Be Silent, or Not?

Many theologians believe that one of the reasons the Apostle Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians was to address "practical" problems within the local developing church in Corinth.

How is the church of Corinth like the modern day church? There were many issues that plagued the church in Corinth, but I only want to address one - the role of women in the church. It seems to be the same problem that some in the Body of Christ - the 21st Century Church - are still having concerns about. What biblically are the roles of women in the church? What can they do? What can they not do?

One of the most debatable topics of a woman's role in the church comes from the words of our beloved brother in Christ, Paul. Yes, that Paul, both Jew and Roman. The one chosen by God to bring the good news to the Gentiles. Yes, the Paul who wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:34, "Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says." (NIV). It is this Apostle who is given credit for establishing this new covenant church of Jesus in the city of Corinth.

Let's start by examining the three major people groups that made up this early (Christian) church in Corinth. According to the Bible, the church was comprised of a culturally diverse group of believers - Jews, Romans, Greeks, and others, too. These new converts were not meeting in massive edifices like we have today, but were probably meeting in each others' homes - house churches. I believe if we look at just one issue, although there are many we could examine, we will probably understand why Paul said, "Women, be quiet." The issue is education. How did education or the lack of education impact these and many other disciples of Jesus during the early formation of the church?

For Roman citizens, education was limited to the wealthy. Girls of wealthy Romans often learned to read and write especially from private tutors within their homes. Roman girls were also typically married off early so their education stopped. However, because these young Roman women could read, it gave them access to information and a small voice, often muted, in Roman society. Likewise, the boys were educated and were able to pursue higher learning in politics, law, and public speaking.

The Greeks highly valued education - for boys. Boys were exposed to all the core subjects in addition to public speaking, debating, and philosophy. Culturally, Greek girls were regulated to the home and given just the basics in reading skills to help conduct household business. Can you believe that Greek philosophers, like Aristotle, viewed women as "naturally" inferior to men in regards to reasoning? Okay.

Finally, what was education like for Jewish children? Boys started their formal schooling pretty young - around the age of five. They too, were highly educated within their respective "class system" to read Hebrew, memorize huge portions of the Torah, and they engaged in advanced study within their Jewish religious culture. Some even went further in their academics to debate rabbinic arguments of oral law and many pursued education beyond. Jewish girls, however, in the first century were regulated to learning from their mothers at home. Most were not taught to read Hebrew, but mainly engaged with domestic skills for managing a household and basic moral law. They were often given jobs as shepherdesses and married pretty young around fourteen and fifteen years of age. In fact, according to historians, rabbinic oral law expressly prohibited teaching girls the Scriptures. Women teaching men was forbidden as a violation of social order and authority. Their voices were suppressed because it was considered a "distraction" during prayer and worship.

So, we can see that many girls and women were undervalued, undereducated and without a voice - outside of their homes, that is. Now, Paul enters the picture and these boys and girls are no longer children but adults who heard the Gospel and believed. Uneducated and repressed women were then thrust into a culturally diverse synagogue-modeled church. Do you recall how Jesus' fishermen disciples were always asking Him questions? They just had so many questions, right. So, Paul tells these women, "Hey, if you want to know something (learn) go home and ask your husbands because it's disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church." (paraphrased 1 Corinthians 14:35)

I absolutely love the Apostle Paul! I can only imagine what the early church was like with Jewish women who were taught to be quiet and Greek women who had some education but couldn't reason what was happening, and then these Roman woman coming from a paganistic society that engaged in all these loud ritualistic behaviors. I can see it in my mind being overwhelming, chaotic, and deafening. Picture the excitement in the room hearing the words of Jesus declaring that, "if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed." Understand how the ladies, stifled by their own culture, probably had many questions about what it meant to be "free in Christ." And, my dearest Paul, a highly educated man, is tasked to bring order and structure to a new developing church. He did the best that he could, and he said what he said. Did Paul really want women to be silent in the Corinthian church? Yes, probably at that time until they could learn more and order could be established. Was Paul against women learning? Teaching? No, of course not. It was Paul who said in Galatians, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. The same Paul praised Timothy's mother and grandmother for teaching him the Scriptures. His friend, Priscilla, taught many other converts. And, he commended so many women for their various roles in the ministry.

Let's jump back into the 21st century. Women, in America and many other countries, have access to public and private education - both secular and religious. They can go as far as they want to go in regards to learning. Look at God! There still are some men that want to limit what they can do, but women are definitely not undereducated - unless they want to be. Women have crossed over and criss-crossed through so many obstacles and will continue to do so. Without a doubt, Jesus values women as well as men. He broke all sorts of cultural barriers during His ministry on the earth. So, what are the roles for women in the Church - in the Body of Christ? Whatever the Holy Spirit endows and gifts them to do and become. As far as their voice - they sing, they pray, they preach, they evangelize, they counsel, they encourage, they administrate, they prophesy, they teach and the list goes on and on. Every saved soul has a role in God's kingdom.

I heard a song from the Holy Spirit in my dreams many years ago saying, "Open your mouth and give; open your mouth and learn to live." When a woman surrenders her voice (and the totality of her being) to the LORD, she steps into a blessed and purposeful life. The Apostle Paul writes, "Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let the one who boasts boast in the LORD." (1 Corinthians 1:27, NIV). Look at what God can do!

-the musings of a disciple