In this study we use "woman deacon" when we refer to the biblical text and "deaconess" when we refer to texts written after this word entered in use in the third century.
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III. 1. - Women Accompanied Jesus and the Twelve on the Trips from City to CityLuke 8:1-3 - After this, Jesus travelled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. (Harmony, p. 77) Return to Contents
III. 2. - Women Were Present When Jesus Passed Secretely through Galilee Because He Was Teaching His Disciples and He Again Foretold His Death and RessurectionMark 9:30-32 - They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands. People will kill him, and after three days he will rise."But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. Return to Contents
III. 3. - Two Angels Gave a Test to the Women on the Teaching of Jesus and The Women Got a Grade of 100!Luke 24:4-8 - While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lighting stood beside them. ... the men said to them ... "Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again'" Then they remembered his words. Return to Contents
III. 4. - Women Were Ordered not only by an Angel but by the Ressurected Jesus to Speak to Men and Women and They SpokeAngels ordered the women to speak to the disciples and to Peter; Jesus ordered them to not be afraid but to go and tell my brothers; the women returning from the tomb told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others; Jesus sent Mary Magdalene to go and tell my brothers. This is why Maria Magdalene has been called the apostle to the apostles We can ask ourselves if angels and Jesus understood well the society in which these men and women lived? This is an indelicate question. Of course they understood. These passages ought to teach us that both women and men spoke freely in the midst of the disciples of Christ. If later the church leaders tried to stop this practice, in order to conform to the world, we ought to reconcile those passages with the teaching of angels and Jesus.
Matthew 28:7-10 - (The angel said) Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him. ... So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." Mark 16:7 - (A young man dressed in a white robe ... he said) But go tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'" Luke 24:9-11) - When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. John 20:17-18 - Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and you God,'" Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!"And she told them that he had said these things to her. Return to Contents
III. 5. - It Was Not by Chance That Women Were the First Witnesses of the Ressurected Jesus, because They Were Witnesses God Had Already Chosen. God Commanded them to Preach to the People and to TestifyActs 10:39-43 - "We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen (to become visible). He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen (prokecheirotonehmenois) -- by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the peophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."The word "chosen" comes from the favorite word of theologians for ordination or consecration, the world cheirotoneo in Greek. This, I believe, because with the passing of time the concept of this word changes from the hands of the members of the church held up to vote to the hands of the bishop laid on the head of the one to be ordained. It is used only three times in the New Testanent, We are going to see these three uses. If this is a word used for ordination or consecration, then the witnesses for whom Jesus could become visible were ordained or consecrated by God and women were the first.
Return to ContentsCheirotoneo
Bauer - choose, elect by raising hands, appoint, install.
Young - to elect by stretching out the hand.
Acts 10:40-41a - But God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen (to become visible). He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen (prokecheirotonehmenois) ... He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. Acts 14:23 - Paul and Barnabas appointed (prokecheirotonehmenois) elders for them in each church [the Portuguese says: having lead them to elect elders in each church] and with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 2 Corinthians 8:18-19 - And we are sending along with him (Titus) the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. What is more, he was chosen (cheirotonehtheis) by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. Return to Contents
III. 6. - In Our Churches We Teach Women That They Are Not to Obey the Great Commission in its Entirety, however, the Women of the New Testament and the Early Church Did SoIf we believed seriously that the Great Commissions apply to women in ministry, we would affirm that they have the authority to: pardon and retain sins, baptize, teach, preach, and testify. However, we teach the writings after Jesus, which annulled the orders of Jesus
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III. 6. A. - The Great Commission in JohnJohn 20:21-23 - Again Jesis said. "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, their are forgiven, if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." Return to Contents
III. 6. B. - The Great Commission in MatthewMatthew 28:18-20 - Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Return to Contents
III. 6. C. - The Great Commission in LukeLuke 24:46-49 - He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. Return to Contents
III. 6. D. - The Great Commission in ActsActs 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Return to Contents
III. 7. - On the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit Descended on Each of ThemActs 2:1-6 - When he day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his or her own language. Acts 2:16-18 - No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:Peter thought that the prophesy of Joel that "your daughters will prophesy" was completed on the day of Pentecost. Our attitude as Christians ought to be to believe the prophesy of Joel and to believe as the missionary (apostle) Pedro did that this day was completed on the day of Pentecost with the coming of the Holy Spirit.
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III. 8. - The Gifts of the Holy Spirit Are for Men and WomenAs far as I know, there are no theologians that deny that women received the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but there are theologians that deny that women ought to excercise all of the gifts that they receive. In reading the passages that treat the gifts, ask yourself which of the gifts that, in your understanding, are reserved for men and should not be exercised by women.
Romans 12:4-8 - Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If your gift is prophesying, then use it in proportion to your faith. If it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is encouraging, then encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, then give generously; if it is leadership, then govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, then do it cheerfully. Romans 11:29 - For God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. I Cor. 12:1, 4-11, 13, 18, 27-28, 31. I Corínthians 14: Ephesians 4;7, 11-12 - But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. ... It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. 1 Peter 4:10-11 - Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If you speak, you should do it as those who speak the very words of God. If you serve, you should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. Return to Contents
III. 9. - If Saul Dragged Women to Prison, It Must not Have Been Because They Did not Speak. In Fact, Acts Says Those Who Had Been Scattered Preached the Word Wherever They WentActs 8:3-4 - But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Return to Contents
IV. - Women Preachers (Prophetesses) of the New Testament
IV. 1. - Anna Was a Preacher (Prophetess) and a WidowLuke 2:36-38 - There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.Centuries after this, around 400 C.E., the church still thought this life appropriate for widows, who were presbuteras/presbutidas - women elders or pastors (1 Tim. 5:2, Titus 2:3) as shows The Testament of Our Lord, one of the early church manuals:
After she is [appointed] thus, let her not be anxious about anything, but let her remain solitary and having leisure for supplications of piety. For the foundation of holiness and life for a widow such as this is solitude. For she hath loved none other than the God of gods, the Father which is in heaven. But at fixed times let her give praise by herself, in the night [and] at dawn.This same early church manual shows that the workers, including the widows and deaconesses resided in the church:
I tell you therefore how the sanctuary ought to be; ... Let the house of the bishop be beside that place which is called the fore-court. Also that of those widows who are called "those that sit in front." Also let that of the presbyters and deacons be behind the baptistery. Let the deaconesses abide beside the door of the Lord's house. Let the Church have a house for entertaining near by, where the chief deacon shall entertain strangers. Return to Contents
IV. 2. - The Samaritan Woman Preached (Prophesied) to Men and WomenJohn 4:4-42 - (vs. 39 - Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony.Alvin John Schmidt in his book, Veiled and Silenced, How Culture Shaped Sexist Theology, wrote in a very interesting way about the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman.
The way Jesus treated and responded to the Samaritan woman, for instance, may not appear unusual to the reader in today's Western culture. Yet what he did was extremely radical in his day.Jesus taught the Samaritan woman, she spoke publically and convenced many to believe. But with time the teachings of Jesus about women were suffocated and teachings based on a reaction against the culture substituted. These teachings of the culture said: pagan women speak therefore Christian women should not speak in public; it is the place of men to speak therefore women should not speak in public.
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IV. 3. - The Four Daughters of Philip Were Virgins and Preachers (Prophetesses)Acts 21:8-9 - Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.The women were already recognized virgins and preachers (prophetesses) when Paul and his group passed through the port city of Caesarea. They received their authority from Jesus Christ. The early historian of Christianity, Eusebius (260-340 C.E., date by Roberts and Donaldson), writes several times about the daughters of Philip, however if you study in the seminaries of today the modern historians don't even mention them. On one occasion Eusebius cites the writer of Hierapolis who in turn cites Miltiades a historian before him, in which he criticizes the practice of Montanus and the women preachers (profetisas), Priscila and Maximila, because they preached in ecstasy.
"But the false prophet," says he, "is carried away by a vehement ecstasy, accompanied by want of all shame and fear. Beginning, indeed, with a designed ignorance, and terminating, as beforesaid, in involuntary madness. They will never be able to show that any of the Old or any of the New Testament, were thus violently agitated and carried away in spirit. Neither will they be able to boast that Agabus, or Judas, or Silas, or the daughters of Philip, or Ammias in Philadelphia, or Quadratus, or others that do not belong to them, ever acting in this way".This historian of Hierapolis names nine preachers (prophets) of the New Testament, five women (the four daughters of Philip and Ammias of Philadelphia) and four men. These are cited as authorities of the New Testament about the correct way to preach. We are acquainted with Judas and Silas in Acts where we have an explanation of what prophets did.
Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. (Acts 15:32)When Eusebius wrote about the controversy over the correct date for Easter, he cited a letter that Policrates, the bishop of the church of Ephesus, wrote to Victor, the bishop of the church of Rome (who reigned 189-198 C.E.). Policrates was the eighth bishop in his family. He wrote:
For in Asia great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again in the day of the Lord's appearing, in which he will come with glory from heaven, and will raise up all the saints; Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who sleeps in Hierapolis, and his two aged virgin daughters. His other daughter, also, who having lived under the influence of the Holy Ghost, now likewise rests in Ephesus.A document of approximately the same time as the four daughters of Philip is "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles" or it is also called the "Didache (Teaching)". It is dated to early in the second century. It gives instrucions about a number of subjects, including preachers (prophets):
But concerning the apostles and prophets, according to the decree of the Gospel, thus do. Let every apostle that cometh to you be received as the Lord. But he shall not remain except one day; but if there be need, also the next; but if he remain three days, he is a false prophet. And when the apostle goeth away, let him take nothing but bread until he lodgeth; but if he ask money, he is a false prophet. (Chapter XI)Note that the terms apostles and prophets are used interchangeably. Therefore in the early second century, they were considered on the same level. The prophet or preacher is considered worthy of his support, because they are said to be your "high priests." We can perceive that, as the apostles and prophets were dying out, that the next leaders that came along were bishops and deacons, and were said to do the service of preachers and teachers.
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IV. 4. - Jezebel, the Preacher (Prophetess)The passage about Jezebel when we first look at it appears very unfavorable to women, but carefully studied it reveals a great deal about the attitude of Jesus toward the woman preacher (prophetess).The missionary (apostle) John relates faithfully the correction by the Son of God of the preacher (prophetess) Jezebel. When John was on the island of Patmos he had a vision, and was ordered to write what he saw in a book and send it to the seven churches. One of these was the church of Thyatira.
Revelation 2:The deeds of love and faith, service and perserevance, of the church of Thyatira were now more than they did at first. However this church was being taught and seduced by a woman preacher (prophetess) called Jezebel. Jezebel was teaching the members of the church to continue pagan practices. They practiced sex as a way of communion with God. They ate figs as the body and blood of the goddess in a ceremony similar to the Lord's Supper. Because of this, we can think that she was a recent convert from this religion and that she had not abandoned all of her pagan practices. The missionary (apostle) John is relating his vision. The one who is sending this message is the "Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burning bronze." (Revelation 2:18) The Son of God reveals his attitude toward Jezebel when he says "I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling." (Revelation 2:21) For the women of today it is important to note that the Son of God does not reprehend Jezebel for being a preacher (prophetess). He wants her to be a true preacher (prophetess). For this reason, He gives her time to repent. If this does not give results, He intends to apply a serious punishment "So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways." (Revelations 2:22) "I will strike her children dead." (Revelations 2:23) Her children is a term in the New Testament for members of the church. From this we can see that this woman preacher (prophetess) exercised authority in the church and there were those who followed her. The purpose of these punishments is that "Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds." (Revelations 2:23) What this woman teaches and practices is not only of local interest, but serves as an example to all of the churches. The Son of God did not disapprove of a woman preacher (prophetess) in the church, but applied a series of measures to correct her. This passage would have offered an excellent opportunity to make clear that preaching (prophesying) is only for men, but not even the Son of God, in the vision, and not even the missionary (apostle) John wanted Jezebel to stop. We understand better the seriousness of the doctrine that Jezebel was teaching when we read that it is called the "Satan's so-called deep secrets." (Revelations 2:24) The Son of God has patience and corrects even a women like this and uses her as an example for all of the churches. It is alleged that as God is called Father, and Jesus was male and the twelve missionaries (apostles) were male that a woman cannot exercise leadership in the church. But in this passage we have a woman preacher (prophetess), with followers, to whom the Son of God is applying a series of measures to correct. He speaks to all the rest who do not hold to her teachings. Then he promises to those who overcome "I will give authority over the nations." (Revelations 2:26) "Those who have ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 2:29) The problem in Thyatira existed in numerous passages in the Old Testament. We are going to look at this one:
Prophesy against them, and say, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. ... Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from you arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds. I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives, therefore you will no longer see false visions or practise divination. I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord." (Ezekiel 13:18, 20-23)This same pagan religion continued in the early church. In the fourth century the Council of Ancyra, 314 C.E., voted:
They who practice divination, and follow the customs of the heathen, or who take men to their houses for the invention of sorceries, or for lustrations, fall under the canon [law] of five years [penance] according to the prescribed degrees; that is, three years as prostrators, and two of prayer without oblation [Lord's Supper].In the fourth century Basil the Great (330-379 C.E.) was Bishop of Cesarea in this same area of Asia Minor. He wrote a bispal letter to a pastor about the canons in which he said:
Consulters of soothsayers and they who follow heathen customs, or bring persons into their houses to discover remedies and to effect purification, should fall under the canon (law) of six years. After weeping a year, hearing a year, kneeling for three years and standing with the faithful for a year so let them be received.In the sixth century this was still being practiced. Gregory the Great (540-604 C.E.) Bishop of Rome, wrote a letter to Brunichild, queen of the franks:
As to this also we no less exhort you, that you should restrain the rest of your subjects under the control of disciple from sacrificing to idols, being worshippers of trees, or exhibiting sacrilegious sacrifices of the heads of animals; seeing that it has come to our ears that many of the Christians both resort to the churches and also (horrible to relate!) do not give up their worshipping of demons.So this counsel of the book of Revelation to the church of Thyatira about the preacher (prophetess) Jezebel served during many centuries as orientation for the church and ought to serve for us today as there is a resurgence of this worship of the goddess.
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V. - BibliographyThe Ante-Nicene Fathers. Editors Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson. 10 Vols. Grand Rapids: Wm B. Eerdmans, 1950.The Babylonian Talmud. Translator Rabbi Dr. I. Epstein. 36 Vols. London: Soncino Press, 1952. Bauer, Walter, William F. Arndt, F. Wilbur Gingrich, and Frederick W. Danker. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Second Edition. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1979. Eusebius Pamphilus. The Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilus. Translator Christian Frederick Cruse. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1981. A Harmony of the Gospels. Using the text of the New American Standard Bible.. Compiladores Robert L. Thomas and Stanley N. Gundry. Cambridge: Harper & Row, Publishers, San Francisco, 1978. The Holy Bible, New International Version Inclusive Language Edition. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1996. The Holy Scriptures. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1955.
A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church. Editors Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. Second Series, 14 Vols. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1952. Schmidt, Alvin John. Veiled and Silenced, How Culture Shaped Sexist Theology. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1989. Stone, Merlin. When God Was a Woman. New York: The Dial Press, 1976. Swidler, Arlene, "In Search of Huldah," The Bible Today, November 1978, p. 1783.) Swidler, Leonard. Biblical Affirmations of Woman. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1979. The Testament of Our Lord, Translated into English from the Syriac. Translators James Cooper and Arthur John Maclean. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1902. Young, Robert. Analytical Concordance to the Bible. New York: Funk and Wagnalls, Twenty-Second American Edition Revised, n.d.
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