Women in the Early Church and What it Means for Us - Part III

Thus, Adam is singular but also plural similar to how God is similar but plural in the trinity. In the trinity we can see a difference in hierarchy perhaps, but no essential difference between the three persons (R. Zacharias, Veritas Forum). If the core of both Adam and Eve is to be made in the image of God, then I also fail to see how the two could be ontologically different, that is to say different in essence, as Ferrara argues. Both are made in the image of God, and shortly thereafter, following the same parallel structure, both are given dominion over the Earth, “Male and female share in power and authority, even as they share in dignity (Spencer, p. 23).” If we then have a command from God to jointly rule, and are both made in His image, what then of God’s creating Eve as a helper to Adam? Does not Eve being made for such a role show her to be subservient, if not secondary, to Adam?

Genesis 2:18, which describes the reason for which God made Eve, literally reads “And the Lord God thought it was not good for the Adam to be by himself; ‘I will make for him a helper as if in front of him’ (Spencer, 23).” As Spencer goes on to illustrate, the key words are “as if in front of him,” which does not imply subservience but rather equality. The writer of Genesis, obviously aware of the nuances of ancient Hebrew, would have written that Eve was made as a helper either behind or beneath him. “Rather, God created woman to be ‘in front of’ or ‘visible’ to Adam, which would symbolize equality (if not superiority!) in all respects. Even more, one can argue that the female is the helper who rules over the one she helps! In effect, God has inaugurated a mutual submission, even at creation (Spencer, p. 25).”

This is not to say that neither I, nor I think Spencer, am arguing for the superiority of women over and against men. Rather, we find the leader who serves throughout the entire discourse of the Bible. Jesus gave us this example in the Gospels, when asked who would be first in the Kingdom of Heaven and Paul calls upon husbands and wives to live in mutual submission to one another. Thus we are to help one another, as Eve was created to help Adam but was also not created as his inferior or as an addendum to his character. Indeed, “the term ‘helper’ most frequently refers to God (thirteen times) and sometimes refers to military protectors and allies (four times). As the Psalmist sings: ‘I will lift up my eyes to the hills/ From whence does my help come?/ My help comes from the Lord/ who made heaven and Earth (12:1-2 RSV)’ (Spencer, p. 26).” God is very often called our helper, and God is not subordinate to us. Therefore, we can safely conclude, along with Spencer, that Eve was not made to serve Adam but rather to serve God alongside Adam.

The curse itself also further illuminates how we have often misunderstood how Genesis speaks to us of the relationship between men and women. While Eve was cursed for a desire for her husband to rule over her, she was not cursed, as Spencer notes, to be ruled over by any or all men. Thus, we still do not have a precedent yet for male leadership over female leadership. However, Spencer then goes on to assert that, “If God’s acts of redemption lift the effects of death, shame, independence, and irresponsibility, is it not also possible that Adam (and all men) can try to make work more pleasurable and that Eve (and all women) can try to make labor more pleasurable? (Spencer, p. 42).” This sentence, I admit, made me pause to reconsider her stance. If God established the curse because of our sin, then who are we to try to lift and reverse it? Perhaps we must wait for God to reverse the curse lain upon us after the return of Christ, at which point God will dry every tear and right every wrong. However, God saw fit to defeat death and sin on the cross in the person of Jesus Christ. Even before the crucifixion, Jesus called upon his disciples, as God called upon the prophets, to heal the sick and raise the dead. Thus God commands us to strive against the death we brought into the world through our sin, why should we not also strive against the other sufferings and inequalities that we have brought into the world?

Jesus’ own life reveals how God equally values women as much as men. Indeed, Mary Magdalene is the first person to see the empty tomb from which Jesus has arisen (John 20:11-18, NIV), and shortly thereafter women are the second witnesses to the risen Lord (Matthew 28:8-10, NIV). In Luke’s Gospel, women are one of the marginalized people groups that Jesus specifically reaches out to, the others being Samaritans, the sick, the poor, and sinners. Luke also includes the discussion between Jesus, Mary and Martha concerning the “proper place” of a woman. Martha rebukes Mary for not assisting her in her homemaking chores, and yet Jesus applauds Mary’s decision to instead listen to him teach. Given how we have already discussed that, in first century Palestine, a woman’s place was as the homemaker, Martha’s anger at being left to work by herself is understandable.

Although Jesus does show a concern for Martha’s feelings… he declares it is Mary who has selected the good share and, moreover, that share will not be taken from her! Mary, not Martha, has made the right choice. And Jesus would not allow Martha, or anyone else, to stop Mary from learning as his male students would learn… Not only does Jesus not think women are exempt from learning the Torah, but also they do best to learn God’s law… Jesus has returned to that original injunction in Deuteronomy 31:12: ‘Men, women, children and strangers are to learn to fear the Lord and do all the Lord commands’… As well, Jesus did not allow the fear of immorality to prohibit women from learning (Spencer, p. 60-61).

May I suggest that this is how Paul intended for “let women learn in silence,” a phrase that is often quoted to assert the exclusion of women from leadership? Learning in silence does not necessitate how we here in the western part of the world, if not the USA, understand silence; that is, silence as submission, yielding or being lorded over by the one who speaks.

In every instance in the New Testament this silence is an appropriate or, usually, an ideal response or state. Paul often uses the same word in other contexts to exhort Christians on how to live or act. ‘In 1 Timothy 2:2, 1 Thessalonians 4:11, and 2 Thessalonians 3:12 all people are exhorted to lead a ‘quiet and peaceful life in all goodliness and proper conduct (1 Tim 2:2, NIV)’ (Spencer, p. 76).

Here we have the appropriate context with which to understand Paul’s exhortations to silence. It is not a dogmatic and caustic command for women to stay silent and learn from their brothers in Christ, but rather a call to obedience, peacefulness and goodly conduct.

Consequently, when Paul commands that women learn in silence he is commanding them to be students who respect and affirm their teacher’s convictions. ‘In all submission’ is a synonym for ‘silence’ here. Paul does not exhort women always to be submissive to men. Rather, ‘in all submission,’ as ‘in silence’ modifies the manner of learning women should do. The women have not been silenced out of punishment but silenced out of conviction because their teachers are worthy of respect (Spencer, p. 77)

Thus, Paul is not claiming male dominion over females but rather is calling women into a proper attitude of learning from their teachers and brothers in Christ. We have here a doctrine on how we ought to conduct our Sunday school classes, perhaps, but nothing that commands us to hold women in silence and to learn from their “male superiors.”

Finally, are there any women mentioned in the New Testament who actually were in positions of leadership? Paul mentions Junia, a woman’s name, as his “fellow prisoner,” “prominent among the apostles (Romans 16:7, NIV).” Interestingly enough, Chrysostom, as well as Jerome, both affirm that Junia was a woman, and the former even commends her devotion for being “counted worthy of the appellation of apostle (Spencer, p. 101).” It is not until the thirteenth century that Junia is referred to as being a man, and Paul seems to relate to Junia as being equal with him in his duty and ministry to the world as ministers of the word. “Certainly authoritative preaching would have to be a part of such a (Paul’s as an apostle) testimony. Junia, along with Andronicus, apparently laid the foundation for the churches at Rome: ‘they came before me in Christ (Rom. 16:7). The churches they establish have lasted to this day. No wonder Junia and Adonronicus were notable apostles (Spencer, p. 101).” If Paul, whom we often quote to show that men are meant to hold authority over women, speaks of a woman as being his equal as an apostle, how then can we maintain that men are, indeed, supposed to hold just such authority? The answer, though it may gall some of us, strikes me as being “we can’t.”

The words that “women are to learn in silence,” much like the words “compel them to come in,” have been thoroughly used and abused by people throughout the history of the Christian church. Although many have argued that men hold authority over women, that women are unfit for leadership in the church, and that God intended it that way, we can only look back to the original Biblical writings and see that from the beginning God created two distinct people to equally serve Him and hold dominion over the rest of His creation. To base male authority on the maleness of Christ is to run the risk of excluding women by implying that as only men are, in a special way, like Christ therefore only women can be saved. Yet as we look at history, or even the present day, we see this to not be true. Jesus reached out to the centurion as well as to the Samaritan woman and called both to believe in Him for them to be saved. Jesus Himself, God’s special revelation to the world that all might hear His word and be saved, called women to be apostles and, therefore, could easily do the same today. God’s word and will does not change. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8, NIV).

References

Robbins, John W. Scripture Twisting in the Seminaries, Maryland: The Trinity Foundation, 1985

Spencer, Aida Besancon. Beyond the Curse: Women Called to Ministry, Thomas Nelson: 1985

Objections to Women Leaders in the Church. www.bibleweb.org/TruthAbout/ta37.htm. Cited 11/1/05

Catholic Answers: Women and the Priesthood. www.catholic.com/library/Women_and_the_Priesthood.asp Cited 11/1/05

Ferrara, Jennifer and Wilson, Sarah Hinlicky. Ordaining Women: Two Views.

http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0304/articles/ferrarawilson.html Cited 11/1/05

Zacharias, R. The Harvard Veritas Forum, Georgia, Ma: Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, 1995.

Rosell, Dr. Garth M. Lecture Notes, CH500, 2005.