Surely Paul could have used more overt words than “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.” And of course there is the issue of the Scriptural fact that women in the past, and even in Paul’s day, did indeed teach and have authority over or with men (e.g., the prophetess Deborah in
Judges 4, Aquila and Pricilla in
Acts 18:26). Paul certainly knew of Deborah and others, so it seems strange that he should contradict prior revelation. The main point here is that there might be a level of eisegesis (reading into the text) going on when interpreters come to conclusions that are not clearly stated in the text.
Threaded Mode
