Was Paul Right About Women?

What Does the Law Say?

First, the Law does not forbid women to speak in public. There was not Jewish, but Roman law on the books that forbade women to speak, vote, and hold public office. Second, on numerous occasions, Paul affirmed the ministry of women. There was no place for segregation or discrimination in his teachings: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free man, male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” For Paul, though ethnic and gender distinctions remain, all are together and equal in their relationship with God.

Reading Paul in Context 

1 Corinthians was not the beginning of Paul’s correspondence with the people of Corinth. It is probable that Paul’s word about women is a quotation from a letter that the Corinthian male leadership had addressed to Paul – a proposal on how to bring order from disorganization when some women spoke in tongues and prophesied. Paul, disagreed, saying, “Was it from you (masculine) that the word of God first went forth?! Or has it come to you (masculine) only?!”

Male and Female in Corint

The all-male leadership of the Corinthian congregation was not to forbid women to speak in tongues or prophesy. Paul’s solution, therefore, was not to exclude half of the congregation from exercising the gifts of the Spirit, but rather to make sure that it was done in a respectful and orderly fashion. Was Paul right about women? Absolutely! His Corinthian opponents were not. Want more insights like this one? Enroll in our school and you'll be enriched by all the Hebrew and Greek terms, their original meanings, and biblical contexts lost in translation (CLICK HERE)