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Deciphering Complex New Testament Texts about Women Part Seven: Titus 2
At last, we come to the end of our series on complex and controversial New Testament passages as it relates to women and/or “gender roles.” We will conclude our series with Titus 2:1-8. In my personal experience with the church, this has been one of the least cited passages in this series. In fact, my awesome mother-in-law brought the passage to my attention most recently so I thought I would conclude with it.
Before reading the passage in question, let’s start with the context of the letter. Paul wrote this letter to a man named
Deciphering Complex New Testament Texts about Women Part Six: 1 Peter 3
At last, the last of the “household codes” – this time, from Peter rather than Paul.
Let’s begin at the beginning – to whom does Peter address this letter?
“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:
Deciphering Complex New Testament Texts about Women Part Five: Colossians 3
Onto the second of the so-called “household codes.” I already wrote about Ephesians 5 at length here if you’re curious; it would be good background reading for this post. Colossians contains many parallels with Ephesians. There are three of these passages in the New Testament, two written by Paul and one written by Peter.
Household codes in the New Testament world were common and expected ways of being for all household members. In a world largely dominated by the male, elite patriarchy, men were
Deciphering Complex New Testament Texts about Women Part Four: Ephesians 5
In this series, we’ll now transition to the so-called “household codes” which appear in various forms three times in the New Testament (Ephesians 5, Colossians 3, 1 Peter 3). In the context of what a marriage between followers of Christ ought to look like, Ephesians 5 is the most detailed, so let’s start here. As with all the articles in this series, my intention is to briefly provide what I consider to be the most convincing egalitarian interpretations for this passage. There are books upon books written on these topics – I encourage you to dive in deep. But for our purposes here, I will attempt brevity.
Deciphering Complex New Testament Texts about Women Part Three: 1 Timothy 2
My first quarter of seminary, I took a biblical interpretation class. We were given a classic assignment: the exegesis paper. So, being me, I decided to choose a super simple-to-understand passage to start off my seminary career: 1 Timothy 2:8-15. Kidding. It’s probably one of the most controversial New Testament passages. Even so I needed to know what it really meant.
Deciphering Complex New Testament Texts about Women Part Two: 1 Corinthians 11 & 14
Buckle up – this one’s a doozy, my friends. 1 Corinthians 11 is perhaps one of the most convoluted passages of Scripture. Why? Because Paul seems to directly contradict himself in the space of about 15 verses. Scholars have wrestled with these verses for centuries. I recommend you read the passage for yourself first (NIV):
Deciphering Complex New Testament Texts about Women Part One: An Introduction
When first studying egalitarian theology (or theologies more accurately), many women have told me they’ve been afraid. Fear lurked in their hearts - that they were not being faithful Christians, that they were doubting the accuracy of Scripture. They feared other people’s words, and that God would be mad at them for not taking God’s Word seriously. They had been so conditioned that anything outside of “complementarian” arguments was theologically suspect that they worried they were diverging from their faith by simply trying to learn another perspective.
Female Ministers & Shapers of Theology from the Early and Medieval Church Part 4: Influencers of Men
So many important church fathers were influenced by the theology of women, one must wonder why modern protestants tend to only recognize the names of the men. Augustine, whose theological works continue to heavily influence Western theology today, credits his
Female Ministers & Shapers of Theology from the Early and Medieval Church Part 3: Widows & Deacons
The existence of female deacons and the designation of widowhood as a church office find their roots in the New Testament. Paul addresses female deacons (3:11) and widows (5:1-16) in his
Female Ministers & Shapers of Theology from the Early and Medieval Church Part 2: Martyrs
The historical record demonstrates ample evidence that early Christian women died as martyrs. Claiming her work to be written by her own hand, elite mother of a young son Perpetua told her story in “The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas” as she prepared to die
Female Ministers & Shapers of Theology from the Early and Medieval Church Part 1: Thecla
Naked, she stands boldly in the arena facing wild beasts and the jeers of the crowd, her only protection a fierce lioness and the favor of God. Spurning the love of men, craving only the love of God, she watches as
Saints & Mothers
The final three women referenced in Romans 16 are Rufus’s mother, Julia, and Nereus’s sister. Paul simply greets Julia and Nereus’s sister, designating them as “saints” (Romans 16:15). Christ-following women, alongside men, are saints. In Paul’s greeting to Rufus, we learn more about his mother than Julia and Nereus’s sister
Women Working
In Romans 16, Paul describes four women as working for others and in the Lord. Paul asks the Roman church to “Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you… Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord” (Romans 16:6, 12).
Priscilla (Prisca)
We first encounter Priscilla (or Prisca) in Acts 18 when she and her husband, Aquila, meet Paul in Corinth. Luke describes Aquila as “a Jew…from Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome”
Phoebe
Paul chose Phoebe, a woman, to carry, deliver, and explain his letter to the Roman church. In Romans 16, Paul begins by recommending her to the Romans with two verses: “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae, so that you may welcome her in the Lord, as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well”