...
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Through
the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and
save us. Amen. Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.
O Heavenly King,
the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury
of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every
impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal,
have mercy on us (three times).
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever
shall be, world without end. Amen.
All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy One, visit us and heal our infirmities for
Your Name’s sake. Lord have mercy (three times).
August
26, 2014 Tuesday Talk, Women in the Church
Old
Testament Lessons
Exodus 15:20-21 King James Version,
Edited and Paraphrased
Miriam the prophetess,[2] the sister of Aaron, took a
tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines, dancing. Miriam instructed them,[3] “Sing to the Lord: for He has triumphed gloriously; the
horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea.”
My servant Moses is not
so, who is faithful in all My house. I will
speak mouth to mouth with him, clearly, not in dark speeches;[5] and he shall behold the Similitude
of the Lord.[6] Why then were you not
afraid to speak against My servant Moses?
So the anger of the Lord was kindled against [Aaron and Miriam];
and He departed [from them].[7] Then the cloud[8] departed from the tabernacle;
behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: when Aaron looked at Miriam, behold,
she was leprous. Aaron said to Moses, “Alas,
my lord, I beg you, do not lay this sin on us.
We have done foolishly. We have sinned.[9] Do not let her be as a dead person, with whom
the flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb.”
So Moses cried to the
Lord, praying, “Heal her now, O God,
I beg You.”
Micah 6:4 King James Version, Edited
and Paraphrased
I brought you up out of
the land of Egypt, redeemed you out of the house of slavery, and I sent Moses, Aaron,
and Miriam[10] before
you.
Judges 4:4 King James Version,
Edited and Paraphrased
Deborah, a prophetess,
the wife of Lapidoth, judged Israel at that time.[12]
Joel 2:28 King James Version, Edited
and Paraphrased
And it shall come to pass
afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:[14]
New
Testament Lessons
Luke 8:1-12 King James Version,
Edited and Paraphrased
And it came to pass afterward,
that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the Gospel
of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, and certain women, which had
been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom
went seven devils, Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many
others, which ministered unto him of their substance.[15]
Acts 18:26 King James Version,
Edited and Paraphrased
And he [a Jew named Apollos]
began to speak boldly in the synagogue; when Priscilla and Aquila had heard him,
they took him aside, and explained the way of God to him more perfectly.[16]
I wish you to know that
Christ is the head of every husband,[18] the husband is the head of
his wife;[19] and
God is the head of Christ.[20]
Every husband praying
or prophesying, having [anything][21] down[22] his head, shames his head;[23] but every wife[24] that prays or prophesies with
her head uncovered[25] shames her own[26] head[27]: for this is one and the same
as if she were shaved:[28] for if the wife is not covered,[29] let her also shear herself.[30] Now, if it is a shame for a wife to be shorn or
shaved, let her be covered:[31] for indeed a husband ought
not to cover[32] the
head, being created in[33] the image[34] and glory[35] of God. Now the wife is the glory of a husband:[36] for the husband is not from
the wife, but the wife from the husband.[37] Neither was the husband created for the wife,
but the wife for the husband. Because of
this, the wife ought to have [the symbol of] authority on her head because
of the angels.[38]
However, neither is a
husband separate from a wife, nor a wife separate from a husband, in the Lord: for
as the wife[39] is
from the husband, so also the husband comes through the wife;[40] yet all things are from God.[41]
Judge for yourselves:
is it becoming for a wife to pray to God uncovered[42]? Or does not even nature itself teach you, that,
if a husband has long hair, it is a shame to him? Now if a wife has long hair, it is a glory to
her: for her long hair is instead a mantle[43] given to her.[44] Now if anyone thinks to be contentious, we have
no such tradition[45], nor
do the churches of God.[46]
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 King James
Version, Edited and Paraphrased
Let your women[47] keep silence in the churches:
for it is not permitted to them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience
as the law[48] also
says. 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.[49]
Galatians 3:22-29 King James
Version, Edited and Paraphrased
The scripture has concluded
all under sin, so that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them
that believe. But before faith came, we were
kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring
us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that[50] faith is come, we are no longer
under a schoolmaster: for you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus;
for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither
bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise.[51]
Ephesians 5:21-27 King James
Version, Edited and Paraphrased
Submitting yourselves
one to another in the fear of God.
Wives, submit
yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord: for the husband is the
head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of The Church: and He is the Savior
of the body. Therefore as the church is
subject to Christ, so let wives be to their own husbands in all things.
Husbands, love your
wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that He
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word; that He
might present it to Himself a glorious church, without spot, wrinkle, or any other
defect; but that she should be holy and without blemish.
Philippians 4:3 King James Version,
Edited and Paraphrased
I ask you also, true
colleague, help those women who labored with me in the Gospel, with Clement
also, and with my other colleagues as well, whose names are [written] in the
book of life.[52]
Colossians 3:8-11, 18-19 King James
Version, Edited and Paraphrased
But now you also put off
all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that you have put
off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in
knowledge after the image of him that created him: where there is neither Greek
nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision[53], Barbarian, Scythian, bond
nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.[54]
Wives, submit yourselves
to your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
1 Timothy 2:9-15 King James Version,
Edited and Paraphrased
In like manner also, women
[should] adorn themselves in modest apparel,[55] with shamefacedness and sobriety;
not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becomes women
professing godliness) with good works. Let
the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
I do not allow a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but
to be in silence: for Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being
deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding
she shall be spared in bearing children, if they[56] continue
in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
Titus 2:3-5 King James Version,
Edited and Paraphrased
The aged women likewise:
that they be in behavior as becomes holiness, not false accusers, not given to
much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be
sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste,
keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be
not blasphemed.[57]
The
Office of Deaconess
Since I am unable to develop a full
orbed evaluation of the office of Deaconess in The Church at this time, the
best that I can do is direct you to the following references.
The
Homily
The topic comes up from time to time. It’s unavoidable. What is the role of women in The Church? Is it acceptable for women to be pastors, priests,
bishops, and preachers?
I’ve struggled with this issue many times,
been much undecided, and changed my mind several times, trying to resolve this issue
over the years. I’ve sat under the authority
of women elders, and women pastors involved with three different denominations.[58] I’ve been examined for ordination by women, and
rejected primarily because I did not bring my wife along to the examination. She had six children to contend with while I was
goofing off, but that didn’t seem to matter.
All of my ambivalent searching behavior was justified by the fact that, as
much as the rest of the Bible condemned women leadership in The Church, still, Deborah
had to step up when all the men defaulted in Judges.
This time when the conversation came
up, I had stabilized somewhat, but still hadn’t formulated a good defense. So now it’s time to cut to the chase, dig more
deeply into the Bible, and find out what it really says.
The particular bone of contention on
this occasion was, “Doesn’t it say that “there is neither male nor female?” Yes, it certainly does say that in Galatians 3,
and something very near to it in Colossians 3 (without the specification for women).
“There
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male
nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians)
“… there
is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian,
bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”
(Colossians)
However, when we look more closely at
both of these passages, we find that they are talking about our mutual and universal
status in baptism, and our mutual responsibility for good Christian behavior. Neither of these passages has anything to say
about either offices or officers in The Church.
No case for women’s ordination can be made from these passages without doing
considerable violence to the near context.
What will we do with Deborah? The book of Judges describes a period of severe
Israelite apostasy. The second covenant of
Moses (Deuteronomy) appears to be broken[59] and, humanly speaking, nullified. Hence, it does not appear to apply to Deborah
because of the brokenness of the age in which Deborah lived. Had Deborah taken this public stance, either
in the days of Joshua, or after the Davidic Covenant is disclosed, Deborah
would have been completely out of line. Is
the status of church leadership in some circles broken today by the egregious default
and irresponsibility of the males, or is this a brazen case of usurpation? I know of no denomination where male leadership
is totally absent: so it cannot be a case of complete male default, but perhaps
it is a case of male dereliction of duty.
Since all of the other Bible passages
involved specifically prohibit female leadership, especially ruling or teaching
over men, we are compelled to conclude that women are not permitted to lead, preach,
or teach where men are involved within the public confines of The Church. This absolutely prohibits women from being ordained
to the office priest or bishop. In most of
these other passages the argument against such ordination hinges on the disgrace
placed on a woman’s superior office of wife and mother. In such office, every wife and mother is an icon
of the Blessed Virgin, and she must not vacate the higher office and calling to
accept a lower office and calling, that of priest or bishop, this disgracing her
own husband.
What none of these other passages prohibit
is the function of women preaching and teaching in the context of evangelism, in
the context of ministry to other women, in the context of leading all female antiphonal
choirs, or in the context of her own house.
There may be considerable warrant for
the ordination of women to the office of deacon or sub-deacon. Decency alone suggests that it is not proper for
a man to prepare a woman for baptism, nor for a woman to prepare a man for baptism. Since such preparations are frequently relegated
to deacons, I think that there ought to be ordinations to deaconess in the Church. However, this is not the place, nor have I the
skill to develop a full theology of the deaconate at this time. The best I can do is suggest a few references
for further study.
I’m sorry, but I cannot find a single
shred of evidence in either the Old or the New Testaments that permits the ordination
of women to either the office of priest (presbuteros) or of bishop (episkopos). It simply isn’t there. Moreover, this has stood as an unquestioned tradition
in the life of The Church for 1900 years.
What should we do if we are part of a
body that has already ordained women elders, pastors, preachers, teachers, priests,
and bishops, especially in the context of the leadership of men? There is little that can be done. We may hope that godly women will feel the weight
of Scripture, and out of a sense of love for God, be moved to relinquish such offices
of their own free will. If the Scriptures
have brought you under conviction about these matters, you will probably have to
walk away from your denomination and find a new denomination.
This seems like such a little flaw. However, laxity in one area of God’s authority,
quickly leads to other, possibly more serious lapses, until a denomination is eroded
to the point where it can no longer be called a church.
There is no warrant that I can find
in Scripture for the ordination of women as pastors, priests, bishops, or preachers. There is not even a warrant for female guest
lecturers or other women to speak at all, before men, in the mixed congregation:
no talks, testimonies, or questions.
[1]
For other references to the life of Miriam consult Exodus 2:1-9 (evidently
Miriam is the unnamed elder sister); 15, the whole chapter; Numbers 12, the
whole chapter; 20:1; 26:59; Deuteronomy 24:9; 1 Chronicles 6:3; and Micah 6:4.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miriam
[2]
This is a remarkable comment. In an era
when only a few people were given prophetic insight and utterance it is
exceedingly rare for anyone to have such a gift. Moses had extraordinary prophetic and
spiritual gifts. Only seventy elders,
the prototypical Sanhedrin, were given understanding of such utterance so that
they could explain and lead in accordance with God’s will. Aaron’s gift was limited in that he could
only speak with God by Urim and Thummim, or through Moses. Here, Miriam has utterance, and is evidently
the only woman in Israel with such a gift at that time. Not until Deborah, do we hear of another
woman with gifts of ecstatic insight and utterance.
[3]
Led the other women in singing the antiphon to the Psalm of Moses.
[4]
The spark of contention is Moses’ Ethiopian wife. Nevertheless, the real underlying motivation
is jealousy over Moses’ prophetic gifts: he speaks to God. Aaron and Miriam claim that God has spoken
through them as well, but they failed to distinguish the magnitude and order of
gifts. God has clearly chosen Moses for
leadership of the congregation; particularly in receiving and giving the law.
Aaron understands that his position is merely that of a
mediator between Moses and Pharaoh, as well as the people. Moreover, Aaron speaks to God through Urim
and Thummim, not directly in speech, except as an ambassador overhearing the
great conversation in Moses’ presence.
This is not unusual: for in general the prophetic office and the
priestly office are separated throughout Israel’s history. Women may be prophets, but women may not be priests.
Miriam has experienced one small taste of the prophetic office
in the antiphon to the Psalm of Moses.
She is simply carried away with her own importance.
In contrast to both Aaron and Miriam, who appear to be
arrogant, Moses is said to be the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3). Moses’ source of power is not his dominant
presence or spectacular public display, but God alone.
[5] A
clear line of authority is drawn between Moses, as opposed to even Aaron and
Miriam, as well as all others.
[6]
Face to face with the Shəkinah.
It would appear that Moses’ later request to see God’s face was the
result of his striking the rock in an unwarranted way: evidently he lost this
privilege of seeing God face to face.
[7]
This may indicate that their spiritual gifts were temporarily stripped away:
which would be punishment enough by itself.
[9]
Aaron immediately acknowledges his error in rebelling against Moses’ gentle
(meek) leadership. It seems that Miriam
did not acknowledge her error immediately.
[10]
Evidently, Miriam had broad discretionary leadership authority over all other
Israelite women. There is no evidence
that she had such authority over men, and when she sought such authority
unlawfully, she was punished.
[11]
For other references to the life of Deborah consult Judges Chapters 4 and 5.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah
[12]
The full extent of Deborah’s prophetic gift is unknown. Evidently, she knew the sufficient aspects of
the future to predict and direct the outcome of the current war. She also was a judge for all Israel, and as
such exercised judicial authority over all Israelite people, including the
men. Consequently the reasons for and
limits of this authority must be thoroughly examined and explained. Deborah is the only woman known to have
exercised judiciary authority.
[13]
All other female leaders in the Old Testament are evil. Delilah: Judges 16. Jezebel: 1 Kings 16:31; chapters 18; 19; 21;
and 2 Kings 9. Athaliah: 2 Kings 8:26;
chapter 11; 2 Chronicles chapters 22; 23; 24:7.
Both Jezebel and Athaliah must be considered to be usurpers, with no
real right to leadership authority.
[14]
What this verse makes clear is that both men and women receive Spiritual gifts
(1 Corinthians chapters 12 through 14) on an equal basis. Both men and women may receive the gift of
prophecy, or any other of the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Priesthood and Episcopacy are not gifts;
rather they are offices, roles for which a woman is unsuited. Deaconess, on the other hand appears to be an
office and a role for which a woman is particularly well suited. Women may have other roles as well.
Elder women are added to a special church roll, indicating
their honored service as senior widows.
Such a roll may actually be a list of the local church Deaconesses.
[15] Clearly
these women are active and highly respected servants in the kingdom to hold the
distinguished honor of being referenced by name in Scripture. Still, there is no evidence of their
ordination to office.
[16]
Two facts are pertinent to this study: One, Priscilla spoke; the Greek text
indicates that she spoke first. This
would be the normal order of things: for example, the priests deliver homilies
first, in accordance with their “ascending” rank; then the ranking bishop
delivers his homily last. We have termed
this ascending, but it is really descending: for “the ruler of all, must be
servant of all (Matthew 20:26; Mark 9:35; 10:43; Luke 22:26; John 13:13-15;
Acts 17:11).” We note that this order of
things is the reverse of the order of the antiphon, which may indicate that
true servants do not consider rank to be important at all. Two, Priscilla did not speak to correct
Apollos in the synagogue, in The Church, in public; but, she spoke in private,
most likely within the confines of her own home.
[17]
The immediate context of this passage is concerned with the importance of
keeping sound Christian traditions (παραδόσεις) which are binding on the
conscience, things that are passed down by word of mouth, by action, or in
writings other than Scripture. There
never has been such a thing as Sola Scriptura: for the Bible itself specifies
traditions with approval, both here and in 2 Timothy 2:2. Were this not the case we would still
understand Sola Scriptura to mean the Bible as it is interpreted in the context
of history (tradition): for we could not even wrestle with the textual
criticism of the New Testament without understanding its cultural,
geographical, and historic development.
For example, we would know very little about the development of worship
from the Bible alone. We would know
nothing of the evangelistic and missionary development of The Church, beyond
the book of Acts. Our hymnology would be
empty. (John 21:25)
Sola Scriptura really means that in cases of conflict or
differing opinions, if it is possible to resolve the issues from Scripture,
then they are resolved, and the Bible has precedence over all other
authorities. That being said, the Bible
is not the only authority, and as an authority it makes no sense if removed
from its cultural, geographical, and historic context. Misunderstanding over the true meaning of
Sola Scriptura has led to countless unnecessary arguments. Sola Scriptura never has meant that the Bible
stands alone, all by itself; it merely stands alone in rank above other
authorities: for every theologian must seek the meanings of Scripture from its historic
context. The primary elements of this
context are the living organism, The Church herself, and liturgical worship:
for it is clear that the three — The Church, The Bible, and worship — grew
together side-by-side as the Holy Ghost led The Church into all truth. It is the Holy Ghost Who is the primary
authority in these matters; alas, our access to the Holy Ghost is severely
limited today.
[18] ἀνδρὸς,
the genitive singular of ἀνήρ:
the generic term for a sexually active man, but also the specialized term for a
married man, a husband.
[19] γυναικὸς,
the genitive singular of γυνὴ: the generic term for a sexually active woman,
but also the specialized term for a married woman, a wife.
[20]
Since the Son is fully God, and equal to the Father in the essence of His
nature, we are forced to inquire about this strange meaning. Everywhere we see that the Son’s chief aim is
to accomplish the Father’s will. This
idea is expressed frequently in the New Testament, and even in the Old (Psalm
40:6-8; Matthew 6:10; 26:42; John 4:32, 34; Hebrews 10:7, 9). Since this headship is related to the
submission of the Son’s will to the Father’s will, it is reasonable to conclude
that men everywhere find their chiefest goal and joy in life by submitting
their several wills to the will of Christ and following Him. Likewise, in the force of Paul’s argument
women, whether wives or daughters, find their chiefest goal and joy in life by
submitting their several wills to the will of their husband or father. This is not the cruel exercise of oppression,
but the kind and gentle will that God expresses to His people through His
Shepherd-King and Son. In this matter,
women have the chief role, in that they teach submission to God to their
children and the world.
[21]
The absence of any word here in Greek is like the contemporary use of
“whatever” in modern English.
[22] κατὰ
not ἐπί, that which is hanging down, a veil.
Not that resting upon, a hat, skullcap, kippah, yarmulke, koppel,
turban, or mitre with its golden plate, many of which are worn in worship
depending on the office of the wearer.
Since Pentecost, unlike Moses, it is a disgrace for a man to wear a veil
(2 Corinthians 3:7-18). Here Paul
elucidates a different idea; the wife will bask in the glory that God shines
through her husband. Wives should have
every reason to think themselves highly honored when they have married a man of
God, and born children who become men and women of God.
[23]
Here the play on words, “head, shames his
head,” indicates the shaming of Christ: for Christ is his head.
[24] γυνὴ
the nominative singular of γυνὴ: the generic term for a sexually active woman,
but also the specialized term for a married woman, a wife. See especially 1 Corinthians 7:1-4 where Paul
sets the stage for this continuing discussion.
[25] ἀκατακαλύπτῳ,
dative feminine singular adjective of ἀκατακάλυπτοϛ, ου, ὁ, ἡ, a
compound of ἀ + κατα + κάλυπτοϛ: not + down from + blind,
conceal, or hide; hence, uncovered or unveiled.
[26]
Either αὐτῆς or ἑαυτῆς introduces the probability of double entendre. At one and the same time she shames her
husband and herself, because she and her husband stand equally before
Christ. The ensuing discussion about
shaving the head emphasizes the shame she brings upon herself
[27]
Here the play on words, “head, shames
her head,” also indicates the shaming of her husband: for her husband is her
head. We ought not to see in this, some
outmoded formality. Rather, everywhere,
marriage is the icon and type of Christ and The Church. In this honorable typology the husband takes
the role of Christ, while the wife takes the role of The Church, the very
kingdom of God. The playing out of these
roles before the children is the principal means of teaching them about respect
in worship. The children are to see the
picture of Christ in their father, and the picture of The Church in their
mother. As these roles are defiled,
disgraced, or dishonored, the children are driven away from Christ, and away
from the Father. These roles, far from
being insignificant, are critical to the growth of the kingdom of God on
earth. As far as teaching about the
kingdom is concerned, the wife has the much greater and more significant role
to play.
[28]
The shaved head indicates some unidentified form of humiliation: possibly cult
service, which would indicate dedication to the service of an idol; mourning
the death of a husband or other grief; or an extreme disease such as
leprosy. However, Paul, as a Pharisee is
intimately familiar with the Law which specifies various punishments for women
in Numbers 5:11-31 (the law of jealousy and the bitter water of the curse) and
Deuteronomy 21:10-14 (the law of marriage to a captive pagan woman). In the latter case the shaving of her head
identified her as a pagan woman, unfit for marriage until her month of mourning
had passed. If Paul is following this
line of reasoning in principle it would identify the woman as an unbeliever,
unfit for communion for a month, giving her time to repent.
Paul is probably not indicating the shaving of the head by
force; but rather indicating the gravity of such a public display.
[29] κατακαλύπτεται,
third person singular, present indicative passive of κατακαλύπ-τω, a compound
of κατα + καλύπτω: down
from + blind, conceal, or hide; hence, if she is not covered or veiled.
[30] κειράσθω,
third person singular, aorist imperative middle of κείρω: cut off, shave,
shear. We have discussed elsewhere the
inaptly named Greek imperative mood, which would be better termed the emphatic
or exclamatory mood. It is impossible to
convey a third person imperative in English, which only knows of a second
person imperative. To make matters
worse, this is in the middle voice, and is reflexive. The woman, if she wishes to be rebellious, is
to shave herself; thus publicly denying her husband’s authority over her. She may or may not chose to shave herself;
there is no implication of force in the words.
[31] κατακαλυπτέσθω,
third person singular, present imperative passive of κατακαλύπ-τω, a compound
of κατα + καλύπτω: down
from + blind, conceal, or hide; hence, let her be covered or veiled.
[32] κατακαλύπτεσθαι, present
infinitive passive of κατακαλύπτω,
a compound of κατα + καλύπτω:
down from + blind, conceal, or hide; hence, to cover, to veil.
[33] ὑπάρχων, nominative
masculine singular present participle of ὑπάρχω, a compound of ὑπό + άρχω: under the first, from the
first; to begin, exist, come into existence, subsist; here a feature received
at the original creation. It appears to
refer to the head, but it is rather the whole man who is created in the image
and likeness of God.
[34]
icon
[35]
The word likeness is changed to glory, indicating that the likeness of God
consists of being a bearer of the Shəkinah. This actually took place at Pentecost, where
this gift was received by both men and women.
Since this is the historic case, we must tread lightly, so as not to
overstate Paul’s argument. Spiritually,
men and women are equals, but they are different in the natural order of things,
different in office and roles.
[36]
In addition to being created in the image and glory of God, she is also the
glory of her husband. She is not the
glory of her husband, instead of being created in the image and glory of God:
for Genesis 1:26-27 distinctly says, “He created them male and female.” She is the glory of her husband, in addition
to being created in the image and glory of God.
Thus, the veil is the insignia of her superior rank.
[37]
In the order of creation, Eve was taken from Adam, not the other way around.
[38]
Because this order of things centers upon divine principles, this is not merely
the local custom of things; it is a heavenly requirement, for which Paul cites
a second reason. First, it is a matter
of godly submission, which results in the governmental hierarchy of things as
they should be in The Church. Second, it
is because of the angels, which is to say of the messengers, which includes the
human bishops, priests, and deacons in The Church. The Cherubim and Seraphim cannot even bear to
look at God: evidently they become very upset with anything that threatens to
disrupt God’s Holiness. They cannot
tolerate a breach in God’s order of things.
Human messengers face a different threat, that of being distracted by
beauty.
This veil hanging down is to cover the woman’s face and figure
so that these are not distracting to the servants of Christ. There is nothing quite as distracting to the
spiritual thought process as the presence of a women with extraordinary countenance,
exposed cleavage, or revealed figure. As
Paul notes, hair covers the aft of the woman, but the countenance and cleavage
need to be veiled, and the rest of the garments ought not to be provocative in
any way.
Perhaps it was unnecessary in Paul’s day, but nowadays a word
needs to be said about men’s deportment.
Male cleavage should not be seen either, nor should men dress
provocatively, thus disturbing the worship of the females in the
congregation. The wearing of long
belts hanging down the front is simply a disgraceful modern codpiece, which
should be avoided.
[39]
specifically, Eve
[40]
by virtue of birth
[41]
Paul is careful to point out that in the order of creation, even though woman
was created from man; man is also born of woman, and we are all equal. However, this equality does not extend to
issues of authority, and the godly person will recognize the calling of Christ
and submit to it gladly and voluntarily.
[42] ἀκατακάλυπτον,
accusative feminine singular adjective of ἀκατακάλυπτοϛ, ου, ὁ, ἡ, a
compound of ἀ + κατα + κάλυπτοϛ: not + down from + blind,
conceal, or hide; hence, uncovered or unveiled.
[43] περιβολαίου, genitive singular of περιβόλαιον, ου, τό, from περιβάλλω: to throw around, here thrown
around her as a cloak is thrown around the shoulders. This idea is completely distinct from the
idea expressed by the κατακαλύπτοϛ,
the veil.
[44]
The hair is part of the necessary covering, but it needs to be completed.
[45] συνήθειαν,
accusative singular of συνήθεια, αϛ,
ἡ, a compound of συν + ἦθος: the community ethos. In the Greek way of thinking we are persuaded
by three forces: the standards or traditions of the community (ethos), words or
logic (logos), and experience or suffering (pathos). For further investigation see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Ethos, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logos, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathos. Paul is not likely to be overly influenced by
Greek philosophy, and is probably thinking more in terms of ethics, morality,
and standards of character in the Christian community.
[46]
This tradition went uncontested for over 1900 years. Well into the 1940s it was customary for a
woman to wear a veil covering her face while she was in church, in the 1950s
the veils began to disappear. With their
disappearance, a coincident and possibly unrelated respect for God’s order of
things was gradually lost.
[47]
The Greek word for women is troublesome.
It may be translated either woman or wife. Since the Greek word for man is translated as
husband in this context, it would appear that the counterpart word must be
wife, not women. This leave the door
open for single ladies to be in Church without any protection, which can be a
particularly vexing problem. On the
other hand, the text may be translated man, which puts all the women of the
household (wives, daughters, dependent sisters, aunts, etc.) under the
protecting umbrella of the man. I do not
know how to resolve this issue in the text, but it seems senseless to restrict
the speech of the wife, without also restricting the speech of the daughters.
[48]
It is evident that Paul has Genesis 3:16 in mind; the principle being that a
woman’s first duty is obedience to her husband (or father) because of Eve’s
involvement in the first sin. Husbands
and/or fathers are given to women to protect them from further satanic
attack. This is why the father gives the
bride away at a wedding; not because she is a chattel or inferior in any way,
but because she deserves and needs special protection from Satan. Paul discusses various facets of this
relationship in 1 Corinthians 7.
[49]
Obviously, this limitation does not apply to antiphonal Psalm singing, hymn
singing, litanies, corporate prayers, and the like: for Miriam freely entered
into such worship. The limitation
applies to asking questions, preaching, and teaching where men are
present. Neither can it apply to a
meeting for women only, where no men are present; or to a private meeting in the
woman’s own house.
[50]
That specific faith which leads us to victory by submission to the Lordship of
Jesus Christ with the power and leadership of the Holy Ghost.
[51]
This is an important New Testament consideration: for prior to Pentecost,
women, because they could not be circumcised, were not granted equal access to
the temple of God, but were restricted to a lower place, as were pagan converts
also. This discrimination for prayer is
erased by the Holy Ghost’s baptism, but it does not provide for an equality of
office in any way.
[52] The
women are to be helped, but clearly they hold a place of high honor in The
Church.
[53]
In the Old Testament some incorrectly classed women with unbelievers because of
circumcision. This is corrected in the
New Testament where women receive the same covenantal sacrament as men. The only distinction that is permitted is
that between believers and unbelievers.
On the other hand, grouping men and women on opposite sides of the main
aisle to form an all-male choir and an all-female choir for singing antiphonal
songs would be delightful.
[54]
Here the equality is clearly applied to ethical and moral Christian behavior;
it makes no provision for equality of office whatsoever.
[55]
The foremost principle of modesty in all things, is “sauce for the goose, as
well as for the gander.” Modesty is
becoming for both males and females. The
flaunting of beauty, power, and wealth is frowned upon, even condemned in both
Testaments. Jezebel was condemned to
death in part, because of her flaunting of beauty and power. She brought about the death of her easily led
husband as well. No one within the
worship of The Church needs to see your extraordinary physical endowments, no
matter who you are. Everybody inside and
outside of the worship of The Church needs to be blessed by your Spiritual
gifts: yet, even these should be adorned with modesty. Herod’s daughter forgot this, and had John
the Baptist beheaded over it. The
empress of Constantinople forgot this, and had John Chrysostom exiled over
it. Pride is a dangerous and lethal
thing.
[56]
The children: the mother is not under the authority of her children; but if
they drift away from the faith, children become cruel taskmasters indeed (Proverbs
17:21, 25).
[57] This
indicates that women hold a position of great power. They may either teach love and submission to
God in this world; or they may teach the opposite message. When they chose to teach the opposite message
few men can withstand them.
[58]
Two of these women were considerably better at the performance of the pastoral
office than many of their male counterparts; so this cannot be made into a
question of skill. It is only an issue
of authority.
[59]
Whenever a covenant was broken, always by man, never by God, man lost the
protection of the covenant. In such
cases God removed Himself from among His people and stood off to the side. If it was a relatively limited breach, as
with Achan (Joshua 7) it could be repaired, albeit with dire consequences; or
as also with the bitter waters, the serpent in the wilderness, Aaron and
Miriam’s rebellion, Dathan and Abiram, and Korah. If it was a major breach, as with Moses and
the incident with the golden calf (Exodus 32) it could not be repaired, the
covenant was broken and the offenders, the Exodus generation were banished from
entering into the rest of God on earth.
In such an extreme case a whole new covenant (Deuteronomy) had
to be made with the next generation.
However, after a few decades the second covenant was also broken, and
Yahweh departed to live among the Philistines.
The bewildered Samuel receives strange words of comfort when Yahweh says
“they have rejected Me (1 Samuel 8:7).”
When David ascends to the throne, a whole new covenant, the Davidic
covenant is cut, which stands until the collapse of Judea in 586 BC, when the
Davidic covenant is broken. Finally, the
new covenant is given in Jesus Christ, which cannot be broken because it rests
on the finished work of the perfect, sinless God-man. We now begin to see that each of these
covenants were only broken on the human side.
With Yahweh, Who is ever-faithful, all of these covenants still
stand. However, each reestablished
covenant brings with it fresh information about the nature of the kingdom of
God, until we see the fullest picture in the blood of the New Covenant,
especially as it is ratified with the seating of Christ on David’s throne in
heaven on the Day of Pentecost 33 AD.
Deborah does not serve when the covenant is clearly in full
effect among men, therefore she is not using her spiritual ecstatic gifts
(possibly Bath Kol) in opposition to the authority of the law, and she is not
usurping male authority, which has evidently fallen to her only by the
egregious default of all the males.
[60] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations,
please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish. No rights are reserved. They are designed and intended for your free
participation. They were freely
received, and are freely given. No other
permission is required for their use.
