“A woman ought to have power on her head” is the crux of 1 Cor. 11:2-16. What did Paul mean here? And what does “because of the angels” mean?
In Part 3, I focus on 1 Cor. 11:7-9 and corresponding verses. Why did Paul say man is the image and glory of God, and woman was made for man?
In Part 2, I continue looking at 1 Cor. 11:2-16, especially at 1 Cor. 11:4-6. Was Paul’s concern head coverings or hairstyles?
This is Part 1 of a talk I gave in August on 1 Cor. 11:2-16. This passage includes the phrase, “the head of woman is the man.”
I repond to 5 flawed ideas I often hear as interpretations of Ephesians 5:22-33, including the “husband as decision-maker” idea.
Melania the Elder was a powerful, wealthy, educated woman who influenced and shaped Christianity until her death in 410.
What does the iconography of catacomb frescoes tell us about the ecclesial role or position of Cerula and Bitalia, two fifth-century women?
In part 2, I look at Christ’s role as the “Saviour of the body” and what this means for Paul’s words to wives in Ephesians 5:22-24 and to husbands in Ephesians 5:25ff.
Here’s what I’ve been learning about the Greek “submit” verb. I also look at what it meant to Paul that Jesus is the “Saviour of the body.”
Did Jesus celebrate the Last Supper (Passover) with only the twelve male apostles? Were there any women present? What do the Gospels show?
Women have always played important roles in the mission of the church and they are a part of our history. I highlight some of these women here.
What is the mystery in Eph 5:32? Here’s my quick take on “This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.”
I’ve highlighted the structure and vocabulary of 1 Cor. 14:26-40 which contains verses 33-34, “Women should be silent in the churches …”
The idea that Artemis of Ephesus was a fertilty or mother goddess is often repeated. Using ancient evidence, Sandra Glahn challenges these ideas, and others, in her book Nobody’s Mother.
Was paraclete a military term as some claim? I look at ancient Greek texts to see how the word was used outside and within the New Testament.
Mary the mother of James and Joseph/ Joses, also known as “the other Mary,” is mentioned 7 times in the Synoptic Gospels. What do we know about her?
Sandra Glahn gives 4 reasons in her book “Nobody’s Mother” for why there was a decline of women in public ministry in the centuries following Pentecost.
I look at all the Miriams, Marias, and Marys in the Bible (there are 7 in the NT), and at Mariamne in Josephus, and discuss what their names might mean.
There are various interpretations of “she will saved through childbearing” put forward by scholars, but in this article, I explain how I understand the phrase.
In this post, I quote a story from Theodoret of Cyrrhus’s Church History about Publia, a daring deaconess who lived in Antioch in the 360s, and her brave choir.
In Theodoret of Cyrrhus’s Church History there is an interesting story of a brave woman who was a teacher and deacon in Antioch in the early 360s.
In this blog post, I look at a papyrus letter, written between Christians in the early 300s AD, which plainly mentions a woman teacher (kyrian tēn didaskalon).
The Son’s submission to the Father in 1 Cor. 15:28 does not inform our understanding of submission in marriage in the way some people argue. Here’s why.
I look at the Hebrew word chayil, used in Proverbs 31:10 for an eshet chayil, and at the Greek word andreia (“courageous”), used to describe some Bible and early Christian women.
This is the 3rd post taken from my chapter in “Co-workers and Co-leaders.” I look here at some of the men and women who were involved in difficult and dangerous ministries.
This is the 2nd post taken from my chapter in “Co-workers and Co-leaders.” Paul’s letters show that he ministered alongside women. Women were among his coworkers and were deacons (diakonoi).
This is the 1st of 3 blog posts taken from my chapter in the book “Co-workers and Co-leaders: Women and Men Partnering for God’s Work.” I look here at the women who followed Jesus and the women who hosted house churches.
A short discussion on the adjective akatakalyptos and the verb katakalyptō (“cover”) used in 1 Corinthians 11:2–16.
In Daniel 11:6 it says that “the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to seal the agreement.” Who was this daughter? What do we know about her?
Rahab, Tamar, and Rizpah were in precarious social situations. They each took matters into their own hands, and the consequences of their daring, unorthodox actions were life-changing.
1 Timothy 2:12 (“I do not permit a woman to teach …”) is the only Bible verse that places a restriction on a woman teaching. It shouldn’t be used to ban women ministers.
In his book, The Bible vs. Biblical Womanhood, Philip Payne outlines 3 reasons why Paul’s concern in 1 Cor. 11:2–16 was not head coverings for women, but hairstyles.
Lately, I’ve been hearing some suggest the reason Jesus chose only men to be among the Twelve is because he knew the harsh persecution the Twelve would face. Is this reason valid?
In this article, I look at every verse where Jesus directly addresses a woman as “woman.” These verses can sound cold and even rude in English. This article was first published in Mutuality magazine.
In early Syriac texts (2nd–4th centuries), the Holy Spirit and even God are described using feminine and maternal imagery. In this article, I quote from these texts.
What did Paul mean when he said “husband of one wife”? What was Priscilla’s role in Ephesus and Rome? What is Paul’s overall theology of ministry and women?
Here is more from a talk I gave on February 11. In part 2, I look at 1 Timothy 2:12 within its immediate context and within the context of First Timothy.
This is part 1 of a talk I gave recently which looks at Paul’s overall theology on ministry and the verses often used to limit women.
Did the author of John’s Gospel break grammar rules and use masculine pronouns in John 14–16 to masculinise and personalise the Holy Spirit?
I look at how the word ezer is used in the Hebrew Bible, including how it is used in people’s names in the Bible. And I show that being an ezer is not an especially feminine role or obligation.
In part 2, I look at the two texts Troy Martin uses to support his “testicle” idea, at ancient Jewish texts that mention the Watchers, and at what Paul meant by “nature teaches” (1 Cor. 11:14).
With some trepidation, I critique Troy Martin’s idea that peribolaion means testicle in 1 Cor. 11:15 and his idea that Paul thought hair is a conduit of semen.
I look at how Paul uses the phrase “in everything” in his letters and at what it means in, “wives submit to your husbands in everything.”
Here are five of my all-time favourite blog posts (not written by me), plus a fantastic series. They all critique, in some way, attitudes held by many Christians about the supposed roles of women and men.
In this short blog post (less than 400 words), I address persistent and common misconceptions about Christian egalitarianism or mutualism.
What did the Samaritan woman mean when she told the folk of Sychar, “Come, see a man who told me ‘everything I ever did'”?
Here’s a 500-word biblical defence for Christian egalitarianism/ mutualism. Plus a link to a podcast I did with James Pruch on “Mutuality in the Garden.”
Was Martha initially missing in Papyrus 66, the oldest text of John’s Gospel? Is Mary of Bethany in John 11-12 really Mary Magdalene?
In this article, I provide an overview of how Paul uses the word kephalē (“head”) in his letters, and I give a brief note on each verse that contains the word.
Here are some first-century Greek texts that use the word kephalē (“head”). They show how the word was used in Paul’s day.
Would you like to support my ministry of encouraging mutuality and equality between men and women in the church and in marriage?
© 2022 Marg Mowczko