Comments on Fire in the Bones [Biblical, Heterodox Christianity]: Women in Church, the rest of the story

Hi DavidBart Ehrman gives reasons for doubting the...

2008-12-20T16:41:00.000-08:00

Hi David

Bart Ehrman gives reasons for doubting the authenticity of several key verses in "Corinthians" that discuss the "silence" of women in churches. There was a heavy misogynist pressure from Greco-Roman culture that all the Church Fathers had grown up in - and the scribes of the Greek Bible. That they added verses to mitigate what Jesus or Paul really taught should be realised by anyone serious in this discussion.

The heretical groups, like the Marcionites and Gnostics, let women lead in their assemblies and that scandalised the male leadership of Orthodoxy. No surprises that certain verses were doctored accordingly - though towards or away from Orthodoxy isn't always obvious.

I found an interesting blog on this topic discussi...

2008-10-09T10:37:23.408-07:00

I found an interesting blog on this topic discussing the verse in question.

Oops, my computer decided to post that before I wa...

2008-10-08T14:47:50.044-07:00

Oops, my computer decided to post that before I was finished. I meant to say I would also take a look later at your discussion of 1st Timothy. Does that discussion flesh out the viewpoint that Paul was quoting back to the church their own errors? Could you point me somewhere that develops that idea?

Thanks,
David

Rachel, thank you very much for these recommendati...

2008-10-08T14:45:57.172-07:00

Rachel, thank you very much for these recommendations!

Can I recommend Gilbert Bilezikian who deals very ...

2008-10-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

Can I recommend Gilbert Bilezikian who deals very convincingly with these passages and also Cheryl Schatz at 'Strive to enter'. My early June posts offer up an analysis of 1 Timothy 2 11-15. In Corinthians, Paul is quoting back to that church their errors in the things that they have established - he speaks of the law as one thing but being 'in the Lord' as being quite another. As regards head coverings - the women are covered by God in that they have their long hair as a symbol that they are women - Bilezikian deals with these issues far more intelligently than I do and so I recommend 'Beyong Sex Roles - what the Bible has to say about a woman's role in church and family'. The Bible is good news for women - Paul was being very counter-culture in saying 'let a women learn ' in 1 Timothy. This letter is about false teaching and is a warning to all, even today, that we need to learn quietly (wih a humble spirit) first about God's will, before we preach. If we do not learn first and become mature Christians we could fall into the same kind of chaos as this early church to whom Paul is writing.

Thank you for your exposure of this problem area.

Rachel at Re vis.e Re form