Womens Studies

            Interpreters have proposed several ways for removing from present observance of New Testament directives about male-female role relationship in the church and the home: 1 Timothy 2:8-15; 1 Corinthians 11:2-16; 14:33b-36; Colossians 3:18-19; and 1 Peter 3:1-7.

 I. Paul’s Intended Connection Between Genesis 2-3 and Women’s Roles

Introduction

               Something must explain why equally committed Christians come out on different sides of the same issue from the same Bible. It is either because of (1) unconscious presuppositions, (2) faulty reasoning, (3) misunderstanding of how language works, or (4) inadequate concept inventory.

ADDENDUM: “MALE AND FEMALE”

Old Testament Occurrences

Man/               Septuagint Readings: Ralphs’ & Brenton’s Editions Combined                     MT

Animal Gender                        (ἄρσην/θῆλυς)                                                                    נְקֵבָה/זָכָר

            Some additional questions arise from previous presentations on women’s studies. For one thing, I have used “ministry” in the title of a paper that centered on leadership in relation to women's roles. “Ministry” is broader than leadership, but leadership is the area in which disagreement about women's roles has arisen. One way to help resolve controversial issues is to appeal to the larger category in which they stand. A title about “ministry” is useful on this subject because women are clearly free to make significant contributions to kingdom work; the question is whether they are free to make contributions in formal leadership ministry over men. Ministry as the larger category sets the context for leadership ministry. Any distinctive elements in the latter must be added in such a way as not to contradict the larger framework. The thesis in “Ministry Before Consensus” has been that we can carry forward the kingdom's work significantly and with minimal negatives even before we resolve the problem. We can do that if we keep the problem clearly defined, if we keep it from spilling over into foreign issues, and if we maintain a proper understanding of Christian leadership. Women's formal and informal Christian leadership ministry needs to conform to Christian leadership ministry generally, Christian leadership ministry needs to take place in a way that harmonizes with Christian ministry, and Christian ministry of every sort must retain the characteristics of interpersonal process. Since it is ministry that we want to get done, ministry is the subject area.

CONCEPT 1:  Family is the basic unit of society, more than the individual.

Introductory Observations

In general, women’s studies relate to the genetic nature of men and women and cultural expectancy regarding their interaction. Discussing evangelical perspectives on men and women in relationship adds biblical interpretation to the inquiry.

Genesis 1:27 Women and Men created in God’s image

Introduction

editorial question                                                                Ephesians 5:21

 I. Description of Imperatival Intent

            Imperative forms can convey a range of meanings; they have (1) varied quality. In language, authorial intent does not bear a one-to-one relationship with linguistic forms. In assessing a writer’s use of the imperative mood, we look beyond the form itself and infer its force from the near and distant literary context, the historical context, and the nature of the case.

                 Below are six items for thought and research on women’s studies. Some points may be referred to in Hermeneutics: Getting the Point; check the scripture index for locations. As much as possible, consciously integrate into your write-up the principles studied in the course.

Werner Neuer. Man & Woman in Christian Perspective. Trans. from the 2nd German edition by Gordon J. Wenham. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1991 [1981]. 224 pp. pr

               One major argument for egalitarianism in marriage and the church pictures female deference as a fallen condition that has been reversed in Christ. “Your husband will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16) has changed to “In Christ there is no male and female” (Galatians 3:28). New Testament comments about male headship merely temporalize the Christian ideal in the interests of Christian mission. The following comments attempt to show that this scenario artificially combines unrelated ideas and overextends the cultural variable. Genesis 3:16 does not indicate a result of the curse, Galatians 3:28 is not an absolute principle, and statements elsewhere about headship are not necessarily pragmatic concessions to cultural norms that no longer apply.

Introduction

Does αὐθεντεῖν mean “exercise authority” or “domineer”?

            (a) The law of contrast implies that αὐθεντεῖν does not mean “dominate” since it is a correlative term with ὑποταγή in the previous verse. Ἐν πάσῃ ὑποταγῇ and αὐθεντεῖν seem to be correlative expressions like learn and teach, with which they appear. Correlative terms stand in a common larger category as natural contrasts: lost-saved, father-son, prophecy-fulfillment, faith-works, and the like. Within the same context the sense in which one is meant is the sense in which the other is used. If father means physical father, then son means physical son, not spiritual son. If prophesy means to state a significant principle, then fulfill means to be an example of that principle, not the occurrence of a prediction. Correlative terms obey the law of contrast/opposition/negation inside the law of harmony.

 I. Biblical Passages Relevant to Women’s Studies

            Exodus 15:20-21: Miriam and the women of Israel

            Judges 4:4-5:31: judgeship of Deborah

Précis   Neglected or misunderstood factors complicate any endeavor, including the interaction between men and women in the home, the church, and society. An unnecessary “edge” gets into discussions on this matter because of unconscious preconceptions about (a) the bases for self-esteem, (b) the nature of leaders and led and their interaction, and (c) the impact that love has on all interpersonal processes formal or natural.

Introduction

            We are inclined to think that some reasonable explanation lies behind the variant understandings of gender roles by equally sincere and capable Christian interpreters. Something must be happening in the minds of some that is not happening in others who likewise take a proper view of scripture. We suspect that part of the difficulty lies at (a) the linguistic level. People do not remember that the imperative mood can have more than one quality, hence, our essay elsewhere on “Imperatival Intent,” which assembles the different values that imperatives and their equivalents may have. Another part of the difficulty lies at (b) the corpus level. People make different assumptions about the nature of the New Testament as a body of normative literature, hence, this essay on “wisdom” vs. “law” and the accompanying excerpt on “Confusing Advice and Commandment.” What we have to say here comes in association with the accompanying diagram.

         This portion of Ephesians deals with “household teaching” on the relationship of husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and slaves. Other comparable texts are Colossians 3:18-4:1 and 1 Peter 2:(13-)18-3:7.

            As with other controversial matters, the biblical view of marriage and the family gets lost in the throes of pendulum thinking. Truth tends to lie between extremes, but on this issue unnecessary rigidness creates an extreme opposite and equal reaction. After a while,

To maintain a balanced approach in the current women’s studies debate, we should keep in mind what women did with divine approval in both Testaments. The following is a suggestive list.

            Relevant contrasts. The statements in 1 Corinthians 14:34 appear in a context that contrasts “not speaking” with insubordination and causing confusion. Earlier in 1 Corinthians Paul talks about women praying and prophesying (11:2-16). Evidently Paul’s meaning in the expression “be silent” is in contrast to speaking in such a way that creates disorder and implies a rebellious spirit. The English word “quiet” may be a closer synonym to the term in the original language, because “quiet” does not necessarily mean absolutely silent so much as verbally and behaviorally restrained.

            One point in 1 Timothy 2 has to do with husband-wife vs. man-woman as Paul’s intended reference. Connecting the statements of 1 Timothy with (a) a husband-wife contrast rather than (b) a man-woman contrast represents a crucial variable between instruction on marriage roles vs. gender roles. A third approach to the text has something of the same effect but seems to be more straightforward and therefore less cumbersome: (c) Paul is addressing “standard situation,” that is, married with children.

1.     The nature of the New Testament: body of law or book of wisdom (See essays on “Imperatival Intent” and “Law and Wisdom.”)?

Introduction

            In women’s studies, something is causing equally committed, intelligent, educated, hard-working, well-known Christians to come to incompatible conclusions, which leads to disagreement and division. Since this topic has behavioral correlates, we cannot treat it as we do the millennial question and go on about our work; this topic affects how we go on with our work. Since it is a broad-to-narrow issue, people with different persuasions find it hard to be equally tolerant; it is usually easier for a broader view to be accepting of a more restricted one than vice versa.

James B. Torrance. Worship, Community & the Triune God of Grace. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1997. 130pp. Reviewed by Virgil Warren, Manhattan, Kansas.

In November 1994, James Torrance, professor emeritus of systematic theology at the University of Aberdeen, presented the Didsbury Lectures in the Nazarene Theological College, Manchester. InterVarsity Press offers these lectures in written form with a preface and appendix added by the author.

            An important item in 1 Timothy 2 is a case of αὐθεντέω (authenteō) that Al Wolters pointed out at the November meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Lisle, Illinois.  It appears in Origen’s Commentary on 1 Corinthians, which, I believe, is one of Origen’s as-yet untranslated works. The full Greek text of the commentary is in Journal of Theological Studies, X (1909), 29-51. The reference appears in 74:20 of Origen’s Commentary. The text is as follows: