Probably no passage in 1 Co rin thians is

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1 s Ser m o n 12 s What About Women Speaking In the Assembly? Text: 1 Corinthians 14:34, 35. Probably no passage in 1 Co rin thians is more controversial than 14:34, 35. The text says, The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. 1 Paul said that women are to keep silent in church. While this rule has traditionally been observed by religious groups that profess Christianity, in recent years more and more groups are rejecting this teaching. Women are serving as ministers in some churches. Groups who are now rejecting the instructions in 1 Co rin thians 14:34, 35 by using women preachers interpret this passage in a variety of ways. Those who do not respect biblical authority have no trouble ignoring the restrictions the Bible places on women. Others believe the Bible but view the rule that women are to keep silent as simply a reflection of the culture in which the New Testament church existed. Since times have 1 Some have questioned whether or not these verses were in the original text of 1 Co rin thians, asserting that they are an interpolation by a later scribe. (Hans Conzelman, 1 Co rin thians, trans. James W. Leitch, ed. George W. MacRae [Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1975], 246; Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Co rin thians [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1987], ) However, the fact that they are not missing in any of the ancient Greek manuscripts is sufficient to show the fallacy of this position. changed, they think this rule no longer applies. They sometimes cite as a parallel the requirement to greet one another with a holy kiss (Romans 16:16a). Since, in most places today, kissing is no longer the customary greeting, we do not follow this instruction exactly as it was given in the New Testament. For those who reject the teaching of this passage, the idea that women are to keep silent is repugnant because they believe in the equality of women. They find it unbelievable that, in an era when women earn as much money as men when women are doctors, lawyers, chief executives of large corporations, and leaders of nations women are still denied the right to preach. In their view, the one place where women still are not considered equal to men is in the church. Even people who continue to accept the restrictions that the New Testament places on women do not fully agree on the matter. What did Paul mean when he said for women to keep silent? Can women sing? Does this rule apply to Bible classes? We want to try to answer some of the questions about this controversial passage. WHO? Of whom does 1 Co rin thians 14:34, 35 speak? The verse simply says that the women are to keep silent. Who were these women? Wives. Some believe that women in this passage refers to wives. In fact, the same Greek word (gunh/, guneá) is translated woman and wife. Its translation is determined by the context. Some say this passage is talking about the 1

2 prophets wives, saying that they were to keep quiet while their husbands were prophesying instead of interrupting them. Probably, Paul did not mean prophets wives. No English version has wives in this verse, and the text speaks of the women rather than their women (v. 34; emphasis mine). Further, why would only the prophets wives have been restricted? It is unlikely that they alone would have been guilty of such interruptions. All women. A more common view is that the women means any and all women in the church. The universal applicability of Paul s references to the Law (v. 34b) and to the shame of a woman s speaking in church (v. 35b) favor this view, as does the similarity of this passage to 1 Timothy 2:11, 12. Women Prophets. A third possibility is that Paul was addressing female prophets. 2 He was speaking of prophesying in verses 31 and 32; and it appears that he was continuing his discussion of the same general topic in verse 34, when he said that the women perhaps meaning the women prophets 3 should be silent in the church. 4 Of course, if Paul s instruction was for women prophets to keep silent in the church, how much more would that teach other women to be silent? WHERE? Where, when, or in what circumstances were the women to keep silent? Paul said that they 2 Among the commentators who have taken this position are F. W. Grosheide, Commentary on the First Epistle to the Co rin thians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1953), 341, and Eldred Echols, The Most Excellent Way Overcoming Chronic Issues that Divide the Church (Fort Worth, Tex.: Sweet Publishing, 1994), 169, Another possibility is that the passage refers not to women prophesying, but to women speaking in tongues. This is the view presented in James Burton Coffman, Commentary on 1 and 2 Co rin thians (Austin, Tex.: Firm Foundation Publishing House, 1977), The existence of women prophets in the early church is obvious from several passages. (See Acts 21:9; 1 Co rinthians 11:5.) 4 If women prophets are meant, the passage does not interrupt the flow of thought a problem Carl Holladay perceived in this passage. (Carl Holladay, The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, The Living Word Commentary [Austin, Tex.: Sweet Publishing Co., 1979; reprint, Abilene, Tex.: A.C.U. Press, 1984], 188.) Perhaps Paul was doing something similar in 1 Timothy 3:11, where women may mean women deacons. were to keep silent in the churches. The word for church (e kklhsi a, ekkleásia) can refer to the universal body of Christ or to a specific congregation of God s people in a particular place. In addition, it can mean an assembly the church assembled for worship. 5 The emphasis throughout chapter 14 is on instructions for the time when the church has formally come together: v. 4 One who prophesies edifies the church. v. 5 That the church may receive edifying. v. 12 Seek to abound for the edification of the church. v. 19 In the church I desire to speak.... v. 23 If the whole church assembles together. v. 26 When you assemble.... v. 28 He must keep silent in the church. v. 34 The women are to keep silent in the churches. v. 35 It is improper for a woman to speak in church. In 14:34, 35, the phrases in the churches and in church certainly refer to the assemblies of the saints. 6 If 14:34, 35 requires women to be silent in the assemblies, when is the church to consider itself assembled? If, for instance, an adult Bible class is attended by almost all of the church members in the same place where a worship service is to follow, are women forbidden to speak in the worship service but allowed to speak during the Bible class? Briefly, the answer to the question is this: The church is assembled and women are to keep silent when the church says it is assembled. That idea should not seem strange. Any organization has the right to say when its formal meetings begin and when they end. From the time when a chairman announces, The meeting will come to order until he says, The meeting is 5 One definition of ekkleásia is a church meeting (Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 4th ed., rev. and aug. William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich [Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957], 240). 6 This has reference to the assembly and does not prohibit women from teaching in all situations (Raymond C. Kelcy, First Co rin thians, The Living Word [Austin, Tex.: R. B. Sweet Co., 1967], 68). On this virtually all commentators agree. Echols said, A prophetess could lead public prayer or teach anywhere but in the assembled church (Echols, ). 2

3 adjourned, strict order may be kept and careful parliamentary procedure may be followed. Probably, only one person will be allowed to speak at a time. However, both before and after the meeting, there may be a general babble of conversation, with everyone talking in smaller groups. No one is concerned about what happens before or after; the rules for the conduct of the meeting pertain to the time the meeting is actually in session, as declared by the leaders of the organization. Likewise, the rules for the conduct of the church s meetings, or assemblies, apply to the time that the meetings are in session, as specified by the leaders of the congregation. Let us consider an example taken from the life of the church. We can picture several families meeting together in a member s home. They believe that they are bound by the general principle to let all things be done decently and in order (see 14:40). As the families arrive for worship on Sunday morning, the host family serves coffee, and the members sit or stand around talking about the week in general. With multiple conversations being held, several are speaking at once; there is no attempt at keeping order. Finally, the last family arrives, and one of the men says, Well, it s about time to get started. Then the people put down their cups. Everyone quits talking, gets settled, and looks expectantly at the leader. He says, I ll lead singing this morning, John will serve the Lord s Supper, and Samuel will preach the message. The service proceeds and eventually concludes with a prayer. After the prayer, people start talking again. They get up and move around, and there is a sort of controlled confusion as the Christians get ready to eat together. In this scenario, when was the church obligated to obey the requirement to do things in an orderly manner? Obviously, it was from the time when the actual worship service started a time decided upon and announced on behalf of the church by one of the leaders of the church. This was true until the time when the service ended again, a time decided upon and announced on behalf of the church by one of the leaders of the church. In this way, the church decided the beginning and the ending of the time period during which all activities were to be done decently and in order. Similarly, the church specifically, a leader or a group of leaders in the church must decide when the meeting begins and ends. Between those times, women are to keep silent. WHAT? What restriction does the passage place on women? What exactly are they to do or not to do? Verse 34 says they are to keep silent. What did Paul mean? One view is that the women were disturbing the services by talking together or asking disruptive questions. 7 While this view has some merit, the command to conduct services in an orderly manner (14:40) would already prohibit such be havior. Therefore, another explanation seems more likely. To help us understand what Paul meant, we should notice that the same word is used three times in seven verses. The person who could speak in tongues was to keep silent if no interpreter was present (v. 28); the prophet was told to keep silent if a revelation was given to another prophet (vv ); and then women (or female prophets) were told to keep silent (v. 34). Paul was saying that women are to do what prophets and tongue-speakers were sometimes to do: refrain from speaking during the worship service. 8 To put the prohibition in modern-day terms, they are not to preach or teach in the formal assembly of the church. Were they to maintain absolute silence? Does the verb for be silent forbid them even to make a sound? Some contend that it does, although the context does not favor this view and the meaning of the verb does not require it. The Greek verb siga w (sigaoá) is defined to be silent, with the senses say nothing, keep still, keep silent ; 7 Kevin Quast, Reading the Corinthian Correspondence An Introduction (New York: Paulist Press, 1994), 86; Carroll D. Osburn, The Interpretation of 1 Cor. 14:34 35, in Essays on Women in Earliest Christianity, ed. Carroll D. Osburn (Joplin Mo.: College Press, 1995), 1: If women prophets are meant here, those women prophets could exercise their gifts in other places, but not by speaking aloud in the assemblies of the church. Many commentators see this passage as restricting women from preaching or teaching in the church s formal assemblies. This view is presented, for example, in Archibald Robertson and Alfred Plummer, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the First Epistle of St Paul to the Co rin thians, The International Critical Commentary, 2d ed. (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1914),

4 stop speaking, become silent ; and keep secret, conceal. 9 The fact that sigaoádoes not neces sarily speak of absolute silence is evident from its use in Acts 21 and 22. Acts 21:40b says, Paul, standing on the stairs, motioned to the people with his hand; and when there was a great hush, he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect. Then Acts 22:2a adds, And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet. After a great hush (sighvß, sige Ás, the noun form of sigaoá) had fallen over the crowd, it was still possible for the crowd to become even more quiet. Obviously, this word does not necessarily mean absolute silence. 10 WHY? Why did Paul place this restriction on women? His reason for prohibiting women from speaking in the assembly is not that he was a woman-hater, nor did he think women to be inferior to men or incapable of doing anything. Why, then, were the women to keep silent? The text contains two for s, meaning because (ga r, gar). In addition to the reasons suggested by these clauses, another is implied in the context. To Be in Subjection. In the first for or because clause (v. 34), Paul said that women are to keep silent for [or because] they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. The idea seems to be that there is a general rule: Women are not permitted to speak, but are to be subordinate. 11 If a woman (even a woman prophet) spoke in the assembly, she was violating the rule to keep silent. The Law in verse 34b refers to the Old Testament, which states that women are to be 9 Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3d ed., rev. and ed. Frederick W. Danker (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 922. The root meaning of siga w (sigaoá) is not keep silent, but to get quiet or quiet down.... It means to subside from clamor or disruptive speech (Echols, 170). 10 It would not, therefore, prohibit women from joining in congregational singing. 11 Frequently, commentators indicate that women s submission is at the heart of the prohibition directed against women. (Richard E. Oster, Jr., 1 Co rin thians, The College Press NIV Commentary [Joplin, Mo.: College Press Publishing Co., 1995], ; Coffman, 241.) subordinate. This instruction was given early in the Scriptures, in the details of the creation and the fall. 12 The Old Testament also hints at women s role of submission in that the responsibility of spiritual leadership was almost always given to males (with only a few exceptions). To Avoid Impropriety. The second reason that women are to keep silent, even to the point of not asking questions, is that it is improper ( shameful ; NRSV) for a woman to speak in church. The word used in verse 35 is ai scro\n (aischron), which is also found in 1 Co rin thians 11:6: But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head (emphasis mine). This suggests that, in the cultural situation in Corinth, the church would be shamed if its speakers were women. 13 In fact, women were not allowed to speak in Jewish assemblies, and at least some Romans expressed negative views about women who spoke in public. 14 With this in mind, we might say that Paul s first two arguments were that women should be silent because it is the right thing to do in the eyes of God and because it is the right thing to do in the eyes of man. To Follow the Universal Practice of the Churches. A third reason for women to keep silent in the assemblies is suggested by the words which come before and after the command. Just prior to verse 34, we read, As in all the churches of the saints. Scholars disagree on whether these words belong with the preceding sentence ( God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints ) or with the one which 12 Most commentators cite Genesis 3:16 (God s command that the husband rule over his wife) as the part of the law violated when women are not in submission. F. F. Bruce indicated that Paul was more likely thinking of the creation narratives of Genesis 1:26, 27 and 2: (F. F. Bruce, 1 and 2 Co rin thians, The New Century Bible Commentary [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1971], 136.) 13 For women to take on themselves the role of instructors would have been to discredit Christianity in the eyes of most people. Paul calls on them to observe the customs (Leon Morris, The First Epistle of Paul to the Co rin thians, The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1973], 201). 14 Osburn, 231. Oster, however, warned that it is possible to have an ill-informed picture of Greco-Roman antiquity, indicating that it was possible to find various attitudes toward women in the New Testament world. (Oster, ) 4

5 follows ( As in all the churches of the saints, the women are to keep silent in the churches ). 15 If the latter view is accurate, then Paul was arguing from precedent: In all the congregations, women were silent; therefore, they were to be silent in Corinth as well. Whether or not this is the case in verse 33b, in verse 36 Paul seems to have been reproaching the Co rin thians for thinking they had the right to do things differently than they had been taught. Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Paul asked. Or has it come to you only? The expected answer is No. The Co rin thians had no right, in this respect, to go their own way without considering the practice of other churches. 16 Women were not to speak in the assemblies not only because God requires submission, and not only because men regarded it as shameful for a woman to lead in worship, but also because male leadership in the worship was the established pattern in first-century churches. WHEN? (HOW LONG?) How long was this restriction to last? Is the restriction on women found in the passage applicable to the church today? 17 Scholars have debated whether or not the requirement for women to be silent is bound on the church today. Many say it is not, for one or more of the following reasons: 15 The NASB connects as in all the churches of the saints with the preceding clause; the NRSV and NIV connect it with what follows. 16 Paul made similar statements in 1 Co rin thians 7:17 ( And so I direct in all the churches ) and in 1 Co rin thians 11:16 ( We have no other practice, nor have the churches of God ). A similar, but not so obviously inclusive, idea is found in 16:1: As I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. 17 Commentators differ regarding its ongoing relevance. Several have contended that this is an absolute command which continues to be in effect. (R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul s First and Second Epistles to the Co rin - thians [N.p.: Lutheran Book Concern, 1937; reprint, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1963], 616; Grosheide, ; David Lipscomb, A Commentary on the New Testament Epistles, vol. 2, First Co rin thians, ed. J. W. Shepherd [Nashville: Gospel Advocate Co., 1935; reprint, 1984], ; W. Harold Mare, 1 Co rin thians, in The Expositor s Bible Commentary, vol. 10, Romans Galatians [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, 1976], 276.) In contrast, Coffman offered the view that 1 Co rinthians 14:34, 35 is not a universal rule for the church. (Coffman, ) (1) Paul did not write the passage, and it cannot therefore be thought of as an inspired command. (2) The situation in Corinth involved a specific problem (women disrupting the assembly by talking together) which churches do not encounter today. 18 (3) The problem has cultural implications, as indicated by the fact that women speaking then would have been seen as shameful by the community, whereas the same thing would not be seen as shameful today. 19 (4) The restriction involved miraculous gifts and meetings in which these miraculous gifts were exercised; since there are no miraculous gifts today, the restriction does not apply. 20 (5) The normative principle for women in the church is stated in Galatians 3:28 ( there is neither male nor female ), and the rest of the New Testament must be interpreted in the light of this overriding rule. 21 Therefore, 1 Co rinthians 14:34, 35 is part of the cultural tradition of the first-century church which must be discarded. Most of these arguments have little validity. We accept the New Testament as inspired and believe that Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote all of 1 Co rin thians, as well as 1 Timothy, which focuses on women speaking in 2: Therefore, we reject any argument which discredits the text of the New Testament. Further, we have good reasons to believe that the prohibition against women speaking in church was intended to last until the end of time: 18 Oster embraced this view: The conditions of silence and not allowed to speak can only contextually and consistently mean that the ban against the speech of these women... is in force only so long as they are in violation of the principles and regulations of 1 Cor 14:34 35 (Oster, 355). 19 William Barclay, The Letters to the Corinthians, The Daily Study Bible, 2d ed. (Edinburgh: St. Andrews Press, 1954; reprint, Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1956), C. R. Nichol, God s Woman (Clifton, Tex.: Nichol Publishing Co., 1938), 140; Randy Mayeux, An Old Look at Women in the Church, Firm Foundation 92 (2 December 1975): This is the basis of the egalitarian ( equal rights ) position regarding the role of women, according to Kathy J. Pulley, Women in the Church in Recent Discussion, in Essays on Women in Earliest Christianity, ed. Carroll D. Osburn (Joplin Mo.: College Press, 1995), 1:12. 5

6 (1) The requirement was a universal command. The restriction at Corinth was not just local, nor was it confined to assemblies just for the purpose of exercising spiritual gifts. Rather, it was a restriction which had been placed on all the churches (14:33). 22 (2) It was based on an ageless principle. The reason for the general rule (that the women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak ) was true then and remains true today. That timeless reason is that women are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says (14:34). This is so whether or not the second reason (that it is improper [ disgraceful ; NIV]) remains applicable in every time and place. (3) It is found consistently in the New Testament. The consistency of Bible teaching on the subject indicates that this restriction was intended to remain. Not only do we find a biblical emphasis on male spiritual leadership, but the Scriptures also contain two passages which focus specifically on women speaking 1 Co rin thians 14:34, 35 and 1 Timothy 2: The two are almost exactly parallel. The New Testament consistently and uniformly forbids women to lead in the assemblies of the church. The command for women to be silent in the church was a universal command based on an ageless principle found consistently in the New Testament. Therefore, we must conclude that the command was intended to be observed by the church throughout the new covenant age. 22 Harvey Porter said that the prefaced statement as in all the churches... indicates that the command had the force of apostolic authority for all the churches (Harvey Porter, Woman s Work in the Church: Scriptural Limitations, Abilene Christian College Lectures [1972], 205). CONCLUSION God s will is not for us to have women preachers. Does that mean that women are useless or inferior to men? How could they be inferior when Christ died for them and wants them to be saved on the same basis as men (Galatians 3:28)? They have a different role, but that does not mean that they have an inferior role. Are they useless? We could easily list fifty or more things women have done and can do in the church to glorify God, help other people, and save souls. The Bible places leadership limitations on the Christian woman in the home and in the church. Beyond that, a Christian woman can achieve anything that a Christian man can do! Coy Roper Versions of the Bible Use d in Th i s St u d y AB Amplified Bible CEV Contemporary English Version KJV King James Version MSG The Message, paraphrase by Eugene H. Peterson NASB New American Standard Bible, updated edition NCV New Century Version NIV New International Version NKJV New King James Version NLT New Living Translation NRSV New Revised Standard Version Phillips The New Testament in Modern English, paraphrase by J. B. Phillips WEB World English Bible Copyright, 2010 by Truth for Today. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 6