Godzdogz

Readings: Isaiah 58:9-14; Ps 85; Luke 5:27-32
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Readings: Joel 2:12-18; Ps 50; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 Read more

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Is this all St Paul says in regard to women? Does he attach importance to gender for the Christian community? In Galatians 3:24-29, St Paul speaks of the equality there is for those who are baptized into Christ. He says “Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus we are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves in Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise”. In this passage St Paul acknowledges the equality there is among the children of God, adopted through Christ. All are one, all are equally recipients of the promises God has made to Abraham. Paul certainly doesn’t see gender as a cause of division or as a cause of a distinction in the sight of God.

I will focus on two of the many women St Paul mentions by name in his letters, Prisca (sometimes Priscilla) and Junia. Prisca is mentioned in 1 Corinthians and Romans, along with her husband Aquila. In Romans 16:3-4 he refers to them as co-workers in Christ, who had risked their necks for Paul’s life. He sees them as his equals, fellow co-workers, in their role as leaders of a house church. As such, they were both protectors of the church and indeed protectors of Paul while he was with them. It is interesting that he calls both Prisca and Aquila his co-workers, he treats them both equally. He does not say Aquila my co-worker and Prisca his wife but calls them both co-workers. Read more