“Women should be silent
In the churches.
They are not permitted
To speak.
But they should be subordinate,
As the law also says.”
αἱ γυναῖκες ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις σιγάτωσαν· οὐ γὰρ ἐπιτρέπεται αὐταῖς λαλεῖν, ἀλλὰ ὑποτασσέσθωσαν, καθὼς καὶ ὁ νόμος λέγει.
Paul said that women should be silent in the churches (αἱ γυναῖκες ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις σιγάτωσαν). They are not permitted to speak (οὐ γὰρ ἐπιτρέπεται αὐταῖς λαλεῖν). But they should be subordinate (ἀλλὰ ὑποτασσέσθωσαν), as the law also says (καθὼς καὶ ὁ νόμος λέγει). Next Paul took up the role of women. They should be silent in the church communities, since they were not allowed to speak. They should be subordinate to the men as the Mosaic law had commanded. There was no change in attitude for Paul. He clearly saw a male dominated society as the way to go, including in the Christian community. Obviously, women could pray and some were teachers, but the hierarchical setup was male. There have been attempts to mitigate Paul’s recommendations, but they seem inconsistent with his general attitude towards women. What is your attitude towards women?
