Women Erased/Demoted in Many Bible Translations PART SIX

Women Disciples of Jesus 

We saw a female apostle mentioned specifically by name - Junia.  There are also female disciples of Jesus.  

Luke 8:1-3 NRSVue
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.

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.

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 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.

A key word in this phrase is "ministered." Notice the NRSVue is being honest in the translation of this word.  We came across their 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 see in Romans 16:2 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
What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one.

NOTE: The woman Priscilla taught the man Apollos corrections in the Scriptures were 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
and let these also first be proved, then let them minister, being unblameable.

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. For example, the NASB 2020 says "contributing" for dee-ak-on-eh'-o:

Luke 8:3 NASB 2020
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.

The above translation and other 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 actually Apostles (likely Joanna). 

A disciple of note of Jesus' was the woman Tabitha.  We see her mentioned in Acts 9.

Acts 9:36 NRSVue
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

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
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.

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 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
Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.

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 was never any sudden instruction 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
Women likewise must be serious, not slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things.

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.

"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
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

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 NRSVue
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.

Romans 12:1 ESV
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.

Is it to "brothers," or "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
Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband

"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
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.

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
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.

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."  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
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.

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.  We know from context the correct translation for the above should indeed be the church office of Elder/Pastor, not age, as we see just a bit later in this same chapter:

1 Timothy 5:17 CSB
The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

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.

1 Timothy 5:1-3 Darby
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

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
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.” 

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
For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”

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 female church pastors who are widowed.

The Titus 2 Woman

Titus 2:1-6 ESV
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. 

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
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

"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 yes, 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, as this whole passage is 100% gender neutral in the Greek.

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
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.

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 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 form of the noun οἶκος - oy'-kos which literally means home or household.  

Thus the above is not saying the wife has to be a homemaker.  It literally says 'to love their husband and children with self-control and household.'  "Household" here could refer to the family unit of husband and children, including servants or slaves that were part of the general household at that time.  This then could be a nod to The Woman of Strength - the Proverbs 31 Woman:

Proverbs 31:15 NRSVue
She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and tasks for her female servants.

Women Erased/Demoted in Many Bible Translations PART FIVE

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.

Thus we see that under the New Covenant, all, any, and every true Christian now serves as a priest:

1 Peter 2:9 NRSVue
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.

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.)

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
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.

We provide our bodies as living sacrifices.  How?  By conforming to God's will,  and not conforming to the fallen, sinful world.  

Another priestly sacrifice we offer is praise.

Hebrew 13:15-16 NRSVue
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.

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, 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.

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 see 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
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

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 that we have workers in Christ and church leaders who were slaves (or used to be slaves), free people, 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.

A Female Minister of a Specific Church, and a Leader of Many, Including of Paul

Romans 16:1-2 ESV
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 is a "servant," and a 'patron, benefactor, helper, succorer' etc.

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 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 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
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.

Romans 16:1-2 TPT
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

Romans 16:3-5a NRSVue
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.

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 call today 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.

A Woman Apostle

Roman 16:7 CSB
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.

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:

Romans 16:7 NASB 1995
Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

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
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

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
Philemon 1:2 NRSVue
to our sister Apphia, to our fellow soldier Archippus, and to the church in your house

Chloe
1 Corinthians 1:11 NIV 2011
My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.

Remember, the Christian householder was the pastor of their house church.  Thus Chloe was possibly another women pastor.

Eudia and Syntyche
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.

Nympha the Female Pastor

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.

In obscuring this, some Bible translations change her name to a man's name, and change it to his house.

Colossians 4:15 NKJV
Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the church that is in his house.

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
Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea and to Nympha and the church in her house.

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
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

Here we see this letter is a general letter, not addressed to any specific person.

2 John 1:1 NRSVue
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

3 John 1:1 NRSVue
The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

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, 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, as 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 a woman, but a female pastor of a church.  There are a few Bible translations that translate this honestly, such as the below:

2 John 1:1 YLT
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

2 John 1:1 Living Bible
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

Acts 16:14-15 NRSVue
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.

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.

Women Erased/Demoted in Many Bible Translations PART FOUR

Before I get into the New Testament, let's first look at woman authorship in the Bible for both Testaments.

Women Authorship in the Old Testament of the Bible

If we look through the annals of history, we find out 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 some women from teaching themselves how to read.  Even when women were illiterate, we see that men wrote 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.

This is the same case for the book of Esther.  The main person and hero in that book is the woman Esther.  

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 means 'a 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.

Women Authorship in the New Testament of the Bible

Luke 1:46-55 is authored by Mary, the mother of Jesus in His human form.

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.  That particular participle can be used in the masculine, OR in the neuter.  If the author were female, she was clearly using it in the neuter sense.

We see that the likelihood of some female authorship in both Testaments of the Bible is not only viable, but quite likely actual.

Women Erased/Demoted in Many Bible Translations PART THREE

Powerful and Mighty Women in the Old Testament

While we've already seen some powerful women evangelists, prophets, lay priests, etc. in the Old Testament, there are also powerful women in that society 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
His daughter was Sheerah, who built both Lower and Upper Beth-horon and Uzzen-sheerah.

Some women helped rebuild the wall in Jerusalem when the Jews got to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild:

Nehemiah 3:12 NRSVue
Next to him Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters.

Notice Hellohesh was a ruler, so he knew societal norms, 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 follow the curse:

Job 42:12-15 NRSVue
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

We see multiple instances in the Old Testament of women naming their children.  If you do a word study of those chosen names, most of the time that 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.

The names chosen by these women for their children were usually prophetic.  Thus, these women naming their children was a powerful spiritual act.

Women Leaders

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.

Women Warriors and Societal Wise Leaders

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 Holofenes, 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.

The 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.

An Egalitarian Marriage in the Old Testament

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 Shunammite 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 had to move away because of a famine.  When she came back, her land was owned by someone else.  She took this issue to the king - SHE did this, 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.

The Shunammite 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.

Why Did Only Miriam get Leprosy?

Numbers 12:10 NRSVue
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.

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
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)

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 abbreviated treatise is going to be The Proverbs 31 Woman.

The Woman of Strength

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 guides 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, and the like.  For example:

Proverbs 31:10 KJV
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

If you look in an inerlinear 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, and 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
A woman of strength who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.

Proverbs 31:10 TPT
Who could ever find a wife like this one - she is a woman of strength and mighty valor!  She's full of wealth and wisdom. The price paid for her was greater than many jewels.

This isn't the only place in this passage about this strong woman that reveals her strength.  Here's more:

Proverbs 31:17 NRSVue
She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong.

Proverbs 31:25
Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.

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 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.

Women Erased/Demoted in Many Bible Translations PART TWO

Why Weren't There Women Priests in the Old Testament?

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 include the fact that God only allowed genetic Jews to be priests, and only those from the tribe of Levi, etc.  

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 that 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 around the Jews 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 today.  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 the priesthood was a FULLTIME endeavor.

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 male and female may serve as church leaders, because the menstrual blood is now ceremonially clean through the shed blood of Christ. The soul in the saved blood cries out "redeemed, redeemed!"

We do see women serving in religious positions in the Old Testament, just not as Levitical priests.

Women in Religious Positions in the Old Testament

The Old Testament shows women in different religious positions.

Women sang laments:  

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.

Women could sing and lead in praise and worship:

Exodus 15:20 NRSVue
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.

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 NIV 1984
The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it.

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 NIV 2011
The Lord announces the word, and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng.

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
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.

1 Samuel 2:22 NRSVue
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.

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.  We see this in Anna at the opening of the New Testament:

Luke 2:36-38 NRSVue
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.

Anna was:

1) A Prophet
2) After being widowed after only 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 PREACHER.

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
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.”

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
the daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

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'.

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."

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
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.” 

Judges 11:40 LSV
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

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
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...

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