Here’s a complete list of women identified as prophetesses in the Bible, with a note on each. There was a recognised place for such women in Israel.
in 1 Cor. 11:14-15, Paul says that nature is a teacher of hair lengths or hairstyles for men and women. What did he mean by “nature”?
The story of David’s ten concubines, especially when linked with God’s words in 2 Samuel 12:11, is a deeply troubling story. Warning: sexual violence.
In this article, I give a brief overview of how I read 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. This passage includes the phrase, “the head of woman is man.”
Salome was a follower of Jesus, a witness of his crucifixion and empty tomb. She is mentioned twice in the Bible but many more times in other early church documents.
Some Christians claim that submission is always to a person in authority. In this article, I quote early church bishops who spoke positively about mutual submission.
Throughout her book, Dr Barr aims to show that complementarianism isn’t the only option for those who believe the Bible is the authoritative Word of God.
The Reformation is “a story of loss rather than a story of gain, of increased subordination rather than of liberation.”
In her book The Making of Biblical Womanhood, Beth Allison Barr argues that the concept of “biblical womanhood” doesn’t come from the apostle Paul.
Mary Magdalene was the herald of Jesus’s resurrection and of his impending ascension. After his resurrection, why did Jesus tell her, “Do not cling to me”?
In this article I answer the question, Where in the New Testament does it say women were pastors? There is a biblical case for female pastors.
I’ve seen people express dismay that Paul disparages women in 2 Timothy 3:6–7. Here’s a short note looking at Paul’s words here and at his main concern.
Part 3 looks at what Jael’s story and the accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion have in common, and at why some early and medieval theologians used Jael as a type of Mary the mother of Jesus.
In part 2 I look at the sexual and maternal imagery in Jael’s story, and the deadly determination in her actions. What was motivating her? *This article mentions rape.
Jael is a popular Bible figure, famous for her brutal act of violence against Israel’s enemy. In part 1 (of 3), I look at her story as recorded in Judges 4.
Is Ephesians 5:21-22 one sentence or two? What is the best way to punctuate these verses? How do ancient manuscripts treat them?
Is it significant that there is no “submit” word in Ephesians 5:22 in two of the oldest Greek manuscripts? Did Paul tell wives to submit?
In this article, I look at the Greek participles in Ephesians 5:18-21, especially the “submit” participle in verse 21.
Here are 12 blogs on Christian theology and biblical studies written by evangelical scholars who don’t push a complementarian or patriarchal agenda.
Miriam is identified as a prophet and leader in the Bible, but some say her ministry was only to women. Was this the case? What does the Bible say?
Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Uriah’s wife are the only women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1. Why only these four women?
D.A. Carson and Tim Keller recently had a conversation about 1 Timothy 2:12 posted on YouTube. I was asked about it. Here’s my response.
Paul honours Lois and Eunice and acknowledges they had been Timothy’s teachers. These women enabled Timothy to face challenges in Ephesus.
In this article, I briefly explain what I think it means to be made in the image of God and why it doesn’t have much to do with either God’s gender or ours.
In this short article, I sketch the case that 1 Tim. 2:12 says nothing, one way or the other, about whether competent women can be pastors, preachers, priests, elders, or any kind of church leader.
Some Christians think women should be “keepers at home” and stay out of the workforce and away from leadership ministries in the church. Here’s a list of respected Bible women who weren’t “keepers at home.”
I’ve been getting emails lately from young women convinced that men are physically superior to women. The hurt in these emails is profound. Here’s part of an email exchange I had with a woman named Jade.
Paul’s message in Romans 14 has some relevance to the issue of women ministers, an issue that continues to cause division in some sectors of the church.
I was honoured to write a foreword to Graham Hill’s book “Holding Up Half the Sky” where he presents a biblical case for women leading and teaching in the church. The foreword is in this post.
Is meekness a masculine virtue? How do ancient writers use the Greek word praus (“meek”)? What do ancient writers say about meek warhorses?
Atto, bishop of Vercelli in the 900s, saw in church tradition that women had led churches and were presbyters (priests or elders). He did not think this was a bad thing.
Chrysostom (d. 407) praised Priscilla, Phoebe, Euodia, Syntyche, and Junia. He acknowledged that these women were leading ministers in their churches.
Here are six 30-minute videos where Kenneth Bailey discusses the topic of women in the New Testament. Dr Bailey was a scholar of the New Testament in its Middle Eastern context.
Eph. 5:21 is one New Testament verse that encourages mutual submission. 1 Peter 5:5 is another. This post looks at the Greek grammar and vocabulary of 1 Peter 5:5.
Jesus used hyperbole in his Sermon on the Mount, especially in Matt 5:17-48 and perhaps also in the phrase “makes her an adulterer.”
In this article, I explain why “the co-elect” woman in 1 Peter 5:13 (AKA “she who is in Babylon”) may be a woman and not a church.
With the Jews in danger, Queen Esther risks her life and exerts her influence and authority. She cannot be mistaken for a sweet passive young woman.
Young Esther is taken to the harem in the palace and later taken to the king’s bed. What does the Bible reveal about her thoughts and actions?
In this 3-part series, I provide commentary on the book of Esther, focussing on the heroine at the centre. What kind of story is Esther’s story?
When we understand “preaching” words in the way New Testament authors used these words, we see that some New Testament women preached.
Eve’s reason for eating the forbidden fruit was that she was deceived. What was Adam’s excuse? Suzanne McCarthy suggests Adam gives a reason in Genesis 3.
Andrew Bartlett tells us about his 2019 book “Men and Women in Christ.” This is an excellent, thoroughly-researched book that is accessible to novices and useful to scholars.
Were Andronicus and Junia “outstanding/ notable among the apostles” (Rom.16:7 KJV, NIV) or “well known to the apostles” (ESV, NET)?
Here is a list of over a dozen early and medieval scholars who took Junia’s name in Romans 16:7 to be feminine. Junia was a woman and not Junias, a man.
After 10 years of blogging, the most important thing I’ve learned from listening to readers’ questions has little to do with the meaning of 1 Timothy 2:12 or Ephesians 5:22ff.
In this article, I look at 4 passages from the Hebrew Bible (Leviticus 27, Numbers 30, Ecclesiastes 7:28, Isaiah 3:12) which are sometimes used to diminish women.
Here is a short review of Suzanne McCarthy’s book, Valiant or Virtuous?: Gender Bias in Bible Translation. Her book is on a topic close to my heart.
Here are 3 reasons why 1 Timothy 2:12 may be about a particular couple in the Ephesian church and not Paul’s general thoughts on women in ministry.
The word “manhood” occurs twice in the English Standard Version. Does this word convey what Paul wanted to say in Eph. 4:13? In what other ways does the ESV create a masculine bias.
The role of the Holy Spirit as helper (given in John’s Gospel) does not inform our understanding of Eve as helper/ ezer (in Genesis 2), and vice versa. Here’s why.
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© 2022 Marg Mowczko