Category Archives: Role of Women

So, finally, we get to 1 Corinthians 11 — but hopefully with a rich, full understanding of Jesus and our relationship to him in mind. (1Co 11:3 ESV)  3 But I want you to understand that the head of every … Continue reading →

I know I’ve wandered far from 1 Corinthians 11, but it’s necessary. You see, we have a tendency to revert to our childhood understanding when we take a text out of context — the context of all of scripture. And … Continue reading →

Kings While the idea of being on the throne with Jesus seems utterly foreign to modern Christians, it was an important theme for First Century Jews — who knew their scriptures better than we often do. Paul had already introduced the … Continue reading →

Kephalē The meaning of “head” in 1 Corinthians 11 is controversial. After all, the entire passage is replete with difficulties. In First Century Greek, “head” can refer to the highest or most prominent part of something, to the beginning, to … Continue reading →

Prophecy and prayer Plainly, the wives in the Corinthian church were speaking in the assembly. They were praying and prophesying. While we can easily imagine a silent prayer, silent prophecy is quite impossible. To avoid this result, some Church of … Continue reading →

I’ve tried to exegete 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 several times, beginning with my book Buried Talents, written before I began blogging, and then a couple of times here on the blog. In Buried Talents, I took the view that “head” was … Continue reading →

Ephesians 1-2 For nearly any metaphor, the key is to find Paul’s meaning from the context. The dictionaries aren’t much help. (Eph 1:20-23 ESV)  20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him … Continue reading →

1 Corinthians 11:2-16 is filled with difficulties, and perhaps the most important one is its teaching that a man is the “head” of the woman (or, better translated, as in the ESV, the husband is the “head” of the wife). … Continue reading →