Ministry of Women in the New Testament

A. Lee Dorothy

Description

Respected scholar Dorothy Lee considers evidence from the New Testament and early church to show that women's ministry is confirmed by the biblical witness. Her comprehensive examination explores the roles women played in the Gospels and the Pauline corpus, with a particular focus on passages that have been used in the past to limit women's ministry. She argues that women in the New Testament were not only valued as disciples but also given leadership roles, which has implications for the contemporary church.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 16 février 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493429349
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Cover
Endorsements
“In this timely and much-needed study, Lee offers a balanced, scholarly, and accessible foray into New Testament and early church understandings and presentations of ministerial roles for women. Her holistic approach makes sense of both these often-difficult writings and their treatment in developing Christian traditions. Her powerful conclusion leaves no doubt about proper contextualization and paths forward in our continual interpretation of Scripture and tradition for the vocational calls of all people. As the apostle Paul says, ‘No longer Jew or Greek, . . . slave or free, . . . male and 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’ (Gal. 3:28–29 NRSV).”
— Sherri Brown , Creighton University
“Scholar Dorothy Lee strongly urges the church to go beyond the biblical texts usually cited as obstacles to the full acceptance of women in the ministry and leadership of the church. Instead, she urges the church to turn to the deeper currents of Jesus’s own example and to the New Testament vision of a church in which all women and men are recognized as equal sharers in the mission of the Risen Christ for the renewal of the world. Her study engages key New Testament texts and motifs and traces their evolving interpretations across time and cultures.”
— Donald Senior, CP , Catholic Theological Union, Chicago
“Lee offers a fresh review of the relevant New Testament texts related to women and ministry. She looks at women not only in the Gospels and in Paul’s letters but also in important passages in Acts, the Catholic Epistles, and Revelation, and she includes reflections on early Christian tradition and systematic theology. Newcomers to this conversation will find this book a great place to begin. Others will benefit from her discussions of the latest scholarship. Lee makes a well-rounded and compelling case for women in ministry.”
— Nijay K. Gupta , Northern Seminary
“Lee is a biblical theologian, and this is evident in her outstanding study of women’s ministry in the New Testament. Her biblical analysis is thorough as she carefully examines key texts. Her discussion of the ‘household codes’ helps readers to understand this particular genre, how it developed, and its purpose within a society where the gospel was preached in the face of hostility and persecution. She also moves beyond the biblical texts to other writings in the early church to examine how the canonical texts were received and interpreted in later centuries. Lee then moves into the theology of interpretation and reveals the deliberate suppression of women’s leadership. I wholeheartedly III recommend this book to all who seek to expand their knowledge of the Scriptures, the tradition, and theological thinking. Bravo, Dorothy.”
— Mary Coloe , Australian Catholic University
“In her deeply researched yet accessible new book, Lee provides a much-needed antidote to the misperception that women in early communities of Christ followers were not community and church leaders. She aptly demonstrates from a variety of evidence and perspectives that the ministry of women flourished during the early Christian era.”
— Ally Kateusz , Wijngaards Institute of Catholic Research, Rickmansworth, London
“Lee brings together a knowledge of the scriptural and theological sources and a sensitive engagement with the many facets of the debate in this accessible and persuasive volume. She takes her readers through the varying voices of the New Testament as well as the lesser-known early church evidence for women’s participation in the work of the gospel, and she tackles these questions with confidence from a theological and social perspective. This book will surely encourage respectful discussion among all who look to Scripture and tradition as they wrestle with contemporary challenges.”
— Judith M. Lieu , University of Cambridge (emerita)
“Lee’s study of the Christian traditions surrounding the ministry of women makes a major contribution to an important debate. This crucial discussion is too often marred by shrill dogmatism from both sides. Her analysis leads her to affirm convincingly that ‘baptism is the primary symbol that draws women and men into a relationship with Christ that transcends all human barriers. . . . All Christians have the capacity to communicate Christ to others and to share his life in multiple forms of ministry.’”
— Francis J . Moloney, SDB , Catholic Theological College, University of Divinity, Melbourne, Australia
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2021 by Dorothy A. Lee
Published by Baker Academic
a division of Baker Publishing Group
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516–6287
www.bakeracademic.com
Ebook edition created 2021
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-2934-9
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture translations of the New Testament are the author’s own.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations from the Old Testament are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labeled CEB are from the Common English Bible. © Copyright 2011 by the Common English Bible. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations labeled ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2016
Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Dedication
To three outstanding leaders in the church:
Bishop Barbara Darling (d. 2015)
Archbishop Kay Goldsworthy, AO
Dr. Muriel Porter, OAM
Contents
Cover i
Endorsements ii
Half Title Page iv
Title Page v
Copyright Page vi
Dedication vii
Preface xi
Abbreviations xiii
Introduction 1
Part 1: Women’s Ministry in the New Testament 13
1. Gospels of Mark and Matthew 15
2. Writings of Luke: Gospel 37
3. Writings of Luke: Acts of the Apostles 59
4. John’s Gospel 75
5. Paul’s Letters: Historical and Thematic Issues 97
6. Paul’s Letters: Key Texts 111
7. Later New Testament Writings 137
Part 2: Women’s Ministry in the Tradition 151
8. History and Texts 153
9. Theology 171
Conclusion 185
Bibliography 193
Author Index 217
Scripture and Ancient Writings Index 221
Back Cover 227
Preface
THIS BOOK arose from a conversation with a group of women in a church that does not offer women any significant leadership roles. They asked for a study that would explore the New Testament texts and update recent research on women and the Bible. This monograph is the result. I myself am blessed enough to be part of a wider community that does encourage women’s leadership, but I am also aware of forces that would move us back and reinstate a paternalistic ordering of our life together.
At its core the issue is one of interpretation: especially of the Bible but also, to a lesser extent, of Christian tradition. The biblical basis some claim for disqualifying women is a handful of texts, and in asserting this claim, these interpreters blithely ignore the weight of New Testament theology and the basic principles of the gospel. They insist on one meaning to the Bible, crystal clear but allowing for no different or opposing view. This kind of imperialism is against the very spirit of the gospel. There is diversity within the biblical text, and it must always be understood within its context, just as we need to be aware of our own. This is not an unfortunate reality we have to deal with but an opportunity to see how the incarnation embeds itself in the ordinary realities of our lives in Christ. Our own cultural framework can open new doors of meaning for us from these ancient texts. It is (part of) the meaning of Scripture as inspired by the Holy Spirit: the capacity to speak anew through the One who inspired and inspires.
I am not of course claiming that this book is the result of divine inspiration, but I am acutely aware of the many human inspirers. To my colleagues in the Trinity College Theological School, Melbourne, I owe my gratitude, especially the biblical scholars among them: Bob Derrenbacker, Rachelle Gilmour, Fergus King, and Christopher Porter. To Francis J. Moloney I owe a special debt for his endless encouragement of me, especially on this project. Also thanks are due to Brendan Byrne and Mary Coloe for regular lunches and regular inspiration. I am grateful to the Dalton McCaughey Library for its help, especially during a time of lockdown. And I am thankful for the graciousness and gentle encouragement of Bryan Dyer at Baker Academic and for the helpfulness and patience of Jennifer Hale.
To my wider family I owe far more than I can say: my sister and her family, my daughters and their partners, and my three grandchildren (Jemima, Theodore, and Harriet), who bring me a delightful mix of chaos and joy.
Lastly to my friend Muriel Porter, who patiently edited the volume and kept me upright, coherent, and grammatical, I am deeply thankful. To her and to two other eminent leaders in my church, Barbara Darling (now with God) and Kay Goldsworthy, the first female bishops consecrated in this country, this book is warmly and gratefully dedicated.
Easter 2020 Trinity College University of Divinity Australia
Abbreviations
General // paralle