Inconsistencies in Bible scholarship
Matthew 13:51-52
Jesus said to them Have you understood all these things They said to him Yes Lord Then he said to them Because of this all scribes instructed in the Kingdom of Heaven are similar to those home rulers who bring forth out of their treasures new and old
Comments: Matthew 13:52 In comparing scribes to householders [oikodespotēs], using a word translated from a Greek noun that literally means “home ruler” (oiko=home & despotēs=ruler), Jesus subtly challenged the idea that only men could be trained as scribes. At the very least he included the possibility that women could have been trained in the ministry of scribe. It was tradition and not God who prevented them.
The term, oikodespotēs, is not limited to referencing males only. In 1 Timothy 5:14, The word oikodespoteō (the same word as oikodespotēs, only in verb form) is used of women, where they are commanded to be “home rulers.” This proves that the word oikodespotēs has been wrongly classified as a strictly masculine noun. Biblical usage shows it to be a neuter noun.
Jocelyn Andersen is author of, Woman this is WAR! Gender Slavery and the Evangelical Caste System.
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING
Game Changer: Living in a predominantly Baptist area, women are taught to submit to their husbands. And I have struggled with what was being preached behind the pulpit many, many times. Ms. Andersen’s book is a game changer. We shouldn’t simply accept what is being interpreted and fed to us. We should do our research and not be afraid to question inconsistencies.
~~ Kristine (5-stars)
A unique approach to the modern-day evangelical "war" over women: Andersen is a gifted writer, and the book was easy to read even as it covers thoughtful and sometimes technical information. I am glad I read it. I’ve read a great deal about women in the church and home, and it is easy to think there is nothing new to be learned or considered – but this book has a unique approach and covers aspects overlooked by others. Everything is well documented with footnotes in case you have questions or want sources. … In the opening chapters of this book, I had never made the connection between the abolitionist or anti-slavery movement in the late 1800’s and the women’s rights movement. As Christian women back then began to speak out against slavery, they took push-back and criticism because they were stepping outside the women’s sphere of the home – and speaking in public, even from pulpits, when an anti-slavery meeting would take place in a church. There is interaction in the book with Frederick Douglas who saw similarities between how women and blacks were treated. Women were bound by a caste system too, thus the book’s subtitle: Gender, Slavery, and the Evangelical Caste System.
From the book: “Women’s rights movements rarely seem to have begun from what would have been a legitimate effort to simply better the condition of women themselves, but rather out of frustration from attempting to better the condition of others and finding themselves seriously handicapped in the process.” (page 34-35)
Early feminists were Christians and they, along with modern evangelical Christian feminists, are sadly mis-characterized, sometimes grossly, by certain Christians and complementarians. It is shameful, but more than that it is unfair. They should at least fight fair. They sadly often do not, truly distorting Christian egalitarian views.
There is much food for thought and “prophetic” words – meaning much needed straightforward truth speaking. Perhaps the book title seems a bit extreme, but it really is not.
Finally, I was pleased that translation bias was covered in a chapter, an issue that needs to be addressed, and one that I find quite hard to bring up with lay people or everyday believers who lack knowledge about Bible translation. We can trust our Bibles, but we also need to acknowledge that certain passages are hard to translate, and bias can come into play. ~~ L. Martin (4-stars)