Search — Theology Explorer

1 Timothy 2 1 Corinthians 14:34 John MacArthur 1 Timothy 2 1 Corinthians 14:34 John MacArthur

Two key passages used by strong complementarians to deny women speaking publicly: 1 Corinthians 14:34 and 1 Timothy 2

Mike identifies the passages that fuel the opposing view.

1 Corinthians 11 1 Corinthians 14:34 John MacArthur hermeneutics 1 Corinthians 11 1 Corinthians 14:34

MacArthur's real basis: 1 Corinthians 14:34 (women keep silent) overrides the plain reading of 1 Corinthians 11

Mike identifies that MacArthur's position depends entirely on 1 Corinthians 14:34 controlling the meaning of chapter 11.

1 Corinthians 11:17-34 1 Corinthians 12-14 1 Corinthians 14:3-4 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 1 Corinthians 12-14 1 Corinthians 14:3-4

Broader context of 1 Corinthians 11-14 confirms it is about gathered worship: Lord's Supper and spiritual gifts in church

Mike appeals to the wider literary context to confirm his reading.

1 Corinthians 14:34 John MacArthur women prophesying Philip's daughters 1 Corinthians 14:34

MacArthur's conclusion quoted and rejected: 'women may have the gift of prophecy but normally are not to prophesy where men are present'

Mike quotes MacArthur's specific position and says the rule 'seems wrong.'

1 Corinthians 14:31 soft complementarianism 1 Corinthians 14:31 prophecy and teaching

Claim 2 analysis: Prophecy is similar enough to teaching that women should be able to teach in mixed gatherings

Mike now analyzes the second egalitarian claim from women prophesying.

1 Corinthians 14:29 1 John 4:1 prophecy and authority 1 Corinthians 14:29 1 John 4:1

Prophecy is tested; the prophet has no authority over the evaluation of their own prophecy

Mike explains the testing process for prophecy per 1 Corinthians 14:29 and 1 John 4:1.

1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 11 headship 1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 11

Scripture places limits on women prophesying: they must acknowledge male headship (1 Corinthians 11) and may not judge prophecies (1 Corinthians 14)

Mike notes that even within prophecy, there are gender-specific limitations.

Colossians 3:16 1 Corinthians 14:26 Tom Schreiner Apollos Colossians 3:16

Tom Schreiner quote: complementarians should not give the impression women are unintelligent or lack teaching ability

Mike quotes a fellow complementarian to correct unhealthy attitudes toward women's teaching.

1 Corinthians 14:34 Galatians 3:28 1 Timothy 2:11 1 Corinthians 14:34 Galatians 3:28 hermeneutical priority

F.F. Bruce's declaration that Galatians 3:28 is the basic principle governing other Pauline texts

Mike quotes F.F. Bruce via Groothuis to show how the verse is used as a hermeneutical rule.

1 Timothy 2 1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 11 1 Timothy 2 1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 11

Ben Witherington III's (1981) two arguments against over-reading the Genesis allusion

Mike cites Witherington's earlier work to push back against the creation/new-creation dichotomy.

1 Timothy 2 1 Corinthians 14 1 Timothy 2 1 Corinthians 14 silver bullet argument

The silver bullet uses a passage not about the topic to override passages that are about the topic

Mike summarizes the fundamental problem with the egalitarian use of Galatians 3:28.

1 Corinthians 14 Galatians 3:28 1 Timothy 2:11 1 Corinthians 14 Galatians 3:28 Cynthia Long Westfall

Revisiting Westfall and F.F. Bruce quotes on Galatians 3:28 as an interpretive override

Mike re-presents key quotes to drive his point home.

1 Timothy 2 1 Corinthians 14 Galatians 3:28 1 Timothy 2 1 Corinthians 14 Galatians 3:28

Egalitarians use a verse not about the topic because the verses about the topic are unhelpful to them

Mike's pointed assessment of the egalitarian strategy.

Mike Winger idea 2022-08-15

Biblical justifications for wifely submission vs slave obedience are completely different

Mike lists the actual biblical reasons for each and compares them.

Titus 2:5 1 Corinthians 14:34 1 Corinthians 11:3 creation order Titus 2:5 1 Corinthians 14:34

Mike Winger idea 2022-11-11

Head coverings relate to headship: who has a human head vs. Christ as head

Mike explains the symbolic logic of the traditional view.

1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 14 headship symbolism women praying and prophesying

Mike Winger idea 2022-11-11

Final conclusions: male headship is biblical, complementarian, and to be celebrated

Mike delivers his overall conclusions for the passage.

1 Timothy 2 1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 11:3 women in ministry complementarianism eldership

1 Corinthians 14:34-35 biblical authority 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 women's silence in church

Introduction of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 as a highly controversial passage

Mike reads the passage and acknowledges modern readers will find it offensive, but states his main concern is understanding what it actually means in context.

complementarianism egalitarianism gender roles

Overview of the egalitarian vs. complementarian debate

Mike frames the two polar opposite positions on women in ministry as context for the five views he will present.

1 Corinthians 14:34-35 textual criticism 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 interpolation theory

Introduction of View 1: The Interpolation View

Mike introduces the first of five views, which argues these verses do not belong in the Bible at all.

1 Corinthians 14:36 quotation-refutation view 1 Corinthians 14:36

Introduction of View 2: The Quotation-Refutation View

Mike introduces the view that Paul is quoting the Corinthians and then refuting them in verse 36.

1 Corinthians 14:34-35 1 Corinthians 14:40 textual criticism 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 manuscript evidence

Interpolation View Hinge 1: No manuscript lacks these verses

Mike examines the manuscript evidence and finds that not a single manuscript omits 1 Corinthians 14:34-35.

1 Corinthians 14:40 textual criticism 1 Corinthians 14:40 manuscript relocation

The relocation of verses to after verse 40 in some manuscripts

Mike explains that while no manuscripts omit the verses, some relocate them after verse 40.

textual criticism manuscript evidence UBS (United Bible Societies)

The UBS apparatus rates these verses as 'almost certain' to be authentic

Mike explains the UBS (United Bible Societies) critical apparatus and its rating of these verses.

1 Corinthians 14:40 1 Corinthians 14:40 Pauline style church order

Style Argument 1: Verses differ from the main theme of 1 Corinthians 12-14 -- rebutted

Mike refutes the claim that these verses do not fit the theme of chapters 12-14.

1 Corinthians 14:28 1 Corinthians 14:30 Pauline style laleo sigao

Four key Greek terms in verses 34-35 prove consistency with Pauline style

Mike identifies four Greek terms in the disputed verses that appear throughout 1 Corinthians 14.

1 Corinthians 14:28 1 Corinthians 14:32 hupotasso Pauline style 1 Corinthians 14:28

Two more key terms: 'en ekklesia' and 'hupotasso' found throughout the context

Mike continues demonstrating the passage's consistency with its surrounding context using Greek terms.

judging prophecy view flow of argument prophecy section

Style Argument 2: The passage interrupts the flow of instructions about prophets -- rebutted

Mike addresses the claim that these verses break the flow of the prophecy discussion.

1 Corinthians 14:33b Beth Allison Barr RSV translation 1 Corinthians 14:33b

The RSV does not actually support the quotation-refutation view

Mike argues that the RSV translators were not trying to communicate what Barr claims.

Beth Allison Barr The Making of Biblical Womanhood Livy

The Livy quotation parallel does not hold up under scrutiny

Mike examines Barr's claim that 1 Corinthians 14 echoes a secular quote from Livy.

Livy political lobbying learning vs. requesting

Extended analysis of the Livy passage shows different concepts than 1 Corinthians 14

Mike reads the broader Livy context to show it concerns political lobbying, not learning.

1 Corinthians 14:36 quotation-refutation view 1 Corinthians 14:36 e/eta (disjunctive particle)

Greek hinge point: The disjunctive particle 'e' (eta) in verse 36

Mike examines the Greek word translated 'what' or 'or' in verse 36 that carries the entire weight of the refutation argument.

Romans 3:28-29 e/eta (disjunctive particle) Romans 3:28-29 rhetorical reinforcement

The disjunctive particle 'e' reinforces rather than refutes what precedes it, shown from Romans 3:28-29

Mike demonstrates how the Greek particle functions using Romans 3:28-29 as an example.

Matthew 20:15 D.A. Carson e/eta (disjunctive particle) Thayer's lexicon

D.A. Carson: every NT use of this particle in analogous constructions reinforces what precedes it

Mike presents Carson's comprehensive conclusion about the Greek particle.

1 Corinthians 14:36 1 Corinthians 14:36 D.A. Carson monous

The masculine gender of 'only' (monous) in verse 36 does not prove it addresses men specifically

Mike addresses the argument that the masculine word 'only' proves Paul is rebuking men, not the whole church.

the law Roman law Jewish oral law

What does 'the law' mean in 1 Corinthians 14:34?

Mike addresses the debate over what 'the law' refers to: Roman law, Jewish law, local custom, or the Old Testament.

1 Corinthians 14:21 Isaiah 28:11-12 John 12:34 1 Corinthians 14:21 Isaiah 28:11-12 John 12:34

Paul uses 'the law' to refer to all of scripture, not just the Pentateuch

Mike argues that 'law' in Paul's usage can mean the Old Testament generally, citing 1 Corinthians 14:21.

John 15:25 Psalm 35:19 Psalm 69:4 law as scripture John 15:25 Psalm 35:19

Jesus also uses 'law' to refer to Psalms, not just the Pentateuch

Mike provides additional evidence that 'the law' was used broadly in the NT.

1 Corinthians 14:34-36 Pauline quotation-refutation style 1 Corinthians 14:34-36

Paul's quotation-refutation style in known instances differs dramatically from 1 Corinthians 14

Mike compares how Paul actually does quotation-refutation elsewhere versus what is claimed here.

1 Corinthians 14:35 education view 1 Corinthians 14:35 asking husbands at home

Advantage of the education view: it explains the 'ask husbands at home' phrase well

Mike acknowledges the education view has one genuine strength.

1 Corinthians 14:33b D.A. Carson 1 Corinthians 14:33b universal scope argument

D.A. Carson: it is not plausible women are silenced because they were uneducated

Mike quotes Carson's response to the education view.

1 Corinthians 14:35 laleo 1 Corinthians 14:35 questions vs. ecstatic behavior

Problem 2 with the cult view: why are questions forbidden if the issue is screaming?

Mike identifies the disconnect between ecstatic behavior and the passage's content about questions.

utter silence view women's speech prohibition

Introduction of View 4 analysis: The Utter Silence View

Mike begins analyzing the most strict complementarian view.

1 Corinthians 14:28 1 Corinthians 14:30 Anthony Thiselton sigao 1 Corinthians 14:28

The word 'sigao' (keep silent) in 1 Corinthians 14 consistently refers to limited, context-specific silence

Mike examines how the same Greek word for silence is used in the same chapter.

1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 11 1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 11 utter silence view rescue attempt

The attempted rescue of utter silence: women can prophesy publicly but should not, and must wear coverings if they do

Mike addresses another attempt to reconcile utter silence with 1 Corinthians 11.

1 Corinthians 14:29 1 Corinthians 14:6-28 1 Corinthians 14:29 1 Corinthians 14:6-28 structural parallel

Judging Prophecy Hinge 2: The passage's structure mirrors tongues/interpretation with prophecy/judging

Mike shows how 1 Corinthians 14's structure supports the judging prophecy view.

1 Corinthians 14:29-36 D.A. Carson 1 Corinthians 14:29-36 structural analysis

D.A. Carson's structural analysis: verse 29 maps the two-part expansion

Mike quotes Carson's explanation of how verse 29 introduces the two topics expanded in what follows.

1 Corinthians 14:32 hupotasso 1 Corinthians 14:32 prophetic self-control

The 'spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets' means self-control, not a hierarchy

Mike interprets verse 32 as a parenthetical about prophets' ability to control themselves.