Women in the Early Church
Ancient Societies were often built on patriarchal worldviews.
Ancient Jewish culture was actually quite progressive for the era in the rights it allowed women. Ancient Hebrew women were in charge of transforming raw materials into food, clothing, and medicines. They would also act as midwives for births that took place in their community. However, even though female heroines are celebrated in the Scriptures, Hebrew women were not allowed to act as leaders. They were often given a limited education, only being taught how to read and write.
Roman Society was very restrictive of women. Many Roman forums included topics that described ideal expectations of hair and makeup for women. Women were only allowed in public if they were escorted by their husband, a male relative, or a male servant. Roman women were only in charge of the household. When visitors arrived, it was customary for them to stay hidden unless introduced by the man of the house. The early Jesus Movement spun this dynamic on its head!
The Early Church mainly gathered in homes. As the Gospel spread into Gentile regions such as Corinth, Ephesus, Galatia, and Rome, many of these house churches began meeting more secretly. The positioning of churches in households (a Gentile women's domain) gave women enormous power to lead these gatherings!
Paul mentions some of these women in his letters:
Phoebe: "a deacon of the Church" (Romans 16:1)
Priscilla and Aquila: "a teacher of men" (Acts 18:26), "fellow workers in Christ" (Romans 16:3), "risked their lives for the Gospel" (Romans 16:4)
Mary: "a hard worker" (Romans 16:6)
Junia: "an Apostle who went to prison alongside Paul and her husband" (Romans 16:7)
Euodia and Syntyche: "struggled beside Paul for the Gospel" (Phil. 4:2-3)
Also, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, Rufus' mother, Julia, the sister of Nerus)
What about the verses against women speaking?
“Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.” (1 Corinthians 14:34)
Context is key! Paul's first letter to the Corinthian Church addresses their disorganized meetings. In fact, he tells two other groups to remain silent: tongue-speakers and prophets (v. 28-30). Here, the Greek word for "speak "(laleō) isn't referring to teaching but talking in general. We know from the advice in chapter 11 that prophecy and tongues still have a purpose in the meetings. They are even done by women as well! Paul addresses the audience that is participating in the service. The church meetings were chaotic, with everyone speaking over one another. Paul is telling them they are not to distract from what the Spirit is doing.
“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” (1 Timothy 2:11-15)
There are three popular interpretations among scholars.
It is widely believed that some of Paul's letters were written pseudonymously. This was a common practice in the ancient world to gain wisdom and perspective from a writer who had died. Writers would analyze the voice of the deceased author through past works and write in that voice to gain their perspective. Some historians believe this based on the dates 1 Timothy appears, some conflicting Greek usage, and the fact that Paul celebrates other women apostles and teachers in different letters. We also know that Christianity later became the empire's religion under Constantine, which could be an attempt to formalize male leadership.
If Paul wrote 1 Timothy, he could have addressed a Gentile area where the women were priests and, therefore, in charge of the religion. However, this is highly speculative and doesn't account for the fact that he writes, "Women are saved through childbearing" (1 Tim. 2:15). This statement conflicts with what we know about Paul's theology in other letters. Especially the verses that sum up his mission to the Gentile world. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)
Paul’s statement of women’s salvation being through childbirth could have been a popular saying among the Gentiles of the area, specifically worshippers of the goddess Artemis. There are many disputes about what Artemis is the goddess of. Commonly she is thought of as the fertility goddess of the Ephesians. In her book “Nobody's Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament” (2023), Sandra L. Glahn’s describes how interpretation’s of 1 Timothy and women in the church have derived from views of Artemis being the goddess of prostitution. However, prostitution was banned at this time in Ephesus. The goddess Artemis could have resembled more of a virgin midwife who women would pray would guide them through childbirth. Paul could have been modifying the saying to allude to childbirth as a symbol of enduring faith while including the virtues of love and holiness.
Glahn, S. L. (2023). Nobody’s Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament. IVP Academic.
Wikimedia Foundation. (2024, January 13). Paul the Apostle and Women. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle_and_women
A&E Television Networks. (n.d.). What role did women play in Ancient Rome?. History.com. https://www.history.com/news/women-ancient-rome
Pierce, M. N. (2024, March 25). The myth behind the meaning of paul’s words on women and childbearing. ChristianityToday.com. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2024/march-web-only/sandra-glahn-nobodys-mother-artemis-ephesians-paul-women.html
