Should Women be Silenced?

Below is the first note of a several notes regarding women in ministry that I will be posting over several months.

The first passage of Scripture that needs to be addressed is 1 Corinthians 14:33-36.

³³For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints, ³⁴women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. ³⁵If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.³⁶Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached?

Many people read verses 34 and 35 without consulting the context of the verses and even the chapters or sections that the verses are a part of. At first glance, it is obvious that women should remain silent in church altogether! Such a view contradicts Paul's writing to the Corinthian women in 1 Corinthians 11:5, "And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head--it is just as though her head were shaved." (If I need to write a post about head coverings, let me know!) Here we can assume that it is necessary for the "every woman who prays or prophesies" to actually open her mouth and speak while in the assembly. 

Furthermore, another statement is made which seems out of place. In verse 34, the words "as the Law says" seems to be alluding to the Old Testament. However, as Dennis Preato summarizes numerous Biblical scholars in his article Did Paul really say, "Women Keep Silent in the Churches", Paul "always cites a text to prove his point" and in this particular instance he does not. Another interesting fact to note is the teaching that women should remain silent in the church and are not allowed to speak is not stated in the Law at all. Additionally, a staple of Paul is how often he reminds his readers that they are no longer under the Law. Why would he suddenly appeal to the Law and state that women had to be in submission to it? 

Both contradiction and inconsistency in Paul's writing style makes us question whether verses 34 and 35 are Paul's original words. Many Biblical scholars agree that verses 34 and 35 are words of the Corinthians themselves that Paul is quoting back to them. (1 Corinthians is a letter written by Paul in RESPONSE to a letter that the Corinthians had sent Paul. Do a word search for the words "now concerning" in this Corinthian letter and you will find all of the matters that Paul is addressing in response to what the Corinthians had originally written him). 

Do a historical and cultural study of men and women of the first century. Women were uneducated, looked down upon, and considered to be sub-par when compared to men. The words "as the Law says" in verse 34 was most likely referring to Jewish and rabbinic teachings of the time which the Corinthian men were trying to impose on the women. One view on this passage of Scripture states that Paul replies to the Corinthian slogan (verses 34 and 35) with verse 36, "Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached?" Negating the slogan of the Corinthians and dismissing the rules they are putting on the women in their churches. 

If, however, verses 34 and 35 is not a slogan of the Corinthians (which a great deal of evidence makes it seem as though it is indeed one of their slogans or a quotation from their letter of questions to Paul) what should we make of these verses? Some say that since this is in the section regarding how to conduct a worship service and how spiritual gifts should be used, verse 33 is the reason for verses 34 and 35. 

"God is not a God of disorder but of peace." Have you ever been in a room where there are several conversations going on while you are trying to speak to a particular person or group of people? If you are a teacher, I guarantee that this happens every day of your life. Could it have been possible that while men were conducting orders of business in the assembly women (who were uneducated) were asking their husbands question after question while the church meeting was going on thus causing disorder? 

Regardless of your stance, it is always important to take into consideration the historical and cultural background of every passage of Scripture and even the author's writing style in order to be sure that we're not establishing a dogma or doctrine based on lack of information. 

Works Cited: http://www.godswordtowomen.org/Preato2.htm