Women’s ordination to the priesthood in the Church of England.
At Bristol Cathedral on the 12th of March 1994, Barry Rogerson, the Bishop of Bristol, ordained thirty-two women to the priesthood, who become the first in the Church of England. Commenting on the 25th anniversary, Barry Rogerson said: “Over the last twenty five years I have observed and received the ministry of women in parishes, but also in chaplaincies; hospitals and hospices, schools, universities and prisons and know what an innovative and positive contribution women have made to the priesthood and perhaps today we might give a thought for all those women worldwide, whose vocations to the priesthood have still not been neither recognised nor tested.”
I thank the Lord, for the Church of England’s recognition of women as equal members of the body of Christ. I know from personal experience of friends who were not able to fulfil their calling to the priesthood. The recognition of women in being equal with men in serving the Lord in the gifts of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, still the teachings of Paul’s traditions found in his letters undermine a lot of women’s ministries today.
I thank, ‘Jews for Jesus,’ for making known the traditions. in Jewish culture that applied to women in the first century. Zhava Glaser, sums up the first century Jewish women’s situation in life, “One Talmudic passage perhaps best sums up the situation of women in the first century “(They are) swathed like a mourner (referring to the face and hair coverings) isolated from people and shut up in prison” (Eruvin 100.6.)
The first century church were empowered with the Holy Spirit to carry forward the New Covenant in the expectation of Jesus’ return. The transforming of people’s lives by knowing God as their Father and Jesus the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. Ordinary people, both men and women received forgiveness of sin and its causes and entered the joy of salvation. To be Christlike, by loving God, the law of commandments written in the heart: to love one another, to love their neighbour as themselves. Receiving the ministry in the gifts of the Spirit of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Also, with a great desire to read and share the word about Jesus with others.
Jewish Traditions coming from the writings of Moses.
It is important to understand that there was a moment in human history that changed our relationship with God. Moses’ creation story of the fall of humanity, he tells us that the first human beings had fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden and instructed them not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The serpent tempted them to eat from that tree, he said to them that they would be like God knowing good and evil. Eve was tempted first to eat from the tree, and she gave some to her husband Adam. As a result, they became aware of the presence of evil and their nature fell under the influence of the devil, and they became subject to eternal death. Their relationship with God changed from knowing God in a personal way, to knowing about God, for him to be revered, but kept at a distance. Genesis 3: 15,16
Once that door of knowledge of good and evil was opened to them, they became aware of the presence of evil and they could not close the door. Sin had entered the world and the battle between good and evil has continued since their fall.
The Jewish tradition put in place human descent, through the man being created first. Moses wrote, “So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him. Male and female.” Genesis 1: 27.
After the fall of humanity, Moses writes that Seth the son of Adam and Eve, was born in the likeness of Adam. Therefore, Seth received his father’s fallen nature. Genesis 5: 1-3.
John recorded the words that he heard when Jesus prayed to his Father, Jesus prayed, Father, glorify thou me, in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made.” Jesus came from being with the Father in heaven, to be born as one of us, to fulfil God’s plans and purposes in his life laid down as the final sacrifice for sin and the restoration of humanities fellowship with God.
When the Pharisees questioned Jesus about divorce in marriage. In his reply he stated that men and women were created before the fall of humanity, “From the beginning of creation, (katabole – from before the fall of humanity) God made them male and female.” God created men and women, I believe he made them so, that they needed each other, each with their special purpose, and in their fall, they were both equally separated from their personal relationship with God.
Paul taught the Moses tradition in his letters, in his first letter to the church at Corinth. Paul writes, “I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the ‘traditions’ even as I have delivered them to you. But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” 1 Corinthians 11: 2,3. The early church were Jewish people, and they struggled to change Moses’ traditions. Perhaps equality between men and women was a step to far, especially for the leaders of the Sanhedrin to accept, before Jesus returned.
Verlyn Verbrugge Editor of “The NIV Theological Dictionary of New Testament Words.” The Greek word paradidomi – to hand down, pass on and the noun paradosis denotes (actively) a handing down, (passively) that which is handed down, tradition.
Paul continued in his first letter to the Corinthians: when a woman prophesied, she should cover her head. “But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonours her head, it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is a disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her wear a veil. For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is in the image of God’ but a woman is in the glory of a man. (for man was not made from a woman, but woman from a man). 1 Corinthians 11: 5-8
Jews for Jesus. ‘Women’s Rights in New Testament Time’ Extract from the article by Zhava Glaser 1988. Women were not allowed to testify in court. If a woman was ever in the streets, she was heavily veiled and was prohibited from conversing with men. The woman of the first century did not even do their own shopping.”
In Anglican churches this tradition of a woman covering her head continued up to the 20th Century, were women in the Church of England wore hats in church. Thankfully, it has changed, women have recognised Paul’s teaching of Jewish traditions.
A change in covenant, but Paul keeps Jewish Traditions on Christian women.
Paul’s first letter to Timothy, the Minister of the church at Ephesus, 1 Tim 4: 6. Paul states, “For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.” 1 Tim 2: 13,14.
Paul uses these words in giving Adam the status as being formed first (human descent) and making him appear the innocent party, Moses writes that both Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised that they were naked; so, they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” Genesis 3: 7.
Paul’s teaching to Timothy, brings a woman under traditional Judaism when he writes, “Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent and yet a woman will be saved through bearing children, if she continues in faith, love, and holiness, with modesty.” 1 Timothy 2: 11-15. Leviticus 12: 1-8.
Jews for Jesus. ‘Women’s Rights in New Testament Time’ Extract from the article by Zhava Glaser 1988. “The concept of tzenuah, or the private role of the women, was based on Psalm 45: 13. “All glorious is the princess in her chamber.” While a man’s primary responsibility was seen in public, a women’s life was confined almost entirely within the private family sphere.”
Deut 4: 9. ”Teach them (the scriptures) to your sons.” The rabbis declared women to be exempt from the commandments and to learn the Law of Moses. Indeed, the Talmud says, “It is foolishness to teach Torah to your daughter (Sotah 20a). Woman were separated from men in private, public, and religious life confined to the women’s Court (not found in Solomon’s Temple).
“One Talmudic passage perhaps best sums up the situation of women in the first century “(They are) swathed like a mourner (referring to the face and hair coverings) isolated from people and shut up in prison” (Eruvin 100.6 )
“Mary and Martha. Jesus passionately defends Mary’s choice to sit and listen. In doing so, he counter-culturally affirms women’s roles as fully fledged disciples and implicitly invites Martha to join her sister among the disciples.
The few rights of a woman included her right to go to the House of Study to hear a sermon or pray (Vayikra Rabbah, Sorah 22a). Also, it was her right to attend a wedding feast, a house mourning or to visit her relatives (Mishnah Ketubot 7: 5). Extracts from an article, “Women’s Rights in New Testament Times by Zhava Glaser. 1988. Jewsforjesus.org.
Jewish and Gentile women in the first century received the Holy Spirit when they became Christians and were set free by the New Covenant from the constraints put on women under law.
Apostle John in his gospel writes that Salvation is not by a husbands will, but by God’s will.
Apostle John writes, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1: 12,13. NIV Bible
John’s view does not agree with Paul’s traditional Judaism, every woman becomes a child of God by God’s will, through repentance and faith in Jesus and not by her husband’s will as being head over a woman. It is I believe by personal salvation and being individually members of Christ’s body, united by the blood and Spirit of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
It was by direct intervention by God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, which led to Paul receiving the vision at Troas. Paul and Silas were stopped by the Holy Spirit from speaking in Asia. They attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus stopped them. At Troas Luke joined Paul and Silas, he was in their company, when Paul during the night, saw a vision of a man beseeching him saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Paul concluded that God had called them to preach the gospel to them. Acts 16: 6,7,10.
Paul, Silas and Luke sailed across to Samothrace, from there they made their way to Philippi, the leading city of that region. On the sabbath day they went to the riverside, where they expected to find a place of prayer and Luke records, “We sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a women called Lydia, from the city of Thyaura, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshipper of God.” Luke witnessed Lydia coming to faith in Jesus, “The Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul.” Lydia was baptised with her whole household.” Acts 16: 14,15.
Paul was learning and teaching from what he experienced, like the unity in fellowship in the Spirit with other members of the body of Christ. At the end of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians he writes, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13: 14.
Our fellowship in the Holy Spirit is like the unity of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the person, the Holy Spirit three individual persons, making up the one God head.
Paul states in his letter to the Romans where he writes, “Though many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.” Romans 12: 4,5. A Christian is personally redeemed from sin by Grace, through repentance and faith in Jesus.
The fellowship that Jesus spoke of in his prayer in John’s gospel, ““I do not pray for these only,(apostles), but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17: 21. The oneness as with the relationships individual persons between Father, Son and Holy Spirit working together as one, in perfect harmony.