10-1-8. Women In The New Testament Church
The work of witnessing about the risen Lord was primarily delegated to men. The importance of this is shown by the fact that although women were witnesses of the resurrection, indeed the very first ones, Paul does not mention this when he lists those who had seen the risen Lord (1 Cor.15:5-7). The New Testament clearly stresses that the ministry of women is in the home, in witness to the unbelieving world, and in the practical support of male teachers in the ecclesia. It should be noted that women are not omitted from the record of the early church; therefore their omission from the records of public teaching etc. is intentional and not accidental or related to the local culture. Thus in Rom.16, of the twenty six people Paul greets, eight are women. This would not be the case if women are omitted or de-emphasized in the Biblical record of the early church.
Detail is given in the New Testament about the place of women in the church; it cannot therefore be argued that they may have taught, but it is not mentioned. Thus much indirect information is given in the Pastoral epistles about the ministry of widows, who seem to have been an organized, enrolled group in the churches, receiving regular material support, in return for which they prayed for the church (1 Tim.5:3-5,16).
There is no hint in the New Testament that women ever led public prayer. 1 Tim.2 limits the leading in public prayer to the men. Rom.12:7 speaks of “he that teacheth” in the church, as if the existence of female teachers was unthinkable. “I suffer not a woman to teach” (1 Tim.2:12) is picked up in Rev.2:20: “Thou sufferest that woman Jezebel...to teach and to seduce...”. That this is indeed a conscious allusion is suggested by the use of the same words “suffer...woman...teach”. Thyatira are reprimanded for allowing Jezebel to teach, as well as for tolerating her sexual seduction of men. Christ through Paul did not suffer to teach- but Thyatira did. And it is possible to show that the situation seen in the seven churches of Rev.2 and 3 in the run up to AD70, will be seen in the “last days” of our times.
Paul’s teaching about women also contradicts the local views. He encourages unmarried women to stay single so that they can devote themselves to spiritual matters (1 Cor.7:32,34). In the surrounding Jewish culture, the unmarried woman was seen as a reproach. In the local Greco-Roman culture, the unmarried woman would have been perceived as an immoral woman, or one morally disgraced. Yet Paul does not imply that once those cultural perceptions had changed, then his advice about choosing the single life should be followed. Regardless of the surrounding perceptions, Paul spoke forth the Spirit’s guidance. Paul’s teaching that remarriage could only take place after the death of the first partner (1 Cor.7:39; Rom.7:1-8) actually elevated the status of women compared to what it was in the local culture. He can hardly be accused of being a woman hater, in the light of this; nor is he giving commandments regarding the place of women which only fitted in with the local culture. Immorality, particularly in terms of temple prostitution, was so widespread that it is hard for us to appreciate the radicalness of Paul’s insistence on absolute faithfulness to one’s partner.
Paul likewise insisted on women having their heads covered in church meetings. This was probably against the custom of the local Gentile world. Therefore Paul seems to counter the complaint that wearing hats was inappropriate in a society where women didn’t generally do this: “We have no such custom, neither the churches of God” (1 Cor.11:16)- i.e. although the surrounding world has certain customs regarding women, the churches of God do not share them’.
