Section 85
Women in the Local Colony
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 has been a fruitful source of controversy in the Christian Church since it was first written by Paul. Traditional translations render the text: "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law" (KJV). Many denominations do not allow their women to speak, pray, prophesy, preach or speak in tongues in meetings. However, we know they were entitled to prophesy in meetings (Ac.21:9) and that they could pray publicly (1 Cor.11:5) and this has led theologicans to interpret the passage in several ways: (1) Wives were asking their husbands to explain what the preacher or tongue-speaker was talking about, and since this required shouting across the m'chitzah (diving wall separating men and women) this would have created a disturbance, thus disrupting the spirit of congregational worship). Though this division was certainly the practice in Jewish-Christian (Messianic) congregations, we do not know for sure if the same was true of Gentile ones, though, with mixed Jewish-Gentile congregations, it probably was; (2) Since the context is tongue-speaking, and since the location was Corinth where there was a pagan tradition of false tongue-speaking across the bay at Delphi by a priestess, with obscure interpretations, it is suggested that the Corinthian colony had been affected by women babbling in this manner. Thus the instruction of Paul is local -- the women were exercising the gift of tongues wrongly, in imitation of pagan ways, and were causing a disturbance in the meetings by speaking in unknown tongues. Earlier Paul had said, by implication: "When a person does not speak our own language, do not forbid him to minister in his own language which can be interpreted." Both of these interpretations are likely to be true, and are accepted. But the revelation that follows offers a third interpretation which has far wider implications for the Church, namely that the root of the Corinthian problem is a women's place in the divine scheme of things. Here, the right to speak implies also the right to independent authority, or rulership. See also Women, Subjection of (fn37-p61, fn727- p815), Silence in Churches (fn82-p91), & Church Government (fn187-p187), discourse on head-coverings, silence, marriage, Priesthood offices and ministry (fn491-p539) [Oppsal, Oslo, Norway].
1. It is written: "Let your women keep silence in the churches; for it is not permitted unto them to speak, but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home; for it is a shame for women to speak in the Church" (1 Cor.14:34-35).
2. For there were some women who supposed they were prophetesses and began to declare things in the name of the Lord which were not of God, like unto Jezebel (Rev.2:20-23), accusing the brethren {Elders} and presuming to rule over, and teach, the brethren those things over which they {the brethren} were given guardianship.
3. And these women, seeing that the Law of Christ made them free, yielded themselves unto the spirit of the fallen mother1 and sought dominion over the brethren.
4. And because many of them would not receive the true pattern, and rebelled against those who were placed over them, causing dissention within the churches {Colonies}, the apostle instructed the husbands to teach these things to their wives at home, that the Church might not be shamed before unbelievers.
5. Never at any time have I said that women were not to teach or preach in the churches {Colonies}, saith the Lord, but I have always commanded them to be under the government of their husbands in righteousness, even as the Church is under the government of Christ.
6. And never at any time have I called women to govern My Church2, nor to organise My Church, for this is not their calling.
7. But their government shall be in the things of the Spirit, bringing the sons and daughters of men to repentance by the example of their holiness and virtue, and through prayer and preaching.
8. All governments have laws affixed, whether they be the governments of men or of women.
9. Women may govern women, but men are called to govern the whole human family in imitation of the Heavens, not for vain-glory or power, but for love's sake. Amen.
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This page was first created on 23 March 1998
Last updated on 23 March 1998
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