Today’s QQ: Is the apostle Paul a misogynist?
I’ve often heard this question about Paul. On a recent podcast, a woman commented that she only reads the parts of the Bible that Paul didn’t write because she feels demeaned by what he says about women. Funny, but not funny, an Irish playwright depicted Paul as the “eternal enemy of Woman.”
Is Paul the “eternal enemy of woman?” What you believe about Paul impacts your understanding of women and the church. Paul’s letters do contain hard to understand elements (2 Pet 3:16). Especially puzzling are things he writes about women like covering their heads/keeping hair up while prophesying, a woman is the man’s glory, not exercising authority (but what kind?), being deceived like Eve, and being saved through childbirth.
Scriptures: Let’s look at some scriptures mentioning Paul and women.
- Lydia, “a dealer in purple cloth” (Acts 16:13–15, 40) Paul first met Lydia praying with other women by a river in Philippi and he baptized her. In her home, Paul and Lydia planted the first gathering of believers in Macedonia.
- Euodia & Syntyche (Phil 4:2–3) Paul urges these two women “to agree in the Lord,” to resolve their disagreement for the good of the gospel. He acknowledges their struggle, while affirming their participation as his “coworkers.”
- Nympha (Col 4:15) Paul greets Nympha “and the church in her house.”
- Phoebe (Rom 16:1–2) Paul commends Phoebe, describing her as “our sister,” a diakonos [deacon] of the church in Cenchreae, and his patron and the patron of many. He urges church leaders to give her “whatever help she may need.” Ancient manuscript evidence shows that Paul entrusted Phoebe to carry his letter of Romans to the house churches in Rome.
- Priscilla (Rom 16:3–5) Priscilla and her husband Aquila were teachers and planted churches in Ephesus, Corinth, and Rome. Paul calls them “my coworkers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for me.”
- Mary, Junia, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, Julia, and Nereus’s sister (Rom 16:6–15) Paul commends the gospel work of ten women in a longer list of ministry leaders and workers with phrases like “worked hard for you” and “laborers in the Lord.”
- Women praying and prophesying (1 Cor 11:5) Paul clearly doesn’t expect women to be silent in the churches rather he describes women praying and prophesying (and without restrictions).
Scholars’ Views: Egalitarians and complementarians disagree on how to characterize the ministry functions of the women who served with Paul (but agree Paul is not a misogynist).
Craig Keener, an egalitarian, comments about the women Paul commended in Romans 16, “These commendations may indicate his sensitivity to the opposition women undoubtedly faced for their ministry, and are remarkable given the prejudice against women’s ministry that existed in Paul’s culture.”
Thomas Schreiner, a complementarian, writes, “The terms fellow-worker and laborer do not indicate that someone is a church leader, although that does not mean these terms are never used of church leaders.”
Key Takeaways: New Testament women had a friend in Paul. He incorporated women into his ministry work, elevated them, and described them as “co-workers.” Paul is NOT a misogynist!
Paul ministered alongside many women. He used the terms synergos [fellow worker; companion in work] and diakonos [deacon or servant] to describe both himself and his co-laborers, whether male or female. Women have a friend in Jesus, and women have a friend in Paul, a passionately dedicated Jesus-follower.
Until next time,
