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Carolyn Goodman Plampin http://home.netcom.com/~cplampin

Series-Subjects Relevant to an Informed Opinion about Christian Women in Ministry

OLD TESTAMENT

First written in January, 1996, Revised January 10, 2007

Baptist Women in Ministry http://www.bwim.info/index.php/welcome
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Questions, comments, or suggestions
of bibliography or sites to include may be sent to
Carolyn Goodman Plampin
Coordinator Subjects Relevant to an Informed Opinion
1220 Vienna Dr., #504
Sunnyvale, CA 94089-2007
(408) 734-5141
Master of Teaching, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil, March 20, 1968
Master of Divinity, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, June 2, 1978
Missionary to Brazil of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1957-1988
Academic dean (without title) and professor, Instituto Biblico Batista, A.B. Deter and
Seminário Teológico Batista do Paraná, Curitiba, 1959-1979
Academic dean and professor, Seminário de Educacao Crista, Recife, 1980-1986
e-mail: cplampin@ix.netcom.com

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION TO THE OLD TESTAMENT
WOMAN IN CREATION, GENESIS 1:26-28, 2:18-25, 5:1-2
WOMAN IN THE FALL, GENESIS 3:1-24
UNCLEANNESS OF WOMEN, LEVITICUS 12:l-8, 15:19-33
YAHWEH VS. THE GODDESS
WOMEN WHO SERVED AT THE DOOR OF THE TENT, EXODUS 38:8 AND I Samuel 2:22
WOMAN OF VALOUR, PROVERBS 31:10-31
WOMAN PREACHERS (PROPHETESSES)
WOMEN SPOKE AND SPOKE IN THE NAME OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

INTRODUCTION TO THE OLD TESTAMENT

"In spite of the excellent scholarly research accomplished in the last decades that exposes the patriarchal character of the biblical texts, the results of this scholarship have not yet been incorporated into an Old Testament introduction. ... This state of affairs makes teaching the Old Testament a very difficult task if the students are women with raised consciousnesses about the effect of patriarchy on church and society. It makes teaching the Old Testament an irresponsible and hypocritical task if no mention is made of the extent to which patriarchy has shaped the texts (their content as well as their omissions). It makes Old Testament scholars who write such textbooks and continue to legitimate the marginalization of women oppressors, though they do not like to see themselves in that role. Finally, for many it makes the Bible an obstacle to faith rather than a source of inspiration," so says Laffey, p.1.

Bibliography on Introduction to the Old Testament

WOMAN IN CREATION, GENESIS 1:26-28, 2:18-25, 5:1-2

The first story of creation says that humanity, male and female, were created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). The second creation story says that God saw that 'It is not good for the man to be alone, I will make him a helper suitable for him," (Gen. 2:18). Because this second creation story says that the woman was created after the man, and in spite of the fact that creation was in ascending order, the interpretation of this has long been that woman was under submission to man from having been created second. In this interpretation it is not difficult to see the sinful desire of man to dominate woman. By saying that woman was in submission from the beginning it is said that the domination of woman by man is part of the good creation of God. This makes marriage servitude for women instead of a mutual blessing.

Bibliography on Woman in Creation

Bushnell, Katherine C. GOD'S WORD TO WOMEN. ONE HUNDRED BIBLE STUDIES ON WOMEN'S PLACE IN THE DIVINE ECONOMY, paragraphs 18-64. Order from Ray B. Munson, 11899 Gowanda Rd., North Collins, NY 21411, or from God's Word to Women Publishers, Box 315, Mossville, IL 61552, or from Christians for Biblical Equality, 122 West Franklin Ave., Suite 218, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2451, e-mail: cbe@minn.net, on-line orders at: http://www.goldengate.net/mall/cbe/.

Craig, J. Ann. Women: In the Beginning http://gbgm-umc.org/Response/articles/inthebeginning.html

Fleming, Joy Elasky. MAN AND WOMAN IN BIBLICAL UNITY, THEOLOGY FROM GENESIS 2-3, 1992. Order from Christians for Biblical Equality, see Bushnell for how to order.

Freeman R. Davis. "Woman, A Power Equal to Man: Tranaslation of Woman as a 'Fit Helpmate' for Man is Questioned," BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY REVIEW, Vol. 9, January/February, 1983, pp. 56-58.

Jewett, Paul K. MAN AS MALE AND FEMALE, A STUDY IN SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS FROM A THEOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1975.

Meyers, C. L. "Gender Roles and Genesis 3:16 Revisited," in THE WORD OF THE LORD SHALL GO FORTH. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1983, p. 344.

Miles, Carrie A. THE REDEMPTION OF LOVE, RESCURING MARRIAGE AND SEXUALITY FROM THE ECONOMICS OF A FALLEN WORLD. Brazos, 2006. Pope John Paul II. November 24, 1999, Vatican City. Woman as Masterpiece of God's Creation.. http://www.cin.org/jp2/jp991124.html

Scorgia, Glen G. THE JOURNEY BAK TO EDEN, RESTORING THE CREATOR'S DESIGN FOR WOMEN AND MEN. Zondervan, 2005. Sunshine for Women. Reclaiming Eve, 1500 Years of Feminist Commentary on the Creation Stories in Genesis. http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/whm2000/whm_00.html

www.womenpriests.org. Woman in the Creation Stories. http://www.womenpriests.org/scriptur/genesis.asp

WOMAN IN THE FALL, GENESIS 3:1-24

As a result of the fall man began to dominate woman, this was the first result of sin and is still sin (Gen. 3:16). The submission of woman to her dominator has been justified since it was recommended in the New Testament that married women "submit themselves" to their husbands and since it was men who did the theology. In some Bible translations Gen. 3:16 is given as the "Law" referred to in I Cor. 14:34-15! That is because men have been alone in theology, so we can see that God was right "It is not good for the man to be alone" (Gen. 2:18).

Bibliography on Woman in the Fall

UNCLEANNESS OF WOMEN, LEVITICUS 12:l-8, 15:19-33

The uncleanness of women during pregnancy and menstruation is taught in Old Testament Law: "She shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed," Leviticus 12:4.

If you believe Christian women are still under the Law, it will be binding for you. It is not binding among the Jews today because they do not have a Temple.

The idea that women are unclean because of menstruation and child birth was overcome in the Christian church through the example of the encounter of Jesus with the woman with a menstrual problem (Matt. 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8:43-48).

An early church manual, produced around A.D. 350 or later in speaking of the women pastors (elders) called widows "who sit in front" which means that they sat with the clergy, said: "If she be menstrous let her abide in the temple and not approach the altar, not that she is as it were polluted, but that the altar may have honour. Afterwards, when she fasteth and batheth, let her be assiduous (at the altar)," (Cooper, James and Arthur John Maclean, trans. THE TESTAMENT OF OUR LORD. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1902, p. 109.)

"Although eventually the Church in the West gave way to women's participation in the Sacraments at all times, there is no doubt that it was this prohibition in the early centuries of Christianity that had made it impossible for women to be ordained as priests or to serve at the altar. The clerical ministry of deaconess was only permitted to women at the age of sixty when women had passed the menopause and the possibility of the contagion of impurity. There are canons that make this quite clear. For example, in the Liber Legum Ecclesiasticarum, an English Penetential law book, women are told not to approach the altar during Mass, but to remain in their places in church, and the priest, it is said, will go there and receive from them the oblation they wish to offer to God. The reason given is that women must remember their infirmity and the weakness of their sex, and they must be careful not to render impure any of the things that pertain to the ministry of the church. (The offering was accepted notwithstanding the risk of impurity!)" so says Morris

Bibliography on Uncleanness of women

Cohe, Shaye J. D. "Menstruants and the Sacred in Judaism and Christianity," in Pomeroy, Sarah B. WOMEN'S HISTORY AND ANCIENT HISTORY. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1991.

Morris, Joan. "The Taboo of Women During Pregnancy and Menstruation," in THE LADY WAS A BISHOP, THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF WOMEN WITH CLERICAL ORDINATION AND THE JURISDICTION OF BISHOPS. New York: The Macmillan Co., 1973, pp. 105-112.

Swidler, Leonard. "Impure Menstrous Women," WOMEN IN JUDAISM, THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN FORMATIVE JUDAISM. Metuchen: The Scarecrow Press, 1976, pp. 130-139.

Uta Ranke-Heinemann. "Female Blood. The Ancient Taboo and its Christian Consequences," in EUNUCHS FOR HEAVEN. André Deutsch, London, 1990, pp. 12-17.

Wijngaards, John. Women were considered Ritually Unclean. http://www.womanpriest.org/traditio/unclean.htm

YAHWEH VS. THE GODDESS

It took many centuries for the worshippers of Yahweh to free themselves of Goddess worship.

"Thus it appears that of the 370 years during which the Solomonic Temple stood in Jerusalem, for no less than 236 years (or almost two-thirds of the time) the statue of Asherah was present in the Temple and her worship was a part of the legitimate religion approved and led by the king, the court and the priesthood, and opposed only by a few prophetic voices crying out against it at relatively long intervals," so says Patai, p. 50.

In order to suppress the ancient Goddess religion, Jews and Christians suppressed the leadership of women.

Bibliography on Yahweh vs. the Goddess

THE YAHWEH/BAAL CONFRONTATION AND OTHER STUDIES IN BIBLICAL LITERATURE AND ARCHAEOLOGY. Lewiston: Mellen Biblical Press, 1995.

Patai, Raphael. THE HEBREW GODDESS. New York: KTAV Publishing House, 1967.

• Introduction, pp. 15-28
  
• The Goddess Asherah, pp. 29-52
  
• Astarte-Anath, pp. 53-100

WOMAN OF VALOUR, PROVERBS 31:10-31

The woman of valour of Proverbs 31:10-31.

Bibliography on the Woman of Valor

Mason, Karen. "Who is a Virtuous Woman?" PRISCILLA PAPERS, Vol. 4, No. 1, Winter 1990, pp. 5-8.

WOMEN PREACHERS (PHROPHETESSES)

You will have to consult commentaries on these.

1. Miriam, c. 1300 B.C., Exodus 15:20-21, Numbers 12:1-16, Micah 6:1a, 4.
   
2. Deborah, c. 1200 B.C., Judges 4:4-16, 17-24 Deborah's prophecy), Judges 5:1-31 (The song of Deborah and Barak).
   
3. Wife of Isaiah, c. 740 B.C., Isaiah 8:3.
   
4. Huldah of Jerusalem, c. 621 B.C., II Kings 22:1-13, see also II Chronicles 34:1-21.
   Swidler, Arlene. "In Search of Huldah," THE BIBLE TODAY, November 1978, pp. 1780-1785.
   
5. Daughters ... which preach (prophesy) out of their own heart, c. 570 B.C., Ezekiel 13:17-18a.
   
6. Noadia, c. 445 B.C., Nehemiah 6:14.

Bibliography on Women Preachers (Prophetesses)

WOMEN SPOKE AND SPOKE IN THE NAME OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

1. "God said: I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam" (Micah 6:4) "Miriam and Aaron said: 'Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?'" (Numbers 12:2)
   
2. The daughters of Zelophehad spoke in the most sacred place, at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and God said: "The daughters of Zelophehad are right" (Numbers 27:1-7).
   
3. Deborah as a preacher was a religious authority and spoke in the name of God. As a judge she was a civil authority and head of the armed forces (Judges 4:4-24).
   
4. Hulda the preacher was a biblical authority. When King Josiah commanded them to "Go, inquire of the Lord for me and the people ... concerning the words of this book" Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant went to Hulda. She used the phrophetic phrase: "Thus says the Lord God of Israel" to pronounce judgment on Israel and mercy on King Josiah (II Kings 22:8-20).
   
5. "The Lord gives the command: the women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host" (Psalms 68:10).
   
6. "Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mighitly, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" (Isaiah 40:9) In Hebrew the participles used as a noun and the verbs in this verse are in the feminine.
   
7. "And it will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. And even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days" Joel 2:28-29).

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