Women in Ministry

I've been reading recently a lot about women in ministry. Something I'm very fascinated in since that is what I've been called into. I always have wondered how 1 Timothy 2:11-12 could possibly mean.

"A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent."

Could that mean that women shouldn't be pastors or church leaders? Surely not. Paul in many of his leaders encourages many women who he as been serving with. Such as Junia, Lydia, and Priscilla. After reading a few commentaries on this passage I have drawn some conclusions. 1 Timothy was written for the church in Ephesus. There were a lot of troubles here that were hurting the church and disrupting worship. Paul mentions throughout 1 Timothy certain things such as anger and disputes, as well as women who were dressing immodestly, questioning authority and teaching falsley. In order for the church to be unified and the church to worship, Paul says that these things must be stopped. Clearly women were becoming a problem in Ephesus.
The thing that I found the most interesting in this passage actually goes back to its original greek. The only time Paul uses the word authentein to stand for authority is in this passage when He says that women should not have authority over men. This is very unique. Unlike other words for authority, Paul uses this one. Authentein rather than to have authority over, or be in charge means to domineer. In other words, Paul did not want the women to dominate the church, like a tyrant domineers. I believe this is the case for all people, tyranny is never a good thing. Paul encourages women throughout his letters to teach. We do need to be quiet and submissive, everyone, so that we can learn.


Another interesting thing that I read about is the possible author of Hebrews. The true writer of Hebrews is unknown, some ideas for authors include: Barnabas, Apollos, Paul, Luke, and Priscilla?!??!?! Yes, a woman may have been the author of the books of the Bible. Because the name of the writer was lost, some believe, had Priscilla written it, her name might have been left off manuscripts because of prejudice. Priscilla was an active member of the early church. She was good friends and ministry partners with both Paul and Timothy. This places her in the right time frame. Many also believe there are some themes and passages of Hebrews that seem more feminine, or seem to have a female writer. The author sometimes refers to "we" as well. Some believe that Priscilla and her husband, Aquilla, may have written teh book togeher. It is believed the book was first written as a sermon.
Makes sense to me. : )

Pretty cool stuff. I find it very interesting. I certainly intend to keep looking.