The New Testament household codes in Ephesians 5-6 and Colossians 3-4 are not primarily about gender roles or even gender. They are about power and about mitigating the abuse that often comes with power.
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Tertullian, famous for once describing women as “the devil’s gateway”, wrote some wonderful things about equality and mutuality in marriage. He did not regard the household code in Ephesians as either comprehensive or prescriptive.
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Do husbands have a particular responsibility for the spiritual growth of their wives? Will husbands one day present their wives to Jesus in much the same way as Jesus will present the church to himself? (Cf. Eph. 5:25-27)
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When people think of the “masters” mentioned in the New Testament household codes, they tend to think of men. Many masters in NT times, however, were women. How does this realisation affect the notion of female submission?
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Instructions for wifely submission and holy kisses are clearly given in the New Testament. Yet one concept is largely ignored while the other is highlighted. Why is that?
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