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Table of Contents Let's Start
at the Beginning... Is the Wife
the Husband's Helper? Why Weren't
There Women Priests in the Old Testament? Women in
Religious Positions in the Old Testament Women Could
be Lay Priests in the Old Testament Powerful and
Mighty Women in the Old Testament Women
Warriors and Societal Wise Leaders An
Egalitarian Marriage in the Old Testament Why Did Only
Miriam get Leprosy? Women
Authorship in the Old Testament of the Bible Women
Authorship in the New Testament of the Bible Women
Erased/Demoted in Many Bible Translations of the New Testament A Female
Minister of a Specific Church, and a Leader of Many, Including of Paul A Female
Pastor of a Church and a Coworker with Paul Other Women
Coworkers and Leaders Lydia,
Pastor of the First Church on the European Continent Women
Deacons/Ministers and Woman Pastors/Bishops/Elders in the New Testament Are Women
Supposed to be Silent in Church? Romans
16:1-2 vs. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:12 The 1
Timothy 5 and Acts 19 Connection Does the
Bible Say Women are Supposed to be Homemakers? Are
Christian Women Supposed to Wear Head Coverings? What About
the Household Codes? Patriarchal
Bible Translations and the Poison of Complementarianism Bible
Translations, and an Evil Root to Corrupt Many New Translations Scriptures
the Sexist Patriarchalists Ignore Some Beautiful
Mutuality Scriptures that Complementarians Ignore Some of the
Places Where Wrong Translations Demote or Erase Women You don't have to be fluent in Hebrew, Aramaic, or Koine Greek to
do mental pattern recognition, and to notice something odd in the interlinear
Bibles: There are words that are translated properly when referring to men or
God, but are suddenly translated differently when referring to women, and in
some cases, women's names are changed to men's names. This treatise is not at all exhaustive, but my intention in
writing this is to show you a sampling of what seems to be women being erased
or demoted in many Bible translations. I will use multiple different
English Bible translations throughout this treatise to help show you this... Genesis 1:26-27 ESV Genesis 1:27 CEB The first human possessed the chromosomes for both female and
male. The first human was male and female, which God also is - "in the
divine image God created them, male and female God created them." NOTE: Most of the time in both Old and New Testaments, when
God is mentioned with male pronouns such as he/him, if you look in your
interlinear Bible, you'll see there are quite often no male pronouns for God
but rather neuter pronouns or no pronouns at all. You'll likely notice that
your interlinear says "he" where the Hebrew or Greek is gender neutral,
so make sure you look up what the word in question actually means. God is
depicted as male - such as the Father of Jesus, but God is also depicted as
female - where the Bible repeatedly speaks of God giving birth to us, and
nursing us as a mother does her infant, etc. It's also important to keep
in mind that God's name is Yahweh, and as some Bible scholars will point out,
it very well may be that Yah is feminine and Weh is masculine. And as for
the Holy Spirit, in Hebrew grammar it's feminine, and in Greek grammar it's
neuter. And let us not forget that Jesus, who was born male, was born
from a woman, and not from a woman and a man. Further,
Jesus in His pre-incarnate state was Lady Wisdom. What about dominion? Was dominion/dominance given to the male
side of the first human? No, we see that the first human, which was both female
and male, was given dominion over the earth, thus both women and men equally
have authority. Even the ESV for Genesis 1:26 says "let them have
dominion." This is both the male and female; not just the male, and
not just the female. They are one. The human got to name all the animals, we see as we keep reading
in Genesis. This human (Hebrew Adam - meaning human being) has still not
been referred to as a single gender. The only gender designation the first
human still has at the point is both male and female. It was not a male human who named all the animals, it was the male
and female in one human who named them. Thus, the first female human
named all the animals just as much as the first male human did. In fact, the entity that retains the name "Adam" didn't
get referred to as just the male gender until after the female half (not rib or
piece of a side) was separated off of the male half. The first human, which was both genders, saw the animals each had
a counterpart - a male and female. This human wanted a separate counterpart as
well. Thus God then put the human into a sleep and divided the DNA and
chromosomes into a male half and a female half. When Adam united with Eve
in the first ever marriage, Adam was literally marrying himself - his female
half. Thus why both Old and New Testaments teach this: Genesis 2:24 NRSVue Mark 10:8 NRSVue Ephesians 5:31 NRSVue When a woman and man marry, they are to spiritually be one person
again, as the first human was literally female and male in one person.
This is where we get the saying in referring to our spouse as our "other
half." Notice also Genesis 2:24 teaches the opposite of patriarchy.
In patriarchy the woman is to leave her family to be with her husband.
But Genesis 2:24 teaches the opposite. It teaches that the man leaves his
family to join his wife. This too is reiterated in the New Testament as we see
in the above Ephesians 5:31, and also in the below. Mark 10:7 NRSVue Why does the man leave to cleave, and the woman does not?
This is likely because the Eve half was separated from the Adam half, thus the
woman became separate from the man, thus the man goes to the woman to reunite
as one again. Genesis 2:18 NRSVue Deuteronomy 33:26 NRSVue "Help" above is ‘ê·zer - the exact same word used
in the above Genesis 2:18. Also note in that verse that it says "it is not
good that the man should be alone." This is not a
male term in the Hebrew here. "Man" here is the Hebrew אָדָ֛ם which in English is Adam. Remember, the Hebrew word Adam
means "human being." Thus the CEB translates this portion of
the verse more accurately: Genesis 2:18 CEB It's only after Eve that Adam was directly referred to only in the
male gender. The first human was not a man. The first human was not a
woman. The first human was both, just as God is both. Eve was not created
to be under Adam's authority. Eve was Adam's rescuer. Some people think that since Adam named Eve (Eve means
"living") then this meant Adam had dominion over Eve. There is
no Scriptural precedent for that. In fact, the slave woman Hagar named
God in Genesis 16. If you read the account of the "fall" carefully in
Genesis 3, then please notice that the serpent went to Eve, and not to
Adam. Why? When the command to not eat of the tree was given, Adam was both
genders and not yet divided. When Eve was divided off of Adam, the Adam
half retained the command memory, and the Eve half did not. Eve herself was therefore never told directly by God not to eat of
the forbidden fruit. She got the message from Adam. Adam was present
during the conversation between Eve and serpent, and he never said
anything. When Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, the New Testament
calls her deceived. Adam watched her partake and didn't stop her, and
then upon her recommendation, he partook, knowing that he was violating a
command given him directly from God. Thus the New Testament attributes
sin to Adam, and not to Eve. Eve was deceived, but Adam knowingly
disobeyed. This is one of the reasons Jesus was born male. The New
Testament calls Jesus the Last Adam, because through Adam sin entered the
world, and through Jesus - the Last Adam, sin is paid for and we are redeemed
if we so choose to accept the free gift of Christ dying to pay for our sins. Many read Genesis 3:16 as a doctrine teaching that men are
supposed to dominate women: Genesis 3:16 NRSVue What does "your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall
rule over you" even mean? We have a phrase almost identical to this
in the very next chapter. Let's take a look: Genesis 4:7 NRSVue Sin desires to have Cain, but Cain is advised to master sin. Genesis 3:16 is not a prescription or a doctrine we are being told
to follow. Rather it is a description of part of the
curse that is a repercussion of the fall. Eve will
desire to dominate her husband, but her husband will instead rule her. If
we were to put this onto all men and women then what we have is patriarchy. Most cultures throughout history, and still the majority today are
patriarchal. There have been some matriarchal/matrilineal ones,
however. For example, the Queen of Sheba in the Bible. Her kingdom
at that time was matrilineal. Also, before "white man" invaded
that Native American Indians, many tribes were matriarchal/matrilineal. The
Cherokee were, for example. Genesis 3:16 is describing the repercussions of the curse, not
giving us a doctrine to follow. Men using this verse to say they can rule
over women would thus also mean that women are not allowed to receive pain
relief during childbirth "I will make your pangs in childbirth exceedingly
great," and that men who farm are not allowed to use modern implements to
help them, but must continue doing it the way it was done back then, by the
sweat of their brow - "by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread"
from verse 19. Further, verse 16 doesn't say men will rule over women,
but that women will desire to control men and men would rule women - sexism was
born here. It was a curse, and not a plan. The command has
always been "And let them (both genders) have
dominion" as per Genesis 1:26. The patriarchy of 3:16 is a description. People of God are
called to overcome the curse of sin and follow God repeatedly in the Old
Testament, via righteous living and proper sacrifices. In the New
Testament we are told that Jesus conquered the Law of Sin and Death for
us. Righteous living has never commanded one gender to be in charge of
the other gender. God's prescription has always been a biarchy -
"And let them (both genders) have dominion." What about where the above says "I will make your pangs in
childbirth exceedingly great?" "I will make..." This
part of the curse likely happens after the flood, where the pressure,
environment, and even oxygen levels of the earth changed, which resulted in
childbirth being painful, along with people having shorter lifespans.
Perhaps this is why we don't read of any painful childbirth events in the Bible
until after the flood. Some people think that God's will is patriarchy because the Old
Testament says only men are to be priests. If that's the case, then we
must also deduce that God only allows genetic Jews to be priests, and only
specific ones from the tribe of Levi. While it is true that the Old Testament priests were to be male,
Jew, and from Levi, that is no more stating patriarchy as God's will than
stating leaders in the church today can only be Levitical Jews. There are two main reasons why the priests in the Old Testament
were to be male: 1) The pagan religions in the areas around the Jews in those times
often had female priests, and as part of that pagan priesthood there was sexual
rituals, some of them like those done in modern day Wicca. By going
against the norm and having only male priests it reduced the assumption that
rites would involve sexual acts. I say "reduce" and not
"eradicate," because some religions had both female and male priests
and sexual acts, including homosexuality with male priests as part of certain
pagan religious acts. 2) Blood is a major theme throughout both the Old and New
Testaments. Abel's blood cried out, for example. The Bible also
teaches (easier to see in the Hebrew) that the soul is located in the
blood. When any blood is shed, it resonates that person's soul, which
includes what they've done, said, and thought throughout their whole life - the
blood cries out in many ways. To learn more about the mechanics of blood
spirituality and its transdimensional power, please see my study Power
in the Blood. Now, relate blood to women - during the years of
fertility, women menstruate. Every time they shed their blood, the blood
cries out. Menstruation in the Old Testament was considered ceremonially
unclean, because shed blood was crying out sins of the person. Thus any
shed blood (menstrual or not) from either gender was an unclean event, and
would remain unclean until that blood be redeemed, and that did not occur until
God became a human, and shed that human blood to redeem humanity's sinful blood
which carries our soul. Thus, in the Old Testament, women could not serve
as priests, because it would all have to be scheduled around each woman's
menstrual cycle, and sometimes that cycle changes or is off. As we can see, women not being priests in the Old Testament had to
do with being set apart from the pagan religions in that region, and also
because of blood spirituality. Under the New Covenant, both males and
females may serve as church leaders, because the menstrual blood is now
ceremonially clean through the shed blood of Christ. The soul in the blood of a
saved person cries out "redeemed, redeemed!" We do see women serving in religious positions in the Old
Testament, however, just not as Levitical priests... The Old Testament shows women in different religious positions. Women sang laments: Women could be prophets and could also lead in praise and worship: Exodus 15:20 NRSVue Women were also evangelists in the Old Testament. However,
this is one of the things that is erased/hidden in some English Bible
translations. The women evangelists are mentioned in Psalm 68:11, but
some Bible translations don't reveal this fact: Psalm 68:11 NIV1984 Who proclaimed the word? Let us turn to our Hebrew/English
interlinear Bibles to see. The word "company" above is in the
Hebrew feminine form - not the masculine, and not the neuter. Thus the
2011 edition of the NIV translated this verse more accurately: Psalm 68:11 NIV2011 Women also served at the entrance of the tent of meeting, which
was the place where the priests served, where God manifested in Presence, and
around which the people would gather: Exodus 38:8 NRSVue 1 Samuel 2:22 NRSVue We are all probably familiar with reading in the Bible about how
Samuel's mother dedicated Samuel to the Lord. After Samuel was weaned
from breastfeeding by his mother, she brought him to the temple of God, and he
lived there and grew up there, and served the Lord his whole life. What's often obscured in English Bible translations, is that women
could also be dedicated to the Lord and serve in the temple
for their whole lives. For example, we see this in Anna at the opening of
the New Testament: Luke 2:36-38 NRSVue Anna was: 1) A Prophet Back to the Old Testament, we read about Samuel being dedicated to
God and serving in the temple of God for his whole life, but there is also an
account of a woman who was dedicated to the Lord and served God her whole life,
also. Most people aren't familiar with this account, because it is
obscured in most English Bible translations: Judges 11:30-31 NKJV What first met him when he came home? - His daughter.
Thus, he had to do what he vowed, and thus afterward, a custom of the daughters
of Israel was born: Judges 11:40 NKJV However, when we turn to our interlinear Bibles,
we see that the word "lament" in the above in the Hebrew is the
word תָּנָה taw-naw', which means
to talk, speak, or tell something, as we see properly translated in Judges
5:11, were it says "there they shall rehearse the righteous acts of the
LORD." "rehearse" is taw-naw'. When we have "or" there, and when taw-naw' is correctly
translated, we find out Jephthah did not offer up his daughter
as a burnt human sacrifice; burnt human sacrifices are condemned in the
Bible. Instead, he dedicated her to the Lord, like Samuel's mother
dedicated him to the Lord. Some translations translate this correctly so that we can see it: Judges 11:30-31 LSV Judges 11:40 LSV While women, and also men who were not of the tribe of Levi, could
not serve as Temple Levitical Priests, anyone, regardless of genetic heritage
(including gentiles who had previously converted to Judaism), and regardless of
gender, could be a Lay Priest for a chosen amount of time. Lay Priests could
not do the official acts in the temple, but nonetheless were consecrated and
set apart for God. The Bible calls these types of Lay Priests Nazarites,
and the Bible is very clear that either gender could be a Nazarite: Numbers 6:1-3a NRSVue As we see in the Old Testament, women could serve as: -Singers of laments -Singers of praise and worship, including leading in praise and
worship -Prophet -Evangelists and Preachers -Dedicated to serve in the temple like Samuel was and -Lay Priests, which were Nazarites While we've already seen some powerful women evangelists,
prophets, lay priests, etc. in the Old Testament, there are also powerful women
in the society of that time as well. While women at the time of the Old Testament didn't culturally
have the same rights as the men did, that was never God's plan; that was put on
them by their own society. Some women and men ignored the cultural
sexism, because they knew the God of Israel created humans in the image of God
- female and male, meaning, women are 100% just as much in the image of God as men
are. There was a woman who founded/built multiple cities: 1 Chronicles 7:24 NRSVue Some women helped rebuild the wall in Jerusalem when the Jews got
to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild: Nehemiah 3:12 NRSVue Notice Hellohesh was a ruler, so he knew the societal norms of
that time, which would dictate women weren't generally allowed to do this type
of manual labor, yet his daughters worked right along side of him, repairing
the wall. In this case Hellohesh followed the original design of God that
women and men are authoritatively 100% equal. His daughters helped build
the wall, even though it wasn't a societal norm. Job was a familial priest and a community ruler, yet he also went
against societal expectations, which was patrilineal. The patrilineal
societal norm at that time dictated that fathers gave inheritances only to
sons, and not to daughters. However, Job followed God's doctrine instead,
which teaches that both women and men are equal, with equal rights, equal
authority, and thus also equal inheritance rights. Like Hellohesh, Job
chose to follow God in honoring both genders, rather than following the curse: Job 42:12-15 NRSVue We see multiple instances in the Old Testament of women naming
their children. If you do a word study of those chosen names, often the
name ended up being a prophecy of something that child would eventually do or
become. Sometimes that name was a description of that child's future
personality. Names chosen by these women for their children were often
prophetic. Thus, these women naming their children was often a powerful
spiritual act. During the time of Judges, before Israel demanded to have a king
like the other cultures around them, God would choose a judge to lead
Israel. This judge would be a prophet who would hear from God, and was to
lead Israel accordingly. One of the most powerful judges mentioned in the book of Judges is
the woman Deborah. Deborah can also be considered a woman warrior, for
she lead an army into battle. You can read about the powerful woman
Deborah in Judges chapters 4 and 5. - In Judges chapter 4 we read of a woman named Jael, who killed
the enemy leader that was being sought out by Deborah's troops. - A woman killed evil Abimelech in Judges 9:50-54. - In the apocryphal/deuterocanonical book of Judith, Judith
decapitated the evil Holofernes, thus saving her people. - The Wise Woman of the city of Abel saved her whole city by
organizing people in her city to find a specific rebel who was wanted by the
king. She organized for that rebel to be found and decapitated, which
saved her city from siege and attack. You can read about this in 2 Samuel
20. This Wise Woman of the city of Abel was likely a mature,
post-menopausal woman who no longer had children to raise, and who was seen by
the community as very wise and with leadership skills, and thus she was a type
of accepted matriarchal leader. - The Wise Woman of Tekoa is another Scriptural example of an
accepted societal matriarchal leader. You can read about her in 2 Samuel
14. - Some Wise Women were known prophets of God who were trusted more
than their male counterparts at the time in certain situations. An
example of this would be the prophet Huldah. The king sought out her
advice, rather than from the male prophets who were also of God and around
there at that same time. You can read about Huldah in 2 Kings 22:14 and 2
Chronicles 34:22. In 2 Kings 4:8-37 and 2 Kings 8:1-6 we see a married couple, where
the wife and husband have an egalitarian marriage, where each is equal in
authority, and each practice what their strengths are. For a New
Testament example of an egalitarian marriage, please study Pricilla and
Aquilla. The wife is known as the Shunamite Woman. She decided that
she wanted an extra room built onto her house to house the prophet Elisha when
he was nearby and needed a place to stay. When her young son had a bad headache and died, she didn't have
time to explain to her husband what happened. She just ordered horses and
servants to drive her to where Elisha was, and her husband, not knowing what
was going on, trusted that his wife was handling the emergency. Elisha came, and through the power of God, brought her son back to
life. Years later, she and her family had to move away because of a
famine. When she and her family came back, her land was owned by someone
else. She took this issue to the king - SHE did this, not her husband,
and not a male representative. It was HER land. She requested her
land back, and the king honored her request. Notice 2 Kings 8:1-6 calls the household HER household, and the
land HERs. She was the one with the money and power, which was countercultural
and not the norm at that time. If this was in the Roman empire, she would
have been known as a Materfamilias - a female Master of the Household. The Shunamite woman and her husband didn't follow the cultural
curse of sexism and patriarchy, but instead followed God's will in marriage and
society which is equality in authority, rights, and worth. Numbers 12:10 NRSVue If you start at the beginning of the above chapter, we read of how
Miriam and Aaron started to revolt against Moses. Yet we see in the above verse
and the ones that follow it, that only Miriam was punished for this revolt
attempt. Aaron did not get Leprosy. Why? If you know the doctrine of Order of Prominence, then you see this
answer in verse 1: Numbers 12:1 NRSVue In both Old and New Testaments, when more than one person is
listed, the Bible lists them in Order of Prominence. In normal society at
that time, men's names were always listed before women's names, however,
if the woman was more prominent than that man in that particular trait or
situation, then her name would be mentioned first. This is the case in
verse 1. The fact that Mariam is listed before Aaron tells us
that according to Order of Prominence, Miriam was the leader of this revolt. Thus, Miriam received the punishment of having Leprosy from God
for seven days, because she led - Aaron followed her lead. The last place we are going to visit in the Old Testament in this
treatise is going to be The Proverbs 31 Woman. Regardless if you think the Proverbs 31 woman is a manifestation
of Wisdom, or describing the "perfect woman," one thing to keep in
mind is to remember that the Proverbs 31 Woman isn't a homemaker. She
directs the servants in the homemaking, and she also goes out and runs
businesses to bring in money. People who refer to Proverbs 31:10-31 as a homemaker who submits
to her husband have clearly not read these verses. She is a strong woman who brings in money, and directs her
servants to keep the house in order. Proverbs 31:10 is one of the verses
in the Bible that demotes women in many English Bible translations. Most Bible translations call her a Virtuous Woman, a Worthy Wife,
a Capable Wife, an Excellent Wife, and the like. For example: Proverbs 31:10 KJV If you look in an interlinear Bible, you'll see that
"woman" is correct, but "virtuous?" That's a
demotion. The Hebrew word behind "virtuous"
is חַיִל - khah'-yil. Khah'-yil
means strength. It is in the Old Testament 243 times, and is usually
translated as "strength," or synonymous words or terms having to do
with war and power. Khah'-yil is Strength, like that of a Mighty Warrior. Are you noticing a hidden Strong Warrior theme about women in the
Bible? Eve was created as a hero who rescues, we have women helping to
build the wall, a woman founding and building multiple cities, a powerful rich
woman helping a prophet of God, a woman warrior leader of Israel, righteous
women who killed evil men to save their people, Wise Women who were regarded as
leaders in their societies, etc. And now we see that the Proverbs 31
Woman is not a: Virtuous woman - KJV Wife of noble character - CSB, NIV Excellent wife - ESV, NASB A good woman - MSG She is a woman of strength: Proverbs 31:10 NRSVue This isn't the only place in this passage about this strong woman
that reveals her strength. Here's more: Proverbs 31:17 NRSVue Proverbs 31:25 The Proverbs 31 Woman is not the Excellent Wife or the Virtuous
Woman - she's the Woman of Strength, like the strong soldier going into
battle. She is not weak. In fact, she covers herself in strength to the
point of having muscular arms! The bone-jutting, underweight,
skinny-minnies we see on the TV screen are weak. The Proverbs 31 woman is
strong. She's downright muscular. Let that sink in. What
culture says is "feminine," is not what the Bible depicts the mighty
woman of God as. The patriarchy curse of Genesis 3:16 wants women to be weak,
because a weak woman is more easily controlled, but we see that the woman of
God is STRONG - in character, values, and physically. --Before I get into the New Testament, let's first look at woman
authorship in the Bible for both Testaments.-- If we look through the annals of history, we find that the very
first published author was a woman. Her name was Enheduanna. She was the
daughter of Sargon, the Akkadian king. It is argued that due to the cultures in and around Israel being
patriarchal, women were not generally taught how to read. This did not
stop many women from teaching themselves how to read. (I taught myself how to
read. Enoch taught himself to read, as we see in 1 Enoch. People
teaching themselves to read is not that rare.) Even if women were
illiterate, we see that men may have written down these women's words, and put
them in certain places in the Bible. This would count as women authorship
in such situations, just like some of the Pauline Epistles (if not all of them)
may have been dictated by Paul, and written down by someone else. Judges chapter 5 was written by Deborah, either directly, or
listened to by someone else, and they wrote down her words. Proverbs chapter 31 was authored by a woman, where King Lemuel
recorded his mother's words. Hannah authored 1 Samuel chapter 2, verses 1-10, where it records
her prayer. This was either directly written by her, or her words were
listened to, and recorded by someone else. The words of the prophet Huldah are recorded in 2 Kings 22:16-20. Have you ever paid close attention to Psalm 45? Think to
yourself: would a man write: "You are the most handsome of men; grace is
poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever." - verse 2.
Or would a man give feminine advice to women, such as in verses 10-12?
This whole Psalm is written in the feminine, indicating likely female
authorship. There is literally no evidence that Psalm 45 was written by a
male. It was written by a descendant of Korah. The Hebrew gives no
gender designation for that descendant. When men wrote some of the books of the Bible, they did so from a
patriarchal mindset, because that's what they were raised in and knew.
For a strong example of this, read the apocryphal/deuterocanonical book called
Sirach/Ecclesiasticus. Thus, when we come across a book in the Bible
about a woman, or chapters in the Bible about women, it is not a reach to consider
that that part was actually authored by a female. And this segues into possible female authorship of some of the
books in the Old Testament of the Bible... What about the book of Ruth? The main people in that book
are women - mostly Ruth and Naomi. A man writing the contents of the book
of Ruth would have been unheard of, because with the culture being patriarchal,
men automatically wouldn't have given much thought to women in the way they
were depicted in Ruth. There is literally NO evidence that Ruth and Esther were written
by men. In fact, logic and culture leans more to the side of both of
these books having been authored by females. Another Old Testament book in dispute over authorship possibly
being female is Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes opens by saying 'The words of
the preacher/teacher.' The Hebrew word for 'preacher' or 'teacher' in
this verse is qōheleṯ. 'Qōheleṯ is the feminine
of the active participle from qāhal, which litreally translates
as 'female teacher or preacher.' In staying in the Wisdom books of the Old Testament, there is
question of if a woman helped to author the Song of Songs. While the
first verse of Songs opens with "The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's,"
the fact is, "which is" is not in the Hebrew. Literally from
the Hebrew, it's 'song songs Solomon." This means it can be by
Solomon, or to Solomon. The Common English Bible translates this first
verse as "The Song of Songs, which is for Solomon." The imagery in Songs is predominantly from the feminine,
indicating the strong possibility that the whole book was written by a woman,
and dedicated to Solomon, or possibly both Solomon and one of his wives wrote
this love book together. There is no evidence that Song of Songs
was written by one male, with no female authorship involved. One last mention of a book possibly being authored by a female
would be the apocryphal/deuterocanonical book called Judith. This book also
carries the hallmarks of possible female authorship. Luke 1:46-55 is authored by the Virgin Mary. In Acts chapter 18, we are introduced to Priscilla and her husband
Aquila. Here we see that counter to culture, this married couple appeared
to be egalitarian, which helps us see Galatians 3:28 in action: "In Christ, there is no difference between Jew and Greek,
slave and free person, male and female. You are all the same in Christ
Jesus." -Galatians 3:28 NCV In Acts 18, we read that Priscilla and Aquila teach Apollos, (a
Jew extremely well-versed in the Old Testament), more fully about Christ.
Notice it mentions Priscilla before her husband Aquila there. This is the
doctrine of Order of Prominence, in which when two or more people or groups are
mentioned, the more prominent one is mentioned first. In regards to
tent-making, we see Aquila mentioned first. When it comes to teaching
Jews about how Christ is the fulfillment of the law, etc. - we generally see
Priscilla mentioned first. We also see in reference to their church they
later started, that Priscilla/Prisca (see Romans 16) was the main leader of
that church, as her name was mentioned before Aquila's. Why so much about Priscilla? I bring her up, because she
is likely the author of the book of Hebrews in the New Testament: - As we saw, Priscilla taught Apollos, who was a Jew well-versed
in the Scriptures. We can therefore derive that Priscilla must have been
even more adept in the Hebrew Old Testament, and in showing Christ's fulfillment
of it, than Apollos was. She was an expert in this. What's
the main theme of the book of Hebrews? It happens to be Priscilla's
expertise - Christ fulfilling the Hebrew Old Testament Scriptures. - The fact that the book of Hebrews is anonymous also leans
towards female authorship. Through the centuries, many books were written
by females, and were either left anonymous, or with male pseudonyms. A
classic example of this are the Bronte sisters, who originally released their
books under male pseudonyms. Yet if you read their books, you can see
they were written by females, just as we can see that similarity in the books
of Ruth and Esther in the Bible. - Hebrews chapter 11 is written in a feminine perspective, as can
be seen from verses 11, 23, 24, 31, and 35. - Hebrews 6:1-3 and 9:8-10 pair with the teaching Priscilla gave
to Apollos in Acts 18. - Hebrews 13:24 says that the writer of the book is from Italy,
and Acts 18:2 shows Priscilla is from Italy/Rome. Further,
Priscilla/Prisca lead a church in Rome, as we see in Romans 16:3-5a. There has only been one argument used to state that Hebrews must
have been written by a man, and that is, as stated in the notes of the NIV
Study Bible on Hebrews 11:32: "to tell. Translates the
masculine form of a Greek verb, indicating that the author of Hebrews was a
man." This is misleading and incorrect. First of all, Greek verbs
are not masculine or feminine, but some Greek nouns are masculine or
feminine. Some who are more adept with this fallacious argument will
state that the participle to the verb "to tell" is in the
masculine. This, however is a half-truth, and therefore falls under the
category of a white lie in this case. That particular participle can be
used in the masculine, OR in the neuter. If the anonymous author were
female, she was clearly using it in the neuter sense. Did you know that what we know as "The Gospel of John"
was actually anonymous? It's church tradition that attributes it to John,
but many in the ancient church believed it was authored by Mary Magdalene, the
beloved woman disciple of Christ. I personally think it was authored by
John, but this is food for thought. In concluding this section on female authorship, we see that the
likelihood of some female authorship in both Testaments of the Bible is not
only viable, but quite actual. The rest of this treatise will focus on the New Testament, as we
are under the New Covenant, so this is what concerns Christians the most. In the New Testament we see that fertile women shedding cyclical
menstrual blood is no longer an issue in their serving as priests, because
Christ's shed blood cancels out the resonance put out into the cosmos from the
soul crying out in the blood. To learn more about how that works, see
my Power
in the Blood study. We see that under the New Covenant, all, any, and every true
Christian now serves as a priest: 1 Peter 2:9 NRSVue Part of the New Covenant priesthood is that the Christian is to
"proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his
marvelous light." In other words, give your salvation testimony to
people, and tell them how to get saved - AKA - share the Gospel (Gospel means
Good News, by the way). Thus Christian women (who are now priests) are
also to "proclaim the excellence of him." As New Covenant priests, there are sacrifices, but they are
different than in the Old Testament. For the New Testament priest: Romans 12:1-2 NRSVue We provide our bodies as living sacrifices. How? By
conforming to God's will, and not conforming to the fallen, sinful
world. Notice also we Christians are to "discern what is the will of
God." As we've already see, and will see a lot more of in
this writing, God's will is that either Gender can be leaders, teachers,
preachers, pastors, etc. Another priestly sacrifice we offer is praise. Hebrew 13:15-16 NRSVue The Old Testament had a High Priest, which was the one who could
go into the Holy of Holies once a year to intercede for the people. Under
the covenant of the New Testament, Jesus is the High Priest: Hebrew 4:14 NRSVue Since the Bible is clear that Christian women are now priests
(along with Christian men) under the New Covenant, then doesn't that itself
state that men and women have the same authority? We saw in the Old
Testament that God designed for both genders to have dominion over the earth in
a biarchy, so what about authority in the New Testament, regarding both
genders? This is made plain and clear in what many people call the Magna
Carta of the Bible: Galatians 3:28 NIV 2011 This seems pretty clear and obvious that all Christians have the
exact same value, rights, standing, and authority. We see it doesn't
matter if the Christian is Jewish or not, it doesn't matter their social
standing or if they were slave or free, and it doesn't matter what their gender
is. All Christians are of equal authoritative standing. We see this exemplified and in action in the last chapter of
Romans. If you look up all the names mentioned in that chapter, you'll
see workers in Christ and church leaders who who had slave names, free people
names, were Jews, non-Jews, men, and women. Unfortunately, some of the
women in this chapter in many English translations are obscured, demoted, or
even changed to a man's name. Let's take a look at some of the women in
this chapter. Romans 16:1-2 ESV The problem here is that the above ESV's "servant" is
misleading, and the above ESV's "patron" is just plain wrong.
The ESV and others are obscuring the fact that Phoebe was a church minister and
leader, including leading Paul the Apostle (a man) himself. Take a look at these two verses in a Greek/English interlinear
Bible, and you'll see that "servant" above is the Greek
word διάκονος, which in phonetic
English is dee-ak'-on-os. Even many interlinear Bibles
obscure dee-ak'-on-os in Romans 16:1 and will say "servant," yet
whenever the New Testament says dee-ak'-on-os in regards to a man, it'll
suddenly translate it as 'deacon,' or 'minister.' Romans 16 verse 1 is
referring to a church office - "of the church at Cenchraea." Dee-ak'-on-os
is an official church title for Deacon or Minister. Next observe the ESV word "patron" in verse 2. If
you look in your interlinear Bible, you'll see that the Greek word there
is προστάτις which in
phonetic English is pros-tat'-is. The very accurate and trusted
Liddell Scott Jones (LSJ) Greek Dictionary is clear that pros-tat'-is
means leader. This word in the noun form is nowhere else in
the Bible, but it is in the Bible in its adjective form and its verb form,
where many Bible translations will properly translate it as 'leading person,'
and 'to lead,' or similar. Thankfully, there are some Bible translations that are honest
about Phoebe in Romans 16, where they properly translate dee-ak'-on-os as
deacon or minister, and pros-tat'-is as leader: Romans 16:1-2 YLT Romans 16:1-2 TPT Notice it's more brought out in the TPT that Phoebe was chosen by
Paul to be the one to delivers his letter to the Romans. A letter-carrier
at that time didn't just deliver the mail and leave, they read the letter out
loud to the church, taught it to them, and answered their questions.
Thus, we see that Phoebe: - Was the minister of the church in Cenchrea (a port in Corinth) - Was a leader of many, including of Paul the Apostle himself -
she lead men in addition to women - Was entrusted by Paul to deliver and teach his letter to the
church in Rome Romans 16:3-5a NRSVue Next we see that Paul greeted Prisca (Priscilla) and her husband
Aquila. Notice that Prisca is a coworker in Christ equal with Paul the
Apostle. Also notice that her name was mentioned before her husband's
name, indicating that she was the prominent coworker with Paul. Also
notice that the house church is in their house. Culturally at that time, the house was always regarded as the
man's house. He was known as the Latin paterfamilias - which meant 'man
of the house,' or 'master of the house.' If you study Pricilla and Aquila
in the New Testament, you'll see that they had an egalitarian marriage.
One didn't have more authority than the other in the marriage. We see
Paul acknowledging this (which was countercultural) as stating that the church was
in their house. The paterfamilias was culturally the one who dictated what
religion the household was to follow. When a paterfamilias became a
Christian, they usually became the pastor of a church in their house. The
first churches were house churches with the householder being the church leader
- what we now call a Pastor. Notice that the church is in their house, not
his. Recall that Prisca's name is mentioned before Aquila's. Thus
while they were both copastors of the church in their house,
Prisca was the more prominent pastor of that church. Roman 16:7 CSB The above translation is obscuring the fact that Paul was giving
accolades to two apostles, and one of them was a woman. Some Bible
translations, like the above, translate this so that it seems like Junia is
just being given accolades by the apostles, but is not one herself. Other translations are honest that the Greek grammar lends to this
stating that Andronicus and Junia are indeed apostles, so to obscure this woman
apostle, they instead change her name to Junias, which changes it to a
grammatical masculine form, such as we see in the following: Romans 16:7 NASB 1995 A small number of New Testament manuscripts say Junias, rather
than Junia, which is believed to be a copyist error or interpolation, as the
Latin name Junias likely never existed. Junia was a well-known female
Latin name, as it was named after the female goddess Juno. It would have
been offensive to name a male after a female deity, thus the name Junias is
quite likely fictitious. We see that some Bible translations obscure the fact that
Andronicus and Junia were prominent apostles, while others just obscure the
fact that this verse mentions a prominent/outstanding female apostle, by
changing her name to a masculine form. Thankfully, we have English translations that are honest, and
don't hide the fact that this verse is showing us a female apostle. Romans 16:7 NIV 2011 Roman chapter 16 goes on to list several other women who were
coworkers with Paul and/or church leaders. It also mentions: Tryphaena,
Tryphosa, Persis, Rufus' mother, Julia, and Nereus' sister. Romans 16 isn't the only place in the New Testament that mentions
leading women in and out of the church, but it has the highest concentration in
one chapter. Here are some other women mentioned in other letters in the New
Testament... Apphia Chloe Remember, the Christian householder was the pastor of their house
church. Thus Chloe was possibly another woman pastor. Eudia and Syntyche Nympha the Female Pastor In obscuring this, some Bible translations change her name to a
man's name, and change it to his house. Colossians 4:15 NKJV Thankfully, more and more Bible translations are being honest in
that the name is Nympha and is a woman, and that the church is in her
house. Colossians 4:15 NRSVue Kyria the Female Pastor Have you ever studied the openings of the 3 letters by John the
Apostle? Let's notice a pattern, and what's often a hidden female pastor
in most English Bible translations. 1 John 1:1 NRSVue Here we see this letter is a general letter, not addressed to any
specific person. 2 John 1:1 NRSVue 3 John 1:1 NRSVue We see similarities in 2 and 3 John. It's clear that 3 John
is written to Gaius, which is a specific person, of who John says "whom I
love in truth." In 2 John 1:1, the opening greeting is very similar to that of 3
John 1:1. It also says "whom I love in the truth." Yet in
the above NRSVue translation, it appears that 2 John isn't addressed to a
"whom" like it is in 3 John. However, if we look in our interlinear Bibles, we find out that 2 John
was addressed to a specific person like 3 John was. Where the NRSVue says
"lady," we see in the interlinear Bible the proper Greek name Kyria,
which was a common woman's name. Also, "her children" here don't refer to physical
offspring but to congregants and those who learn from her. We see this type of
language used multiple times in the New Testament. For example, Paul
repeatedly calls Timothy his child - but Timothy was his spiritual child in the
faith; not a genetic one. We also see "children" used as a term
for church congregants in the book of Revelation, where it describes the evil
Pastor Jezebel and the people she was leading astray. What's hidden in most English translations is that 2 John is
addressed to a woman, and not just any woman, but a female pastor of a
church. There are some Bible translations that translate this honestly,
such as the below: 2 John 1:1 YLT 2 John 1:1 Living Bible Acts 16:14-15 NRSVue Notice Lydia ran a business, and that she was a materfamilias -
"her household," and that she invited them to stay at her
home. This means Lydia, as the materfamilias, would have become the
pastor of her household - her home church. If you read earlier in this chapter, this was in response to the
Macedonian Cry, which lead Paul to Philippi to bring the Gospel to them.
This is where he met Lydia whose household was in Philippi, Macedonia. She got
saved, and became the pastor of her household church. Macedonia was a
Roman colony on the European continent. As you see, the first preacher mentioned by name in the New
Testament was the woman Phoebe, and now you also see that the Macedonian Cry
was to bring Paul to the European continent where Lydia got saved, and started
the first church in Europe. Thus the very first church on the European
continent had a woman pastor. We saw a female apostle mentioned specifically by name -
Junia. There are also female disciples of Jesus. Luke 8:1-3 NRSVue Notice the above mentions other disciples with and following Jesus
besides His inner 12. It says "The twelve were with him, as well as some
women." Some people think Jesus only had 12 disciples and thus all
of His disciple were men. As we see above and in many places in the New
Testament, Jesus had many disciples. The 12 were His inner circle who generally even slept in the same
room as He. Thus the ones who slept in the same room as Jesus would have
to be male, so that rumors of impropriety could not be hatched. The
shocking thing in the above verses is that it is clear that women followed Him
as disciples too. This was unheard of in the culture at that time. During
those days and in that culture, rabbis/masters had disciples who were only men,
and these men were often what we'd call boys. The "men" were
usually teenagers, with some being in their early 20s. Most of Jesus' 12
disciples were likely teens. Women weren't allowed to learn at that time,
and certainly were not allowed to be disciples of rabbis/masters.
Whenever women tried, we read on the historic record that they were turned
away. In the above verses we get the names of some of Jesus' female
disciples: Mary Magdalene, Joanna (who may be the same person as Junia in
Romans 16:7), and Susanna. As a quick note about Mary Magdalene - there is no place in the
Bible that refers to her as a prostitute. The teaching that Mary
Magdalene was a prostitute is wrong. There was another Mary who was, and
if you haven't noticed, "Mary" is a very common female name in the
New Testament. Mary Magdalene is the one who had seven demons cast out of her,
not the one that was a prostitute. Notice the above verses state that these three women 'ministered
to Jesus and the disciples out of their own resources.' This is important
to mention, because if any women in that time and culture went to try to follow
a rabbi/master, then their husbands would usually divorce them, or their
fathers would kick them out of their home. If the above Joanna is the same
person as the Junia in Romans 16:7, which is quite likely, then her husband
Chuza likely divorced her for following Jesus, but she may have quickly
remarried a male apostle of Jesus - Andronicus. Thus the only women who were
able to follow Jesus publicly in the beginning were women who had wealth (or
some form of financial support) and thus didn't need to depend on a husband or
father in order to eat and live, unless their husband was also a believer too,
in which case they followed Christ together. A key word in the above quoted phrase is "ministered."
The NRSVue is being honest in the translation of this word. We came
across this word in it's noun form when we studied the church minister
Phoebe. "Ministered" above is from the Greek
word διακονέω which in phonetic
English is dee-ak-on-eh'-o. Dee-ak-on-eh'-o is the verb form of the
noun dee-ak'-on-os, which we saw in Romans 16:2 that Phoebe
was. We see in the Scriptures that Paul and Apollos were dee-ak'-on-os
(ministers) which was the same Greek word given for Phoebe: 1 Corinthians 3:5 NABRE NOTE: The woman Priscilla taught the man Apollos (mentioned
above) corrections in the Scriptures where he had some things wrong. You
can read about this in Acts 18. The women disciples mentioned in Luke 8:1-3 ministered -
dee-ak-on-eh'-o to Jesus and the disciples. This exact same Greek word is
in 1 Timothy chapter 3, where it is describing the church deacon/minister: 1 Timothy 3:10 YLT One who ministers in a minister. These women disciples were
ministers/deacons. It's the exact Greek word. Yet some Bibles
obscure this fact by translating dee-ak-on-eh'-o as other words here. For
example, the NASB2020 says "contributing" for dee-ak-on-eh'-o: Luke 8:3 NASB2020 The above translation and many others like it obscure the fact
that Jesus' female disciples were ministers, and if we follow some of them, we
see that some became preachers (Mary Magdalene) and some were well-known
Apostles (likely Joanna as Junia). A disciple of note of Jesus' was the woman Tabitha. We see
her mentioned in Acts 9. Acts 9:36 NRSVue If you've ever wondered what the difference is between a Pastor,
Bishop, and Elder in the Bible, you'll find when you look all these words up in
the New Testament they are used interchangeably. They are the same church
office, just as deacons and ministers are. A deacon/minister can preach at the same church, or can travel and
preach and minister at various churches or locales. We see Paul, Timothy,
and Phoebe were deacons/ministers, for example. The Pastor/Bishop/Elder
generally is over one specific church. 1 Timothy chapter 3 gives qualities of the church deacon and
bishop: 1 Timothy 3:1-13 NKJV If you read the above as stated, it looks very clear that only men
"if a man desires the position of" can be church leaders such as
bishops and deacons - notice all the male pronouns throughout. Imagine how shocked I and many others were when we looked at these
verses in an interlinear Bible, and saw that in not one of these verses
does it say man/men, or he/him/his. "Man" in the above
verse 1, for example, is in the Greek interlinear Bible
as τις - tis - which is a gender neutral pronoun that
literally means "any," or "anyone." And what about
all of the male pronouns through out the above? In the Greek we see not
one male pronoun. The above is written purely and 100% in gender
neutral terms! Bible translations adding man/men and he/him/his are
literally changing and adding to the Word of God! The above NKJV example also does something else many may find a
bit smarmy. Look at verse 11: 1 Timothy 3:11 NKJV Look at "their wives must be" in the Greek/English
interlinear Bible, and you'll see that the words 'their,' and 'must be' are
not in the Greek! Further, the above "wives" in the
Greek Bible is γυνή - goo-nay' which means
women. It only means "wife" when used in the context of
marriage, which is not the case here. Verse 11 is not giving sudden
instructions to the wives of deacons, while there is never any instructions to
the wives of the bishops. Verse 11 is a special mention to female
deacons, which recall Phoebe was. Some Bible versions translate this
verse correctly as thus: 1 Timothy 3:11 NRSVue Some people still think the above 1 Timothy 3:1-13 passage must be
church offices only for men, because verse 2 in many English Bible translations
says "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one
wife." I posit to you that that is not the correct translation, as
we see this phrase repeated in verse 12, which is right after we
had a special note to female deacons. Verse 12 says "Let deacons be the
husbands of one wife." If you look in many Bible translations, you'll see that some will
instead say things like "married only once," "faithful in
marriage," or "faithful to their spouse." These
translations are closer to what the Greek says, but still not close
enough. If you study ancient idioms, you'll notice that this phrase in
question is an idiom. If we translate it very literally from the Greek,
it is "one-woman man." The Koine Greek of the New Testament was
a patriarchal language, so when referring to a group of both genders, it stated
things in the male. "One-woman man" is the very literal
translation from the Greek into the English here, for verses 2 and 12.
Since we've established that when read in the Greek, 1 Timothy 3:1-13 is gender
neutral - thus for both genders, then the idiom "one-woman man" would
default in the male when referring to both genders, as that's how the Greek
worked. "One-woman man" meant that if a person was married, they
didn't cheat, and if they were single, they didn't commit fornication. The Koine Greek defaulting to the masculine when referring to both
genders is obvious in the Bible, and even more so in a Greek/English
interlinear Bible. For example: Matthew 5:28 NRSVue Does the above mean that only men are guilty of adultery if they
lust? Or does the above mean that women are allowed to lust after men,
but just not after women, and that men are allowed to lust after other men, but
not after women? Of course not. This teaching was said to a crowd of both genders, so in the
patriarchal Koine Greek language, it defaulted to the masculine. It means
that just as men are not to lust after other people, neither are women to lust
after other people. We also see this default to the masculine when speaking to both
genders throughout the New Testament, such as the below example: Romans 12:1 ESV Romans 12:1 NRSVue Is it to "brothers," or to "brothers and
sisters?" The Greek word underlying this
is ἀδελφός - ad-el-fos', which
literally means a brother in a physical family. However, when used
spiritually or symbolically, when addressing a crowd of both genders, it means
"brothers and sisters." Thus the above NRSVue translation is
more accurate than the ESV. We see an example of this in many modern languages, such as
Spanish. The Spanish word for "brother" in a physical family is
hermano. When a Spanish speaker asks you how many brothers and sisters do
you have, they only ask how many hermanos do you have. Some English
speakers will then only tell them how many brothers they have, but the Spanish
"hermanos" in this context means brothers and sisters. When referring to just women, the Koine Greek will
change to being in the feminine. For example: 1 Timothy 5:9 ESV "The wife of one husband" in the above ESV rendition is
literally "one-man woman" in the Greek, and is the idiom meaning if
married, don't commit adultery, if not married, don't commit fornication. Thus when we understand this idiom, and when we look at 1 Timothy
3:1-13 in the Greek, we find out the whole section is in 100% gender neutral
terms, because the church offices of Bishop and Deacon were and are open to
both genders. The CEV Bible is honest from the Greek in these verses. I'll
show you this below, but keep in mind that the CEV calls a bishop a
"church official," and a deacon a "church officer." 1 Timothy 3:1-13 CEV When the above translation is read, it is crystal clear that the
church offices are open to either gender. The above is much more accurate to
the Greek in this section than most English Bible translations are. We now move on to the women church elders mentioned in 1 Timothy
chapter 5... 1 Timothy 5:1-3 KJV The word "elder" above in referencing both men and women
is the Greek pronoun
πρεσβύτερος -
pres-boo'-ter-os, where we get our English word "presbyter."
Most Bibles translate this word as "Elder" in regards to a church
office. When we study this word in the Bible, we see it used
interchangeably with the church office of Pastor/Bishop. An Elder
is a church Pastor, and specifically an older person serving
as a Pastor. The above KJV rightly
translates πρεσβύτερος
- pres-boo'-ter-os as "elder" for both the man and the woman, but
some English translations obscure the fact that the above is mentioning female
church Elders. They will then translate this as such: 1 Timothy 5:1-3 CSB Pres-boo'-ter-os can refer to age, but when referring to a church,
it's the office of Pastor - specifically an older person serving as Pastor.
Context tells us which is the correct translation. While we see
"younger" in these verses, "elder" is doubling age with
pastorship - elder/older pastors vs. younger people. We know from context the
correct translation for the above should indeed be the church office of
Elder/Pastor, not just age, as we see just a bit later in this same chapter: 1 Timothy 5:17 CSB Look in your interlinear Bible, and what do you see? The
word "elders" above is
πρεσβύτερος -
pres-boo'-ter-os - the exact same Greek word for the men and
women in verses 1 and 2. Notice the CSB and many other English Bible translations will
honestly translate πρεσβύτερος
- pres-boo'-ter-os as elder (which is an older person serving as a church
Pastor) in verse 17, but that exact same word is translated as
"older" in verses 1 and 2. If they were consistent, then you'd
see female church elders clearly being mentioned here. 1 Timothy 5:1-3 Darby Look at the above word "honour" in the Greek/English
interlinear Bible, and what word is it? It
is τιμάω - tim-ah'-o, which is a verb, and means
to honor, or to value. This word appears only one other time in this
chapter, and it is in its noun form, which is τιμή -
tee-may'. This therefore informs us that the word "honor" in
verse 2 ties in with the only other place "honor" is in this chapter
- verse 17. Starting in the above verse 3, we see that it says to honor
widows, so we know the topic here is honoring or valuing widows. Thus verses
16-18 is referring to honoring women widows who served well as church
elders/pastors: 1 Timothy 5:16-18 NRSVue This is obscured in some other English Bible translations, where
they insert the word "his," which is NOT in the Greek here. 1 Timothy 5:18 ESV The above ESV added the word "his," which is not in the
Greek here, and now obscures the fact that these verses are referring to older
female church pastors who are widowed. Titus 2:1-6 ESV Women all over the country are taught in churches that the Titus 2
Woman is a submissive Suzy Homemaker who doesn't have a career or ambitions
other than staying home to take care of her house, husband, and children.
This couldn't be farther from the TRUTH. By this point, would you
actually be shocked to find out that this is not what this passage says
in the Greek? First of all, notice the word "older" for both the men
and the women. Yep, it's the Greek
word πρεσβύτης -
pres-boo'-tace - masculine noun referring to the men, which is literally Elder
in English, and πρεσβῦτις -
pres-boo'-tis - feminine noun referring to the women, which is literally Elder
in English. Now the question arises, is pres-boo'-tace/pres-boo'-tis referring
to these men's and women's ages, or to the church office of Presbyter, which we
usually call Elder or Pastor? We let context tell us, and the context
is very clear. Titus 1:5 NRSVue "Elders" above is the
Greek πρεσβύτερος
- pres-boo'-ter-os, which is an adjective, meaning a person of either gender
that is a church elder/pastor. We see the masculine and feminine noun
versions of this same word in verses 2 and 3 of chapter 2. From verse 6 to the end of chapter one, Paul then describes the
church elder's office, just as we have the same description for Bishop and
Elder in 1 Timothy 3. And in case you are wondering, there are no
masculine pronouns or the words man/men anywhere in this description in the
Greek. Thus if the Bible translation you are reading has man/men or
he/him/his is this description, your translation has added to and changed the
word of God here, as this whole passage is 100% gender neutral in the
Greek. Also recall that if your Bible translation says "husband of
one wife" in this passage, that's a poor translation of an ancient idiom
which was directed at either gender and meant to be sexually pure. This
cannot be referring to mere polygamy, because we have the mistranslation
"wife of one husband" in 1 Timothy 5 to women - better translated as
"one woman man." Does "wife of one husband" mean
there were cases of women practicing polyandry? Certainly not. That
was unheard of. It's the idiom - meaning to be sexually pure. Recall that the originals of the Bible do not have chapter and
verse divisions. That was added by humans so that it's easier for all of us to
study the Bible together and follow along, as we have been doing in this
treatise. Therefore, chapter two is continuing directly where chapter one
left off. Thus we open in chapter 2 with specific instructions to male
church elders/pastors, and specific instructions to female church
elders/pastors. By most Bible versions suddenly changing the word from
"elder" to "older," we lose the fact that the Bible is
directly describing Women Pastors in Titus 2:3-5. Here is a translation that remains honest to the
Greek: Titus 2:1-6 TPT Thus we now see revealed what was in the Greek the whole
time. The Titus 2 Woman is a Pastor. Notice the male elders are to have disciplined lives of dignity
and self control. Self control is very important here, as many modern
churches teach a cult heresy that states that women are responsible in how they
dress in order to not tempt men. There is not one verse in the Bible that
teaches that, but due to some misleading English translations, some Bible
versions make us think that is a teaching. We'll get into that a little
bit later in this treatise. Rather, the Bible repeatedly teaches that all Christians are to
exercise self-control. In regards to men, part of that means averting
their eyes from women's bodies and remembering that women are humans created in
the image of God 100% as much as men are, and deserve just as much respect. The above passage goes on to say that male church elders are to
have faith, love, and patience, and to guide the younger men into living
disciplined lives for Christ. The above says of female church elders that they are to not gossip
or be drunks, and to teach beautiful things. "Teach beautiful
things" is from one Greek word here. That word
is καλοδιδάσκαλος
- kal-od-id-as'-kal-os, which literally means a person who teaches what is
right and good. Thus the female church elders are to teach their
congregation what is right and good. The above passage then goes on to say "This will enable them
to teach the younger women." "This will enable them to
teach" is also from one Greek word, and that word
is σωφρονίζω -
so-fron-id'-zo, which means to teach someone self-control. Why would the
female church elders need to teach the younger women to love their husbands
with self-control? In the culture at that time girls often at the age of
13-15 were married off to grown men who were significantly older. Wives
were seen as property, and were usually treated as such. This made it
challenging for women to love their husbands. With both the wife and husband now being Christians and attending
the theoretical church of Titus 2, the woman pastor is to teach the
"younger women" - often likely teenagers, to love their grown men
husbands with self-control. This could be a challenge, as society sees
her as her husband's property. Where the above passage says the younger women are to be taught to
'take care of their household,' in the Greek it's the adjective
οἰκουργός (oy-koo-ros').
This is oy'-kos - household, and ouros - a guard or protector. Thus the
above is not saying the wife has to be a homemaker. It's saying she is to guard
or protect her household. Notice over and over in both Testaments
women are not portrayed as fragile, wispy things, but are instead depicted as
strong and warrior-like. Here we have the Titus 2 woman pastor teaching
the younger women to guard their homes. A female guard is not too farfetched: John 18:16 NRSVue "Guarded the gate" above is from the
Greek θυρωρός (thoo-ro-ros')
thoo-ro-ros' is a combination of thoo'-rah - gate, and ouros - a guard.
This is a woman who is guarding the gate. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 NRSVue People will quote the above verses and state that this means women
are not allowed to teach or preach in the church. However, we know that
this cannot be what the above is saying, because: 1) Phoebe was a leader of the church in Cenchreae, which was a
port in Corinth (Rom. 16:1-2) 2) The topic of all of chapter 14 is specifically about speaking
in tongues and prophesying in church in an orderly manner Right off the bat we see that the above verses can't be saying
that women are to be silent in the church, because that contradicts Phoebe in
Romans 16:1-2, and the above can't be saying that women aren't allowed to speak
in tongues or prophesy in church, because we have them prophesying in 1
Corinthians 11:5, and we have multiple verses here in chapter 14 that emphasize
that speaking in tongues and prophesying are for anyone in the church - with no
gender stipulations given. Some Bible translations have the above 1 Corinthians 14 passage as
thus: 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 REV Notice the REV has these two verses in brackets. What does
that mean? Generally, when a Bible translation has words, phrases or
verses in brackets, it means the translators believe the words or verses in
question were an interpolation, and are not in the actual originals of the
Bible. Why would the REV think that these two verses may be an
interpolation? First off all, depending on which ancient Bible manuscript
you look at, these verses may come after verse 33, or they come later in
chapter 14. Usually when there are Bible verses that are in different
places in different ancient manuscripts, it's a strong indicator that those
verses were later added by someone and are not in the originals. There are a few Bible manuscripts that have an omit symbol next to
these verses, indicating that the scribe who made that copy believed those
verses were an interpolation and not in the originals. When studied under
a special light, the original inking of the very ancient Vaticanus manuscript
of the New Testament can be seen, and there appears to be an omit symbol next
to those verses. This is one of the oldest Bible manuscripts in existence
that we know of. I, however, personally believe these two verses may actually be in
the originals, and thus belong in the Bible, because I believe these two verses
are a common rhetorical device that Paul used a lot, called a Diatribe.
If these verses are a diatribe, then that means Paul is quoting someone else,
and then refuting them. There are some Bible translations that put these
verses in quotation marks, and I believe that is correct. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 Montgomery Translation Paul the Apostle was quoting from a letter that the Corinthians
had previously sent to him, where they were quoting Cato the Elder, as recorded
by Livy. Cato the Elder was a renowned public speaker and a proponent of
making the Oppian Law "as also says the law" stronger. The
Oppian Law dictated that women had no rights, were not allowed to own much if
any property or money, and had to be subordinate to men. Women took to the streets and tried to protest this Oppian
Law. Cato was sickened by seeing these women speaking to other men who
were not their own husbands, and deemed that inappropriate. Thus Cato
began publicly speaking in support of the Oppian Law, and taught that the
Oppian Law needed to be made stronger, to state that women shouldn't be allowed
to speak in public at all, and even if they had a question about anything, they
were to keep that to themselves until they got home, and then ask their
husbands. In trying to help bring order to the church, the Corinthians were
wanting to bring in Cato's teaching, and then they'd only have to deal with the
men speaking in tongues and prophesying, instead of both the men and the women
doing so. Paul quoted their quote that they gave him in their previous
letter to him in verses 34 and 35, thus the Montgomery Translation having these
verses in quotes, and then Paul refutes this heretical stance
right afterward: 1 Corinthians 14:36-39 NRSVue The word "or" at the beginning of the above is more
accurately translated as "What!" as seen in the RSV: What! Did the word of God originate with you, or are you the only
ones it has reached? - 1 Corinthians 14:36 RSV Paul quotes Cato the Elder in verses 34 and 35, and then verses
36-39 are Paul's refutation: 1)What! Did the word of God originate with you
[Corinthians]?! 2) Are you [Corinthians] the only ones the word of God has
reached? - Indicating the Cato teaching from verses 34 and 35 is not a teaching
in any other church. 3) Any Christian must acknowledge the command Paul is about to say
to them. Paul says anyone who does not recognize the command, which is
from God, should not be recognized. 4) He then gives the command in verse 39 - "So, my brothers
and sisters, strive to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues." Remember, the topic of all of chapter 14 is speaking in tongues
and prophesying. The Corinthian church was trying to say that women were
not allowed to speak in tongues or prophesy in the church, and they were citing
Cato the Elder's teachings to back that up. Paul then tells them in verse
39 - no, ALL Christians are allowed to speak in tongues and prophesy. Paul didn't author 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. Livy wrote it
down from a speech Cato the Elder gave, and then the Corinthian church wrote
that quote to Paul. Paul then quoted that quote and completely refuted it,
standing up for women speaking in the church. 1 Timothy 2:8-9a KJV "In like manner also," translated "likewise"
in many other translations literally means - 'just what I told the previous
people group, I also mean for this other people group.' Thus "In
like manner also" is saying that just as the men are to "pray every
where, lifting up holy hands," so are the women. Right after this
"in like manner also" phrase, many Bible translations suddenly go off
topic and randomly discuss how women are to dress 'modestly.' What does
women 'dressing modestly' have to do with their prayers and the topic in verse
8? Guess what? The Greek for this does not say women
are to 'dress modest.' Because of this, some Bible translations won't say
'modest,' like the below... 1 Timothy 2:8-9a NRSVue While "moderate clothing" is better, it still does not
convey what the Greek is actually saying. The word that the KJV translated as "modest" is the
Greek word κόσμιος
- kos'-mee-os. The Koine Greek kos'-mee-os literally means
'orderly, well-behaved.' It doesn't have to do with physical clothing, it
has to do with behavior. This is why the KJV translated this exact same
Greek word as "of good behaviour" in 1 Timothy 3:2, when
describing the qualities of a church leader. The next word in question in our above 1 Timothy 2:8-9a KJV
passage is the word "apparel." This is from the Greek
word καταστολή - kat-as-tol-ay',
which is a noun and means "dignity, restraint," not clothing!
In the noun form this word is in the bible only once, but it appears twice in
the New Testament in its verb form, of which the KJV translates it as "had
appeased" in Acts 19:35 and "quiet" in Acts 19:36. Thus, "modest apparel" in the above 1 Timothy 2:9
passage is incorrect. From the Greek it is "well-behaved and with
dignity." The church leader is also called to this Greek -
"well-behaved" in 1 Timothy 3:2. Therefore, if we are
being honest with the Greek, then this part of 1 Timothy 2:9 should
say: Likewise, that women arrange
(κοσμέω) themselves with (ἐν) good
behavior (κόσμιος) and dignity
(καταστολή). Thus 1 Timothy 2:8-9a actually says from Greek to English: In other words, men are to pray without wrath and doubting, and
women are to pray with good behavior (also used to describe the church leader
in 1 Timothy 3) and with dignity. Men without wrath - as men were considered to be fight-ready, and
women with dignity - because women were usually not treated with dignity in
that culture, but nonetheless a woman of God has dignity, regardless of how she
is treated. Further recall that 1 and 2 Timothy were in Ephesus, so the
women are also to "arrange themselves in good behavior." Thus
they are to be calm, and not pray to God in the frantic way they would to
Artemis in certain rituals before they got saved. People who run to 1 Timothy 2:8-9 to state how women should dress
modestly are running to something that is actually not talking about her
physical outfit, so much as it's referring to her dressing her personality with
good character traits, rather than putting her focus on wearing expensive
clothes of that time (thus the rest of verse 9). Notice, however, that
these verses do not stipulate that she is to dress
modestly. That's in most English Bible translations, but not in the Greek
or thus the originals. Moving further along in 1 Timothy chapter 2, we next come across
the following... 1 Timothy 2:11-12 ESV Have you ever looked at these two verses in the Greek? When
looking in the Greek, we are expecting we will find the
word παύω - pow'-o - "to cease or
refrain," or a similar word in regards to women being quiet (or silent in
the KJV). We see pow'-o used like this several times in the Bible, for
example: 1 Peter 3:10 KJV "Let him refrain" above is pow'-o. However, when we look at 1 Timothy 2:11-12, both places where the
ESV says "quiet," and where the KJV says "silent," it's not
the Greek pow'-o. Instead it
is ἡσυχία - hay-soo-khee'-ah, which
is a Greek noun that means "calm, peaceful." It does not mean
cessation of verbal speech, and is only used this way when referring to women.
All other places it's used, it's translated properly as "peaceful" or
similiar. In this same 1 Timothy 2 chapter, we have the adjective form of
this very same word, and it is translated as "peaceful:" 1 Timothy 2:2 ESV The above word quiet is not hay-soo-khee'-ah
/ hay-soo'-khee-os, but rather is an entirely different word
- ay'-rem-os. However notice that the above word
"peaceful" is our word hay-soo'-khee-os. Thus we already see a problem with the ESV translation (and many
other versions). If we correct the ESV on this, then we have: 1 Timothy 2:11-12 Why did Paul say the woman is to be peaceful? Recall this is
in Ephesus, and Ephesus had one of the ancient seven wonders of the world - the
Artemis Temple, where the priests were primarily women and eunuchs (considered
men made into women). These women were becoming Christians and for the
first time, going to church. They tried to behave in church as they did during
certain rituals in the Artemis temple which were not always very peaceful. Women in that time and culture were not allowed to learn, so they
had no experience in sitting peacefully, submitting to the teacher, and
listening in order to learn. They had to be taught how to learn - "learn
peacefully with all submissiveness." "Submissiveness" is
better translated as "with subjection." They were to learn
peacefully and subject themselves to the teacher or preacher they were supposed
to be learning from, as anyone who learns from another should. What's radical for that culture at that time is that the above
says "Let a woman learn." LET, because in that culture women
were not educated or allowed to learn. "Let them learn
too!" Is what Paul was saying. This made Paul a radical
feminist for that time and culture. As we continue looking at these two verses in the Greek, we fully
expect to find the Greek word ἐξουσία
- ex-oo-see'-ah, which was the common Koine Greek word for
"authority." After all, most English Bible translations have
the word "authority" in 1 Timothy 2:12, so we fully expect to see
that word in the Greek. Take a look. It's not there. That's right. The word authority is not in the Greek for 1
Timothy 2:12! Let that sink in for a minute... First we see
that 1 Timothy 2:11-12 doesn't say the woman is to be silent/quiet in the
Greek, but merely says she is to be peaceful, and the Greek word for
"authority" isn't even in 1 Timothy 2:12! Ex-oo-see'-ah is the common Koine Greek word for
"authority" and is in the New Testament over 100 times. Paul
regularly used ex-oo-see'-ah for authority in his writings. The word that most English translations are translating as
"authority" in 1 Timothy 2:12
is αὐθεντέω - ow-then-teh'-o,
which means "murder." Ow-then-teh'-o is in the New Testament only once, thus Paul chose
this rare word only for 1 Timothy 2:12. If Paul meant
"authority," he would have used ex-oo-see'-ah as he did many times in
the New Testament. Instead he used a word that means "murder." While ow-then-teh'-o is only in the canonical Scriptures one time,
it does also appear in the Koine Greek deuterocanon/apocrypha. We see
this word in Wisdom 12:6: Wisdom 12:6 NRSVue these parents who had authority over helpless
lives, you willed to destroy by the hands of our ancestors The above now says that God wills to destroy any parents who have
authority over their own children. See how ridiculous that is?
Translators knew ow-then-teh'-o means murder in Wisdom 12:6 but somehow forgot
that when it comes to 1 Timothy 2:12. Because of "quiet" actually being "peaceful,"
and the word "authority" actually being nowhere in 1 Timothy 2:11-12,
there are Bible translations that translate these verses differently than the
KJV, ESV, CSB, NLT, NASB, etc. There are Bible translations that aim to
be more accurate. Thus they translate 1 Timothy 2:12 as: ____________________________________ I don’t allow a wife to teach or to control her husband. Instead,
she should be a quiet listener. CEB Moreover, in the area of teaching, I am not allowing a woman to
instigate conflict toward a man. Instead, she is to remain calm. ISV 2.0 I don’t advocate that the newly converted women be the teachers in
the church, assuming authority over the men, but to live in peace. TPT I'm not saying that women should teach men, or try to dictate to
them; rather, that they should be left undisturbed. N.T. Wright
Translation I do not permit a woman to teach that she is the originator of
man, rather she is not to cause a disturbance. REV 2020 ____________________________________ Thus we see that various translations struggle with how to
translate ow-then-teh'-o, but we see them properly translating hay-soo-khee'-ah
as "calm/peace/undisturbed" as it is translated elsewhere in the
Bible. Notice the CEB says "wife" and
"husband." This is more accurate, as the Greek word for woman
is the same word for wife, and the Greek word for husband is the same word for
man. Thus, to determine when the Greek is referring to a married
individual or just their gender, you have to use context. The context
here changes from men and women in the plural in verses 8-10 to singular man
and singular woman in verses 11 and 12. We went from all Christian men
and Christian women to a specific man and a specific woman, indicating a
contextual change from gender to marriage - a wife and a husband. As for "teaching" in these verses, ow-then-teh'-o is
describing the type of teaching. Thus verse 12 is saying that the wife is not
to bring a teaching to her husband that leads to his spiritual murder. How 1 Timothy 2:11-12 Should be Translated if we are Being Honest
with the Greek: Let a wife learn in peacefulness with full subjection [to the
teacher]. I do not permit a wife to teach unto [spiritual] murder a husband.
Rather, she is to be calm. When read this way, the rest of 1 Timothy chapter 2 makes
sense. Take a look as we go through the rest of this chapter in 1 Timothy
2: Verse 13 NRSVue Verse 14 NRSVue Adam had the command directly from God, not Eve. Satan, the
beautiful shining winged serpent angelic creature at that time, came to Eve and
convinced her that she must have misunderstood Adam, or that Adam must have misunderstood
God. With Adam watching all of that and not saying a word, Eve ate the
forbidden fruit. She then teaches Adam about what she thinks are its good
qualities and extends the forbidden fruit to Adam. He eats it upon her
ow-then-teh'-o teaching, disregarding the teaching he had previously gotten
directly from God, so he died spiritually. The Artemis women priests and worshippers in Ephesus at the time
of 1 Timothy 2:12 were trying to teach their newly converted Christian husbands
about Artemis worship, which was an ow-then-teh'-o teaching that could lead to
their husband's spiritual murder. This is why Paul used the word
ow-then-teh'-o! It's supposed to connect us to what happened between Eve
and Adam with the forbidden fruit. Verse 15 NRSVue The wife will be saved through childbearing, provided that they -
both husband and wife, continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. Self-control
here is from the
Greek σωφροσύνη -
so-fros-oo'-nay, which is a Greek synonym to hay-soo-khee'-ah - "she is to
be peaceful" from the end of verse 12. Thus, both husband and wife are to remain in the faith and be
peaceful/self-controlled. How is the wife "saved through childbearing?" Eve did
ow-then-teh'-o to the first Adam. Notice the New Testament tells us Eve
was deceived, but it attributes the Fall to Adam, even though he ate after Eve.
Why is the Fall attributed to Adam? Because Adam was not deceived.
Adam knowingly disobeyed a command he had gotten directly from
the mouth of God. Through Eve the first Adam fell, because he heeded her false
teaching. The New Testament calls Jesus the Last Adam. This is one
of the reasons Jesus was born male. The Last Adam abolished the Law of
Sin and Death that began with the first Adam, thus saving the woman through
childbearing, as the Last Adam was born of the Virgin Mary.
Through Eve's ow-then-teh'-o teaching, the first Adam was spiritually
murdered. Through the woman - the Virgin Mary, the Last Adam was born,
who conquered Sin and Death. 1 Corinthians 15:45 NRSVue Romans 5:15 NRSVue Romans 5:18 NRSVue Romans 8:1-2 NRSVue Recall that the proper translation of Romans 16:1-2 as seen in the
CEV, LSV, and TPT shows us that the misogynistic, patriarchal, eisegesis views
of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:12 are absolutely wrong. Let's
quickly review. Romans 16:1-2 TPT In verse 1, we see that Phoebe was the minister of the church in
Cenchrea. Cenchrea was a port of Corinth, thus Phoebe was the minister of
a church in Corinth. Therefore 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 (which was in
Corinth) cannot be saying that women aren't allowed to speak in church, because
Paul had given accolades to a woman minister of a church in Corinth. In verse 2, we see that Phoebe was also a leader, and not just of
women and children, but clearly of men as well, because the end of the verse
says that Phoebe was also a leader of Paul the Apostle himself. So we see
that 1 Timothy 2:12 therefore must not be saying that women aren't allowed to
teach men or have authority over them, because Paul gave accolades to the woman
Phoebe as a leader of him. And as we saw in verse 1, she was also a church
leader. In fact, the CEV brings this out even more: Furthermore, let us not forget that the woman Priscilla taught the
renowned teacher of the Old Testament - the man Apollos, in Acts 18:24-26,
which occurred in Ephesus, where 1 Timothy 2:12 was written to. Also, don't forget that 1 Corinthians chapter 14 tells us that
people are to listen to prophets, to learn from them: 1 Corinthians 14:29-31 CEV It's an undeniable fact that there are many woman prophets in both
Testaments of the Bible, and now we see that people are learn from prophets,
thus 1 Timothy 2:12 cannot be saying that men aren't allowed to learn from
women. Why did Paul want Timothy to spend time at the church in Ephesus?
The answer is given in 1 Timothy, where Paul writes to Timothy in both First
and Second Timothy on how to handle a specific problem. 1 Timothy 1:3 NRSVue From this one verse we learn that 1 and 2 Timothy are written to
Timothy when he was at the church in Ephesus, where Timothy was left by Paul to
stop false teachings - "instruct certain people not to teach different
things." If you do an honest reading through both 1 and 2 Timothy, you find
that that is indeed the main theme running through both books: Stopping false
teachers in the Ephesian church and to the Ephesian Christians. Some of these false teachers are mentioned by name, such as
Hymenaeus, Alexander, and Philetus. Some of the false teachers are
mentioned as groups, such as those who taught myths as facts, and
misinformation about the Torah, etc., and some of the false teachers were
married women teaching Artemis worship, such as we saw when we delved into 1
Timothy 2, and some of the false teachers were widowed women proselytizing for
Artemis, such as in the below: 1 Timothy 5:13 NRSVue Oh wait, you don't see it in the English, do you? It's clear
in the Greek. First of all, the above word "gossips" is
translated from the Greek word φλύαρος
- floo'-ar-os - which means "nonsense." These widowed women in
this chapter were NOT going house to house gossiping, they were stating
something as fact which is in actuality nonsense. And what is the nonsense that they were proselytizing from house
to house? The above English translation says that they were
"busybodies." Yet if we look in the Greek, the word there
is περίεργος -
per-ee'-er-gos. Per-ee'-er-gos is only in the Bible two times, so if it
means "busybodies," then we'll see that word or a synonymous one in
the other place where this Greek word is. The other place where
per-ee'-er-gos appears in the Bible is the below: Acts 19:19 NRSVue I don't see "busybodies" or anything close to that in
the above. Do you? If we look in our interlinear Bibles, we see
that here per-ee'-er-gos was correctly translated as "magic."
Magic and busybodies are in no way synonymous. If you read more in Acts chapter 19, you'll see that verse 19 is
occurring in Ephesus (where 1 and 2 Timothy are written to) and that Acts 19:19
is part of a revival where a bunch of Artemis worshippers turned to Jesus and
got saved, so they burned their witchcraft (magic) Artemis books. These
people practiced Artemis magic - per-ee'-er-gos. When we plug in the
correct translations of floo'-ar-os and per-ee'-er-gos in 1 Timothy 5:13, we
get the following: "Besides that, they learn to be idle, gadding about from
house to house, and they are not merely idle but also speaking nonsense
and magic, saying what they should not say." The only two places in the Bible where we have the Greek word
per-ee'-er-gos is Acts 19:19 and 1 Timothy 5:13. Both places are in
Ephesus, where Artemis magic was huge at that time, especially for women. Remember that 1 and 2 Timothy are about correcting or ousting the
false teachers from misleading the newly converted Ephesian Christians.
While both books mention groups and some men doing some false teachings, we see
it also mentions some married women trying to bring Artemis worship into the
church which would corrupt their husbands in 1 Timothy 2:12, and in 1 Timothy
5:13 we have some widowed women going house to house teaching Artemis magic. Now we see a connection between 1 Timothy 2:12 and 1 Timothy
5:13. These were two groups of women trying to bring Artemis magic to
Christians. These were some of the false teachers Timothy was sent to
correct or stop. Artemis worship still exists today, and still has many of the same
rituals. In our modern world, it usually now goes by the name of
Wicca. While there are male priests and attendants in Wicca, it is still
considered quite a female religion, with more adherents being women, and the high
priestesses often being revered in each coven. They believe in feminine power
and the female goddess in line with their view of the Divine Feminine. What else do we see with flawed English translations of 1 Timothy
5:13? It looks like it's saying that bored women were going house to
house to gossip and stick their noses in other people's business.
But when we look in the Greek, we find out that these women were not
doing that. They were going house to house teaching Artemis magic.
These were some of the people giving wrong (different) teachings that Timothy
was to correct: 1 Timothy 1:3 NRSVue Some of those "certain people" were the women from 1
Timothy 2:12 and 1 Timothy 5:13. Key verses many "Biblical Womanhood" Complementarians
run to which they say states women are to be homemakers are in 1 Timothy 5. 1 Timothy 5:14-15 LSB Some people point to the above verses in the above translation, or
translations similar to it, and say that this teaches that if women aren't
homemakers - those who "keep house," then they have "turned
aside after Satan." As by this point you can surely guess, "keep house" is
not what it says in the Greek. Because of this, some translations will
state this a bit differently. 1 Timothy 5:14-15 NRSVue Notice the above translation, like several others, instead says
"manage their households." "Manage" here is still too
soft for what the Greek says. Thus, a few Bible translations will be more
bold, and translate this word more accurately from the Greek, such as the
below: 1 Timothy 5:14-15 LSV So, for this word in question, is the wife to keep house, manage
the house, or be mistress of the house? The Greek word behind this
is οἰκοδεσποτέω
- oy-kod-es-pot-eh'-o which literally means Master of the House.
The Greek oy-kod-es-pot-eh'-o had a common Latin term at that time, which was
"Paterfamilias." The Paterfamilias was literally "The Man of the
House." Recall we've come across this term already in this
treatise. Remember that the Christian paterfamilias was the pastor of his
house church, and ruler of his household, but sometimes we come across a female
ruler of a household - materfamilias - in the Bible, such as Chloe, Nympha,
Kyria, Lydia, and probably also the mother of John Mark, and these would be
women pastors of their household churches, and women rulers in their homes. Oy-kod-es-pot-eh'-o directly translates to the Latin
Paterfamilias! Thus Latin translations of this, including the Latin
Vulgate, will say "materfamilias" in verse 14, since the context
shows it's referring to a female Master of the House. What is going on here?! Most
English translations translate oy-kod-es-pot-eh'-o which literally means
"master of the house" in 1 Timothy 5:14 to: - 'manage their homes' - NIV, NKJV, NASB2020, NRSVue. A
manager is under a boss, but an oy-kod-es-pot-eh'-o is the
boss! - 'keep house' / 'take care of their homes' - LSB, NLT, NASB1995,
NLT. An oy-kod-es-pot-eh'-o is the Master/Ruler of the house, not the
housekeeper. Thus the oy-kod-es-pot-eh'-o is in charge of the household
servants, as well as all other occupants in their home. The Master is not 'the Manager', nor is the Master 'The
Help.' The Master is the Ruler - the One in Charge! Let's see this verse from 1 Timothy 5 honestly translated from the
Greek. 1 Timothy 5:14 Friends, the Bible doesn't say women are to be 'keepers at home,'
it says women are to RULE their homes. Let that sink in for a moment. While oy-kod-es-pot-eh'-o in its verb form is only in the Bible
once - in our verse in question, it is in its noun form multiple times.
When referring to men, it gets translated as "ruler,"
"master," "householder," etc. Imagine if we
translated this word when referring to men as one who 'keeps house,' like so
many Bibles do with this word when referring to women. Here is one of the places where we see this word referring to a
male householder: Matthew 20:1 KJV Let's do to this man what so many Bible translations have done to
the woman in 1 Timothy 5:14. Let's mistranslate him into a keeper of the
home. Matthew 20:1 This man has now been reduced to a supervisor, or a servant of
high rank, but it no longer shows him as the householder - the
master/ruler. Yet we know the Greek word here is indeed
householder/master of the house/ruler of the house, just as it is for 1 Timothy
5:14. Let's look again at the proper translation of 1 Timothy 5:14: So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, and
be the rulers of their households, so as to give the adversary no occasion
to revile us. A matriarchal society can use this verse to wrongly state that the
Bible is saying that women are to be the rulers of the household, and that men
must be submissive to women. Sound familiar? That's similiar to the
wrong patriarchal view often given to 1 Timothy 2:12 against women, isn't it. Yet when we read all of the Scriptures, we also see instances
where it refers to men being householders or masters/rulers of their
households. So the question arises: who, therefore, is supposed to be in
charge of the household? The answer is given in one simple word in the
below: Romans 16:3-5a NRSVue It's a biarchy! Remember God's Will straight from creation: Genesis 1:26a NRSVue Some people will then turn to Titus 2:5 to state that women should
be 'keepers of their homes,' / homemakers: Titus 2:5 KJV Recall we already studied this a bit earlier. "Keepers
at home" is οἰκουργός
- oy-koo-ros', which means guarding a household, not being a Suzy
Homemaker. Homemaking is a choice, not a command. As for where the KJV for this verse says "obedient to their
own husbands," the word obedient is "translated" from the Greek
word ὑποτάσσω - hoop-ot-as'-so,
which means to support, append to, or be devoted to. Titus 2:5 TPT Have you noticed that when reading writings by Paul in the Bible,
there are several places where it looks like he says one thing, and then right
afterward, he seems to say the opposite? We saw this with 1 Corinthians
14. In verses 34 and 35 it looked like Paul was saying that women are not
allowed to speak in tongues or prophesy in church, but then the verses after
that are Paul saying that the command from the Lord is said to all in the
church to: "strive to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in
tongues." When we looked at this portion of Scripture earlier, we discovered
that this is a diatribe. An easy way to recognize a diatribe in the
Scriptures is when a passage says one thing, and then after it, it seems to say
the opposite. For example, we see a simple diatribe in the first two verses of 1
Corinthians chapter 7: 1 Corinthians 7:1-2 NRSVue Paul quoted something that the Corinthians previously wrote to him
- "It is good for a man not to touch a woman." He then refutes
that quote by responding "because of cases of sexual immorality, each man
should have his own wife and each woman her own husband." Why did Paul say each should have their own spouse?
Immediately we see this rules out polygamy being permissible in the Scriptures,
but we also get a glimpse into Paul's correcting Corinthian culture here as
well. In the Corinthian culture at that time, wives were the property of
husbands, and husbands were allowed to go out and cheat on their wives, but the
wives were expected to be faithful. We see here that Paul is saying the
wife belongs to the husband, but the husband also belongs to the wife.
Thus neither are allowed to cheat, and both should honor one another. There are multiple diatribes in Paul's letters, but especially in
1 Corinthians. What's likely the longest diatribe in the Bible is in 1
Corinthians chapter 11. 1 Corinthians 11:3-12 NIV2011 *I added the quotation marks in red Before we get into the diatribe, which will reveal what the Christian
woman's real head covering is, let's first go over verse 3. This verse is
the foundation verse for a heretical infographic that has regularly made its
rounds online for years. It's a picture of an umbrella, with Christ as
the biggest umbrella at the top, the husband with the next biggest umbrella
under Christ, and the wife with the tiny umbrella under the husband's bigger
umbrella, and "children" and "managers of the home" under
the wife's tiny umbrella. This infographic is a cult's representation of 1 Corinthians 11:3,
but not truly demonstrating at all what 1 Corinthians 11:3 actually says.
This is a classic case of a cult applying eisegesis to the Scriptures to gain
power over certain people, rather than the proper exegesis, which always reveals
the truth. In the eisegesis view, the cult sees a hierarchy, where they
interpret the symbolic use of the word "head" as the modern symbolic
use in English, which is authority. For example, one may be the head of
their department at work. There are two problems with this view: 1) This creates a known heresy to most denominations, knowns as
Arianism, or Subordinationism. Under this old teaching, it states that
since 1 Corinthians 11:3 says "the head of Christ is God," thus
members in the Trinity must not have equal authority, Christ is under the
umbrella of the authority of God. This heresy began with the man Arius in
the 4th century, when he began claiming that Christ is merely a created being
under the 'headship of God.' Most Christian churches have been in
agreement since 325 AD that Arianism is a heresy and incorrect. 2) Symbolic "head" in the New Testament does not mean
authority, like it does in modern English. Symbolic head at the time of Paul,
in the old Koine Greek meant "source, origin, beginning of." This is clearly recorded in the Lidell
Scott Jones dictionary: Symbolic κεφαλή - kef-al-ay' - origin,
source of a river, source, starting-point In fact, if you look this up in the Lidell Scott Jones dictionary
for yourself, notice that "authority," "leader," or
anything synonymous to that is nowhere in the definition! This is more known to scholars and translators than a lot of churches
like to admit. For example, the NLT Bible gives a translator's note for 1
Corinthians 11, verse 3, where it gives an alternate translation as: "Or to know: The source of every man is Christ, the source of
woman is man, and the source of Christ is God." In fact, the 2017 TPT Bible translated this verse fabulously: 1 Corinthians 11:3 TPT 2017 Notice that the TPT says Christ is the source of every human, and
not "man," like many translations say. That's because the Greek word
aner which is the word here, can refer to men, or all humans, depending on
context. The context is here clearly referring to Adam, right after creation.
Recall that before Eve was taken out of Adam, Adam was both genders. Remember
that "Adam" is from the Hebrew word for "human," and does
not refer to a gender. Notice also that the above scripture passage in the TPT says
"Adam was the source of Eve," instead of the NIV2011's "the head
of the woman is man." Take note that we went from plurality to
singularity. The Scriptures teach that God created through Christ, and thus
verse 3 here is telling us that Christ is the Source of all humans (plural),
and then it says the man is the source of... (singular). Remember Adam in Hebrew is אָדָם -
aw-dam', and aw-dam' is Hebrew for "human being." Thus the above
TPT's "and Adam was the source of Eve" fits, as this is referring to
the first human, of which the second human was taken/removed out of half of the
first human. Recall the Hebrew conveys that Eve was not take from a rib, nor
was she a piece of a side, she was HALF of the first human. She was one side
of the first human, and Adam was the other side. The last part of verse 3 in the TPT says "God is the source
of the Messiah." Verse 3 is in order of cration, so let's look at
the order: 1) First, all humans appeared, via Christ being their Source. 2) Second, the first human, Adam, was the source of the second
human, Eve. (The Corinthians will refer to Adam as "the man,"
or "man," later in this chapter.) 3) Later, Christ was born in human form. Christ Incarnate's
Source is God the Father. Recall that the Bible often uses synonymous words to match other
important words. We saw this, for example, when we looked at 1 Timothy
chapter 2. We saw "peaceful" and "self-controlled" as
synonyms. We have a Greek synonym to "source" from verse 3, later
in this chapter. 1 Corinthians 11:12 TPT 1 Corinthians 11:12 NIV2011 "Came from" above is from the Greek ἐκ -
ek - which is defined by the LSJ Koine Greek Dictionary, under the "Of
Origin" section as - "out of." As you see, ek here is being used synonymously with kef-al-ay' -
"source" from verse 3. Both mean where something or someone
came from in this chapter. Verses 8 and 9 from the Corinthian's argument
also carry this synonymous source language: 1 Corinthians 11:8-9 NIV2011 Now that we've established that verse 3 of 1 Corinthians 11 is
describing source, and not authority, we are ready to move on to what is likely
the longest diatribe in the Bible. Consider that Paul is quoting from a letter the Corinthians sent
to him in verses 4-9. Let's review what they say: 1 Corinthians 11:4-9 NIV2011 *I added the quotation marks in red The Corinthians were trying to mix culture with church, and create
a cultural and worldly propriety in the church. There were certain
cultural rules there, which decided what was and wasn't modest for a woman
regarding her hair and also her social standing. The Corinthians were
trying to make this cultural preference a rule that had to be followed in their
church. The Corinthians thought that women who didn't wear head coverings
were dishonoring themselves. They also pointed out that Adam was created
in the image of God, but failed to remember that so was Eve - ("male and
female God created them, in the image of God" - from Genesis 1:27).
The Corinthians thought that since Eve came out of Adam, men were the glory of
God, but that women were just the glory of men, since the first woman came out
of the half of the first human. And they wrapped up their argument saying
that woman was created for man. Now let's see Paul's refutation: 1 Corinthians 11:10-12 NIV2011 Paul gets right to the point of what the woman's head covering is,
and it's in verse 10 - the Christian woman's head covering is having authority
"over her own head!" Paul is saying it's up to each woman if
she wants to follow the cultural custom of covering or not covering. It's
her head, and women have authority over their own heads! He goes further
and gives an example as a reason for woman's authority, where he says in the
end of verse 10 that it's "because of the angels." Paul didn't explain what he meant by this, and that's because he
didn't have to. He just mentioned angels and a form of authority just a
little earlier in this letter to the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 6:3 NIV2011 Christian women, along with Christian men will be judging
angels! If women have the authority to judge angels, then surely they
have authority over their own head to chose to cover their heads or not. Make sure you pay close attention to what I'm about to say: The
woman's covering is her having authority over herself. A pastor is
not her spiritual covering, neither is a husband, a father, or any other
person. Her covering is to be her own spiritual covering herself!
The Corinthians already knew that men had this authority over themselves, and
now Paul is letting them know that women have authority over themselves as
well. Now look at verse 11. This is Paul's response to the
Corinthians stating that in verse 9 that woman was created for man. Paul
corrects them here in verse 11 and says "woman is not independent of
man, nor is man independent of woman." Then verse 12 is our "headship" key verse. Verse
12 is Paul's response to the Corinthians stating that man is the glory of God,
as God made Adam before Eve but woman came from man, so she is just the glory
of man. The reason I call verse 12 the "headship" key verse, is
because people run to verse 3, and use symbolic head under the modern use as
'authority,' instead of the use it was at the time of Paul in the Koine Greek,
which was 'source.' People will say man is the head of woman, and that
men have headship over women. The Corinthians were trying this too, but
not the way the modern patriarchalists do it. The Corinthians were reasoning
that since Adam came from God, and Eve came from Adam, men are superior over
women. They thought that order of appearance meant order of
authority. Now let's see Paul's refutation and correction of this: Verse 12 Paul is reminding them that if they want to say that Eve came from
the first "man," and that this gives men authority over women, then
we have a problem here, because every man since after Adam has
come from a woman. Think about it. Our planet is literally
populated by women and their children. If source equals automatic
authority, then women should be in charge of all men everywhere, for every
single man came out of a woman's body, since after Adam. Then Paul gets to the point - "But everything comes from
God." Women and men have the same Source! It's God! When
people teach the false doctrine of "headship," they are teaching the
heresy that men are the head of women, but we see that "head" here
symbolically means source, and verse 12 says that GOD is the head/source
("comes from") of both men and women. For any human to claim
spiritual headship over any other human is blasphemous, because God is the
source/head of all of us. We are all on equal footing, having come from the
same Source. Jesus emphasizes this multiple times. For example: "I am the Vine, you are the branches" - Jesus tells this
to Christians in John 15:5. Jesus is the Vine, and all Christians branch out
from Him. He is the Source. Headship Theology is blasphemous. The head of
women is Christ. The head of men is Christ. Symbolic head means
Source in the New Testament, not authority. Ephesians 4:11-16 NRSVue Christians, WE are the Body of Christ, and Christ is the
head/source of the body! Look at the list in the above verse 11 -
"pastors and teachers." There is no gender stipulation.
This is open to both women and men, as WE are the Body of Christ, and Christ is
our Head. Period. While we've delved a bit into the dangers of cults developing from
looking at the Scriptures with an eisegesis view, rather than with exegesis, we
also get cults taking parts of passages from the Bible, and applying prescription to
a passage that is merely giving a description. Polygamous
cults are famous for this, but as we saw in 1 Corinthians 7, each wife is to
have own husband, and each husband his own wife. While there were polygamists in the Old Testament of the Bible, it
is nowhere a command. It is merely a description of fallen people living
their lives. Yes, King David was a polygamist, but he was also a
murderer, adulterer, and possible rapist. Yes, King Solomon was a
polygamist, but he also forsook worshipping YHWH God alone, and started
worshipping the pagan gods of some of his wives. This is what lead to the
eventual breaking up of Israel. The Bible no more prescribes polygamy anymore than it does rape,
murder, adultery, and idolatry. Recall much earlier in this treatise we
say that men ruling over women was not a prescription from the Fall, but a
description of one of the repercussions that would occur, right along with the
ground growing thorns and thistles, etc. What about Household Codes? Are they a prescription that
Christian homes are to be under today, or a description of the early
church? As we are going to see, it was a description for the people at
that time, in the Greco-Roman culture. Aristotle came up with Household Codes, since each home was
considered a hub as part of the community. Aristotle introduced three
core hierarchical groups as the backbone for his code: Master/Slave;
Husband/Wife; and Father/Child. Aristotle's household codes taught Master over the Slave, stating
the sick belief that not all people are created equally, and thus some people
are made to be ruled, and some people are made to be rulers. He taught
that masters must make sure they keep strict rule over their slaves. For the second group addressed, Aristotle taught that while wives
are not slaves, they are still under the rulership of their husbands (the
paterfamilias/householder) and thus the husbands are to make sure their wives
are obeying them. As for the third group, Aristotle taught that children too need to
obey the father, as he taught that the father is the supreme authority of the
household. The mother could only rule the children as much as the father
allowed. As you hopefully can clearly see, the Aristotle Household Codes
were antithetical to what Jesus taught. For example: Mark 10:42-45 CEB The leader is a servant in the New Testament! The Christian
leader is to serve others, not lord it over people. Notice in the above passage in the CEB translation, it has Jesus
calling Himself "the Human One," rather than the Son of Man. I
chose the CEB on purpose for the above to also show this to you. Did you know that Jesus never once called Himself
"the Son of Man?" Most translations make you think He did,
but that's NOT what it says in the Greek. Every time most translations
say that Jesus called Himself "the Son of Man," the Greek
is υἱός
ἄνθρωπος - hwee-os' anth'-ro-pos,
which literally in English is Child of Humans, or Child of Humanity.
Often when the Bible calls someone a child of something, it can also be translated
as the type of person they are, thus why the CEB translates hwee-os'
anth'-ro-pos as The Human One. People will argue that hwee-os' means "son," but that is
incorrect. This word was often used in the Greek to address both genders, and
was known as the word "children." For example: Galatians 3:26 KJV And recall that anth'-ro-pos means 'human being.' So we see that the Greek doesn't call Jesus the "Son of
Man," it calls Him the "Child of Humanity," or "The Human
One." Back to the Household Codes... As we see over and over in the New Testament, Christians are equal
in Christ, and are to serve one another, not dominate one another. New
Christians in the Greco-Roman culture had a problem with the Aristotle
Household Codes, because these codes went against Christianity.
Therefore, Paul altered the Household Codes for the Christian households at
that time and in that culture. Ephesians 5:22 NRSVue Whoops, the above word "subject" is not in the
Greek. Here's a better translation: Ephesians 5:22 TLV Now we ask - "okay, wives what to their
husbands?" This is something that occurs multiple times in the New
Testament where a previous verb gets referenced but not stated again. In
this case, the previous verb being referenced is in the previous verse. Ephesians 5:21 NRSVue The what in verse 22 is saying that wives are to
submit/be subject to their husbands, as husbands are to submit/be subject to
their wives. This is made more clear in the NLT Bible: 21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for
Christ. What do we see here that is flipping the Aristotle Code upside
down? The Aristotle code addressed how husbands are to rule over their
wives, and doesn't even address the wife. Paul's revised household code
for the new churches in the Greco-Roman culture addressed both husband and
wife, but specifically addressed the wife first, but not after stating that all
Christians are to submit to one another, including in marriage. Paul doesn't spend much time telling the wife how she is to submit
to her husband, because in that culture, women were already doing so. He
spends most of the Ephesians 5 Household Code explaining to husbands how they
are to submit to their wives. Ephesians 5:25 NRSVue Sound familiar? Mark 10:45 CEB The household code wraps up with giving simple instructions on how
the wife is to submit to her husband, and how the husband is to submit to his
wife: Ephesians 5:33 NRSVue Why love from the husband, and respect from the wife? In
that culture at that time, husbands didn't necessarily love their wives, and
possibly not even liked them. The "wives," were often teenaged
children being married off to much older, adult men. Wives were
considered property and were often treated as such. The husbands are
being told to love their wives as they love themselves. With this in
mind, look at what Paul reminds us of in verse 31: Ephesians 5:31 NRSVue Back to verse 33, we see it also says that the wife is to respect
her husband. Why respect? Would you respect a grownup who took you,
a teenager, as his property and you didn't get a say? Thus, in that Greco-Roman
culture, regardless how the marriage may have occurred before they both became
Christians, now that they are Christians, they are to submit to each other
(verse 21) and the husband is to love his wife, and the wife is to respect her
husband. Notice in Ephesians 5:21-33 we have the word "submit" or
similar, and the word "head." Recall that we looked at the
Greek behind "submit" in an earlier Scripture, and it actually means
to support, append to, or be devoted to. Thus, the mutual submission
between wife and husband is mutual support, not mutual subordination. And as for "head," recall that we saw that symbolic head
during the time of Paul meant "source," NOT
"authority." Symbolic head didn't take on the meaning of
sometimes being authority until about 300 years after Paul. Thus, patriarchalists who abuse the below Scripture have no foot
to stand on: Ephesians 5:23-24 NRSVue Recall that symbolic "head" means "source,"
and that "subject" is more accurate as "support, appended to,
devoted to." So let's fix this so we see it more clearly: Ephesians 5:23-24 Do you see the parallel between the above and 1 Corinthians 11:3? 1 Corinthians 11:3 TPT 2017 Ephesians 5:23+ is referring back to the same source language that
1 Corinthians 11 was. Eve came out of Adam, just as the church grew out
of Christ - CHRISTians. As Christ and Church will eventually be married
and go to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, so the earthly wife and husband are
married, and are to demonstrate devotion and support in their marriage, as
Christians do to Christ. Recall that the Household Code in Ephesians 5 is not a
prescription that we are to follow today, for if you read the whole code, it
also goes into addressing slaves and masters. The households back in that
time were different than the modern households in our current culture. We generally live in our homes, eat and sleep and rest there, but
most of us go outside of our home for errands, appointments, to socialize, to
work, for church, for fun activities, etc. Not so much with the homes at
the time of Paul. Each home was like a hub of the community. The
householder, usually the paterfamilias - man, would be in charge of his wife,
his children, any other relatives living there, and of the slaves. Slaves
were normal. The Christian household codes then go on to instruct the masters
to treat their slaves very well: Ephesians 6:9 NLT Christians couldn't just immediately overturn slavery. It
took time. The first step was treating the slaves as fellow imagers of God, and
treating them respectfully. Eventually, thanks largely to Christians, the
cultural slavery was overturn. If you read through the whole household code here in Ephesians
chapters 5 and 6, notice that it's not just the man being addressed, like it
was in the Aristotle codes. Each party is addressed, but it addresses the
wife before the husband, the children before the parents,
and the slaves before masters. That's respect, and a
thumbing of the nose to the patriarchal Aristotle Household Code. If you are insisting on living under the descriptive household
codes in the Bible, then get some slaves, or you aren't following the codes. Recall that Ephesians 5:21 set the stage for mutual
"submission" - support/devotion. We also have a mutuality
statement before the household code that Paul gives in Colossians. Colossians 3:15-16a NRSVue Like in Ephesians we were reminded that the church is the Body of
Christ, we get reminded in the above that we are all "one
body." We are not an unequal body of half of it (the males) being
dominant over the other half of it (the females). We are all ONE BODY -
equally. Thus the above passage goes on to say "teach and admonish
one another." Not 'men teach and admonished women,' and not 'teach
and admonish one another, except the women to the men.' No. All
Christians make up the body, and the body is balanced. "Teach and
admonish one another." The Colossians household code is short, because it's basically
just a summary of the longer one given in Ephesians 5. Again, recall that
"submit/subject" is better translated as "support/devoted
to." Colossians 3:18-19 TPT There are only three household codes in the Bible. We have
the main one in Ephesians 5, written by Paul, and then the one in Colossians
which is a summary of the one in Ephesians. The first two household codes
are written by Paul. The third household code is written by Peter. His direction
was not to also correct Aristotle, but to be in agreement with Paul's code and
tweak it to address a specific situation that many Christian women (and slaves)
found themselves in in that time and culture. In order for Peter to go in this direction, he addressed slaves
and masters before wife and husband: 1 Peter 2:20-21 NRSVue You see, some slaves were becoming Christians, but their masters
were not Christian. Remember that in the standard household back in that
culture, the household was expected to follow the same religion of the
householder. Slaves were becoming Christians and thus no longer partaking
in the householder's pagan religions. For that reason, Christian slaves
were enduring more hardship and abuse from their unbelieving masters. In
1 Peter 2, Peter encourages these slaves to keep doing good, and endure the
suffering, remembering the suffering Christ endured for them. It is under this topic that Peter then moves on to addressing
wives and husbands. 1 Peter 3:1-2 NRSVue Wives were also expected to follow the same religion of their
husbands in that culture at that time. There were some wives who were
becoming Christians, but their husbands were still pagan. This was shaky
and dangerous ground for the wife. She could no longer participate in the
husband's religious rituals, and he may not have been interested in learning
about Christianity. Thus Paul recommends the wife show her unbelieving
husband who Christ is through her actions and the way she lives. Notice I underlined "in the same way." This
connects back to the type of "subject/submit" in this verse being the
same type the believing slave is to have towards the unbelieving master.
Be willing to accept suffering for being a Christian, even if at the hands of
your own husband. WARNING: This was a description for within the culture in
those times, and not today. In those days, a woman usually had no way to
have food or shelter except through a man, be it her father or a husband.
Women who didn't have a man supporting them often had to resort to prostitution
so that they wouldn't starve to death. Thus it was advised that wives
stayed with their husbands if they had no monetary support without them,
because it was better to be with a horrible man than literally starving to
death on the streets. Moving on, you may be wondering where the mutuality is in this
household code. It's in verse 7: 1 Peter 3:7 NRSVue In the same way as what? If the husband became a Christian,
then this is what he is supposed to do. But there's more. "In
the same way" is carrying over "submission/subjection" from the
wife. Thus some translations carry the verb over, just like how most
translations do so in Ephesians 5:22. 1 Peter 3:7 CEB Recall that "submit" in all three cases - slaves, wife,
husband, is better translated as support, or synonymous words. As for "weaker partner," that's a given. In the
households at that time and culture, the husband usually got a lot more fresh
air, sunshine, and exercise. The wife was usually at home, and the tasks
she'd do (often for the business they likely ran out of their household) were
more intricate, smaller tasks that didn't require as much use of large muscle
groups. Now let's look at a few things Peter instructed the wives at that
time and in that culture to do, as part of his household code: 1 Peter 3:3-6 NIV2011 A lot of people use the beginning of the above passage to say that
the Bible teaches that women are to dress modestly, but we see that is not the
case. Like in 1 Timothy 2, and Proverbs 31, this is saying that women are
to focus on their inner person, not their outer person. The Proverbs 31
Woman clothed herself with Strength, for example. There is literally not one place in the Bible that addresses women
and tells them to wear modest clothes, just like there are no Scriptures that
tell men to dress modestly. There are, however, Scriptures that address
lust: Matthew 5:27-28 NRSVue Tearing out the eye is hyperbole to drive home a point, not a
command to literally do so. Our above 1 Peter passage goes on to say "They submitted
themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him
her lord." Recall that "submitted" is better translated as
"devoted/supported." Thus we see it better translated as "They supported their own
husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord." "Obeyed" from the Greek here
is ὑπακούω - hoop-ak-oo'-o, which can
mean to heed, listen to someone, or to give an answer. We see
hoop-ak-oo'-o used in the context of giving an answer in Acts 12. Acts 12:13 NIV 2011 Rhoda didn't come to "obey" the door, she answered it. If you look all over Genesis, you are not going to see a specific
instance where Sarah called Abraham "lord," and "obeyed"
him. However, you do see her laughingly calling him her "lord,"
and giving an answer in her laughter. Before looking at this, note that "lord" is not
referring to Lord. "lord" could also be equally translated as
"sir." It was a title of respect, not one of subservience or
authority. 1 Peter 3:6 is referring to Genesis 18:12. Genesis 18:12 Darby Sarah was laughing at hearing that at the age of 90+, her
post-menopausal body was going to birth a baby, and then she laughed more,
because her 100+ aged husband (who she called lord while laughing about this)
was too old to do the deed to inseminate her. So now we see the example of Sarah was of her inner person.
Yes, she jokingly called Abraham her "lord" while pointing out that
he was unable to rise to the occasion of inseminating her, but she wasn't
belittling him, everything she said and laughed about was 100% true, and it was
after that when she decided to step out in faith and believe God, in the face
of pure impossibility. That's her inner person, and that's who women were
being called to emulate. This is why Sarah is in the Faith Hall of Fame: Hebrews 11:11 NIV2011 This is why the end of 1 Peter 3:6 says "You are her
daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear."
Women are called to emulate the faith of Sarah. If you want to talk about obedience, it was Abraham who
obeyed Sarah: Genesis 16:2 NRSVue As you have seen by this point, there are quite a few words in
both Testaments of the Bible that are, at best, "softened down" when
referring to women, but in many cases, when we see these same words in the
Bible referring to men, we see the real word for what the Greek actually
says. At the end of this treatise I will provide a reference sheet of
many of these instances and more. For now, I want to point to something that I personally find
insidious in many English Bible translations, and that is "Traditional
Gender Terms." When our oldest English Bibles were translated,
English-speaking peoples and cultures were more patriarchal than now.
Thus instead of using English gender-neutral terms where the Hebrew and Greek
do for people, those old translations would just say 'he, him, his.' When
Hebrew and Greek words that mean 'humans, mortals, or people' came up, these
old translations just translated those as 'man, men, and mankind.' Even centuries ago this caused a lot of confusion. Multiple major
church denominations would have to hold meetings to explain to the masses that
the Bible is written to women as well, and that he/man were used in a gender neutral
sense. This would address a problem where some of the men were telling
the women that they shouldn't even read the Bible, because it wasn't addressed
to females. Men seemed to think (and many still do) that he/man used in a
gender neutral sense wasn't and isn't a big deal, but it's always been an issue
for many women, because we'd read those Bibles and scratch our heads, wondering
when the English he/man was gender neutral, or when it was literally supposed
to be he/man. When I got saved in 1995, I started reading a KJV Bible as
directed by the person who lead me to Christ. I immediately had issues
with all the he/him/his, and man/men in there. I knew that in some
instances it had to be gender neutral, but how could I tell when those terms
were gender neutral, or when certain passages were only referring to
males? I bought myself a thick Strong's Concordance, and had to
painstakingly look those words up in the Hebrew and Greek for myself. Here's a very basic example: Matthew 4:4 NIV2011 Women are taught, or figure out that "man" above is in
the gender neutral sense, and is referring to humankind. And this is correct,
because "man" above is from the
Greek ἄνθρωπος - anth'-ro-pos,
which literally means 'human being', or 'humankind.' Patriarchal
complementarian Christians will be quick to point out to women that they are
indeed included here in "man," so not to worry. What about when it comes to church offices? 1 Timothy 3:1-13 NIV2011 1 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires
a noble task. There are a lot of male pronouns in the above, and some
translations go further and translate "whoever" from verse 1 as
"if any man." Shouldn't we naturally assume that all the male
terms in the above are also gender neutral, as they are so often in these types
of translations? You'd think so, but the patriarchal complementarian will
be quick to step in here and state that an overseer and possibly deacon are
offices only for men. They'll say the male language in the above is correct. Is that what God says? If
you take a look at the whole passage above in the Greek, what do you see?
It's more what you don't see. You'll clearly see that there
are no male pronouns or any male language in the above in the Greek. Not
one mention. That's right, in the Greek for the above is completely
set in 100% gender neutral language. Why would the Greek have been careful to present the above in
gender neutral terms? Because church leadership is open to any called
Christian. And as we've seen over and over and over again in this
treatise, the Bible shows us many women who God called to pastor churches,
teach the word of God, and preach His truth to all who will listen. Now you may have noticed that for "deacons" above, most
English translations stay more gender neutral, using "they," more
than "he," for example. This is probably because of Phoebe. Romans 16:1 NIV2011 Recall that overseers and elders are the same thing in the
church. Keeping that in mind, why didn't the translators use
"they," instead of "he" for the "overseer?" Titus 2:3 TPT Notice I switched to the TPT translation away from the NIV for
this. The NIV goes with many translations and wrongly translates the
above as 'older females,' rather than being true to the Greek, which is
"female elders." A few translations that are honest with this
verse are the TPT, the Darby, and the Tyndale. There are currently only two translations in English that I know
of, that honestly translate the above 1 Timothy 1:1-13 in
gender neutral terms, in keeping with the Greek. Those are the CEB and
the CEV. As you can now see, using translations that are translating gender
neutral terms into English male terms brings confusion. And because
patriarchalism is so deep in some church denominations, some accidentally will
teach from the pulpit that only men to go heaven, when they teach the book of
Revelation. Revelation 7:4 NIV2011 These churches (usually in the very large denomination that begins
with the letter B) will often teach that the above is symbolic of all
Christians everywhere. (That is the incorrect, by the way.) They then eventually get to where the 144,000 are mentioned again,
where in chapter 14, it says of the 144,000: Revelation 14:4a NIV2011 Some of these churches then state "as you can see here, the
144,000 are men." These male pastors of complementarian churches see no problem, and
continue preaching along, not noticing that the women in the congregation are
going pale. Those churches just taught that only men go to heaven!
They teach that the 144,000 are symbolic of every single Christian, and then
they teach that the 144,000 are only men. They have both of those passages about the 144,000 grievously
wrong. See my Revelation
Series to see what those passages really mean. In the year 1952 the RSV Bible was published. It became (and
still is) one of the best translations of the Bible in English. It was
very accurate at that time for what resources the translators had available to
them. In following other translations before the RSV, the RSV kept the
male language when the Hebrew and Greek were gender neutral. In 1989 the RSV was updated to the NRSV, which was even more
accurate and faithful to the oldest Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, including the
Dead Sea Scrolls and latest findings in Textual Criticism. The NRSV did
something that made women all over the country heave a sigh of relief. They
decided to actually translate the gender neutral terms from the Hebrew and
Greek into English gender neutral terms. For example, the above Matthew
4:4 that we saw in the NIV said "man." the NRSV corrects it to
be closer to the Greek. Matthew 4:4 NRSV Women preachers and pastors were on the rise. Little girls
were reading the NRSV and realizing that God calls girls to pastor his churches
just as much as he calls boys to. And then something nefarious happened, but first we need to back
up a few years to previous nefarious thing... In 1987 some misogynists, patriarchalists, and complementarians,
who called themselves "Christians" created something that sounded
wholesome and godly. They created The Council on Biblical Manhood and
Womanhood. The defining foundational act of the CBWM (Council on Biblical
Manhood and Womanhood) in 1987 was to draft the Danver's Statement. This
cultic and sexist statement reinterprets the Bible to say that women are to be
under the authority of their husbands, and that women are not aloud to lead,
teach, preach, or pastor churches. The SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) picked up this Danver's
Statement, and seemed to run with it. Some SBC Seminaries include the
Danver's Statement in their institutions. Many Southern Baptist Churches
adhere to this Danver's Statement to the point of including it in their own
church Statements and Bylaws. In fact, it has been reported that if pastors of Southern Baptist
Churches don't sign to agree with the Danver's Statement and follow it in their
churches, those churches would allegedly get suddenly removed from the SBC's
support. After the instatement of the Danver's Statement in 1987/1988 and
into the early 1990's multiple women Pastors and women seminary professors were
fired, for no other reason than that they were female. Now we fast-forward to 1989 when the NRSV came out, and faithfully
translated the Bible in gender neutral terms where it is neutral in the Hebrew
and Greek (except in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 and a few obscure places, where
they unfortunately retained the incorrect patriarchal mistranslations.) The CBWM didn't like the NRSV, because more and more women were
answering their call from God to preach and teach the Word. Thus
the patriarchist Wayne Grudem, a cofounder of the CBMW served as General Editor
on the board for a patriarchal update to the 1952 RSV. This version
would eventually be published in 2001, and to this day is deemed as the
most patriarchal, sexist bible translation to many people. It is
the ESV Bible. In it, the Deacon Phoebe is demoted to "servant," Junia
is demoted from being a prominent apostle to merely being known to the apostles,
and Matthew 4:4 is reverted back to "Man does not live by bread
alone." These are just a few examples, as it goes much deeper, in
both testaments. We now fast-forward to 2026, and the annual SBC convention rolls
back around, where they voted with 74-75% of the votes being that women are not
allowed to pastor or preach, in alignment with the CBWM's cultic Danver's
Statement. The decree was sent out that any Southern Baptist church that has
women in leadership roles must locally remove those women from those leadership
positions, or that church will be disfellowshipped from the SBC. Since the instatement of the CBWM in 1987, followed by their
heretical Danver's Statement, there has been a resurgence of modern bible
translations being published that have reverted to translating gender neutral
terms in both Testaments in the Bible back to he/him/his, and
man/men/mankind. One such example being the LSB. Little girls are picking up these modern mistranslations, such as
the ESV and LSB, and they are heart broken, because they come away thinking
that since Eve ate the apple, girls can't go to heaven! I'm not
exaggerating. One woman shared a true story online when she visited a Baptist
church with some family when a little girl was called to quote her memory verse.
It had "he" and "man" in it, where those are gender neutral
terms in the Greek. The woman noticed that the little girl looked upset
as she dutifully said her memory verse. The woman spoke to the little girl after services and found out
why the little girl was so upset. She thought her memory verse was
teaching that only boys can go to heaven! Now look at the current statistics being brought forth from polls
being taken all over America. For the first time in American history,
most churches have a higher male attendance, and a lower female
attendance. The joke "church is only for women and children" is
no longer viable, and no longer makes sense. It's becoming a sad truth that it
seems "church is only for men." Why? What's goin on?! Thanks to the bad seed started
by the CBWM and their wicked teachings and their Danver's Statement, women are
leaving American churches in droves. Many who were surveyed as to why
they left, stated that they were used as slave labor in the church and were
belittled. They wanted to serve and help the body of Christ, but were
only allowed to clean, cook, and babysit, and some of these women did this as a
full time job with no pay. Meanwhile, the men were put into leadership and teaching
positions, and those who were put into full time hours received pay.
Women called to lead, teach, and preach were told by their church's pastoral
team that they aren't allowed to do any of that, merely and only because of the
fact that they are female. Women are leaving the churches and starting their own groups with
other Christian women to worship the Lord His Way, and to follow the callings
that GOD has given them, in which for some that is leading, teaching,
preaching, and pastoring. Why the upsurgence of male attendance? These particular
churches are teaching that men are in charge of women. The men are
feeling empowered. The women are feeling belittled, and thus are leaving. When we factor in the statistical fact from multiple polls, we see
the startling result that 75% of Christian men are addicted to pornography,
with 68% of Christian male pastors being addicted to pornography. Combine
this with the statistic that currently 80% of the Christian churches in America
are Complementarian, and there is a monster being created here. We now
have a lot of men who are addicted to porn, who claim Complementarian
Christianity, which generally teaches male authority over females, and we have
a massive upsurgence of church sex abuse of little girls and women in these
"Christian" churches. As these cases are being more and more brought to light, we see
that the pastor or the pastoral teams are often blaming the victims and
protecting the predators! Jesus said "by their fruits you shall know them."
What fruits are we seeing from the patriarchal bible translations, and the
poison that's been pumped out of the CBWM? We see women leaving churches, "Christian" men sexually
abusing women and little girls, and now, Christian Nationalism. Fusing Christian identity into our national identity is against
The Separation of Church and State, and against the Word of God, where it is
clear God wants each individual to make their own decision for Christ or
not. Christianity is an individual decision, not a national
religion. Further, American Christian Nationalism is patriarchal!
Many Christian Nationalists are pushing for repealing the 19th Amendment, which
would revoke the woman's right to vote. Some are taking this further and
stating that women should be banned from any jobs in the STEM fields. Back to the fruits of the CBWM: They can be a mecca for men who
sexually abuse women, and/or are pedophiles. Look at how many well-known
men are being caught for allegedly doing this stuff, and look at their strong
affiliation with the CBWM - such as Robert Morris, C. J. Mahaney, Paige
Patterson (for allegedly covering up abuses), and Johnny Hunt. Let's now take a look at some New Testament Scriptures from
translations that are predominantly used in many complementarian churches, such
as the ESV, NIV1984, and the KJV, and notice how confusing these would be to
women and little girls (as the KJV was to me, when I first got saved!)... Romans 10:10 "For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation." KJV "For one believes
with the heart, leading to righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth,
leading to salvation." NRSVue Revelation 22:17 "The Spirit and the
bride say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come;
and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of
life." NIV 1984 "The Spirit and the
bride say, “Come.” And let everyone who hears say,
“Come.” And let everyone who is thirsty
come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a
gift." NRSVue John 14:6 "Jesus said to him,
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through me.." NRSVue Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says
to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who
does the will of my Father who is in heaven." NIV 1984 “Not everyone who says to
me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who
does the will of my Father in heaven." NRSVue Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation
in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by
which we must be saved.” ESV "There is salvation
in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by
which we must be saved." NRSVue John 3:36 "Whoever believes in
the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but
the wrath of God remains on him." ESV "Whoever believes in
the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life but must
endure God’s wrath." NRSVue John 6:44 "No one can come to
me unless drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise that person up
on the last day." NRSVue Titus 2:11 "For the grace of God
that brings salvation has appeared to all men." NIV 1984 "For the grace of God
has appeared, bringing salvation to all" NRSVue Mark 16:16 "The one who
believes and is baptized will be saved, but the one who does
not believe will be condemned." NRSVue Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace you
have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift
of God - not the result of works, so that no one may
boast." NRSVue Mark 10:26-27 "They were greatly
astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at
them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God;
for God all things are possible.” NRSVue 1 John 5:12 "He who has
the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not
have life." NIV 1984 "Whoever has
the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does
not have life." NRSVue Matthew 24:13 "But he who
stands firm to the end will be saved." NIV 1984 "But the one who
endures to the end will be saved." NRSVue Matthew 16:25 "For those who want
to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life
for my sake will find it." NRSVue 1 Corinthians 16:13 "Keep alert; stand
firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." NRSVue There are a LOT more
scriptures like the above, including also in the Old Testament. We also see instances in
many Bible translations, where it looks like only Christian brothers seem to be
addressed, but in actuality, it's supposed to be to both Christian brothers and
sisters. This is from the Greek word adelphoi. This word literally
means "brothers" when referring to a blood family relation.
However, when referencing groups of people, adelphoi means both brothers and
sisters. Romans 10:1 "Brothers and
sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be
saved." NRSVue Romans
12:1 "I appeal to you
therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies
as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual
worship." ESV "I appeal to you
therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to
present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is
your reasonable act of worship." NRSVue 1
Corinthians 12:1 "Now concerning
spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be
uninformed." ESV "Now concerning
spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be
ignorant." NRSVue Imagine a person not knowing
much about Christianity, and reading the ESV. When they read 1
Corinthians 12, which is a chapter that lists various gifts that God gives to
Christians, this person will think that God only gifts men - brothers. While a lot of women notice
the problems in the above Scriptures, it's still hard for a lot of men to grasp
this, so let's flip this around for a moment. Let's say we use
"her" as female, or gender neutral, since 'her' has 'he' in it.
Then the ESV for Matthew 16:25 would say: "For whoever would
save her life will lose it, but whoever loses her life
for my sake will find it." And what if we used
"women" meaning female, or gender neutral, since 'women' also
contains 'men?' Then the ESV for Acts 4:12 would say: "And there is salvation
in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among women by
which we must be saved.” Have you noticed that most sexist patriarchal cults run to two
main Scriptures to use their eisegesis twist to fit their cultic,
women-stomping beliefs? Yet as we've seen, Romans 16:1-2 extinguishes the
darkness they call "light" in these cases. They say 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 teaches that women must be silent
in church, but Romans 16:1 has a woman church leader in Corinth. They say 1 Timothy 2:12 teaches that women are not to lead or
teach men, but Romans 16:2 tells us that Phoebe was not only a church leader,
but also was a leader, including of Paul the Apostle (a man) himself. 1 Corinthians 12 lists some of the gifts God gives to Christians
in order for them to do their function as part of the Body of Christ.
This chapter is clear that the gifts are for ALL Christians, with no gender
stipulations given at any point. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NRSVue Side Note: Notice the Trinity mentioned in the above verses
- Spirit, Lord, God - The Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus, and God the Almighty. The above Scripture passage clearly emphasizes that God activates
ALL of these gifts in everyone - anyone God wills to - not just to men, and not
barring women from certain gifts/services/activities. Amongst these
gifts/services/activities given by God to everyone are
included: Speaking wisdom and knowledge (verse 8), prophecy (verse 10),
and apostles, teachers and leaders (verse 28). This means 1 Corinthians
chapter 12 is saying that women are gifted with wisdom, knowledge, prophecy,
apostleship, teaching, and leadership just as much as the men are. These gifts/services/activities given by God are abilities that
God gives to each person who gets baptized through the Holy Spirit into the
Body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 NRSVue This is often referred to as the Baptismal Formula. This isn't
referring to water baptism, but to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is how
people join the Body of Christ. This Baptismal Formula includes both
males and females as pointed out in another place where the Bible gives the
Baptismal Formula: Galatians 3:26-28 NRSVue We are "baptized into Christ" via the Holy Spirit
Baptism described in the above 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 passage. We get
baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit Baptism, via faith, as we see in the
above passage. When a person truly professes faith in Christ as their
Lord (Lord means Master of your life) and Savior (Jesus died on the cross to
pay for our sins, and rose again, three days later, having conquered sin and
death) then that person's profession of faith via prayer to God, and not being
ashamed to tell people about their faith (see Romans 10:9-11) baptizes them via
the Holy Spirit Baptism into Christ. Then this happens: Ephesians 1:13-14 NRSVue When a person truly becomes a born again Christian, they are born
again via being Baptized in the Holy Spirit, making them a member of the Body
of Christ on the earth, thus making that person the Body part that God has
planned for them to be. God then gifts them with the skills they need to
be that Body part. For some that may be speaking in other languages, for
others it may be spiritual discernment, or pastoring a church, etc. Part
of this Holy Spirit Baptism involves being "marked with the seal" of
the Holy Spirit. A close study of the Book of Revelation reveals that any
Christians alive during the 7-year Tribulation will have a measure of
protection through the first half of the tribulation because they are
sealed. The Christians will receive their redemption in the middle of the
tribulation. The Bible refers to the redemption being the redemption of
our bodies into incorruptible resurrection bodies. 1 Corinthians 15 goes
into this in great detail. A Christian's inner person is born again upon
the moment of salvation, but their physical body isn't born again until the
Redemption, which occurs at Rapture. 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 NRSVue Thus, if all Christians, female and male, will have the
resurrection, which is the physical reality of redemption and salvation in
Christ, and all people who in faith get the Holy Spirit Baptism which puts them
into the Body of Christ on earth, which then enables them to receive
gifts/services/activities given by God to every Christian such
as: Speaking wisdom and knowledge (verse 8), prophecy (verse 10), and
apostles, teachers and leaders (verse 28), then we clearly see that women are
granted the exact same type of authority and leadership as men are, in staying
with God's original plan of a biarchy. Romans 12:4-7 NRSVue Like in the gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12, we see also with the
gifts listed in Romans 12, there is absolutely no gendered division between who
gets what gift from God. The above specifically says "We have
gifts that differ according to the grace given us." It's up to
God what gift(s) each Christian receives, to fit their calling/their part of
the Body. Thus, the gifts of encouragement, giving, and compassion are
not feminine gifts, they are gifts to either gender. The gifts of
prophecy, ministering, teaching, and leading are not masculine gifts, they are
gifts to either gender. Ephesians 4:4 and 4:11-13 NRSVue There is again no gender stipulation given in the above list,
meaning God also calls women to be pastors and teachers. We see the fulfillment of a prophecy in Joel chapter 2 in the book
of Acts, which prophesied some of the gifts that some members of the Body of
Christ would have under the New Covenant. Acts 2:1-4 NRSVue Speaking in languages is what most churches refer to as "the
gift of tongues." Every time the Bible talks of the "gift of
tongues," it's literally "the gift of languages" from the
Greek. "Tongues" is an archaic word for "languages,"
but people are used to that term, so most Bibles still say "tongues,"
even though the Greek word means "languages." Notice they spoke in languages "as the Spirit gave them ability."
Who is the "them" that got this sign gift to help lead others to
Christ that day? Was it all men? The "them" is mentioned
a bit earlier: Acts 1:14 NRSVue In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit gifted both male and female disciples
of Christ to speak the Gospel via the gift of languages, so that all people
could hear in their own language. This means we had women preaching and
teaching to men publicly, right there during Pentecost. Peter then stood up and declared that this event was the
fulfilment of a prophecy given by Joel, which Peter quotes: Acts 2:17-18 NRSVue Note: "All flesh" in the above was Joel's way of saying
'upon both Jews and Gentiles.' Many Old Testament prophets used the term
'all flesh' or similar terms in their prophecies of including Gentiles in with
the Jews. We see multiple gifts from the Holy Spirit coming though both men
and women here in Acts 2. We see the gift of languages (tongues), the
gift of prophecy, and also the gifts of teaching and preaching. This
further verifies that teaching and preaching gifts in public are not limited to
just men, because it is clearly being also done by women in Acts chapter 2. Ephesians 5:21 NIV2011 1 Peter 3:7a CEB 1 Corinthians 11:11-12 NRSVue Did you know there are only two places in the New Testament that
refer to authority specifically over women? I'm talking here in the
Greek, not in some translations that add the word authority where
it is not in the Greek. Both places are in 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 11:10 NIV2011 A Christian woman's head covering is her having authority over her
own head, to do with it whatever she wants. If she wants to follow
culture, do it, if not, don't. This is because women have as much
authority as men do, as both will judge angels ("because of the
angels"): 1 Corinthians 6:3 NIV2011 The only other place we have authority over women mentioned in the
New Testament is the below: 1 Corinthians 7:4 NRSVue The husband has as much authority over his wife's body as the wife
does over the husband's body. The Bible teaches mutuality between the sexes over and over again,
but people who are power-hungry, or cult leaders, like to take a few obscure
verses from the Bible, and give these verses meanings that demean and demote
women, but they make it sound like it's supposed to be desirable. These
poisonous teachers ignore the many women leaders, teachers and preachers throughout
the Bible, and they ignore the mutuality between the sexes that the Bible
clearly teaches in both Testaments. It's no coincidence that as of this writing, women are leaving the
churches, and more men are attending. This is a historical first.
Currently, 80% of American churches are now Complementarian, and polls show 75%
of Christian men are addicted to pornography, with 68% of male pastors having
this addiction. These numbers are only based on those men and pastors who
admitted these things in the polls. This doesn't count the ones keep it a
secret. This is creating possibly the biggest human trafficking scandal in
US history. Women and girls are being taught that men have authority over
them, and statistically, most of those complementarian men have pornography
addictions. This means up to 80% of Christian churches may be unsafe
places for girls and women to attend. Male
porn addiction + Men believing they are in charge of women = RUN. We see this dangerous mixture with certain people from the
"wholesome" Duggar family, don't we? If you are looking for an Egalitarian church, there are
Egalitarian denominations. If you are non-denominational like I am, the easiest
way, frankly, is to just find a church lead by a female pastor. Even
then, be sure to have a meeting with some members of the church board or the
pastor to find out if the church is Egalitarian. Some of them seem Egalitarian,
but the woman pastor is "under the headship of a man" in doing so. Remember, The Body of Christ, The Church started by Jesus Christ
Himself is 100% Egalitarian: Galatians 3:28 NIV2011 We see this in action in Romans chapter 16, where we see slave
names and free names, Gentiles and Jews, women and men - all spreading the
Gospel, teaching and preaching in public and at churches, etc. Study the
list of names given in Romans 16. It's showing Galatians 3:28 at work. Some of the Places Where Wrong Translations Demote or
Erase Women Genesis 1:27 ESV says - So God created man in his own
image, in the image of God he created him; male
and female he created them. Hebrew says - there are no male pronouns in this verse, and
"man" above
is הָֽאָדָם֙
(aw-dam') which means "human." Here's a more accurate translation: Genesis 1:27 CEB Genesis 2:18 ESV says - Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that
the man should be alone; I will make him a helper
fit for him.” Hebrew says - "Fit" above
is כְּנֶגְדּֽוֹ׃
(kə·neḡ·dōw) which means "an equal counterpart," and
"helper" above is עֵ֖זֶר
(ay'-zer) which means the type of help that is a rescuer - a hero. We see
this same word used in Exodus 18:4: Exodus 18:4 NRSVue Thus a better and more accurate translation of Genesis 2:18 would
be: Genesis 2:18 Psalm 68:11 NIV1984 says - The Lord announced the word, and great
was the company of those who proclaimed it. Hebrew says - "word" above
is הַֽ֝מְבַשְּׂר֗וֹת
(baw-sar') which means "to speak good news." The word Gospel
literally means "good news." And "great was the company"
above is צָבָ֥א
רָֽב׃ (rab tsaw-baw') which literally means
"mighty army of women." Here's a more accurate translation: Psalm 68:11 TPT Judges 11:30-31 and Judges 11:40 Jephthah did not kill his daughter as a burnt sacrifice, as most
translations say. He dedicated her to the Lord, as Samuel was dedicated
to the Lord. Here's a more accurate translation of the verses in question: Judges 11:30-31 LSV Judges 11:40 LSV Proverbs 31:10 NASB2020 says - An excellent wife, who can find her?
For her worth is far above jewels. Hebrew says - "excellent wife" above
is אֵֽשֶׁת־
חַ֭יִל (ish-shaw' khah'-yil) which
literally means "a woman of strength." Khah'-yil, which the
NASB2020 wrongly translated as "excellent" above, is rightly
translated as "strength" when referring to men: 1 Chronicles 26:8 NASB2020 Here's a more accurate translation: Proverbs 31:10 NRSVue NASB 2020 says - and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward,
and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their
support out of their private means. Greek says - "contributing" above is from the
Greek διακονέω
(dee-ak-on-eh'-o). This is the verb form of
διάκονος (dee-ak'-on-os). A deacon is
a minister. What do ministers do? They minister. We see this
exact verb of ministering in the following: 1 Timothy 3:10 YLT The women disciples in Luke 8:3 were ministering, not
"contributing." Here's a more accurate translation: Luke 8:3 NRSVue Romans 12:1 + ESV says - I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the
mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. The ESV, along with several other translations, only refer to
"brothers" in the New Testament, rather than the correct
"Brothers and Sisters." Greek says - ἀδελφός
(ad-el-fos'/adelphoi). NIV2011 says - Therefore, I urge you, brothers and
sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. The NIV2011 carries a fabulous translation note in multiple places
in the New Testament, (check Galatians 1:2 if you want to quickly find one of
the notes on this), which says: The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to
believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family ESV says - I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of
the church at Cenchreae Greek says - "servant" above
is διάκονος (dee-ak'-on-os) which
is "deacon" in English. We see that Phoebe was a deacon of the
church that was located in Cenchreae. When this same word is used
elsewhere of this office (presumably of men by the translators), the ESV
honestly translates it as "deacon." For example: Philippians 1:1 ESV Notice the word "servants" is also in the above
verse. The Greek word for "servant"
is δοῦλος - doo'-los, not
διάκονος (dee-ak'-on-os). Thus
the ESV slyly calls Phoebe a servant, even though the Greek there is deacon,
while those the ESV translators presume are men get to be honestly called
deacons. Here's a more accurate translation: Romans 16:1 NRSVue Romans 16:2 NLT says - Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor
among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to
many, and especially to me Greek says - "helpful" above
is προστάτις
(pros-tat'-is) which is "leader" in English. This is very clear
in the LSJ Koine Greek Dictionary. Pros-tat'-is is a noun, and this is the only place in the Bible
this grammatical form of the word shows up. However, it's in the Bible in
other grammatical forms, such as a verb and adjective. Here it is in its verb form: Romans 12:8 NLT Here it is in its adjective form: Acts 17:4 NRSVue Thus here's a more accurate translation of Romans 16:2: Romans 16:2 TPT Romans 16:7 ESV says - Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen
and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles NASB1995 says - Greet Andronicus and Junias, my
kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles,
who also were in Christ before me. Junia was a prominant woman apostle, but the ESV hides that by
saying "well known to the apostles," and the NASB1995 changes Junia's
name to a male name of Junias. The fact is, Junia was a female apostle who
was outstanding: Romans 16:7 NIV2011 1 Corinthians 11:3 NIV2011 says - But I want you to realize that the head of
every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ
is God. Greek says - "head" above is the Greek feminine noun
κεφαλή (kef-al-ay'), which literally means head,
when used as a body part, but when used symbolically, it meant: source, origin,
beginning, as we see clearly defined in the LSJ Koine Greek Dictionary. A more accurate translation is: 1 Corinthians 11:3 TPT2017 In the NIV2011 above, it says THE head of THE woman. The
definite article "the" - Greek - ὁ (ho) is referring to
THE head/source, and THE woman here, indicating it's referring to Adam and Eve. Cults take 1 Corinthians 11:3 and give a modern interpretation to
symbolic head as "authority," but when this was written, it meant
"source." This symbolic head can be accurately translated as
"source," like in the above TPT2017. 1 Corinthians 11:10 NRSV says - For this reason a woman ought to have a
symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. Greek says - "a symbol of" is not in the Greek, yet the
1989 NRSV isn't the only translation to add these words. "A symbol
of" or "a sign of" also appear in the LSB, ESV, NKJV, NCV,
NIV1984, ASV, and AMP, etc. Here's a more accurate translation: 1 Corinthians 11:10 NIV2011 Now we see the head covering is the woman having authority over
her own head to culturally cover it or not. It's up to her. As for the
angels, that's referring back to 1 Corinthians 6:3. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 NRSVue says - Women should be silent in the churches. For they are
not permitted to speak but should be subordinate, as the law also
says. If there is something they want to learn, let them ask their
husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. This is a diatribe. Paul is quoting a quote that the
Corinthians sent him in a previous letter, where they were quoting Cato the
Elder as recorded by Livy. It was a proposed solution by the Corinthians
in how to solve half of the problem in the church, where seemingly everyone was
speaking in tongues and prophesying at the same time. The Corinthians proposed that perhaps if they followed Cato the
Elder's teaching that women are supposed to be silent, then the church would
only have to deal with the men speaking in tongues and prophesying out of
order. "The law" above was referring to the ancient Oppian Law,
which taught that women had little to no rights. Cato wanted that law to
be stronger to make it so that women couldn't speak in public at all, and that
if they had to ask anything, to save it for at home to ask their husbands. Thus some translations rightly put verses 34 and 35 in quotation
marks, making it easier for us to see that this is a quote that Paul is
refuting: 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 Montgomery Translation Paul then refutes this, and wraps up his refutation with a command
from God, being: 1 Corinthians 14:39-40 NRSVue Ephesians 5:23 NRSVue says - for the husband is the head of the wife just as
Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. This is very similar to where we looked at 1 Corinthians
11:3. Recall that symbolic head at the time this was written didn't mean
"authority," it meant "source." We also have the
definite article "the" here, again using source language to point us
back to Adam and Eve. Thus a more accurate translation could be: Ephesians 5:23 Just as Eve came out of Adam, the church began with Christ. Colossians 4:15 NKJV says - Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and
the church that is in his house. This verse is referring to a female householder with a church in
her house. When a householder had a church in their house at that time,
they were the pastor of that church. Notice the NKJV changes her name to
a man's name, and refers to her with "him." Here a more accurate translation: Colossians 4:15 NRSVue 1 Timothy 2:8-9 KJV says - I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up
holy hands, without wrath and doubting. In like manner also, that women adorn
themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with
broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array NRSVue says - I desire, then, that in every place the
men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument, also that the
women should dress themselves in moderate clothing with
reverence and self-control, not with their hair braided or with gold, pearls,
or expensive clothes Notice the above NRSVue says "moderate clothing," rather
than "modest apparel" or similar like most other translations.
This is because the Greek doesn't say "modest" here. However,
the Greek also does not say "moderate." This verse is stating
that women should dress their inner person with these specific qualities, and
not focus on dressing their outer person in expensive things. Greek says - the above "modest/moderate" is the
adjective κόσμιος (kos'-mee-os) which means
"good behavior." Kos'-mee-os is only in the Bible twice.
It's here in 1 Timothy 2, where it's usually wrongly translated as
"modest," and the only other place it is is in 1 Timothy 3 where many
translators mistakenly think is referring only to men. What's interesting, is where many translators think Kos'-mee-os is
referring to men, they translate it properly, as such: 1 Timothy 2:3 KJV When κόσμιος (kos'-mee-os) is
referring specifically to females, it gets translated as "modest,"
and thus we get the wrong teaching of 'modest clothing,' which many have used
for years to victim shame women and even little girls when they've been
violated. Also notice the above KJV says "husband of one
wife." Recall that's an ancient idiom meaning to be sexually pure,
and it is meant for both genders. 1 Timothy 2:11-12 ESV says - Let a woman learn quietly with all
submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise
authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. First of all, "let a woman learn" was a radical feminist
statement for that time and culture, because women were uneducated and not
allowed to learn. Now let's look at a few words in the Greek... Greek says - "quietly/quiet" above is from the
Greek ἡσυχία (hay-soo-khee'-ah).
When not referring to women, we see this word, in its various grammatical
forms, is not translated as "silent" or "quiet," as that's
not what hay-soo-khee'-ah means. Hay-soo-khee'-ah, in its various
grammatical forms is translated as "peaceful," or other similar words
to that. We see the adjective form - hay-soo'-khee-os - in
this very same chapter: 1 Timothy 2:2 KJV "Quiet" 1 Timothy 2:2 above is not hay-soo'-khee-os or
hay-soo-khee'-ah. It is ἤρεμος
(ay'-rem-os), which actually means "quiet." Notice in the above
that hay-soo'-khee-os is correctly translated as "peaceable," and not
"quiet" or "silent." Yet in 1 Timothy 2:11-12 both verses say "quiet" or
"silent." But the
word ἤρεμος (ay'-rem-os) is nowhere in
either verse. In both cases it's ἡσυχία
(hay-soo-khee'-ah). This word is wrongly translated as "quiet"
or "silent" when referring to women, but rightly translated as
"peaceable" in verse 2 of the same chapter where translators assume
it's referring to men. Next we look at "authority" from 1 Timothy 2:12.
The common word for authority in the Greek
is ἐξουσία (ex-oo-see'-ah).
This Greek word for "authority" is in the New Testament over 100
times. Paul uses this word when he refers to authority in his letters. Guess what? When we look at 1 Timothy 2:12 in the Greek,
ἐξουσία (ex-oo-see'-ah) is not
there! The word authority is not in the Greek for 1 Timothy 2:12! Instead it has the Greek αὐθεντέω (ow-then-teh'-o), which means murder. This Greek word was chosen by Paul, and is only here in the New Testament, and nowhere else. However, it's in the Greek apocrypha. The deuterocanonical Wisdom 12:6 properly translates
αὐθεντέω (ow-then-teh'-o) as Murder. Both 1 and 2 Timothy are about getting false teachers and false
teachings away from the church in Ephesus, of which false teachings can spiritually murder
people (as Eve spiritually murdered Adam by giving him the forbidden fruit.). This is why Paul used the word αὐθεντέω (ow-then-teh'-o). Paul says to Timothy: 1 Timothy 1:3 NRSVue 1 Timothy 2:12 is nothing more than Paul telling the women in
Ephesus to stop teaching Artemis worship (the big female religion in Ephesus at the time Timothy was there) in the church, which was a form of spiritual murder. This was a
command only for that church to handle a specific problem they were dealing
with at that time. 1 Timothy 3:11 NKJV says - Likewise, their wives must be
reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. This is likely a side note to female church deacons, thus the
Greek γυνή (goo-nay') likely being "women" here,
and not wives. Further, the punctuation of where the actual note to
female deacons ends may be off. The CEV seems to be the more likely
accurate translation here. 1 Timothy 3:11 CEV Also recall that the church offices of 1 Timothy 3 and
Titus 1 contain no male pronouns or male gender
stipulations at all. Both chapters about the church offices are
set in gender-neutral language in the Greek. 1 Timothy 3:2 (and 1 Timothy 3:12 and Titus 1:6) All three passages contain a phrase that many Bibles mistranslate
as "husband of one wife." This is an incorrect translation,
because the Greek would literally translate as "one woman man," and
this was a well-known idiom at that time. When spoken/written to all men,
or to both genders (as is clear in the Greek that all three of the above are to
both genders) the idiom is given in the masculine, because Greek was a
masculine language. When spoken to all women, it's given in the feminine as "one
man woman," or as many Bibles mistranslate - "wife of one husband."
We see this in 1 Timothy chapter 5, for example. This is clearly not
referring to polyandry, as it was unheard of for women to have multiple
husbands. A one woman man/one man woman was an idiom that meant sexually
pure. If married, they don't commit adultery. If not married, they
don't commit fornication. 1 Timothy 5:13 NRSVue says - Besides that, they learn to be idle, gadding about
from house to house, and they are not merely idle but also gossips and busybodies,
saying what they should not say. Greek says - "gossips" above is from the
Greek φλύαρος (floo'-ar-os), which
means "nonsense, senseless" - it's not gossiping. Think about
this: if this were referring to men, would this word still have been
wrongly translated as "gossips?" I think not. While this
word is only once in the New Testament, here in 1 Timothy 5:13, it does appear
in the Greek deuterocanonical book of 4 Maccabees, and it's not translated as
"gossip:" 4 Maccabees 5:10 NRSVue This is looking like when
φλύαρος (floo'-ar-os) is referring to
women, it wrongly gets translated as gossiping, but otherwise it's properly
translated as "senseless." Greek also says - the above "busybodies" is from the
Greek περίεργος
(per-ee'-er-gos) which means "magic." We see this properly
translated as such in Acts 19:19. Acts 19:19 NRSVue Now we see that 1 Timothy 5:13 is not at all telling us about
bored women going house to house gossiping and being busybodies. Instead
we see that they are some of the false teachers that 1 Timothy 1:3 was
referring to. These women false teachers were going house to house likely
teaching Artemis magic, as this was in Ephesus where there was a large and
famous Artemis temple at the time, and the main adherents in Artemis worship
were women. Thus 1 Timothy 2:12 and 1 Timothy 5:13 are probably both referring
to women teaching Artemis worship - a false teaching. 1 Timothy 5:14 LSB says - Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear
children, keep house, and give the enemy no opportunity for
reviling Greek says - "keep house" is from the Greek verb
οἰκοδεσποτέω
(oy-kod-es-pot-eh'-o). This word is clearly defined in the LSJ Koine
Greek dictionary as: to be the master of the house; ruler of the house;
leader of the house; the predominant one of the house, etc. Thus translating this word as "keep house" is
ridiculous. This word is in the New Testament over a dozen times in it's
various grammatical forms. Below we see it in its noun form, and notice
it's not calling the person a 'housekeeper:' Luke 14:21 LSB Thus we see when this is referring to women in the Bible it's
demoted to "keep house," - a housekeeper, but when referring to
what's assumed to be a man, it's properly translated as "the head of the
household" - the master of the house. Latin translations of 1 Timothy 5:14, including the Latin Vulgate,
translated the Greek word oy-kod-es-pot-eh'-o as materfamilias. A
materfamilias was the term for a female householder, known as the master of the
house. Some materfamilias women we see in the New Testament are Lydia,
Nympha, Chloe, and more. A more accurate translation would be: 1 Timothy 5:14 1 Timothy 5:1-3 and 5:17-18 WEB for 1 Timothy 5:1-3 says - Don’t rebuke an older man, but
exhort him as a father; the younger men as brothers; the elder women as
mothers; the younger as sisters, in all purity. Honor widows who
are widows indeed. Greek says - "Honor" above is from the Greek
verb τιμάω (tim-ah'-o) which means 'to give
honor to.' Keep in mind the above says to "honor widows."
We now move on to verses 17-18... 1 Timothy 5:17-18 WEB Greek says - the above word "elders" is from the Greek
adjective πρεσβύτερος
(pres-boo'-ter-os) which describes a person who is an elder of a
church. Elder is used synonymously in the the Bible with
Overseer/Bishop. It's what we today would refer to as a person who
provides pastoral teachings to the church - a pastor. Who are the Elders/Pastors being referred to in the above?
Our key lies with the word "honor" above. The Greek word there
is the feminine noun τιμή (tee-may'). This is
the feminine noun version of τιμάω (tim-ah'-o) that
we just saw in verse three. Honor as a verb - 'give honor to' is in verse
three, and it is used as a feminine noun in verse 17 - 'worthy of double
honor.' These are the only two places "honor" appears in
this whole chapter. Thus the feminine noun "honor" in verse 17
is referring us back to the people mentioned in verse 3 where we also had the
word honor. Who were the people in verse 3 who were to receive honor? -
"Honor widows who are widows indeed." Verses 17-18 are referring to giving double honor to
female widows who pastored churches - "the elders who rule
well," "especially those who labor in the word and in teaching." Titus 2:3-5 The Titus Two Woman WEB says - and that older women likewise be
reverent in behavior, not slanderers nor enslaved to much wine, teachers
of that which is good, that they may train the young wives to love their
husbands, to love their children, to be sober minded, chaste, workers
at home, kind, being in subjection to their own husbands, that
God’s word may not be blasphemed. Greeks says quite differently than the above. Let's start
with "older women." Older is from the Greek feminine noun
πρεσβῦτις (pres-boo'-tis).
This means Female Elder. We also see the masculine form of this word in
verse 2, referring to Male Elders. However, most Bible translations will
translate "elder" in both cases as "older," which hides the
fact that the above verses are instruction by Timothy to female pastors of
churches. Recall that's the point of the whole letter called Titus: Titus 1:5 NRSVue The Greek for "elders" above is the adjective
πρεσβύτερος
(pres-boo'-ter-os). The "older" ones being mentioned in verses
1 and 2 are the masculine and feminine noun versions of pres-boo'-ter-os.
If you keep reading in Titus chapter 1, you see Timothy gives a qualifications
list for church elders. This list continues on into chapter 2 (there were
no chapter divisions in the originals) where he goes into specific things that
male pastors (pastors are elders) need to know, and specific things for female
pastors. Thus we see in the Greek that the Titus 2 Woman is a Pastor of a
church. Thus there are some translations that will translate this more
honestly. Titus 2:3-5 TPT Notice the above TPT also corrected the WEB's "being in
subjection to their own husbands" to the more accurate "devoted to
their husbands." However, the TPT retains the mistake of saying
"taking care of their households," when in the Greek
it's οἰκουργός
(oy-koo-ros') which is an adjective and means a person who is a guard of
a house, not a homemaker. We also have a female servant who served as a guard at a gate, and
not a 'cleaner of the gate':
John 18:16 NRSVue NRSVue says - Wives, in the same way, be subject to your
husbands, so that, even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be
won over without a word by their wives’ conduct, when they see the purity and
respect of your conduct. Here's a more accurate translation: 1 Peter 3:1-2 TPT 1 Peter 3:3-6 NRSVue says - Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by
braiding your hair and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing;
rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting
beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in
God’s sight. It was in this way long ago that the holy women who hoped in God
used to adorn themselves by being subject to their husbands.
Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You have become her
daughters as long as you do what is good and never let fears alarm you. Greek says - "quiet" in "gentle and quiet
spirit" above, is from the
Greek ἡσύχιος (hay-soo'-khee-os),
which means peaceful. Most translations will translate this exact word as
"peaceful/peaceable" or similar in 1 Timothy 2:2. Yet when this
word is directly referring to women, for some reason it gets translated as
"quiet." "Being subject to your husbands" is more accurately
rendered as "supporting your husbands," or "being devoted to
your husbands," as revealed from a massive amount of ancient papyri writings
using this Koine Greek word regularly. "Obeyed" in "Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him
lord" is the Greek ὑπακούω
(hoop-ak-oo'-o) which should be translated "answered" like it is in
Acts 12:13. Acts 12:13 NRSVue Where it says Sarah called Abraham "lord," that's lord,
not Lord, which is also equally translated as "sir," and
some Bibles translate it that way. The names "lord" or
"sir" were not names of a master over a person, it was just a title
of respect. Sarah didn't obey Abraham and call him "lord," but
she did answer, and laughingly call him "lord:" Genesis 18:12 Darby In fact, the Scriptures actually show Abraham obeying Sarah: Genesis 16:2 NRSVue 1 Peter 3:3-6 is better translated as: Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair and by
wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing; rather, let your adornment be the
inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and peaceful spirit,
which is very precious in God’s sight. It was in this way long ago that the
holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by being devoted
to their husbands. Thus Sarah answered Abraham and called
him lord. You have become her daughters as long as you do what is good and
never let fears alarm you. The last sentence in the above makes sense if you study
Sarah. She laughed in Genesis 18:12 because she was well past menopause,
and she was carefully yet laughingly stating that Abe couldn't rise to the
occasion to inseminate her anyhow. She then decided to have faith and
trust in God that it would happen. She adorned her inner person, and
that's why she's given as an example here. 1 Peter 3:7 ESV says - Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in
an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since
they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be
hindered. "Likewise" means that the above is referring to the
previous verb that the last person addressed was told to do. Most Bible
translations give that previous verb earlier in 1 Peter 3 as
"submit/subject." Thus the husband is to do that as well.
Therefore, some Bible translations carry over the verb so that we can see it. 1 Peter 3:7 CEB Recall that "submit/subject" above is more accurately
translated to "append, support, be devoted to," as we see from many
ancient Koine Greek papyri written from that era. What does the above mean when it refers to the wife as the
"weaker partner," or "weaker vessel?" Think about
it. In those days, women were rarely let out of their homes. The
men were out getting fresh air, sunshine, and exercise. They had fit
muscles. The women were often shut inside, which would make them
physically weaker at the time this letter was written. 2 John 1:1 NIV2011 says - The elder, To the lady chosen by
God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all
who know the truth— With most translations saying "the lady," they help
camouflage the fact that 2 John 1:1 is addressed to a female church
leader/pastor. Thankfully, there are some translations that actually
translate her name here, such as the below: 2 John 1:1 YLT If you have read this whole treatise, then you see that the above
Scriptures are just here as a quick reference to you, as to where all of these
are gone into in much more detail throughout this treatise. We are in the information age, and women need to take advantage of
that. Look at the Hebrew and Greek when reading the Bible, and we see
that the majority of English Bible translations have a much more patriarchal
slant than do the original Hebrew and Greek of the Bible. Women get called "liberal" when they go against the
complementarian view, but this isn't political, this is seeking the
truth, regardless of which side of the political aisle you sit on. (I
personally think the whole thing is a psy-op.) It's neither "liberal" nor "conservative" to
be an Egalitarian Christian, it is merely True Christianity as started by Jesus
Christ. Jesus was the only Rabbi up to that point in history to openly
allow female disciples! When you study how both Jesus and the Apostle
Paul treated women back in that culture, you find out that both Jesus and the
Apostle Paul were Radical Feminists for that time. It doesn't matter our genetics, race, social standing, or gender.
We Christians are the Body of Christ. We are One. We are equal in value,
AND in authority. Galatians 3:28 NIV2011Introduction
Let's Start at the Beginning...
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the
birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over
every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in
his own image, in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
The word translated "man" above is the Hebrew אָדָ֛ם which in English is Adam. Adam means "human
being." This first human is not a male, nor is the first human a
female. The first human is BOTH genders, just as God is:
God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God
created them, male and female God created them.
Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and
they become one flesh.
and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his
wife, and the two will become one flesh.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his
wifeIs the Wife the Husband's Helper?
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I
will make him a helper as his partner.”
The word translated as "helper" above is the Hebrew word עֵ֖זֶר which
in English letters is ‘ê·zer. This word doesn't mean a person who is
a servile servant to another who has authority over them. It means a type
of helper who is someone's HERO or RECUER. This Hebrew word is in the Old
Testament multiple times, and most of the time is used of God. For
example:
There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help ‘ê·zer,
majestic through the clouds.
Then the Lord God said, “It’s not good that the human (אָדָ֛ם - Adam - human) is
alone. I will make him ("him" - לּ֥וֹ -
it. Not specifically a male gender here) a helper (עֵ֖זֶר - ‘ê·zer one who helps in the form of rescuing - to be a
hero) that is perfect for him ("him" -
לּ֥וֹ - it. Not specifically a male gender
here) .”Adam Naming Eve
The Garden Deception
To the woman he said, “I will make your pangs in childbirth exceedingly great;
in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for
your husband, and he shall rule over you.”
If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is
lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”Why Weren't There Women Priests in the Old
Testament?
Women in Religious Positions in the Old Testament
2 Chronicles 35:25 NRSVue
Jeremiah also uttered a lament for Josiah, and all the singing men and
singing women have spoken of Josiah in their laments to this day. They
made these a custom in Israel; they are recorded in the Laments.
Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her
hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with
dancing.
The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed
it.
The Lord announces the word, and the women who proclaim it are
a mighty throng.
He made the basin of bronze with its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the
women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
Now Eli was very old. He heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel and
how they lay with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of
meeting.
There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the
tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven
years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She
never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day.
At that moment she came and began to praise God and to speak about the
child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
2) After being widowed after seven years of marriage, she dedicated the rest of
her life in serving in the temple of God
3) She was also a woman evangelist, like the ones in Psalm 68:11, as we see she
spoke about Jesus (a child at that time) to ALL who were looking for
redemption. Thus she was also a public PREACHER.
And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the
people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the
doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon,
shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt
offering.”
the daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the
daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.
Next, take a look at verses 30-31 in the interlinear, and did you notice that
"and" in the phrase "and I will offer it up as a burnt
offering" is not there in the Hebrew? There is no word there, so
translators guess, and often put in "and." Another 100% viable option
is to instead say "or."
And Jephthah vows a vow to YHWH and says, “If You give the sons of Ammon into
my hand at all—then it has been, that which comes out from the doors of my
house at all to meet me in my turning back in peace from the sons of Ammon—it
has been for YHWH, or I have offered up a burnt-offering for
it.”
from time to time the daughters of Israel go to talk to the
daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite, four days in a year. Women Could be Lay Priests in the Old Testament
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When
either men or women make a special vow, the vow of a nazirite,
to separate themselves to the Lord, they shall...Powerful and Mighty Women in the Old Testament
His daughter was Sheerah, who built both Lower
and Upper Beth-horon and Uzzen-sheerah.
Next to him Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the
district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters.
The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning, and he had
fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a
thousand donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. He
named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch.
In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters, and
their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers.Women Naming Children
Women Leaders
Women Warriors and Societal Wise Leaders
An Egalitarian Marriage in the Old Testament
Why Did Only Miriam get Leprosy?
When the cloud went away from over the tent, Miriam’s skin had
become diseased, as white as snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam and
saw that she was diseased.
While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron spoke against
Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had indeed
married a Cushite woman)The Woman of Strength
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
A woman of strength who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong.
Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to
come.Women Authorship in the Old Testament of the Bible
This is the same case for the book of Esther. The main person and hero in
that book is the woman Esther. Women Authorship in the New Testament of the Bible
Women Erased/Demoted in Many Bible Translations of
the New Testament
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the excellence of him who
called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy,
to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable
to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. Do not be conformed to
this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern
what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to
God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do
good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the
heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there
male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.A Female Minister of a Specific Church, and a
Leader of Many, Including of Paul
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at
Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints,
and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of
many and of myself as well.
In the above verses in the Greek, we have the first preacher and church leader
mentioned by name in the New Testament, and that person was a woman.
However, in the above translation and many like it, we don't see this.
According to the ESV, NIV, NLT, NASB, KJV, etc., Phoebe was a
"servant," and a 'patron, benefactor, helper, succorer' etc.
And I commend you to Phebe our sister -- being a ministrant of
the assembly that [is] in Cenchrea -- that ye may receive her in the Lord, as
doth become saints, and may assist her in whatever matter she may have need of
you -- for she also became a leader of many, and of myself.
Now let me introduce to you our dear and beloved sister in the faith, Phoebe, a
shining minister of the church in Cenchrea. I am sending
her with this letter and ask that you shower her with your hospitality when she
arrives. Embrace her with honor, as is fitting for one who belongs to the
Lord and is set apart for him. So provide her whatever she may need, for she's
been a great leader and champion for many - I know, for she's
been that even for me!A Female Pastor of a Church and a Coworker with
Paul
Greet Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in
Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give
thanks but also all the churches of the gentiles. Greet also the church
in their house.A Woman Apostle
Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews and fellow prisoners. They are noteworthy
in the eyes of the apostles, and they were also in Christ before me.
Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners,
who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison
with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in
Christ before I was.Other Women Coworkers and Leaders
Philemon 1:2 NRSVue
to our sister Apphia, to our fellow soldier Archippus, and to the church
in your house
1 Corinthians 1:11 NIV 2011
My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have
informed me that there are quarrels among you.
Philippians 4:2-3 NRSVue
I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of
the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion,
help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the
gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my coworkers,
whose names are in the book of life.
The verse I'm about to show you clearly reveals a woman pastor - it mentions a
church in her house. Recall that the churches back then were
house churches, and the pastors were the householders. The fact that this is a
woman's name, and the church is in her house shows a female
pastor.
Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the
church that is in his house.
Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea and to Nympha
and the church in her house.
We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have
seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands,
concerning the word of life
The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love
in the truth, and not only I but also all who know the truth
The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.
The Elder to the choice Kyria, and to her children, whom I love in
truth, and not I only, but also all those having known the truth
From: John, the old Elder of the church. To: That dear woman Cyria,
one of God’s very own, and to her children whom I love so much, as does
everyone else in the church.Lydia, Pastor of the First Church on the European
Continent
A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to
us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord
opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and
her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged
me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she
prevailed upon us.Women Disciples of Jesus
Soon afterward he went on through one town and village after another,
proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were
with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil
spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven
demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza,
and Susanna, and many others, who ministered to
them out of their own resources.
What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers through
whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one.
and let these also first be proved, then let them minister, being
unblameable.
and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many
others who were contributing to their support out of
their private means.
Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in
Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity.Women Deacons/Ministers and Woman
Pastors/Bishops/Elders in the New Testament
This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of
a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then
must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate,
sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine,
not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;
one who rules his own house well, having his children
in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know
how to rule his own house, how will he take
care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with
pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.
Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are
outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the
devil. Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued,
not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith
with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested; then let them serve
as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise, their wives must
be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons
be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own
houses well. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a
good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in
all things.
Women likewise must be serious, not slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all
things.
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already
committed adultery with her in his heart.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to
present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is
your spiritual worship.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of
God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable
to God, which is your reasonable act of worship.
Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having
been the wife of one husband
It is true that anyone who desires to be a church official wants
to be something worthwhile. That's why officials must have a good
reputation and be faithful in marriage. They must be self-controlled,
sensible, well-behaved, friendly to strangers, and able to teach. They must not
be heavy drinkers or troublemakers. Instead, they must be kind and gentle and
not love money. Church officials must be in control of their own families,
and they must see that their children are obedient and always respectful. If
they don't know how to control their own families, how can they look after
God's people? They must not be new followers of the Lord. If they are, they
might become proud and be doomed along with the devil. Finally, they must be
well-respected by people who are not followers. Then they won't be trapped and
disgraced by the devil. Church officers should be serious.
They must not be liars, heavy drinkers, or greedy for money. And they must have
a clear conscience and hold firmly to what God has shown us about our faith.
They must first prove themselves. Then if no one has anything against them,
they can serve as officers. Women must also be serious. They must
not gossip or be heavy drinkers, and they must be faithful in everything they
do. Church officers must be faithful in marriage. They must be in
full control of their children and everyone else in their home. Those who serve
well as officers will earn a good reputation and will be highly respected for
their faith in Christ Jesus.
Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger
men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as
sisters, with all purity. Honour widows that are widows
indeed.
Don’t rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men
as brothers, older women as mothers, and the younger women as
sisters with all purity. Support widows who are genuinely in need.
The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of
double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.
Rebuke not an elder sharply, but exhort [him] as a father,
younger [men] as brethren, elder women as mothers, younger
women as sisters, with all purity. Honour widows who are
really widows
If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her assist them; let
the church not be burdened, so that it can assist those who are real widows.
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor,
especially those who labor in preaching and teaching, for the scripture
says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain” and “The
laborer deserves to be paid.”
For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the
grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”The Titus 2 Woman
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are
to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in
steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in
behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what
is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,
to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own
husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger
men to be self-controlled.
I left you behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should put in order
what remained to be done and should appoint elders in every
town, as I directed you
Your duty is to teach them to embrace a lifestyle that is consistent with sound
doctrine. Lead the male elders into disciplined lives full of
dignity and self-control. Urge them to have a solid faith, generous love, and
patient endurance. Likewise with the female elders, lead them into
lives free from gossip and drunkenness and to be teachers of beautiful
things. This will enable them to teach the younger women to love their
husbands, to love their children, and to be self-controlled and pure, taking
care of their household and being devoted to their husbands. By doing these
things the word of God will not be discredited. Likewise, guide the
younger men into living disciplined lives for Christ.
but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was
known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the
gate, and brought Peter in.Are Women Supposed to be Silent in Church?
Women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak but
should be subordinate, as the law also says. If there is
something they want to learn, let them ask their husbands at home.
For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.
[Let the women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted for them
to speak, but they are to be in submission, as also says the law. And if they
want to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is
shameful for a woman to speak in the church.]
"In your congregation" you write, "as in all the churches of the
saints, let the women keep silence in the churches, for they are not permitted
to speak. On the contrary let them be subordinate, as also says the law. And if
they want to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is
shameful for a woman to speak in church."
Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only ones it has
reached? Anyone who claims to be a prophet or spiritual must acknowledge that
what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord. Anyone who does not
recognize this is not to be recognized. So, my brothers and sisters,
strive to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tonguesWomen and 1 Timothy 2
I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without
wrath and doubting. In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel
I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands
without anger or argument, also that the women should dress themselves
in moderate clothing
I desire therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without
wrath and doubting. Likewise, that women arrange themselves with good
behavior and dignity.
Men use this wrongly translated section to accuse women of tempting them.
Now we see the Bible doesn't say that women are to dress
"modestly." However, the Bible over and over says that both men
and women are to exercise self-control.
Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit
a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather,
she is to remain quiet.
For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his
tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile
for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful (hay-soo'-khee-os) and quiet (ay'-rem-os)
life, godly and dignified in every way.
Let a woman learn peacefully with all submissiveness. I do not
permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to
remain peaceful.
these parents who murder helpless lives, you willed to destroy
by the hands of our ancestors
"Murder" above is ow-then-teh'-o. The above is about parents
who were sacrificing their own children to idols. Imagine if they
translated ow-then-teh'-o as "authority" here. It would then
say:
For Adam was formed first, then Eve
This recalls us to the Garden of Eden where God told Adam not to eat of the
forbidden tree. Adam was told this before Eve came to be. Recall the Adam half
of the first human retained the command, and when the female half was separated
out, Eve didn't retain that memory. Eve thus was later told by
Adam. Adam was told by God, and Eve was told by Adam.
and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a
transgressor.
Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and
love and holiness, with self-control.
Thus it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the
last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the
one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the gift in
the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many.
Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for
all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification
and life for all.
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you
free from the law of sin and of death.Romans 16:1-2 vs. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1
Timothy 2:12
1 Now let me introduce to you our dear and beloved sister in
the faith, Phoebe, a shining minister of the church in
Cenchrea.
2 I am sending her with this letter and ask that you shower
her with your hospitality when she arrives. Embrace her with honor, as is
fitting for one who belongs to the Lord and is set apart for him. So provide
her whatever she may need, for she's been a great leader and
champion for many - I know, for she's been that even for me!
Romans 16:1-2 CEV
1 I have good things to say about Phoebe, who is a
leader in the church at Cenchreae.
2 Welcome her in a way that is proper for someone who has
faith in the Lord and is one of God's own people. Help her in any way you can.
After all, she has proved to be a respected leader for many others,
including me.
Two or three persons may prophesy, and everyone else must listen
carefully. If someone sitting there receives a message from God, the
speaker must stop and let the other person speak. Let only one person speak at
a time, then all of you will learn something and be
encouraged.The 1 Timothy 5 and Acts 19 Connection
I urge you, as I did when I was on my way to Macedonia, to remain in
Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach
different teachings
Besides that, they learn to be idle, gadding about from house to house, and
they are not merely idle but also gossips and busybodies,
saying what they should not say.
A number of those who practiced magic περίεργος
(per-ee'-er-gos) collected their books and burned them publicly; when the value
of these books was calculated, it was found to come to fifty thousand silver
coins.
I urge you, as I did when I was on my way to Macedonia, to remain in
Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach
different teachingsDoes the Bible Say Women are Supposed to be
Homemakers?
Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep
house, and give the enemy no opportunity for reviling, for some have
already turned aside after Satan.
So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, and manage their
households, so as to give the adversary no occasion to revile us. For
some have already turned away to follow Satan.
I intend, therefore, younger ones to marry, to bear children, to be mistress
of the house, to give no occasion to the opposer of reviling; for some
already turned aside after Satan
So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, and be the rulers
of their households, so as to give the adversary no occasion to revile us.
For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder,
which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a keeper of the
home, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his
vineyard.
Greet Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks
for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but also all the churches of the
gentiles. Greet also the church in their house.
Then God said, “Let us make humans in our image, according to our
likeness, and let them have dominion
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to
their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
and to be self-controlled and pure, taking care of their household and
being devoted to their husbands. By doing these things the word of God will
not be discredited.Are Christian Women Supposed to Wear Head
Coverings?
Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to
touch a woman.” But because of cases of sexual immorality, each man should have
his own wife and each woman her own husband.
3 But I want you to realize that the head of every man is
Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. "4 Every
man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 But
every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her
head—it is the same as having her head shaved. 6 For
if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off;
but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head
shaved, then she should cover her head. 7 A
man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but
woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come
from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither
was man created for woman, but woman for man." 10 It
is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head,
because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the
Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For
as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from
God.
But I want you to understand that Christ is the source of every human alive,
and Adam was the source of Eve, and God is the source of the Messiah.
For just as woman was taken from the side of man, in the same way man is taken
from the womb of woman. God, as the source of all things, designed
it this way.
For as woman came from man, so also man is born of
woman. But everything comes from God.
8 For man did not come from woman, but
woman from man; 9 neither
was man created for woman, but woman for man.
"4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered
dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head
uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. 6 For
if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off;
but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head
shaved, then she should cover her head. 7 A
man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but
woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come
from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither
was man created for woman, but woman for man."
10 It is for this reason that a woman ought to have
authority over her own head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless,
in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of
woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of
woman. But everything comes from God.
Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things
of this life!
as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything
comes from God
He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors
and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for
building up the body of Christ, until all of us come
to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to
maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be
children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine by people’s
trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming; but
speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way
into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole
body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as
each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up
in love.What About the Household Codes?
Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the ones who are considered the
rulers by the Gentiles show off their authority over them and their
high-ranking officials order them around. But that’s not the way it
will be with you. Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant.
Whoever wants to be first among you will be the slave of all, for the Human
One didn’t come to be served but rather to serve and to give his life to
liberate many people.”
For ye are all the children (hwee-os') of God by faith in
Christ Jesus.The Ephesian Household Code
Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the Lord
wives to your own husbands as to the Lord.
being subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 For wives, this means..
25 For husbands, this means...
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up
for her
for the Human One didn’t come to be served but rather to serve and to give his
life to liberate many people.
Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should
respect her husband.
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be
joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”
for the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the
church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Just as the church is subject to
Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.
for Adam was the source of Eve, just as Christ is the source of the church, his
body, and is himself its Savior. Just as the church is devoted to Christ, so
also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.
But I want you to understand that Christ is the source of every human alive,
and Adam was the source of Eve, and God is the source of the Messiah.
Masters ... remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no
favorites.The Colossian Household Code
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were
called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom
Let every wife be supportive and tenderly devoted to her husband, for this is a
beautiful illustration of our devotion to Christ. Let every husband be filled
with cherishing love for his wife and never be insensitive toward her.The Peter Household Code
If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if
you endure when you do good and suffer for it, this is a commendable thing
before God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for
you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.
Wives, in the same way, be subject to your husbands, so that, even
if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by
their wives’ conduct, when they see the purity and respect of your conduct.
Husbands, in the same way, show consideration for your wives in
your life together, paying honor to the woman—though the weaker vessel, they
are joint heirs of the gracious gift of life—so that nothing may hinder your
prayers.
Husbands, likewise, submit by living with your wife in ways that
honor her, knowing that she is the weaker partner. Honor her all the more, as
she is also a coheir of the gracious care of life. Do this so that your prayers
won’t be hindered.
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate
hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it
should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and
quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the
holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn
themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like
Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if
you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to
you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery
with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and
throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your
whole body to be thrown into hell.
Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer
(hoop-ak-oo'-o) the door.
And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am become old, shall I have
pleasure, and my lord old?
And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear
children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.
and Sarai said to Abram, “You see that the Lord has prevented me from bearing
children; go in to my slave; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And
Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.Patriarchal Bible Translations and the Poison of
Complementarianism
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’
2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife,
temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a
lover of money.
4 He must manage his own family well and see
that his children obey him, and he must
do so in a manner worthy of full respect.
5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how
can he take care of God’s church?)
6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may
become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.
7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so
that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
8 In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect,
sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.
9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a
clear conscience.
10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing
against them, let them serve as deacons.
11 In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious
talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
12 A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children
and his household well.
13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and
great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in
Cenchreae.
Likewise with the female elders, lead them into lives free
from gossip and drunkenness and to be teachers of beautiful
things.
Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes
of Israel.
These are those who did not defile themselves with womenBible Translations, and an Evil Root to Corrupt
Many New Translations
But he answered, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread
alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
--The Scriptures in black are patriarchal translations which change the Word of
God, and the corrected verses which are accurate to the Greek are in purple.--
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me." KJV
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.
And I will raise him up on the last day." ESV
"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned." KJV
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should
boast." KJV
"And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be
saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it
is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
ESV
"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but
whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
ESV
"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be
strong." ESV
"Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that
they may be saved." ESVScriptures the Sexist Patriarchalists Ignore
Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, and
there are varieties of services but the same Lord, and there
are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who
activates all of them in everyone.
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the
members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in
the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or
free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of
you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with
Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or
free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in
Christ Jesus.
In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the
promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward
redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.
Look, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be
changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the
trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be
changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this
mortal body must put on immortality.
For as in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same
function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are
members one of another. We have gifts that differ
according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to
faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching;
the encourager, in encouragement; the giver, in
sincerity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate,
in cheerfulness.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of
your calling ... He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the
work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to
the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to
the measure of the full stature of Christ.
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all
together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound
like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were
sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue
rested on each of them. All of them were
filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the
Spirit gave them ability.
All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with
certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.
‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my
Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream
dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I
will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.Some Beautiful Mutuality Scriptures that
Complementarians Ignore
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Husbands, likewise, submit by living with your wife in ways that
honor her
Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man or man
independent of woman. For just as woman came from man, so man comes
through woman, but all things come from God.
It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own
head, because of the angels.
Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this
life!
For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does;
likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but
the wife does.
We also see this dangerous mixture in the Willis family, who also had a stint
on TV.
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
(Recommendation: Fix these in your Bible)
God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God
created them, male and female God created them.
And the name of the other was Eliezer (for he had said, “The God of my father
was my help - עֵ֖זֶר
(ay'-zer) and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”).
Then YHWH God said, “It is not good that the human should be
alone; I will make a helper to recue [the human from
loneliness]. The partner will be an equal counterpart.”
God Almighty declares the word of the gospel with power,
and the warring women of Zion deliver its message
And Jephthah vows a vow to YHWH and says, “If You give the sons of
Ammon into my hand at all—then it has been, that which comes out from the doors
of my house at all to meet me in my turning back in peace from the sons of
Ammon—it has been for YHWH, or I have offered up a
burnt-offering for it.”
From time to time the daughters of Israel go to talk to the
daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite, four days in a year.
All these were of the sons of Obed-edom; they and their sons and relatives were
able men with
strength - חַיִל (khah'-yil) for the
service, sixty-two from Obed-edom.
A woman of strength who can find? She is far more
precious than jewels.
Luke 8:3
and let these also first be proved, then let them minister διακονέω
(dee-ak-on-eh'-o), being unblameable.
and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many
others, who ministered διακονέω
(dee-ak-on-eh'-o) to them out of their own resources.
Romans 16:1
Paul and Timothy, servants δοῦλος
(doo'-los) of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at
Philippi, with the overseers and deacons -
διάκονος (dee-ak'-on-os)
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at
Cenchreae
If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give
generously. If God has given you leadership ability προΐστημι
(pro-is'-tay-mee), take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift
for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of
the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading πρῶτος
(pro'-tos) women
I am sending her with this letter and ask that you shower her with your
hospitality when she arrives. Embrace her with honor, as is fitting for one who
belongs to the Lord and is set apart for him. So provide her whatever she may
need, for she’s been a great leader and champion for many—I
know, for she’s been that for even me!
Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison
with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in
Christ before I was.
But I want you to understand that Christ is the source of every
human alive, and Adam was the source of Eve, and God is the source of the
Messiah
It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own
head, because of the angels.
“In your congregation” you write, “as in all the churches of the
saints, let the women keep silence in the churches, for they are not permitted
to speak. And if they want to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands
at home, for it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.”
So, my brothers and sisters, strive to prophesy, and do not forbid
speaking in tongues, but all things should be done decently and in order.
For Adam is the source of Eve just as Christ is the source of the church, his
body, and is himself its Savior.
Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea and to Nympha and
the church in her house.
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober,
of good behaviour κόσμιος
(kos'-mee-os), given to hospitality, apt to teach;
For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable (hay-soo'-khee-os) life in all godliness and honesty.
I urge you, as I did when I was on my way to Macedonia, to remain in
Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach different
teachings.
Women must also be serious. They must not gossip or be heavy
drinkers, and they must be faithful in everything they do.
It seems to me that you will do something even more senseless φλύαρος
(floo'-ar-os) if, by holding a vain opinion concerning the truth, you continue
to despise me to your own hurt.
A number of those who practiced magic περίεργος
(per-ee'-er-gos) collected their books and burned them publicly; when the value
of these books was calculated, it was found to come to fifty thousand silver
coins.
And when the slave came back, he reported these things to his master.
Then the head of the household οἰκοδεσπότης
(oy-kod-es-pot'-ace) became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into
the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and
blind and lame.’
So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, and be the rulers
of their households, so as to give the adversary no occasion to revile us.
Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of
double honor, especially those who labor in
the word and in teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the
ox when it treads out the grain.” And, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
I left you behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should put
in order what remained to be done and should appoint elders in
every town, as I directed you
Likewise with the female elders, lead them into lives
free from gossip and drunkenness and to be teachers of beautiful things.
This will enable them to teach the younger women to love their
husbands, to love their children, and to be self-controlled and pure, taking
care of their household and being devoted to their husbands.
By doing these things the word of God will not be discredited.
but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was
known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the
gate, and brought Peter in.
1 Peter 3:1-2
A large amount of ancient Greek papyri reveal that the word underlying "subject"
above is actually: append, support, be devoted to.
And now let me speak to the wives. Be devoted to your own
husbands, so that even if some of them do not obey the Word of God, your
kind conduct may win them over without you saying a thing. For when they
observe your pure, godly life before God, it will impact them deeply .
When he knocked at the outer gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer
ὑπακούω (hoop-ak-oo'-o).
And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am become old,
shall I have pleasure, and my lord old?
and Sarai said to Abram, “You see that the Lord has prevented me
from bearing children; go in to my slave; it may be that I shall obtain
children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
Husbands, likewise, submit by living with your wife in ways that honor her,
knowing that she is the weaker partner. Honor her all the more, as she is also
a coheir of the gracious care of life. Do this so that your prayers won’t be
hindered.
The Elder to the choice Kyria, and to her children, whom I love in
truth, and not I only, but also all those having known the truth
In Concluding
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
