The Role of Women in the Church

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The Role of Women in the Church
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The proper role of men and women in situations
that involve leadership.

• The contrast between "men" and "women" suggests
  that Paul is assigning roles.
• These passages concern situations where both
  women and men are present together.
• The exhortations are built upon the order of
  headship and submissiveness that was enjoined
  upon man and women from the creation itself.

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The men are to pray, v. 8.

• The men ("aner, males) are to lead in prayer!
• The expression in every place points
  specifically to Christian gatherings such as the
  assembly where disciples came together.
• Lifting up holy hands (unpolluted) without wrath
  (anger toward others) and dissension
  (dialogismos), wrong thoughts.

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The women are to dress modestly, v. 9.

• This command sets forth the unobstrusive role
  women should manifest in gatherings with men.
• A woman's clothing should be well-arranged
  (kosmios, kosmein), something like adorning
  herself with adorning dress, arranging herself
  with well-arranged clothing.

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• The kind of clothing Paul has in mind in mixed
  gatherings involves display of wealth and the
  undue attention to physical beauty.
• Aidos means shamefastness, moral sensibility that
  shrinks back from transgressing the limits of
  propriety.
• Sobriety--sophrosune (self-control).

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The women are to learn in quietness, v. 11.

• Men are to be the teachers in mixed gatherings.
• The woman is urged to manifest "entire
  submissiveness" in her learning. Hupotage
  means to arrange oneself under another,
  respecting the divinely assigned roles of
  leadership.

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• With quietness (hesuchia).
• Tranquility arising from within causing no
  disturbance to others.
• Not a prohibition to women to speak in mixed
  gatherings for the purpose of learning.
• Hesuchia means quietness and not absolute
  silence (Cf. v. 2)

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The women are not to teach or exercise dominion
over men, but to remain quiet, v. 12.

• Does not forbid women teachers or Bible classes.
• The Greek word "oude" has this contextual sense
  I suffer not a woman to teach (nor in any other
  way) exercise dominion over the man.
• Paul is talking about teaching that involves the
  exercise of dominion over men.

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• Notice that the Greek word here is signao
  meaning silence.
• As a teacher (exercising dominion) a woman is
  commanded to silent.
• As a student (not exercising dominion) a woman
  is commanded to be quiet.

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What kind of teaching arrangements demand silence?
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It is not ordinary personal conversation between
a man and a woman.

• If so, a woman could never discuss the Bible with
  a man (Mt. 2820).
• She could not encourage with Scripture any
  Christian brother who has fallen from the faith
  (Gal. 61).

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It is not group conversation or discussion
(whether assembly or class).

• If every time men and women got together and a
  woman spoke in the group, she would be exercising
  dominion, then a woman could never speak in any
  group of people where the truth was being
  discussed.
• Yet Priscilla taught in a group of three (Ac.
  1826).

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It is teaching where one has authority over all
others.

• It would certainly include exercising a
  leadership role in the proclamation of the word
  in the assembly.
• Woman may not teach in any other teaching
  arrangement other than the assembly where the
  arrangement is of the same nature whether the
  whole church is present or not.

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• A woman may not be the teacher in a mixed Bible
  class because the teacher controls, leads, and
  directs the class.
• A woman may speak as a student in such an
  arrangement, if her intention is to learn in
  quietness.

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A woman may not exercise dominion over men in
other ways.

• A woman could not Scripturally occupy a
  leadership role like an elder or someone who
  leads in a mixed gathering to discuss church
  work.
• The woman may not lead a church meeting to
  discuss church business, but she may certainly
  respond to those leading concerning church work
  in just the same way she might speak in a
  teaching situation (with quietness and
  submissiveness).

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• A woman could not Scripturally lead a mixed group
  of men and women in worship, since leading in
  worship is a male role.
• A woman may not lead the church in prayer, but
  she may respond to one leading by bringing before
  the congregation prayer requests.

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Correct diagram of 1 Tim. 212
To teach
I
do allow
woman
man
To exercise authority over
or
not
a
a