Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Preface
- PART I WOMEN IN FIRST CENTURY CULTURES
- PART II JESUS AND WOMEN
- PART III PAUL AND WOMEN
- 8 Women and the physical family
- 9 Paul and the household tables
- 10 Women and the family of faith
- 11 Paul and his female co-workers
- 12 The Pastoral Epistles
- PART IV WOMEN AND THE EVANGELISTS
- Conclusions
- Notes
- Select bibliography
- Index
10 - Women and the family of faith
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 January 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Preface
- PART I WOMEN IN FIRST CENTURY CULTURES
- PART II JESUS AND WOMEN
- PART III PAUL AND WOMEN
- 8 Women and the physical family
- 9 Paul and the household tables
- 10 Women and the family of faith
- 11 Paul and his female co-workers
- 12 The Pastoral Epistles
- PART IV WOMEN AND THE EVANGELISTS
- Conclusions
- Notes
- Select bibliography
- Index
Summary
Our discussion of the Pauline material thus far has been limited to family relationships. Now we will investigate Pauline material dealing with women and their involvement in worship, evangelism, and other aspects of church life.
Rites and rights for women – Gal. 3.28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor [and] female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
The first thing we need to note is some interesting parallels. In 1 Cor. 12.13 we read, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” And in Col. 3.11 we have, “Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all.” The repetition of pairs suggests that Paul is working with a pre-set piece in Gal. 3.28. Paul could be adopting and adapting material formulated at an earlier time and by someone other than himself. In particular, the argument that this is part of an early baptismal liturgy is very impressive. If so, then it makes sense that this text is a commentary on entrance requirements, or the lack thereof, and about the fact that neither social, sexual, nor ethnic differences should affect whether one can be or remain in Christ.
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- Women and the Genesis of Christianity , pp. 163 - 179Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1990