Phoebe was a minister, a servant/minister to others. But nowhere does it say she was a leader in the Church.
1 Timothy is speaking of those who lead in the Church. When that is the subject, Paul says they must be married to a wife. Seems to limit it down to me.
Sam, Junia is NOT said to be a woman. Look:
(
Rom 16:7 KJV) Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners, who
are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
(Rom 16:7 AMP) Remember me to Andronicus and Junias, my tribal kinsmen and once my fellow prisoners. They are men held in high esteem among the apostles, who also were in Christ before I was.
(
Rom 16:7 ALT) Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives [or, close companions] and my fellow-prisoners,
who are well-known by [or, among] the apostles, who also have been in Christ before me.
(
Rom 16:7 CEV) Greet my relatives Andronicus and Junias, who were in jail with me.
They are highly respected by the apostles and were followers of Christ before I was.
There is a controversy over the identity of Junia. Look at
Matthew Henry’s notes on this:
4. Concerning Andronicus and Junia,
Rom_16:7. Some take them for a
man and his wife, and the original will well enough bear it; and, considering the name of the latter,
this is more probable than that they should be two men, as others think,
and brethren.
As you can see from the various translations I listed, nowhere does it say that Junia is a woman or an Apostle.
Sam, where does it say this? Look:
(
Luk 2:36) And there was one Anna,
a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher:
she was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;
She was a
prophetess. There is a distinction there. Look at
Thayer’s definition:
G4398 προφῆτις prophētis
Thayer Definition:
1) a prophetess
2)
a woman to whom future events or things hidden from others are at times revealed, either by inspiration or by dreams and visions
3)
a female who declares or interprets oracles
Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G4396
Citing in TDNT: 6:781, 952
This is feminine not masculine.
A prophetess was a wife or daughter of a prophet. Notice Anna’s father and husband are mentioned. Again, nothing stating she was a leader in the Church.
They did. She was there WITH HER HUSBAND. Where would this lead us to see she was an elder in the Church?
“Seem to be”?
An evangelist does a whole lot more than report the current news of the day, or even witness to a group about their experience with Jesus. Nowhere does the Bible say that these ladies went on to become elders in the Church. Nowhere!
The reason they felt this way was due to the diminished status of a woman’s legal witness. This is not so much prejudice as it was the way of their Jewish upbringing. Doesn’t make it right, but it can’t be said to be 100% wrong then either.
“May have been”? The Church is ALWAYS referred in the feminine. SHE is the BRIDE of Christ; the Eve (mother of all living) to Adam.
Sam, I do not see anyone here saying a woman has NO PLACE in the body of Christ. What I see being discussed is
whether or not a woman can biblically be an elder/leader in the Church. If God does not make this allowance, then it is not the way “some men treat women preachers today,” but rather the way some men allow women to minister outside the biblically permissible boundaries. “Seem to be” and “may have been” just can’t cut it when one is determining sound doctrine.
Thanks for your post!
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