Christians' "national anthem" are 1 Timothy 2:12 and 1 Corinthians 14:34, but they don't read Romans 16:1-7!
This is a HUGE one for me, and ladies, you will LOVE this...
More below, but (Apos) Paul recognized Junia as an Apostle, Phoebe as a
Deacon, and Euodia and Syntyche as Church Planters/Pastors. Go
argue with Paul: Roman 16:1-7
I know, I know - you all are hanging on One Corinthians 14:34.
Besides, we WANT a woman to LEAD A COUNTRY, but NOT to LEAD A
CHURCH!! Are you all KIDDING ME?? What's next - keep women
from voting, driving??
Women Pastors
https://youtu.be/YicgqTcOS-Q
OK, question - we Saved are all "children of
God", so when you think of
"nurturing God's children", what do you think of?
MEN? Of course not - we think of WOMEN. Yet
Christians are adamant that "only men should preach".
Why women should be
church leaders and preachers
- NT Wright
https://youtu.be/os8M9ln2cM0
I have heard many Churches disallow women as
Pastors. I wonder if they realize: The first sermon
ever preached -
after Yeshua arose -
was by Mary
Magdalene (a Woman - in case
you didn't get the connection :-)
1) Yeshua ("Jesus") himself - - _was not ordained_ .
2) Yeshua ("Jesus") never went to Seminary, or had any formal
training - his "example" was that "anyone can (and should!) proclaim
(Preach)"! We are commissioned to preach to the world. Or - are only
men allowed to witness and "spread the gospel"???
3) We oppress women from preaching - what's next, black people?
Women DJs? Women nurses? Latin? Asian? Short? Tall?
Nephilim? Handicapped? Only those who have gone to certain
universities - approved by a counsel? YOUR counsel?
4) As stated above, "Preach" comes from: Hebrew: לְהַטִיף
"evangelize, exhort" Greek: kerysso khruvssw - and - εὐαγγελίζω
(euaggelizó) "proclaim, announce" Aramaic: בָּשַׂר (basar) "to bear
tidings, a messenger, to show forth, to bear, to bring [forth]" So,
anybody can preach.
Some of the best sermons I have ever heard have been by women.
Although Matthew 11:15 states: "Whoever has ears, let them hear",
*I* would add: "Whoever has the Gospel
to say,
let them (him/her) speak!"
I also find it very ironic (hypocritical!) - the very ones who claim
to be "for women's
rights"
- are the very ones who allow MEN to compete in
women's sports (I find this VERY disturbing!), and who want women
NOT
to be Preachers. And most of them
are Atheists
- hating
Christians for zealously spreading their beliefs - - while they
zealously spread their beliefs.
(And what is that they
say - about "hate" and "intolerance"???)
(women are to be silent, women are to be quiet - for search)
- - - -
1 Timothy 2:12
(spoken correctly as "One
Timothy") - (KJV) "But I suffer not a
woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in
silence. " or (NASB) "But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise
authority over a man, but to remain quiet."
or (NASB) "But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.”
Before I post the original Greek, what does "suffer" mean?? Or "usurp"?? Ok, that original Koine Greek:
ἐπιτρέπω γυναικὶ διδάσκειν οὐδὲ αὐθεντεῖν
ἀνδρός ἡσυχίᾳ
This
literally translates to: "to turn
to/entrust a
woman to
teach
not/neither to
govern a man I
exist stillness/desistance from bustle"
So,
the "I do not allow" - can easily be "I allow", since "do not" was
added by Translators. Also "over a" was added, and they put "remain
quiet"- in place of the "I exist stillness". And yes, "suffer"
means "to turn" in this case. The other "suffer" (with "suffer the
chidren...") actually means "to permit", since ἄφετε is mistranslated to
"suffer" in Mark 10:14 and Matthew 19:14 - - but ἐπιτρέπω is
mistranslated to "suffer" in the above 1 Timothy 2:12. Again, it
means "to turn to/entrust" - not "Do NOT entrust"!
So many will refute this - because of "confirmation bias", as well as 2 Timothy 4:3 - they have
heard it that way for 413 years (2025), they "don't wanna change". But
I'm
just the messenger ... argue with the Writer.
But - one thing _is_ fact - it's *sexist* . Not allowing a woman to
vote, or own a company, or drive a car (like in Islam) .... Americans
would riot - yet they still allow the sexism in the Church. The Church
should be the _least_ sexist. Heck - everyone allows women to _lead a
country_ !!! And Lefties _wanted_ COMMIE-la Harris to lead the
FreeWorld (!!!!) [cackle]
5 Reasons to Stop Using 1 Timothy 2:12 Against Women
It baffles me that the #1 "armament" for those women-haters ... is “1
Timothy 2:8-15”.
Hundreds of pages have been written on this chapter, with almost as
many interpretations, proving this to be one of the least understood
and most contested passages of all time. In spite of the lack of
consensus and obvious translation difficulties, many Christians
continue to cite portions of One Timothy 2 as the foundation for their
belief in male-only leadership in the church. (and yes, although
in Greek, it is "Timothy A", in English, it is properly "One Timothy",
_not_"First ..." - since "first" is an ordinal, and they are from the
romanic vulgar language. but carrying on...)
This old and tired argument stubbornly persists, and readers continue
to ask for help responding to it. While you don’t want to pull
out a blog post or a book in the middle of a conversation, it is
possible to craft a short response to serve as an effective starting
point.
1. “Authority” is a poor translation of the Greek word Paul uses in 1
Timothy 2:12
The Greek word (αὐθεντεῖν - pronounced "authentein") that Paul used for
“authority” in this passage is so unusual compared to his other
references to authority that he
could not possibly have been talking about normative church leadership
structures. It is disappointing that even though the most recent
credible scholarship confirms that in Paul’s time authentein referred
to an abuse of authority, some prominent complementarian scholars
(Wayne Grudem, for example) refuse to correct publications that were
written before this came to light. (see the
Bible.Translation.Literature website for more on authentein.)
2. Applying 1 Timothy 2:12 literally but not doing the same for the
surrounding verses is _shoddy_ hermeneutics.
With rare exceptions, no one teaches that women should be silent or
quiet in church. I say "rare", because last year at a national
conference for Christian counselors my sister talked with a woman who
said "in her church women sit in the back and must raise their hand to
get permission from a man to speak!" And with rare exceptions, no one
holds that women are saved in childbearing. Again I say "rare" – Marg
Mowczko notes that Jim Hamilton, an associate professor of biblical
theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a preaching
pastor at a Baptist Church in the U.S. has stated that “All Women must
embrace their role as women by bearing children and, if they do this in
faith, they will then be saved.”
3. Paul’s restriction was given in the context of _a personal letter to
Timothy_ - giving advice about _a specific issue in the church at
Ephesus_ .
There is no command from God here, and no suggestion that Paul was
establishing church policy for all time. There is no mention of this in
the rest of Paul’s writings, or anywhere else in the Bible for that
matter. One doesn't have to dig very deep to understand why this
suggestion was made; it’s evident in Paul’s discussion of "false
teaching" in chapter 1.
4. Using this passage to restrict women in leadership requires
elevating a handful of verses over the rest of Paul’s writing, not to
mention the entire New Testament.
When you read all of Paul’s letters and the Book of Acts in one
sitting, it is apparent that Paul supported the leadership of women. We
see this in a number of churches, including Philippi, Thessalonica,
Cenchrae, and Rome. It is baffling to me that some church leaders and
theologians give such weight to the 1 Timothy 2 passage - when many
other portions of scripture support equality. Paul’s practice aside,
such a restriction contradicts the teaching of Jesus and the
Sovereignty of God values he ushered in. What part of Jesus’ statement
“it shall not be so among you” do we not understand?
5. Churches find it impossible to put One Timothy 2:12 into practice in
a consistent or logical way.
There is wide discrepancy in how One Timothy 2:12 is applied. I’ve
observed that in some churches, women can do everything except hold the
position of senior pastor. In other churches women can’t even teach a
mixed gender high school Sunday school class. Wayne Grudem’s infamous
article "But What Should Women Do in the Church?" categorizes 83 things
women can (and cannot) do in the church, demonstrating how ridiculous
applications of this passage can become.
Questions abound. How do we define when a boy becomes a man? What do we
mean by teaching? What constitutes authority?
After reflecting on these points I came up with this “elevator speech”:
“I’m glad you brought that passage up. I’ve studied One Timothy 2 and I
don’t think it can be used to shut women out of leadership. Here
are some of the reasons:
I’ve learned that “authority” is a poor translation for the Greek word
“authentein” Paul uses in One Timothy 2:12. It actually referred to an
unusual use of power and would be better translated as the “misuse of
authority”. Did you know that this is the only time this word is ever
found in the Bible? It must have been an unusual problem Timothy was
dealing with, most likely related to the false teaching he mentions in
chapter 1.
Also, applying One Timothy 2:12 literally - but not doing the same with what comes before (the verse about women being quiet) and
_after_ (the verse that says women are saved through childbearing) goes
against best practices of biblical interpretation. We have to be
consistent with how we interpret a passage.
I think it’s significant that this is _a personal letter_ written to
Timothy and not to the church-at-large. Paul is addressing a specific
issue Timothy had written to Paul about. This restriction is not found
in any of Paul’s other letters or anywhere else in the bible. So it
doesn’t make sense to use this passage to limit half the church from
full participation.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that One Timothy 2:8-15 contradicts much
of the rest of the bible, including _Paul’s own writings_ (those on
spiritual gifts and the use of prophecy in worship, for example). They
also contradict the record of Paul’s personal practice of partnering
with women recorded in the Book of Acts and documented in Romans 16.
On top of all of that, I’ve found that there is no consensus on how or
when to implement restrictions on women’s leadership. It seems to be
impossible for people to agree on what this actually means for the
church. Churches vary widely on what women can and can’t do.
So all things considered, I don’t think One Timothy 2:12 supports
restricting women’s roles in the church.”
This is not a perfect response, but serves as a step forward in the
development of a defensible apologetic for my beliefs. I encourage you
to come up with your own reasoned response to passages like this
one. This isn’t rocket science and it’s time to set this one
aside – or at least admit that One Timothy 2:12 should not be used in
the
debate.
Women around the world are increasingly "done" with having their role
be
a topic of debate. Today they make up a greater percentage of both the
"nones" (people who don’t claim any religious affiliation) and the
"dones"
(those leaving the organized church). At the same time, God is
raising women up all over the world today - in all kinds of arenas,
including the church. In the midst of these conflicting realities, we
have the opportunity to be prepared to give a defense for our beliefs.
More Resources on 1 Timothy 2:
Belleville, L. 2005. “Teaching and Usurping Authority: 1 Timothy
2:11-15” in Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity Without
Hierarchy, ed. by Pierce, Groothuis, & Fee. In this classic text,
twenty-six evangelical scholars firmly committed to the authority of
Scripture to explore the whole range of issues–historical, biblical,
theological, hermeneutical and practical – related to women and
equality, offering a sound, reasoned case that affirms the
complementarity of the sexes without requiring a hierarchy of roles.
Christians for Biblical Equality. Various authors have contributed over
100 articles. Start with these search findings. (Some articles require
membership for access, but many are free.)
Mowczko, M. 2009. Blog Series: “1 Timothy 2:12 in Context”. Marg has a
number of articles on this passage. Just search 1 Timothy on her
website.
Wilshire, L. 2012. Insight into Two Biblical Passages: Anatomy of
a Prohibition I Timothy 2:12, the TLG Computer, and the Christian
Church. The author provides insight that the TLG computer, with its
data selections from 200 BC/BCE to 200 AD/CE, supports the
interpretation of one of the key words ‘authentein’ as ‘committing
violent action,’ not ‘having authority.’ It then explores the effect of
this interpretation on exegesis, gender pronouncements, hermeneutics,
tradition, theology, and relevance. As a supplement, it offers a
history of traditional translations, mistranslations, and
interpretations. This is the most current analysis on this passage, and
directly refutes complementarian interpretations.
https://juniaproject.com/5-reasons-stop-using-1-timothy-212-against-women/
Feel free to read the book: Why Not Women?
- - - -
8) 1 Corinthians 14:34
34 "Women should remain silent in the
churches.
They are not allowed
to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.” or "
"women should keep silent in the churches".
True story: once, before my mother left for a mission trip she was
leading in Africa, she asked if she could say a prayer in front of our
church’s congregation. One of the male leaders
refused, and said, “in
my Bible, it says women should stay silent in church.” This man
later
cheated on his wife and left her and their five kids, but that’s beside
the point. Many men (and women) would agree with him, that women have
no place speaking or teaching in church. Here is what they don’t
understand:
This verse is part of a letter from Paul,
written to an actual
congregation. It was meant for specific people, experiencing a specific
problem. As Rachel Held Evans puts it, these letters were
written for
us [modern Christians], but not to us.
At the risk of
sounding like a
broken record, context matters. The context here is that this specific
church that Paul was writing to had a problem with a large group of
women that were becoming disruptive and distracting, and possibly
hurting the reputation of the church. Paul’s instructions were for how
to deal with them. But for whatever reason, unlike his other biblical
instructions (like that church members greet each other with a holy
kiss) this one stuck as universal and absolute for many Christians. It
shouldn’t be. There’s no reason for us to take this verse, and not the
whole movement of writing towards women (more on that later), as what
to reference as far as female roles in the
church.
- - - -
Genesis 2:18
“God said: it’s not good for man to be alone” but rather: “ אֱלֹהִ֔ים
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ טֹ֛וב הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְבַדֹּ֑ו אֶֽעֱשֶׂהּ־ עֵ֖זֶר כְּנֶגְדֹּֽו׃
Literally means "God to say pleasant/agreeable the man separation /
apart” The "I will make a help mate suitable fo r him" - is actually:
Do a helper in front of/opposite to (the "to him" was added)
- - - -
Genesis 3:16
"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy
conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire
shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
הָאִשָּׁ֣ה אָמַ֗ר הַרְבָּ֤ה אַרְבֶּה֙ עִצְּבֹונֵ֣ךְ וְהֵֽרֹנֵ֔ךְ
בְּעֶ֖צֶב תֵּֽלְדִ֣י בָנִ֑יםתְּשׁ֣וּקָתֵ֔ךְ אִישֵׁךְ֙ יִמְשָׁל
Literally means "woman/female/wife to say to be (or become) great/much
to be (or become) great/much [yes, it was stated _again_ ]
sorrow/labor/toil to bear/bring forth a son a longing man to have
dominion/to govern"
("unto the" was added, as well as "he said", and "I will", and
"multiply", "your" and "thy". "Children was actually "a son", but nice
try. " shall be to thy husband" was added, as well as "rule over".
- - - -
1 Peter 3:1
"Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if
any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the
conversation of the wives;"
Ὁμοίως γυναῖκες ὑποτασσόμεναι ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν ina εἴ τινες ἀπειθοῦσιν
λόγῳ κερδηθήσονται ἄνευ λόγου ἀναστροφῆς γυναικῶν
Literally means "likewise a woman to subject to a man in order that
anyone to disobey a word to gain without a word conduct/behavior a
woman"
And the _mis_ translated word (in 1 Peter 3:1) for "submissive" is
ὑποτασσόμεναι (pronounced "upotassomenai") - and it means "to subject
to", not "be submissive”
This is the same exact thing as "obey the law". This is an impossible
logical loop, since if you are commended to obey God .... yet obey the
Law - - and when they conflict (all the time!!) - then what?? Do you do
what God commands (obey the law), or do what God commends (obey God's
law). And you can't do both! Ah - here is that “subjection,” word
again. Not “obey.” What God requires is submission, a term that calls
for placing one’s self under someone else.
- - - -
Colossians 1:28
"Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all
wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus"
Uh, NO. First, "perfect" is "having reached its end/complete" -
NOT "perfect". Second, the "warning" is νουθετοῦντες
(nouthetountes) , meaning "to admonish/exhort".
Admonish: to counsel against; to express disapproval to - especially in
a gentle, earnest manner. Exhort: to urge by strong argument; to
incite by argument. So, it's a gentle/STRONG counsel.
Oh-kay.
The whole is:
"to proclaim to admonish/exhort
all/every humans to
teach all/every
humans all/every skill/wisdom in order
that to place beside/stand by
all/every humans having
reached its end/complete the Messiah"
So, it is more accurate to say "proclaiming counsel
against every person teaching
everyone all skills and wisdom so they all may stand by everyone
complete with the Messiah". Besides, "man" in indeed
"sexist", and although all modern churches "understand" that, they
DON'T - they STILL won't let women preach.
- - - -
Colossians 2:15-16
LOTS of additions and errors
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a
shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Literally means: "to strip off from oneself
beginning/origin power to
act/authority to expose/make a show
of freedom of
speech/confidence to
triumph in/on/by"
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in
respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Literally means: "therefore
not/that someone/anyone
to judge/decide
eating/food and/also a
drinking/a drink
or/than a
part/share/portion a feast/a
festival or/than
or/than the Sabbath"
So, "a new moon" was added, as was much else, andt so many
mis-translated words!
- - - -
11) Ephesians 5:22-24
“Wives,
submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord." (It does
NOT mean "submit" - it means "to be equal" - like Eve was Adam's
OPPOSITE, not "help mate"!)
23 - For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of
the
church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
24 - Now as the church
submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in
everything.”
(Head of the house, man is the head, head of the family, Adam's
equal, husband is
the head,
wife is the neck, wives, submit to your husbands - for search)
Here is what it means...
Ephesians 5:22
(KJV) "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the
Lord."
Original Greek ["eh-LYN-ih-key"]:
γυναῖκες γυναῖκες ἀνδράσιν κυρίῳ
Pronounced "goo-nay-ikes id'-ee-os an'-ayr
koo'-ree-os"
Literally
means "a
woman one's
own/distinct/for men and
women
[her] man master"
"as unto the" was added, as well as "unto your own".
So, it actually does _not_ instruct "submit yourselves unto your own
husbands" - it instructs "women are their own/distinct, and that men
and women are their master"
Think of it this way: who should be the boss of cooking in the
household?
A: the one who does it best, and enjoys it.
Who should be in charge of vehicle maintenance?
A: the one who does it best, and enjoys it.
Mowing the lawn, night time reading, teaching singing, sports...
A: the one who does it best, and enjoys it. If BOTH do, then share it.
Also, doesn't Genesis 2:24 pove that men and women are equal?
With "become one flesh". Also, we all KNOW that it doesn't mean
their literal flesh on their body - becomes one. EEEW! With
childen, their genes are indeed a mix. But neither is
"supeior". Eve is Adam's equal, NOT "servant". Even God is
written as Man's "helper".
I like this article:
https://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/cgg/ID/21364/Eve-Not-Adams-Servant.htm
- - - - -
And the _mis_ translated word (in 1 Peter 3:1) for "submissive" is
ὑποτασσόμεναι (pronounced "upotassomenai") - and it means "to subject
to", not "be submissive”
Ephesians 5:21
Ὑποτασσόμενοι ἀλλήλοις φόβῳ Χριστοῦ
"to subject one
another panic/fear/terror
(the pronounciation is "phobo" - like
"phobia")
The Messiah"
Ephesians 5:22
γυναῖκες ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν κυρίῳ
Literally means: "a woman
distinct a
man master"
5:24 states:
καὶ γυναῖκες ἀνδράσιν παντί
Literally: "and a woman a
man all"
- - - - -
Many women struggle with the KJV - not knowing it's NOT CORRECT.
"Why
should I have to submit, just because I am a woman?" Does Paul think
God
created women inferior? How can I call myself a feminist and a
Christian, if I follow a religion that says my husband is the “head” of
me? See, like many religious people, I was misunderstanding these
verses.
Thank goodness for Rachel Held Evans (seriously, read her stuff.)
To
understand this verse, you need to understand two things: 1)
Greco-Roman “household codes” and 2) the biblical culture of
patriarchy.
In biblical times, women were literally property (like cattle, dogs,
horses are today) and
slaves. In fact, as Rachel points out, the verses preceding the ones
above are all instructions to slaves and masters, because these fell
under the same category. When reading Ephesians with this understanding
then, it’s incredibly subversive because it goes on to command husbands
to love their wives as Christ loves the church.
It is another example of the ways the Bible, when looked at as a whole,
lifts women up from their societal place of property, to one of loved
and honored children
of God. A person
needs to look no further than
Jesus repeated treatment of women to prove this theory. What people
need to understand from this verse is not how women should submit to
their husbands, but how we all should submit to one another, as Christ
gave himself for the church.
NOTE: While it might seem like a command to women to bow down
before
their husbands, we have to take this verse into context in order to
interpret it properly. It’s part of a larger passage that
discusses mutual submission in the context of a Christian
marriage.
Just before this verse,
Ephesians 5:21 states: “Submit
to one another out of reverence for Christ." Sounds quite
balanced and nuanced, right? However, this verse is often
extracted from its context and used it to perpetuate gender inequality.
In extreme cases, this verse has even been used to justify domestic
abuse.
See my "Obey the Goverrnment" [NOT!]
section,
also.
Women Disciples / Women in The Bible:
Let's start with Women
Disciples (Women Desciples):
(Also see my "Women Pastors" [Women
Preachers] section)
Mary called Magdeline (Mary from Magdela) - we all call her "Mary Magdeline", but that's not her name - was a very
wealthy
woman (NOT a prostitute)!
Mary (Mother of Esho ["Jesus"])
Joset
Martha
Joanna
Johannine Susanna
Salome (as in the Cave of Salome - the secret underground
Church -
founded by a woman). They went underground to avoid Roman
persecution
(and death). Luke records her as "a Healer".
(Apos) Paul recognized Junia as an apostle, Phoebe
as a
deacon, and Euodia and Syntyche as church
planters. Read Roman 16:1-7
What's that you say - Galatians 3:28:
(KJV) "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there
is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."
Original Koine Greek:
ἔνι οὐκ Ἰουδαῖος οὐδὲ Ἕλλην ἔνι οὐκ δοῦλος οὐδὲ ἐλεύθερος οὐκ καὶ θῆλυ
πάντες εἷς Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ
Pronounced “eni ouk ioudaios oude ellēn eni ouk doulos oude eleutheros
ouk kai) thēlu pantes eis END iēsou”
Literally
means: "is in/can be
not/no
Jew/Judea and
not/neither an alien/a
foreigner is in/can
be
not/no a
slave/servant/one
employed and
not/neither
free
not/no
and/also
female
all/every
one The
Messiah Yeshua"
NOTE: First, "male" or "man" was not there. Next "Greek" is mistranslated
from Ἕλλην", which means "Gentile" or "alien" - meaning "any non-Jew".
And SHAME on those Translators ... you were a horrible example!!
The WOMEN provided financially for the Disciples - they pooled
their
money (and time and
labour!) together, and
financed their
mission. Female Disciples:
http://www.christianorigins.div.ed.ac.uk/2018/04/08/jesus-female-disciples-the-new-evidence-minerva-media-channel-four/
Women appear at times in the Gospels, and they are even named,
but they can be read as "passive and marginal". This is partly because
the Gospel writers tend to hide the women among Jesus’ band of
disciples for large parts of their narratives. They only appear when
they are essential as witnesses. Also, King James did not want to
elevate women. It was a "man's world", after all.
See the Documentary: Jesus' Female Deciples: The New Epic https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/mary-magdalene-feminism-metoo-jesus-disciples-apostle-christianity-judaism-pope-francis-vatican-a8281731.html
And
the BIG news:
Here’s the reality: “Jesus DID call women to be his disciples!”
The problem is that later Church Fathers were so entangled and blinded
by their Patriarchy they did their very best to obscure this fact and
solidify men [and only men] as the leaders
in
the Body of Christ.
So, here’s what we often miss about the women disciples of Jesus.
They’re everywhere. First of all, the Gospels give us the names
of several women who were following Jesus around [that’s what it means
to be a “disciple”, by the way; it’s a “follower”], and we can find
those examples here:
Mary Magdalene, Joanna and
Susanna were
three of Jesus’s female
disciples according to Luke 8:1-3:
“After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another,
proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with
him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and
diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons
had come out;
Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna;
and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their
own means.” (12 disciples, twelve disciples -
for search)
Do you get this? Not only are we told about the Twelve, and then these
3 women by name, but we’re also told that there were “many others”
[meaning, many other women] who not only followed Jesus around [which
is the very definition of a Disciple in relation to a traveling Rabbi],
but that they also supported Jesus financially.
Translation: They were active members of the ministry with skin in the
game who put their money
and their time into the
cause of Christ.
We’re also told that there were 3 women who were the first eyewitnesses
to the Resurrection
of Christ in Mark 16:1-3:
“When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the
mother of
James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come
and anoint
Him.”
Later, it is the same Mary Magdalene who is commissioned by Jesus as
the “Apostle to
the Apostles” [because “Apostle” means “sent one” and
she was sent by Jesus to testify to his resurrection]. And in the
earliest Christian Church movement, women continued to be honored and
included as Deacons, Elders, Prophets, Teachers, [yes, even as
Apostles], throughout the later ministry of Paul and the other
Apostles.
Women were not only included, they were honored, revered, appreciated
and named. For example:
Lydia of Philippi, a wealthy dealer in purple cloth,
hosted a gathering of the saints in her home [which we would refer to
as a Church or Ekklesia]. See Acts
16:11-15. Also, see Acts 16:25.
Phoebe, Chloe and the mother of Rufus are
also named by Paul as being among those women who served as Deacons
[Diakanous or “servants”] in the early Church.
For example:
“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church
[Deacon] which is at Cenchrea” [Romans 16:1]
“For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s
people, that there are quarrels among you.” [1 Cor. 1:11]
And who can forget Junia? [Other than the men who later
tried
to erase her and give her a scriptural sex-change operation when they
changed her name to a man’s in later centuries].
“Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow
prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in
Christ before me.” [Romans 16:7]
NOTE: Junia is a woman’s name. This text identifies her as a female
Apostle; one who was “outstanding” and “in Christ before [Paul]”
We also have Priscilla and her husband Aquila, who are referred
to by Paul as “my fellow workers in Christ Jesus” [Rom. 16:3], and
always named together but according to custom the more prominent is
always named first. Therefore, it’s likely that Priscilla was the
stronger teacher among them [because she is most often named first],
and so she would have been known for her gifting within the early
Church; especially as she was one who instructed Apollos [another early
Apostle] about the Holy
Spirit.
“and he [Apollos] began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when
Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to
him the way of God more accurately.” [Acts 18:26]
But, if you really want to know the most amazing example of a female
disciple in the Scriptures, we need look no further than Mary, the
sister of Lazarus and Martha. In the famous story of
where Martha got upset at her sister for not helping her in the
kitchen, we miss the entire point: Mary was behaving like one of the
men – she was sitting at the feet of a Rabbi. This is what one did if
one intended to become a Rabbi oneself.
Scandalous, to say the least. This just wasn’t acceptable in that day
and age [or culture]. Yet, the way Jesus responds to Martha’s outrage
is especially liberating. Notice what Jesus says about Mary’s choice to
adopt the posture of a disciple:
“But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are
worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is
necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken
away from her.” [Luke 10:41-42]
NOTE: the actual Greek is exactly: (41)
κύριος ἀποκριθεὶς Μάρθα Μάρθα μεριμνᾷς περὶ πολλά
(DIRECTLY translates to "master to
answer Martha
Martha to be
anxious
concerning much")
(42)
ὀλίγων ἑνὸς χρεία Μαριὰμ ἐξελέξατο ἀγαθὴνμερίδαμερίδα μερίδα ἥτις
ἀφαιρεθήσεται
(occurance one
need
business to select
good portion
whoever to take from)
There you go.
In the KJV, Jesus emphatically states that Mary has not only made a
wise choice,
it’s one that will never be taken away from her [or, presumably, from
any other woman who makes a similar choice]. Unfortunately, a few
years later a few male [duuuh!] Church leaders
would do their best to take it
away from her, and sadly they succeeded for quite some time.
So, let’s not forget those women who were disciples of Jesus from the
very beginning or the many women who served as deacons, elders,
teachers, evangelists and apostles in the early Church.
What’s
more, let’s continue to make room for women in the work and ministry of
the Body of Christ today
– even as
Jesus
celebrated them and welcomed
them and honoured them and boldly asserted that what they had chosen to
do with their lives would never be taken from them.
To add:
Women in the early Church:
Centuries before Constantine, Pliny the Younger was governor of
Pontus/Bithynia from 111-113 AD. He seems to have been mildly annoyed
by the imperial order to persecute Christians and seems confused on how
to implement the order. He wrote a letter to Trajan, the Roman Emperor
regarding the situation. He states that after questioning Christians,
that he discovered, "The sum and substance of their fault or error had
been that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and
sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves
by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or
adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when
called upon to do so. When this was over, it was their custom to depart
and to assemble again to partake of food--but ordinary and innocent
food. Even this, they affirmed, they had ceased to do after my edict by
which, in accordance with your instructions, I had forbidden political
associations. Accordingly, I judged it all the more necessary to find
out what the truth was by torturing two female slaves who were called
deaconesses. But I discovered nothing else but depraved, excessive
superstition."
It is interesting that when Pliny decided to round up Christian
leadership for questioning, that it was women whom he had arrested. The
Gospels mention many women in important leadership positions in the
early church:
-- In Acts 9:36 the disciple and minister Tabitha, Gazelle, whose
name is Aramaic for Gazelle, is mentioned. She is resurrected from the
dead by Peter.
-- In Acts 21:9 it is mentioned that Phillip the Evangelist’s
four daughters are prophetesses.
-- Romans 16:1 states that Phoebe is the minister of the church
at Cenchrea.
-- Romans 16:3 we see that Priscilla (Prisca) is a fellow-worker
with Paul.
-- Acts 18:24-26. Priscilla is often mentioned before her husband
Aquila. Priscilla took the preacher Apollos, an important early
evangelists, and instructed him on the doctrine of Jesus.
-- Romans 16:7 Junia the Apostle is a woman “outstanding
among
the apostles.” Women leaders of house churches in the New Testament are
Chloe (1 Corinthians 1:11), Mary the mother of John Mark the Evangelist
(Acts 12:12), Lydia (Acts 16:14), Nympha (Col 4:15) and Apphia
(Philemon 2). (The house of St. Mark, according to ancient tradition,
was where the Last Supper was held. Its traditional location is now an
important sanctuary for the Aramaic Syrian Orthodox Church. Mary, the
Mother of John Mark, was the lady of the house and hosted Jesus.)
Euodia and Syntyche are mentioned as co-workers who were active
evangelists (Philippians 4:2).
-- 1 Timothy 3:11 in the Greek refers to a deaconess. (Eastern
Christians have an old tradition of allowing women to serve as
deacons. In Aramaic the word for deacon is “shamasha,” and means
“servant.” In Aramaic churches the shamasha assists in the worship
services.) Paul says that Timothy’s mother and grandmother, Eunice and
Lois, had a godly influence on him (2 Timothy 1:5).
-- John the Revelator saw of vision of a woman, who was symbolic
of the Nation of Israel and of the Mother of Jesus, in his Apocalypse
(Revelations 12:1-6). In the Aramaic tradition Tekla, the disciple of
Saint Paul is highly venerated. The ancient Aramaic village of Maloula
outside of Damascus is devoted to Saint Tekla, who is believed to have
visited there.
Mark 7:24-30
A woman
24 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and
Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he
could not be hid. 25For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an
unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: 26 The
woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that
he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said
unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take
the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. 28 And she answered
and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the
children's crumbs. 29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way;
the devil is gone out of thy daughter. 30 And when she was come to her
house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
WHAT???
Mary of Magdela:
Although I have a standing
payment offer: $10,000 to anyone who can
show me a Bible verse that states that Mary was a prostitute.
Although I could offer $100 billion, the gospels also DO NOT state that
Mary was a prostitute. We made that
conclusion up! Mary of Magdala, or simply "the Magdalene",
"Magdalena" or
"the Madeleine" - was probably from "Magdala Nunayya",
meaning "tower
of fish" or "Magdala" meaning "The Tower", in Aramaic - as Peter was
"The
Rock". Magdeline was actually from
supreme wealth (royalty!),
and was very independent. A "Tower" of a
person. The Bible
Translators made her out to be "low", but she was not! The
only
reference is in Luke - who only wrote "And Jesus healed her".
Think of
this: those who HATED Jesus - the rich ... and she (Mary) came to "her
enemy" to be healed. That in itself is a HUGE step ... but it
get's
even better (worse)! Mary left her riches - to live in
squaller with
them. To join your enemy - living in squaller .... what was she
healed
from? Well, we KNOW it wasn't prostitution!
https://youtu.be/0aHSrU2msjg
NOTE: there are 2 female prostitutes in the Bible, and each
served God in a specific way.
-- Rahab was the grandma to King David, a
direct descendant of Jesus
Christ.
-- Gomer was the wife of the prophet, Hosea, and he was told to marry
her because God wanted their union to be a symbol of God's love to an
unfaithful Church.
Women in ancient times were lower than second class citizens, a
prostitute the worst thing that a woman could be. If that's the case,
it's interesting that Rahab is considered a woman who was a great
person of faith, right up there with Abraham and Moses!.
Also, aside from Yeshua's brothers (James and John), Mary was the
first Desciple!
Modern scholars have adopted a different understanding of Mary
Magdalene and regard her as one of Jesus’ most prominent Disciples,
who
stood by him to the end while his most devoted apostles did not.
“Historical tradition says she was a prostitute from Magdala,” said
Jennifer Ristine, director of the Magdalena Institute at Magdala.
“Reanalysing that reputation that she had we can see she was probably a
woman of greater social status, higher social status, a woman of wealth
who accompanied Jesus as we see in Luke 8:2,
helping Jesus and his
disciples with her own resources.”
Nonetheless, the image of Mary Magdalene
as a licentious, sexualised woman has persisted in Western culture,
including Jesus Christ Superstar and The Da Vinci Code.
Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the Vatican’s culture minister, said Mary
Magdalene’s reputation was sullied by her depiction in art over the
centuries. “Art history made her become a prostitute, which is
something that is not present in the Gospels,” he said, adding that she
also has been portrayed as Jesus’ wife. “It is important to find
the real face of Mary Magdalene, who is a woman who represents the
importance of the female aspect on the side of Christ,” he told the
Associated Press at the Vatican.
NOTE: It's equal to everyone saying "Trump is a racist!" or
people
not
knowing about Bill Cosby's
60+ affaires and arrests. If it's not
common knowledge, so "it never happened", then Trump is not a
racist, and Bill Cosby IS a rapist.
As Dr Helen Bond points out, the Gospel of Mary,
an early Christian
text, depicted her as a
visionary who received secret revelations and knowledge from
Jesus. THAT is why they kept it out of the Cannon (The Bible) -
you can't have a WOMAN - being equal to a MAN!! Also, Thecla was
ommitted from The
Bible!
You see, over time, things change. Just over the past 70 years, a
"fag"
has gone - -
from being "a student" (a Teacher was called a "Fag Master") - to a
"cigarette" in the 50's - to a homosexual in the 70's - to what you
cannot utter (WATCH ME!) now, as today homosexuals
are back to being
revered - as they were back in Jesus' day! Imagine the changes in
language 2,000 years brings!! I just can't WAIT - for TransLATIONS
- to be an "in thing". But those [Trans/Rainbow] people HATE
anything God or Bible (those very people who say "hate
is bad" and "intolerance
is
bad!")
Selah.
NOTE: Mary Magdeline:
Most say it "Mariam binMagdela (or Mariam bin Magdela), but in their
societal Greek, it was:
Μαρία από τη Μαγδαλή
Pronounced "María apó ti Magdalí"
In their native Aramaic it is:
The name "Mary from Magdala" is Aramaic, where Magdala means "tower" or
"fortress" or even "strength". Pouring over hundreds of
hand-copied early Greek and Latin manuscripts of the Gospel, Schrader
found that the name Martha, another New Testament woman, identified as
Lazaurus’ sister, had sometimes shown signs of being altered. The
scribes scratched out one letter and replaced it with another, thereby
changing the original name “Mary” to read “Martha,” in a possible
deliberate downplaying of Mary’s role in the story.
Mary’s diminishment took place slowly as Christianity grew more
patriarchal. Perhaps the biggest blow to her reputation came in Century
6, when Pope Gregory conflated Mary Magdalene with the “sinful woman”
who anointed Jesus’ feet with perfume in Luke 7. That woman is never
mentioned by name by the writer of Luke’s Gospel. But for the next
1,500 years Mary Magdalene was often equated to a prostitute, or in
modern parlance, a sex worker.
"It shows the kind of closeness of a group of people who might think of
themselves as almost like brothers and sisters."
Some of the ancient Greek formations around the word Magdalene suggest
that a feminine possessive form was added to the name. If we were to
translate it into English, she might have been called 'Mary the
Toweress' or 'Mary the Towerette'.
Other figures close to Jesus had nicknames. The disciple Simon was
known as Peter, or 'the Rock' in English. Another Simon was nicknamed
as being 'Zealous', rather than belonging to a group or party called
the Zealots, and the sons of Zebedee were referred to affectionately as
the 'noisy men'. This kind of intimacy is part of the reason why
some people have gone further and suggested Mary Magdalene was Jesus's
wife.
Professor Taylor believes the name itself is enough to discredit this
theory.
"Mary's name shows an independence from men that tells us she clearly
wasn't married. That includes being married to Jesus," she said.
If it was a nickname, it could have any number of possible meanings.
Professor Taylor speculates: "Was she tall? Was she regal? Was she
stately? Was she able to see far into the distance like a tower would
enable you to do?"
Professor Taylor accepts that the exact origin of the name is something
that is probably lost to history, but that it would seem to be some
combination of Mary's place of origin and something distinct about her
appearance and character. Whether it is to do with place of
origin, or a more personal connection, being nicknamed in this way
suggests she was someone of great importance within Jesus's circle of
followers.
As Professor Taylor puts it: "Her name not only indicated her
providence, but also her significance. Just as Peter was a rock, she
was also a tower."
Mary Magdalene, a disciple of Yeshua, had been afraid of Jews, since
they were always inflamed with anger.
See:
Five Christmas blunders that get Judaism (and Jesus) wrong
https://religionnews.com/2021/12/24/five-christmas-sermon-blunders-that-get-judaism-and-jesus-wrong/
