REFLECTIONS ON BIBLICAL WOMANHOOD: PART 1 AND 2

Questions and “Biblical Womanhood”

After reading some recent webpages devoted to Biblical Womanhood and a charge that 'women teachers and preachers' were not teaching/speaking about 'Biblical Womanhood', I began to do some studying of the subject.  I found that a common problem of people attempting to promote a view they purport to be 'scriptural' is a failure to  measure scripture by other scripture. In the case of 'Biblical Womanhood' - popularly used to promote a complementarian view of the role of woman in life, marriage, and church - it is clear that 'proof texts' are allowed to define 'Biblical womanhood' when a wider reading of scripture offers a much broader and multi-faceted image.

Just What Is "Biblical Womanhood?"

Part 1 – Definitions

                Definitions for the meaning of the phrase ‘Biblical Womanhood’ range from the literal life of women as seen in the pages of scripture to more catchword explanations that are weighted with tensions based on complementarian vs. egalitarian views of women in scripture and accompanying prejudices and bias about roles, authority, and submission of female to males.

Part 2 – The Scope of Women’s Activities in the Bible

                There appear to be two prevailing views of understanding the approved scope of female activity in scripture. One is the view that only those lists of behaviors and traits in 1 Timothy, Titus , 1 Peter, and 1 Corinthians apply to Christian women.  The other view is that in order to fully grasp the activities of women the entire corpus of scripture must be considered before defining ‘Biblical Womanhood.’

                In scripture, women were recognized as –

1.       Gifted artisans and skilled in many crafts (Exodus 35:25-26)

2.       Prophets (numerous prophets and wise women appear. Just the big 'names': Deborah in Judges 4:4-16; Huldah in 2 Kings 22:13-14; Noadiah in Neh. 6:14 Anna in Luke 2:36; Philip’s daughters in Acts 21:9 and future ‘sons and daughters’ in Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17)

3.       Judges and Military leaders (Deborah and Jael in Judges 4:4-16)

4.       City Builders (Sherah 1 Chron. 7:24)

5.       Queens and rulers (Esther, Sheba, Ethiopian Queen )

6.       Business women (Prov. 31:24; Lydia in Acts)

7.       Diplomat (Abigail)