Is 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 sexist because it says women should be kept silent, to ask their husbands at home, and that it is shameful to speak in church?
Is this passage sexist, or was it dangerous to be a female Christian at this time?
1 Corinthians 14:34 - 35
ESV - 34 The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. 35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.
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Asked December 11 2013
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Anonymous
Jennifer Rothnie
Supporter
An earthly difference in roles or a willing subjection to authority does not mean a difference in worth (Phil2:6-8, 1 Pet 4:10-11, Gal 4:1-7, Gal 3:28, 1 Cor 15:28). 1 Cor 14:34-35, both on its own and in its larger context of 1 Cor 14 and with other scriptures, is not saying that women cannot contribute to the church or cannot ever speak in the assembly. (Luke 2:36-38, Acts 21:8-9, 1 Cor 11:5). Paul equates the labor of many women for Christ as equal to his (Rom 16:1-16). "The women should keep silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church." 1 Cor 14:34-36 Silence here (sigaó) is the silence of 1 Cor 14:26-28, where the person who has a message in tongues to offer, but no interpretation, is told to keep silent. It does not mean the person must never speak, but that if their opinion or contribution is not orderly or beneficial to the church, they are to 'keep it secret'. The quietness of 1 Tim2:11 is tranquility and calm. The women here were wives. [(1 Cor 14:35)]. Widows and daughters did not have a husband to be submissive to, being submissive only to God and their own fathers. (1 Tim 2:11-15, 1 Pet 3:1-7) "Permitted to talk" can refer to chattering and prattling, as that is it's usage in classical greek. In scripture the usage varies quite a lot from literal utterance to more abstract forms, such as declaring one's thoughts or commanding speech. For laleo in this verse to stand in for any form of utterance would be contradictory, as 1 Cor 14:29-33 speaks of prophesying, and 1 Cor 11:3-6 makes it clear (among other passages) that women also prophesied and prayed in the assembly. The opposite concept here would be "Holding one's peace". These wives would not refrain from speaking their minds, no matter the appropriateness. As such, if a wife was constantly asking questions, even in a Bible study, it would undermine the authority and respect of her husband. Furthermore, if these questions actually contradicted her husband's comments or were disruptive, then her husband would not be viewed as managing his own family well. Together with 1 Cor 14:33, 1 Cor 14:40, and 1 Tim 2:11-15 we see a pattern emerging. Women were not to disrupt the assembly by talking to each other, or by usurping the authority of their husbands by interrupting them to make comments, etc. Rather, wives were to use their gifts in the church while still respecting their husbands. Scripture implies Priscilla had a strong gift of teaching, even moreso than that of her husband - yet Priscilla did not go over her husband's head to teach without his permission, and she did not undermine the teachings of her husband. Furthermore, she joined alongside her husband to work in his trade. (Acts 18:24-26, Acts 18:1-3, 1 Cor 16:19, etc). Priscilla is a fine example of how to correctly use one's gifts to edify the church, without dishonoring your husband. Also, Andronicus and Junia were likely a husband-wife team of apostles. (Rom 16:7) Just as Jesus said that you cannot love Him while hating your brother (1 John 4:20) or dishonoring your parents (Matt 15:3-11), and that we still must be subject to the rulers of our time (Matt 22:15-22, Titus 3:1, Rom 13:1-7), so wives willingly submit to their husbands to reflect Christ's submission to God. [And contrariwise, men love their wives even to the point of death, to reflect Christ's love for the church!]. Willing subjection to authority (hupotasso) is not a bad thing. Christ Himself was subject to God the Father (1 Cor 15:28), and we all are subject to the governing authorities (Rom 13:1). This is not forced subjection (such as a master to slave), but the willing placement of ourselves under authority, as if we were bondservants. (1 Cor 7:22).