we know it. Everything from the Sufferage to a woman running for President, the code is no longer valid where I live. Paul was all things to all people, and chose his battles. Yet, for this man who lived his entire life under Assyrian and Jewish law that forbade women to participate in public affairs, it makes perfect sense that he could vehemently preach that a woman should not participate in the teaching of men. GOD didn't say that women shouldn't preach or teach. GOD appointed Deborah to act as judge over the entire nation of His people. By the time Jesus rolled into town, matters had changed. It was a cultural code to treat women like possessions rather than people with the same (and many times advanced) ability to think, that if not followed would lead to certain chaos. God is a God of order, and in order to keep the peace, Paul saw the danger of treating women the same way Jesus did (as equals). Not in heavenly realms, but in the worldly.
C. Women in leadership
1. There existed women apostles, and women leaders in Scriptural texts. Deborah is one of the major ones mentioned in the Book of Judges. I always go back to God's own words: "I the Lord do not change." If He can appoint a woman to judge men, men we know and understand as "God's people," can He appoint women to other positions of authority? These words force me to answer in the affirmative. Absolutely. Probably. Beware the woman that does not heed Him when He calls her.
2. Apart from Deborah, Paul addresses several women as his co-workers, and at least one woman is named as "most prominent among the apostles," Junia, in Romans 16.
Rom 16:7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
Fun fact, in the original text the noun "Junia" is unquestioningly feminine (ref 3), but there are several translations into English that turned the original feminine noun to a masculine... likely for the reasons I write about now. Before you get excited about the "countryMEN," political correctness is a thing of the 90s. Plural nouns in Greek are not treated as we do now, therefore "countrypeople" would not have existed in ancient Hebrew.
3. Which leads the logical thinker (I got As in my Intro to Logic course) to understand that [A] Paul knew God is a God of order. [B] Giving a woman authority over a man, back then, would have produced a high state of disorder. [C] Paul's admonishment was not due to foundational belief, it was out of sheer concern for the health of the church.
D. Women are expected to hold equal spiritual status as men.
1. Joel 2:29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
2. Luke 20:35-36 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.
3. 1 Cor 7:34 ...An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband.
I pray that these verses speak for themselves. Basically, women are expected to participate in the spiritual outpouring, which may or may not include the gift and responsibility of teaching, preaching, or apostleship. Men vs. women means nothing in Heaven, therefore in spiritual matters, it should mean nothing here on earth. An unmarried woman is not distracted from devoting herself to the Lord in Body and Spirit. Her job is not to wait around meekly for a husband. It is to devote herself to loving God, serving His people within her means and qualifiations.
References:
0. The Bible (New King James Version)
1. Ganzfried S. Translated by Hyman Goldin. Code of Jewish Law. Volume IV, Chapter 152, Verses 8,9, Hebrew Publishing Company, NY, 2004, p. 20.
2. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts, (p. 183). Bible-Researcher.com
3. Strong's Concordance
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