Verse 10 and the phrase “a woman ought to have power on her head” is at the centre of 1 Cor. 11:2-16. It’s the crux of the passage. 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?
I repond to 5 flawed ideas I often hear as interpretations of Ephesians 5:22-33, including the “husband as decision-maker” idea.
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.”
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.
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 …”
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.
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.
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).
A short discussion on the adjective akatakalyptos and the verb katakalyptō (“cover”) used in 1 Corinthians 11:2–16.
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?
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.
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.”
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.
In this post, I discuss Paul’s instructions to husbands in Colossians 3:19. I look at this verse within the broader context of Colossians and I explore what “bitter” means.
Paul’s words to wives in Col. 3:18 contain a phrase that doesn’t occur elsewhere in the New Testament. What does it mean to submit “as is fitting in the Lord”?
The Greek word adelphoi is used over 100 times in Paul’s letters. Is “brothers and sisters” or “siblings” an acceptable translation?
Here are a few excerpts from a chapter written by Judith Gundry that are helpful in understanding Paul’s arguments and use of creation in 1 Cor. 11:2-16.
Drawing on ancient texts, I give 3 reasons why there should be a consensus on the general sense of “authentein” as bad bossy behaviour.
Who was Damaris? What was her social status? What does her name mean? What was her role in the church? Evidence from ancient inscriptions help to answer some of these questions.
Paul said in 1 Cor. 11:10 that a woman should have “authority on her head.” Whose authority is it?
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”?
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.
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.
In this article, I look at the Greek participles in Ephesians 5:18-21, especially the “submit” participle in verse 21.
Paul honours Lois and Eunice and acknowledges they had been Timothy’s teachers. These women enabled Timothy to face challenges in Ephesus.
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.”
Chrysostom (d. 407) praised Priscilla, Phoebe, Euodia, Syntyche, and Junia. He acknowledged that these women were leading ministers in their churches.
When we understand “preaching” words in the way New Testament authors used these words, we see that some New Testament women preached.
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.
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.
Do women need to cover their heads in church meetings? What does Paul say about this in 1 Cor. 11:2–16? What were the customs of head coverings in Corinth?
Twenty-nine people are mentioned in Romans 16:1-16, including ten women, seven of whom are described in terms of their ministries.
Paul included women as ministry partners and used the same ministry terms for his male and female coworkers. He didn’t restrict the ministry of godly and gifted women.
The creation order given in Genesis 2 is often brought up in discussions about ministry and marriage. What significance did Paul place on man being created first?
The household codes in Eph. 5-6 and Col. 3-4 are not about gender but primarily about power and about mitigating abuse that often comes with power.
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.
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© 2022 Marg Mowczko