Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam
I really don't know any more about her than what Paul says in Romans 16:1. She is called a sister. She is called a servant/deacon/minister depending on the translation. The Greek word used for her is diakonos which is also used in 1 Timothy 3:8, 12 and 4:6. In 4:6 the word is translated minister in the KJV. The folks in Rome were encouraged to help her in any business she might have. Even though Paul later says that a deacon should be the husband of one wife in 1 Tim. 4:6, he has no problem calling Phoebe a deacon even though she's a woman. So, maybe we might rethink the idea that "husband of one wife" restricts the ministry to males only. |
I can't help but consider that we're reading a letter written to Timothy. It's someone else's mail... not a didactic teaching given to the church as a general lesson. Obviously men serving under Timothy desired to progress into ministry so Paul tells Timothy what the basic requirements should be. However, I can't help but wonder what Paul would have written if some of those desiring the office of bishop or deacon were women. Should we see what Paul wrote as a "letter of the law" type rule for the church... or should we see what Paul wrote as embodying principles that might apply to different situations. For example, if a bishop must be the husband of one wife who rules his house well, a woman called to the office should be the wife of one husband who is submitted and tends to her home well.
Just a few thoughts.
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