Search — Theology Explorer

ἀντίλυτρον (antilytron)

ransom, substitute ransom price

ποιμαίνω (poimaino)

to shepherd, to tend a flock, to pastor, to rule

πρεσβύτερος (presbuteros)

elder, older man; church overseer/leader by seniority

στῦλος (stylos)

pillar, column; used metaphorically of the church as the pillar and support of truth

ἀρχή (archē)

beginning, origin, source; rule, authority, first cause

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-14

Belleville's counter: all three uses of 'teshukah' are linked by gender/intimacy -- she interprets Gen 4:7 as a lion wanting to 'consume' (intimate metaphor) Cain. Mike finds this forced.

Belleville's attempt to maintain the intimacy reading across all three uses

Song 7:10 Linda Belleville teshukah Gen 4:7

Mike Winger idea 2022-06-20

Westfall's choir robe analogy: all differences subsumed under identity in Christ

Mike examines another bridge-building analogy from Westfall.

Cynthia Long Westfall choir robe analogy clothed in Christ

Mike Winger idea 2022-06-20

Key distinction: Paul's metaphor is about status of being in Christ; Westfall's is about function within Christ

Mike crystallizes the fundamental difference between Paul's intent and Westfall's application.

status vs. function exegetical method metaphor analysis

medical argument ancient Greek medicine head-body metaphor

Medical argument introduced: ancient Greeks believed the heart, not the head, controlled the body

Mike introduces the first egalitarian argument — the medical claim.

kephale medical argument Stephen Bedale

Stephen Bedale's 1954 article: the origin of the 'head means source' argument

Mike traces the medical argument back to its scholarly origin.

medical argument rebuttal popular ancient belief Galen

Galen: the brain dwells in the head 'like the great king' in an acropolis; most people believed the head contained all senses like guards of a king

Mike presents Galen's own words about the head's function and what ordinary people believed.

Philo of Alexandria head as master limb citadel of the king

Philo of Alexandria: the head is the 'master limb,' the 'chief' part, like a citadel where the sovereign mind dwells

Mike cites Philo, a Jewish contemporary of Paul, on the function of the head.

Ephesians Colossians kephale Rebecca Merrill Groothuis Discovering Biblical Equality

Contextual/Bible study argument: Ronald Pierce and Rebecca Merrill Groothuis claim Paul only reinforces 'source/provision,' not authority

Mike presents the egalitarian contextual argument from Discovering Biblical Equality.

Ephesians 5:22-24 submission mutual submission Ronald Pierce

Pierce and Groothuis strangely ignore Ephesians 5:22-24, which explicitly links headship with submission

Mike points out that egalitarian authors skip the most relevant passage.

kephale Discovering Biblical Equality Lynn Cohick

Lynn Cohick claims seeing authority in headship 'violates Paul's intention in metaphor'

Mike presents Lynn Cohick's argument from Discovering Biblical Equality.

Lynn Cohick Wayne Grudem kephale survey

Wayne Grudem's survey of 2,336+ uses of kephale — Cohick's misleading summary of his work

Mike discusses how Cohick misrepresents Grudem's lexical survey.

kephale semantic range metaphorical meanings

Metaphorical meanings of kephale: literal, headlong, whole person, extremity, prominent part, conclusion, authority

Mike catalogs all the possible metaphorical meanings of kephale.

John Chrysostom John Chrysostom head commands the body steersman metaphor

Full Chrysostom quote: 'thou art the head of the woman... let the head regulate the rest of the body' — Chrysostom strongly supports headship as authority

Mike reads the full Chrysostom passage that Kroeger selectively quoted.

kephale Lynn Cohick lexical argument

Lexical claims introduced: Lynn Cohick says lexicons in the 19th-20th centuries suggested 'source' but not 'leader'

Mike introduces the final and largest section — the lexical/Greek argument.

kephale Word Study Dictionary of the NT chief/subordinate

Word Study Dictionary of the NT (1993): kephale means 'head, chief one to whom others are subordinate'

Mike surveys the second lexicon.

kephale Lexham Theological Wordbook high status

Lexham Theological Wordbook: kephale refers to 'those who are of high status' — no mention of source

Mike surveys the Lexham Theological Wordbook.

kephale Pocket Lexicon of NT Greek ruler/lord

Pocket Lexicon of NT Greek (1917): kephale means 'head, ruler, or lord' — cites 1 Cor 11:3

Mike surveys the oldest lexicon in his sample.

kephale Enhanced Strong's Lexicon master/lord

Enhanced Strong's Lexicon (1995): kephale means 'supreme, chief, prominent; master, lord' of husbands

Mike surveys the Enhanced Strong's Lexicon.

kephale Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon

Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1888): supports 'source' literally for rivers but metaphorical meanings don't apply to Paul

Mike surveys an 1888 lexicon.

kephale lexicon survey results source meaning extremely rare

Lexicon survey conclusion: 15 surveyed, only 3 mention source, none assign source to any NT passage

Mike summarizes his comprehensive lexicon survey.

kephale Wayne Grudem LSJ (Liddell-Scott-Jones)

Grudem's critique of the LSJ: 'source' is literal (rivers only), not metaphorical; plural kephale = sources, singular = mouth of river

Mike presents Grudem's detailed critique of how the LSJ defines source for kephale.

kephale complementarianism male headship

Five conclusions: (1) medical thought supports authority; (2) Paul's context implies authority; (3) church history supports authority; (4) lexical study strongly supports authority; (5) egalitarian claims are often problematic

Mike presents his five summary conclusions for the video.

Mike Winger idea 2022-08-15

Head-body analogy throughout Ephesians 5 reinforces husband's leadership role

Mike traces the head-body metaphor through the passage.

Ephesians 5:23 Ephesians 5:28 Ephesians 5:23 head-body analogy Ephesians 5:28

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-28

Even if 'women' is the right reading, it's metaphorical — there were no actual women rulers at the time; Isaiah is calling male leaders 'women' as an insult.

Interpreting Isaiah 3:12 if 'women' is the correct reading

Isaiah 3:12 Isaiah 1:23 Micah Isaiah 3:12 Isaiah 1:23 Micah

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-28

Further evidence for metaphor: infants weren't literally ruling, verse is about current rulers not future replacement, and women are rebuked later in chapter 3 but not for leading.

Building the case that Isaiah 3:12 is metaphor

Isaiah 3:12 Isaiah 3 Isaiah 3:12 metaphor Isaiah 3

Mike Winger idea 2022-03-28

Three possible reasons why 'women leaders' is negative in Isaiah 3:12: role distinctions, lack of respect, or lack of training — Mike favors the training/competence explanation.

Interpreting why Isaiah uses 'women' negatively even as metaphor

Isaiah 3:12 Deborah patriarchal culture Isaiah 3:12

Mike Winger idea 2022-11-11

Paul's fourth argument: nature gives women long hair as a covering (verses 13-15)

Mike explains the argument from nature for head coverings.

1 Corinthians 11:13-15 1 Corinthians 11:13-15 physis nature argument

Mike Winger idea 2022-11-11

Question 3: What does kephale mean? Conclusions from video 8 on male headship

Mike references his prior detailed study on kephale.

kephale headship church history

Mike Winger idea 2022-11-11

Euripides source: all published translations use clothing metaphor, not testicle

Mike examines the second and stronger piece of evidence.

Mark Goodacre translation comparison Troy Martin peribolaion

Mike Winger idea 2018-01-10

Matthew 24:27-28: Lightning metaphor for visible return

Jesus describes the visibility of his coming

Matthew 24:27-28 Matthew 24:27-28 Lightning metaphor Visible return

Mike Winger idea 2018-01-10

Proof text #1: John 2:19-21 and the destroyed temple

Evidence for bodily continuity across resurrection

John 2:19-21 John 2:19-21 Temple metaphor Bodily continuity

Mike Winger idea 2018-04-18

2 Peter 3:8 in context: the passage teaches God's patience and the unexpectedness of judgment — not a mathematical formula for calculating dates

Mike reads 2 Peter 3:8-11 in full to demonstrate that Camping's formula rips the verse from its actual argument.

Psalm 90:4 2 Peter 3:8-11 Second Coming hermeneutics Harold Camping

Mike Winger idea 2018-04-18

Q&A: How should Christians prepare for the end of the world?

Question from Bethany Cole Baum. Mike answers from a premillennial perspective.

eschatology readiness premillennialism

Mike Winger idea 2017-12-27

Tip 1: Look back before you look forward — December as a 'hilltop' for perspective

First of seven tips. Mike uses a journey/landscape metaphor to describe the value of year-end reflection.

Matthew 7:14 spiritual disciplines self-examination perspective

1 Corinthians 3:4-15 Paul Apollos works

Reading of 1 Corinthians 3:4-15

Scripture reading of the first key passage

1 Corinthians 3:9-10 hermeneutics Paul ministry

Transition from planting/watering analogy to building analogy in 1 Corinthians 3:9-10

Structural analysis of the passage's two analogies

1 Corinthians 3:10-11 Paul discipleship Jesus Christ

The foundation metaphor: Jesus Christ is the foundation; building on it = post-salvation ministry to believers

Exegesis of 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 and the nature of building on the foundation