In this post I critique the notes on 1 Timothy 2:12 in the ESV Study Bible. What is the context of this verse? What does it prohibit?
In this post, I look at Nympha, a Christian mentioned in Colossians 4:15. What was her association with Paul? What was her ministry? Where was her house church? Was she really a woman?
Timothy knew Paul’s views on ministry and it’s unlikely he needed to be reminded of them. 1 Tim. 2:11-15 is not Paul’s general teaching on ministry but something else.
Does 1 Corinthians 11:7 express superiority of men over women. Is this what is meant by “man … is the image and glory of God but woman is the glory of man”? Here’s a different interpretation.
Here are interpretations of 1 Corinthians 11:7 (man … is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man) from past & present scholars.
Here’s a look at a common Greek phrase used in Phil. 4:2 concerning Euodia and Syntyche. What did Paul want them to think? Were the women quarrelling?
Does 1 Timothy 3:4a (“managing his own household well”) show that men, and not women, are to rule or manage their households? What was the role of the first church overseers and bishops?
This article looks at Junia, a Christian missionary mentioned in Romans 16:7 who was persecuted for her faith and may have known Jesus personally. Was she also known as Joanna?
A few verses in Paul’s letters are frequently cited by Christians who exclude women from some ministries. Did Paul really restrict women in either ministry or marriage? This is part 3 of a series on gender roles in the Bible.
Does Jesus give instructions about gender roles as complementarians understand them? What does Jesus teach and say to women in the Gospels? This is part 2 in a series of gender roles in the Bible.
Does the Old Testament teach that husbands are to be the leaders of their wives, or that men have authority over women? Are some roles forbidden to women? This is part 1 of a series on gender roles in the Bible.
In this post, I respond to how the authority of police officers, etc, is used as an analogy by some Christians to support male-only authority.
Judith, Thecla, and Catherine of Alexandria are three heroines whose stories of conviction and courage are part of our history and heritage.
This short post looks at the verb authenteō (authentein) in 1 Tim. 2:12. My claim is that “to have, exercise, usurp authority” is an inadequate and misleading translation.
It is remarkable that the witch of Endor, who dealt in the occult, is portrayed in a sympathetic light in 1 Samuel 28. What’s going on here?
The stance of the Roman Catholic Church in regards to mutual submission in marriage is much more egalitarian than the stance of many evangelicals.
Was there a difference between the ministries of male and female prophets in the Bible? Did male prophets minister publicly and female prophets privately?
Though it sounds harsh and heartless, even preposterous, to modern westerners, the Deuteronomy 22:28-29 law, for a rapist to marry his victim, was for the benefit of the raped woman. Here’s why.
Does helping someone require that you subordinate yourself to that person? Three men whose essays I’ve read recently answer this question with “yes”.
Elizabeth was a faithful woman of God who was given a remarkable son, John the Baptist. She was also given a prophetic voice.
Lydia of Thyatira (Acts 16:14ff), and women like her, were vital and strategic players at the forefront of the expanding Christian mission.
What did Eve do to help Adam? Here are two very different views from three top scholars about Eve’s role as helper in Genesis 2.
What do the New Testament and other early Christian and Jewish documents say about meekness and gentleness? (cf. 1 Peter 3:4)
Matthew 27:19 mentions Pontius Pilate’s wife and her dream about Jesus. What do we know of this woman? Was she a Jewish convert? A Christ-follower?
Here is a coherent interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:12 that takes into account surrounding verses as well as documented heresies in the 1st-2nd century church.
The Greek word for “head” rarely, if ever, meant “leader” in works originally written in Greek in Paul’s time. Here are four facts that support this claim.
Aemilia Lanyer was an English author and professing Christian who advocated for equality for women in a poem published in 1611.
Is male headship and female submission the best way for husbands and wives who are in Christ to live by New Testament and New Creation principles?
In this article I look at the text of 2 John, especially at the words the letter writer uses to identify the people he is writing to, including the “chosen lady.”
After 8 years, this is my last post from newlife.id.au. My next post will be from my new address MargMowczko.com. I hope you will join me there later this week.
Here is a close look at the word authentein (translated as ‘to usurp authority’ in 1 Tim. 2:12 KJV). A brief history of how authent- words and their meanings developed is included.
Was Paul concerned about women’s hair or veils in ancient Corinth? Would he be concerned about it in 21st-century Sydney? I wrote this piece in response to teaching at the Equip 17 women’s conference.
Here’s a paper I presented back in 2015 and which is included in the book “The Gender Conversation.”
Here’s a short review of Cynthia Westfall’s superb new book, “Paul and Gender: Reclaiming the Apostle’s Vision for Men and Women in Christ,” published by Baker Academic.
Not all first-century women fit the stereotype of being hidden and housebound. Some were influential and prominent in society and in the church.
Complementarians say men and women are equal in Christ, but the finer points of their beliefs reveal something different, especially regarding single women.
Does the Genesis story that Adam was created first mean that men have greater authority than women? Does primogeniture have a place in Christian relationships?
Complementarians believe that men have authority over women and that this principle is rooted in creation and therefore timeless in application. Cynthia Westfall exposes the faults in this thinking.
Here are four short clever videos which look at 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-14 and intelligently discuss whether women can teach in church.
In this article, I look at the language of 1 Timothy 2:12 and discuss the idea that this verse concerns an anonymous couple in the Ephesian church rather than men and women more generally.
This is a somewhat technical look at the word presbyteroi (“elders”) in New Testament letters, including the presbyterai (“women elders”) 1 Timothy 5:2.
Three times this past week I’ve been in online conversations where a person has stated that women were not leaders or elders in early churches. Was this really the case?
Priscilla, Phoebe, and Junia were Christian ministers who sometimes travelled. The NT shows that, at the very least, their paths crossed one or twice. Were they friends?
Who will strike the serpent’s head? Some translations of Genesis 3:15 have “he,” “she,” “it,” or “they.” Is it us?
There were powerful women in Bible times. Some were godly, others were not. This article looks especially at the Queen of Sheba and at Berenice who is mentioned in Acts.
Apphia, a woman, is greeted by Paul in his letter to Philemon. What was her role or position at Colossae? Was she Philemon’s wife or another Phoebe?
In this very short post, Matthew Malcolm shows that Paul has a keen interest in setting up hierarchies of human honour and then subverting them by subjecting all humans to God.
Is the Hebrew word teshuqah, traditionally translated as “desire” in Genesis 3:16, better translated as “single-minded concentration” or “devotion”?
In Luke 14:25-27, Jesus told his disciples have to hate their father & mother, wife & children, brothers & sisters. Was Jesus speaking to only men here?
Tertullian wrote about equality and mutuality in marriage; he did not regard the household code in Ephesians as comprehensive or prescriptive.
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