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They were with him, weeping, lost and ruined at the foot of the cross, and they rose early a few days later to tend his bruised and beaten body at the tomb. His mother Mary through whom the Savior had come into the world and Mary of Migdol who became the first herald of the good news. It seems clear that in the incarnation and in Gospel proclamation, the hope of Christ, by God’s design and Spirit’s power was first made known through feminine vessels. Likewise, no one can argue Paul’s revolutionary claim in Galatians for the equality of male and female, Jew and Greek, slave and free. It is clear that Paul relied heavily upon female benefactors and Roman dominas as the early church took root in homes across the empire. Paul lauds Prisca and Junia, Phoebe and several others throughout his letters thanking them for their service to the Gospel. And then, we turn the page. Most who study the New Testament are more than jolted by the shift between the presence and prominence of women in the Jesus Movement and in Pauline circle to the restrictions of what we have come to call the Pastoral letters, specifically, I Timothy and Titus. Though these letters are attributed to Paul, students of ancient literature know well that the letter to I Timothy reads more like Ignatius than Paul, with its distinguished Greek, some 60 words never used in Paul’s letters, and concern for liturgical order and structure of hierarchy. We wonder where have our mothers gone, why have their stories been erased, why are they told to keep silent when it seems their voices were so necessary in the beginning. It is as if in the 2nd generation of the church, the leaders wanted to correct some of the dynamics introduced by Jesus and Paul, namely the elevation of women. If context is key, then I Timothy intended for the struggling leader of the church at Ephesus is of great import. Ephesus is a city teaming with female power as it is the home of the world famous Artemesion and the cult of Artemis, the female goddess of fertility and abundance. In this cult, the female goddess is served by female priestesses who braid and adorn themselves with golden jewelry. What’s more, ancient fragments tell us that Prisca and Aquilla return to the city and continue to lead the church in the area after their time in Rome. While a 4th century witness indicates that Priscas was Bishop of Kolophon just outside the city. Ephesus is also the city where John and Mary move onto after the resurrection and reside for some time. By the late 1st century into the 2nd, veneration of Mary, the mother of Jesus has already taken root. If we take all of this into consideration, it is not hard to read I Timothy then as a push back to feminine power, to understand that for some early church leaders it was all a bit too much so that our roles were reduced, redefined and relegated to silence and childbearing such that the firey women of the Gospel are asked to conform to the norms of respectable Roman wives, to be seen, obedient, discreet and not heard. This is how the silencing of our voices began. For more information, access my research at Academia.edu Photo: "Holy Women" St. Apollinare, Nuovo, Ravenna
9 Comments
Dane
4/23/2014 10:25:29 am
With two thousand years of history behind us, it is sometimes difficult to remember that what is, is not always what was, and often what was is what is was meant to be.
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4/26/2014 08:31:55 pm
I'm staggered at this. I love those great women of the NT.. and the OT for that matter, and you're right... it's jarring to turn the page and suddenly find Paul apparently trying to shut them down again.
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4/26/2014 08:39:43 pm
Just wanted to let you know that I've reposted to Kyria Facebook.. awesome.
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Erika Sanchez
4/29/2014 02:46:55 am
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. I have always felt that the intentional silencing of women within the church was mis-guided and essentially gave in to the notion that God could not work through women. I think that this thought was subsequently fostered under the cultures of the day - even leading up to the 20th century and beyond for that matter. But, the historical context which you discuss is so essential... Thank you for sharing this. I hope the church can continue to acknowledge the contributions of women historically as well as women now. I know amazing women in my life who serve The Lord as doctors, missionaries, teachers, clergy, moms, wives, sisters, and in their workplaces. God can work through us all for His Glory, regardless.
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Tammie
4/29/2014 11:32:58 am
I thank you for the words you give at such an appropriate time. Friday I go before my District to have them decide if I will be ordained in the Wesleyan Church this fall. Yes, we are a denomination who ordains women, although this seems so rare and rejected. I am truly blessed to be called of God to pastoral ministry. I await my appointment to my first church and will know on May 11th. Happy Mother's Day. What a glorious time this is! As you can see, this is so timely. Blessings.
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Charles Twombly
4/30/2014 07:29:08 am
A most complex story: even the belated apostle from Tarsus, while telling women to hush up, goes on to say, "When women prophesy in church, their heads should be covered." Hard to prophesy with your mouth closed. (My preferred [mis]interpretation of women being quiet in church and waiting 'til they get home and take the roast out of the oven to ask questions about the sermon from the "big boy" sitting in his reclining chair is this: Women and men were segregated during the services and there was a tendency for women to whisper (here goes my thinly disguised sexism) and even holler out questions and comments during the sermon. I base this on years and years of sitting in faculty meetings and seeing women talk (quietly) through the whole ordeal. By contrast, men would sit there completely quiet: instead of whispering, they were reading newspapers or sleeping, thereby illustrating the superior quality of males.
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4/17/2015 09:23:53 am
I love this. The question that still hangs over me is if that's not how the church was intended, why is that passage in our Bible? (I wonder this about lots of the Old Testament, too.)
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Michael
4/19/2015 08:55:13 pm
So, what happened to Galatians? You did a bait and switch here. You started by bringing up Galatians and switched to 1 Tim, which has nothing to do with the points of Galatians. Galatians is not a book about church leadership offices, as is 1 Tim. It is about freedom in Christ as it pertains to *salvation*. In other words, you did not prove your point in the least. Other than that, you do write well.
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