04.01. Ye All Can Prophesy

Chapter 1 "Ye All Can Prophesy”

Let us consider the three passages in the New Testament which contain the teaching of Paul concerning the ministry of Christian women in the Church of Christ. As our examination of them involves questioning the rendering of the original text by translators, it would be well first to emphasize the vast debt we owe to the labors of scholars in the translation of the Scriptures and to remind ourselves of the fact that, as Schofield has said, ’’the labours of competent scholars have brought our English Versions to a degree of perfection so remarkable, that we may confidently rest upon them as authoritative." That this is so we gratefully admit, but, we are bound to add, with the exception of passages relating to the status of women. These most sorely need revision as must surely be acknowledged by all who honestly weigh the facts set forth by Dr. Bushnell who says, "It is very serious to base principles of action on translations of obscure passages- those upon which no translators can dogmatise." But "it is not worth our while," writes Dr. Bushnell, "to complain that men have not always seen truths that had no special application to their needs, either in interpreting or in translating the Bible; we merely wish to point out wherein there is need of changes.... Supposing women only had translated the Bible from age to age, is there a likelihood that men would have rested content with the outcome? Therefore our brothers have no good reason to complain if, while conceding that men have done the best they could, alone, we assert that they did not do the best that could have been done. The work would have been of a much higher order had they first helped women to learn the sacred languages. . . and then have given them a place on the translation committees...." For "there are truths," Dr. Bushnell rightly says, "that give light upon problems that women alone are called upon to solve," and "such truths man is not equipped to understand, much less to set forth to the understanding of women." Canon Payne Smith says of the Bible, "A bad translation of this Book exercises a depressing influence upon a nation’s civilization; a good translation is one of the great levers in a nation’s rise." This is especially so in the effect of a " bad translation’’ connected with the status of women in general. For, as Dr. Bushnell observes, the reason why ’’so large a proportion of the women of Christendom are given over to fashion and folly" is that they have never been "given a proper and dignified work in the advancement of God’s kingdom...." And this because three passages in the epistles of Paul have been rendered into English in such a way that they have entirely misinterpreted the teaching of the Apostle, and by so doing have shut out women from "proper and dignified work" in the church of God.

Now let us turn to 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and see what fresh light Dr. Bushnell brings to bear upon it. It reads in the R.V. thus: Let the women keep silence in the churches for it is not permitted unto them to speak but let them be in subjection, as also saith the law. And if they would learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home for it is shameful for a woman to speak in the church. By minute examination of the original Greek text, references to authoritative scholars and the historical setting of the occasion calling forth the epistle, Dr. Bushnell shows clearly that Paul never wrote these words as a " commandment of the Lord,’’ but was quoting what the Judaizers in the Corinthian church were saying. Their mischief making at Corinth was in connection with the work of Christian women as in other ways. This simplifies the entire subject, if the statement proves to be in harmony with the context and other parts of scripture.

Referring to the various attempts which have been made to reconcile Paul’s words about women praying and prophesying (1 Corinthians 11:5 : "But every woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonoureth her head. . ." ) with his seeming command, "Let the women keep silence,’’ in 1 Corinthians 14:34, Dr. Bushnell points out some weak points in the explanations and expresses what many Christian women have felt, that most of these attempts have not solved the difficulty satisfactorily. "The Holy Spirit does not descend to sophistry to induce women to do the will of God," says Dr. Bushnell. Nor does Paul, as Prof. Ramsay suggests, use "tortuous special pleading," or resort to "Jewish fables" to "find a pretext for silencing women." For Paul spoke as "the mouthpiece of God," and his writings were prompted by the Holy Spirit. Therefore a "consistent worthy sense can be found" in his words, if his arguments are not twisted out of conformity with Scriptures. For it is a safe rule that scripture must interpret scripture under the illumination of the Spirit of God. and when it does so, it will be found to have no contradictions. The true interpretation carries with it, to a spiritual mind, a reasonableness and simplicity which is worthy of God. So it appears in this instance. That Paul is but quoting the language of the Judaizers in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is in harmony with previous parts of the epistle. Again and again from 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 1 Corinthians 6:1-20, 1 Corinthians 7:1-40, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27, 1 Corinthians 10:1-33, 1 Corinthians 11:1-34, 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, 1 Corinthians 14:1-40, it can be seen that he is replying to a letter of questions sent to him by the Corinthian Church. In instance after instance it can be detected that "the reference to the questions is repeated whenever a new point is taken up." 1.

We need to remember that in the Greek manuscripts there were no capital letters to words, no quotation marks, and no punctuation such as we have in our English versions of the Bible. So those who use a translation (e.g., English) are dependent upon the translators for the addition of these valuable and necessary aids in obtaining the sense of the original. From the Greek text itself there is no means of knowing when a sentence is a quotation or when it expresses the mind of the writer except by internal and contextual evidences and careful examination of the historical setting of the words. Even then "few are the translators, fewer the exegetes. . . to abstain from finding in the Bible thoughts which it does not contain, and rejecting, or unjustly modifying, the thoughts which are indeed there," says Archdeacon Farrar. How solemn, then, the fact that for centuries Christian women have been robbed of their true status in the Church of Christ because translators, and many expositors, have failed to perceive the true setting of the Apostle s words. But God is giving the true light on this subject at the time when it is most needed for women’s service in the world.

Scholars are now in possession of greatly increased knowledge of facts connected with early church history and other subjects which enables them to understand better the writings of the New Testament. Some appear to be beginning to see that the key of " quotations" from the letter of the Corinthian Church to Paul unlocks some problems as to the meaning of some statements in his epistles, statements which have hitherto been beyond solution. For example, Professor Sir William Ramsay, the most widely accepted authority on St. Paul in the present day and known for his researches in the history of the early church in Asia Minor, "an extensive writer about St. Paul, his epistles, and journeys,’’ says: ’’ we should be ready to suspect Paul is making a quotation from the letter addressed to him by the Corinthians, whenever he alludes to their knowledge, or when any statement stands in marked contrast either with the immediate context, or with Paul’s known views." Dr. Bushnell observes that this ’’marked contrast" is obvious when 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is placed alongside of 1 Corinthians 11:5, for Paul must have written the words in 1 Corinthians 14:1-40 not more than half an hour after the previous ones, which show clearly that women were accustomed both to pray and to preach in public. Moreover, that 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 contained a ’’quotation’’ of the Judaizers’ words is confirmed when it is considered in detail. "It is not permitted,’’ says someone, for women "to speak . . . as also saith the law…" (1 Corinthians 14:344). But this cannot refer to the Old Testament Scriptures, for there is not one trace, from Genesis to Malachi, of any such prohibition, nor is there a single word in the whole "law of Moses" dealing with the subject. 2.

Therefore the words "it is not permitted’’ and " as also saith the law" must refer to some "rule’’ outside of Scripture. There was no other but the Oral Law of the Jews, appealed to by the Judaizers in the church in their efforts at that time to bring Christianity back within the confines of Judaism. That the words "as saith the law" referred to the Oral Law of the Jews is recognized by some scholars, for a well known lexicographer, in his Greek-Latin Lexicon, says that "as saith the law" refers to the Jewish Oral Law, which did teach the silencing of women. The Talmud also taught that it was ’’ a shame for a woman to let her voice be heard among men" almost the very words used in the language quoted by the Apostle. Again, the reference to the "law" is, of itself, sufficient to show that the Apostle, who labored so earnestly to free the Christian Church from the very shadow of Judaism, as his epistles show, was not expressing his own conviction in the language attributed to him. Paul never appealed to the " law" for the guidance of the Church of Christ, but, on the contrary, declared that believers were " dead to the law by the body of Christ" (Romans 7:4), that they might serve in newness of spirit and not the oldness of the letter (Romans 7:6). Then how could he say consistently, "Let the women keep silence . . . as also saith the law," even were such a prohibition to be found in the law of Moses?

It is therefore clear that the Apostle was quoting what the Judaizers in the Corinthian Church were saying. For, as Dr. Bushnell writes, many were in it as ’false brethren’ to destroy it (2 Corinthians 10:12; Galatians 2:4) . . . and others were honestly, but mistakenly, working to the same end, but with better motives.... None of them could hope to influence the Christians to return to . . . the traditions of the Jews by attacking things that were regular.... The only opportunity lay in something irregular, and this they found in the public prophesying of women. The Oral Law had said ’It is a shame,’ and the Judaizers took up the cry that ’ the women must keep silence’ . . . ’they must ask their husbands at home.’...’ It is a shame for a woman to speak in the assembly, the Oral Law of the Jews says so,’ etc. All this was written to Paul from Corinth. He copies it out for his text. He shows up its sophistries, [and] exhorts his converts to be jealous of their gift of prophecy in the church...." As to the women "asking questions of their husbands at home," Dr. Bushnell points out that it is not known that even men asked questions in church as the Jews did in the synagogue. If Paul said these words as a command, in the condition of the Corinthian and other churches of that time, he would be sending some women back to heathenism or Judaism for spiritual help or, in some cases, to no "help" at all, since many might be without husbands.

Let us look now at the context of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, and see how the "quotation" fits into its place as a quotation. To grasp the subject clearly it would be well to read 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 and 1 Corinthians 14:1-40 in the R.V., remembering that in the original Greek manuscript there were no chapter divisions or texts to split up the matter into verses. The theme from the beginning of 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 is one coherent whole, and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 of that chapter form the basis and key to all that is afterward written.

Paul is dealing with the subject of the mystical Body of Christ and the operations of God the Holy Spirit in and through the living members of the Body. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 he describes the Body itself, the mystical church, and the way in which each member is joined up and set in his place by God the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:18-28). Then comes the picture of the love life of God to be shown forth in each member (1 Corinthians 13:1-13), followed by a very full opening up of the subject of "preaching," or as it was termed by Paul, "prophesying," in 1 Corinthians 15:1-58. The believers were to "follow after love" as the first essential, and desire all spiritual "gifts." But the primary gift was prophecy- power to declare God’ s message either by the prophetic gift or speaking to edification, and "exhortation and comfort.’’ This was a necessity for the growth of God’s children (1 Corinthians 12:3, 1 Corinthians 12:12, 1 Corinthians 12:19), as well as for the conviction of those "without" the church (1 Corinthians 12:24-25). Then in 1 Corinthians 12:26 the Apostle pictures a gathering of the members of the local church the assembly which in Corinth was probably held in the house of Gaius (1 Corinthians 1:14; Romans 16:23). He pictures one and another present. "What is it then, brethren?" he writes. Here we must remember, as Dr. Bushnell points out, "that the word ’ brethren’ was more like ’sisters’ in Greek than in English.’’ The difference is only between "adelphos (brother) and adelphe (sister).’’ Moreover, " masculine and feminine nouns and adjectives very generally had the same form in New Testament Greek.’’ In English "it is only by an effort of thought that women take the word ’brethren’ to themselves, but not so the Greek adelphoi...." "What is it then, brethren? When ye come together, each one hath a psalm, hath a teaching, hath a revelation.’’ This would easily produce confusion, and so the Apostle directs that each one may speak "by course" but all ’’unto edifying." " For," he writes, " ye all can prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be exhorted" (1 Corinthians 14:31, R.V.m.). ’’God is not a God of confusion, but of peace; as in all the churches 3. of the saints" (1 Corinthians 14:33).

"All" might prophesy, said the Apostle, that ’’all may learn,’’ as God gave the word of wisdom or word of knowledge to one and the other- surely women as well as men both "alls" obviously including all who might be in the assembly. This was Paul’s light from God for the church at Corinth, in answer to the objections of the Judaizers, which he now proceeds to quote. The very writing of the words seems to stir his indignation, for he follows them with the abrupt exclamation or question "What? was it from you Judaizers, or criticisers, at Corinth] that the word of God went forth? or came it unto you alone?. . . if any man thinketh himself to be spiritual [see 1 Corinthians 12:1 knowing the Spirit, and what comes from Him], let him take knowledge of the things which I write unto you, that they are the commandment of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 14:36-37). In reference to the expression "the word of God," Dr. Bushnell points out that it has a definite and specific sense in the New Testament, "as referring either to the Gospel or prophetic utterance given from above." 4. in this again scripture interprets scripture. Paul is referring to the word of God in its coming forth from God and its going forth through His messengers. He has been explaining how the Spirit of God gave to one and the other in the Body of Christ “the Word" and the gift of prophecy. Could the Judaizers claim that it had come to them alone and gone forth out of them and no others? Were they the final authority as to who should speak when God gave the message? If any man among the objectors was "spiritual," it would be evidenced by his recognizing that all the things that Paul had written were "the commandment of the Lord," notwithstanding the "precepts of men" in the Oral Law of the Jews.

" Paul’s contention is,’’ writes Dr. Bushnell, that "since the Spirit of prophecy. . . did not . . . come forth from anyone but God, to attempt to control ’prophecy’ by restrictions as to who may utter it means a dictating to God as to what instruments He may employ." That Paul was quoting the Judaizers in the language he used in these verses again is made still more evident when we consider the historical setting, which may be briefly summarized as follows. The Corinthian Church had written Paul a letter and he is answering it. There were divisions among them. He had enemies at Corinth who disputed his right to be called an apostle and criticized him and his companions for having a woman traveling with them. The fact stated in Acts 18:18 that Priscilla with Aquila her husband had left Corinth in company with Paul shortly before seems to make clear that the woman referred to was Priscilla. 5. She was well known to all the churches of the Gentiles (Romans 16:3-4), and it is probable that Paul was writing his reply to the letter in her home at Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:19).

Now why should there be any trouble over Priscilla? It seems that Aquila was a Jew from Asia Minor and his wife was probably also a native. Here women were held in great honor. ’’The honours and influence which belonged to women in the cities of Asia Minor," writes Prof. Ramsay, " form one of the most remarkable features in the history of the country....

Under the Roman Empire we find women who are magistrates and presidents of games, who are loaded with honours. The custom of the country influenced even the Jews, who. . . in one case, appointed a woman at Smyrna to the position of ruler of the Synagogue." Out of this atmosphere of dignity and honor, Priscilla goes to Corinth expecting to take her usual position of equality with her husband! So we have the occasion for the criticism of the Judaizers and the questions of the church at Corinth!

How early believers understood Paul’s reply to their questions on the subject is also seen in Acts 21:9, referring to Philip’s "four daughters . . . which did prophesy.’’ Dr. Bushnell observes that "not even a year after [the] Corinthian epistle was written were women yet silenced."

It all is so clear now that we know! And we cannot but marvel why this simple and obvious explanation of the words of Paul did not occur to the translators of our English versions. But we shall see the reason for their eyes being holden and their minds being closed as we turn to the other passages bearing upon this subject. Before doing so, let us note that not all expositors have been blinded. Dr.. Adam Clarke writes concerning 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 that it is ’’the only one in the whole Book of God which even by a false translation can be made prohibitory of female speaking in the Church. How comes it then, that by this one isolated passage, which according to our best Greek authorities, is wrongly rendered and wrongly applied, woman’s lips have been sealed for centuries, and the ’testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy’ silenced, when bestowed on her? How is it, that this solitary text has been allowed to stand unexamined and unexplained, nay, that learned commentators who have known n its true meaning, as perfectly as either Robinson, Bloomfield, Greenfield, Scott, Parkhurst, or Locke, have upheld the delusion, and enforced it as a Divine precept binding on all female disciples through all time? Surely there must have been some unfaithfulness, ’craftiness,’ and ’ handling the word of life deceitfully’ somewhere. Surely the love of caste and unscriptural jealousy for a separated priesthood has had something to do with this anomaly. By this course, divines and commentators have involved themselves in all sorts of inconsistencies and contradictions; and worse, they have nullified some of the most precious promises of God’s Word. They have set the most explicit predictions of prophecy at variance with apostolic injunctions, and the most immediate and wonderful operations of the Holy Ghost, in direct opposition ’to [supposed] positive, explicit, and universal rules.”

NOTES 1. Conybeare and Howson’s translation of the epistle brings out clearly many of these quotations.

2. That it did not refer to ’’Genesis 3:16’’ as "the law’’ will be seen on reading chapter 6.

3. ’’Ecclesia,’’ assembly or congregation, meaning simply the local gatherings of believers, established in the first centuries of Christianity.

4. See Luke 3:1-2, Luke 5:5 Romans 9:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:8, 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 2:17, 2 Corinthians 4:2.

5. The R V margin reads a "wife that is a sister" This could mean Paul’s own wife or Priscilla, who was Aquilia’s wife, or the Apostle was speaking in the abstract of the principle of liberty of action.