The theme of man and woman being one and in a relationship begun and approved by God is found throughout the Old and the New Testament. And as stated in the previous lesson, the man, meaning husband, is the leader of the woman, meaning the wife with that pattern beginning at Creation. The teaching continues in the New Testament for the marriage relationship, the man being the head of the wife as Paul wrote: [Ephesians 5:22] Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.  [Ephesians 5:23] For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. The context of the verse makes it clear the word aner (specific meaning, man as opposed to woman) is properly translated husband due to the context and being opposite of the word gunay for wife. It is necessary to see the distinction for understanding what Paul wrote about husband and wives. He compared the relationship to Christ and the church as follows: [Ephesians 5:24] Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.  In other words, the wife is to follow the lead of the husband in everything; but entire context makes it clear that the husband must refrain from conduct that would be displeasing to the Lord.

How does Paul’s words explain the teaching for the role of women in the church as he told Timothy? First let’s examine the role of single women in the New Testament Church and the words used in reference to them. One of the most prominent is Phebe, Romans 16:1-2. Paul said she was a servant of the church and that the members of the Roman church should assist her in whatever she needed them to do. The word for her service (to the Lord) is a translation of the Greek diakanos which can be a man servant or woman servant. In the context, the servant is female or woman, referred to in English as deaconess only to denote that Phebe was a woman servant, and presumably an unmarried woman at that.

Paul uses a plural form of gunay for women in Philippians 4:3 but there isn’t any indication of the marital status of the women as such. However, the context indicates that they had the same standing with Paul as did Phebe and worked along side of him in preaching the gospel. It is reasonable to assume that neither Lydia, Phebe, nor the women were married, since Paul referred to them being helpers of others and didn’t mention any husbands as he did when referring to Aquila and Priscilla, husband and wife, wherein gunay is the word translated wife.

So far it is plain that unmarried women did serve the church and there isn’t any reason that they can’t in this day and age subject to proper understanding of the scriptures addressing the subject. A lot of wresting of scripture takes place when various groups try to explain the words of Paul about Phebe being a servant. Some suggest that she would be under the direction of a man but that can’t be supported by any scripture anywhere. Others suggest that Paul simply didn’t refer to her husband that isn’t true either for the same reason as cited; no scripture to support that notion. Others say that Paul meant that she would work with women only but the letter was written to the church as a whole; and it isn’t reasonable as some others suggest either, to assume that only women made up the assembly in Rome.

How are all the verses that speak to the subject reconciled with each other and the idea concerning women not being able to teach? The solution revolves around a proper understanding of the words aner and gunay. What Paul said to the church in Corinth gives us direction in understand the remainder of the subject. In I Corinthians 14:27-40 Paul wrote of the problem of confusion through all speaking at once. In verse 34 he wrote; 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. The word for women is the plural of gunay (goonay) but it has to refer to wives because of the wording in the remainder of the verse  Then verse 35 rightfully translates aner husband since the wives are to ask questions at home. (Refer to Ephesians 5:22-24)

Paul was dealing with a particular problem in Corinth and was trying to set  things right. The problem was wives not being submissive to their husbands and thus the assembly was in disorder. He ends with verse 40: Let all things be done decently and in order

© 09-24-2006 DEC

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