While the author(s) of the New Testament epistles are disputed, a more compelling interest in the biblical books lies in their contrasting views of the role of women in Company. In fact, the works done by Paul still polarize Christian denominations today, due to conflicts over the extent of power a woman can hold. In the First Letter to the Corinthians and Timothy, Paul approaches the role of women liberally, but moderates his suggestions to conform to his cultural norms. This contrasts with his blunt and crude messages in Galatians. Paul's letters offer very complex guidelines for gender relations, due to his different approaches to identifying a woman's place. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, Paul approaches the affairs and concerns of the Church gradually, within certain limits. Paul immediately addresses the Corinthian church as his “brothers and sisters” (1:10), an inclusion of both sexes in an effort to unify his message. He continues to do this for the next fifteen chapters, a detail overlooked if not given careful attention. Yet the significance of Paul's choice of words pales in comparison to his actual message. Between the first three chapters, Paul explains to the Church that God should be the common denominator between him and his audience, and that the path to spiritual enlightenment is not as important as spirituality itself. Paul said, “I thank God that I have not baptized any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. For Christ has not sent me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” (1:15). In this verse, Paul emphasizes that he is nowhere near as important as the God he serves, and that the wisdom he possesses is of no use in his ambitions to spread the gospel. Some of Paul's notable messages that exclude relations between the sexes are found in chapters five. and six. Paul uses sexual immorality as a shameful sin in chapter 5, saying: “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people – and that absolutely does not mean the immoral of this world, nor the greedy , nor thieves, nor idolaters, because you would then you must leave the world. But now I write to you not to associate with anyone who has the name of brother or sister, who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or who is an idolater, a slanderer, a drunkard or a thief... God will judge those outside. 'Cast out the wicked from among you'” (5:9-11,13). Paul explains that it would be irrational to turn away from all the sinners of the world, but that it is very important to reject a fellow Christian who chooses to live in sin. This passage can also be used as a guideline for a Christian's moral code. Paul explains that this moral code is compromised whenever a Christian brings another person to justice. He logically explains that a Christian cannot win a lawsuit in chapter 6 when he explains, “I say this to your shame. Could it be that there is no one among you wise enough to decide between one believer and another, except a believer who goes to court against a believer and before unbelievers at that? On the other hand, having lawsuits against each other is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not be defrauded instead? » (6:6-7). Paul's Disapproval of Using the Systemlegal to resolve disputes comes from modesty and logic; no one is wise enough apart from God to resolve a quarrel between believers. Chapter 7 of First Corinthians provides substantial “divinely inspired” information that Christians today refer to as a road map for marriage. This is the first sense of balance and equality we receive from Paul’s writings, as he says: “For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; even so the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does” (7:4-5) Paul makes it clear that a relationship based on equality between man and woman is not only recommended, but necessary. An important detail to note is the injection of one's own opinion. Paul said, “To the single and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single like me. But if they do not practice self-control, let them marry” (7:8-9). Paul immediately returns to the egalitarian view he has just presented and implies that those who act on their sexual desires should marry due to their lack of self-control. Self-control is a virtue that God holds in high esteem, and it is questionable whether Paul would say that one should marry because one lacks self-control. Another controversial statement by Paul concerns his assessment of children from an unblessed marriage. Paul declares that children born from the union between an unbeliever and a believer are “unclean,” over whom they have no control. Paul makes one final comment regarding relationships in his assessment of virginity. Paul states “it is good for you to remain as you are” (7:26), implying that Paul is neither pleased nor dissatisfied with the idea of ​​marriage, but sees it only as a product of necessity. Paul does not recognize the love of a spouse in this chapter. After speaking about the importance of full devotion to God in chapters 8-10, he goes on to make somewhat unreasonable propositions in chapter 11. Paul declared that both man and woman have control over themselves- same. and each other, but completely contradicts this at the beginning of this chapter. Paul says, “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife, and God is the head of Christ” (11:3). This is probably included to moderate his work, due to the neutral positions taken by Paul in the aforementioned chapters. Although the inclusion of this clearly hierarchical statement is a cornerstone for many Protestant and Catholic churches in this century, it overshadows many of Paul's earlier egalitarian remarks. In fact, it makes no sense to give high regard to this specific part of Paul's letters; for immediately after this passage, Paul instructs women to wear a veil or shave their heads. To add insult to injury, Paul declares, “For man was not made of woman, but woman of man.” “Man was not created for woman, but woman for man” (11:9). It seems very unusual that Paul would include this borderline misogynistic attitude when he clearly had no opinions to offer on other matters. It doesn't make sense for Paul to have a selfless attitude toward marriage, but a strong opinion of a woman who shaves her head. This stark contrast in writing suggests two hypotheses: Paul was writing to strongly counterbalance his previously mentioned "progressive" attitude toward marriage, or it was not Paul's writing at all. After writing about the negative aspects of speaking in tongues, Paul hits a sentimental point. note what is also important for Christian doctrine. Paulemphasizes the importance of love by saying: “If I give away all my possessions and give up my body to boast, but do not have love, I will gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious, nor boastful, nor arrogant, nor rude” (13:3-5). Although Paul has never mentioned love before except the love of God, he writes thirteen verses about the importance of love in his life. This is not only oddly placed, but also oddly written. Paul mentions the word love less than ten times until this chapter, but he makes it clear that a Christian cannot function or succeed without love. In doing so, Paul makes it clear that the love he values ​​is not that between humans or idols, but that of God. After mentioning in depth the importance of love in a Christian's life, Paul shifts gears to downplay the practical role of the woman. in the church. He said: “Women should be silent in churches. Because they are not allowed to speak but must be subordinate, as the law also says. If there is anything they want to know, let them ask their husbands at home. Because it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. Now Paul refers to the law of the land when it is appropriate to make a point. Yet he diminishes the authority of the law when he speaks of court as well as slavery. It can be assumed that Paul included this in his work to justify the treatment of women at the time and to avoid reform of the role of women in the Church. What Paul described was neither new nor radical. A woman remaining silent in the church was appropriate for the times, and he felt it was practical to balance his enlightened ideals with rigid (but consistent) practices. It turns out that it is the women who are constrained by Paul's words. Paul's writing in Galatians is a very rigid, selfish and pompous speech to the Churches of Galatia. He speaks of those born in Christ as those of the “Free Woman,” referring to Sarah; and those born of the flesh are those of “the slave,” referring to Hagar. Although few gender relations are discussed in this passage, Paul expands on the definition of freedom in Christ and how it can be achieved. This comparison is important to note because Hagar is described as a fearless Jezebel in Genesis, as she did everything Sarah ordered her to do. Furthermore, Hagar was considered Sarah's handmaid, not her slave. Paul gave Hagar a negative connotation, calling her a slave and comparing her to the sinful lifestyle that Christians should avoid. He says: “For liberty Christ has set us free; Therefore stand firm and submit no longer to the yoke of slavery” (5:1). These are strong words for Paul to use, because they carry heavy, negative connotations that were not even associated with the maidservant in the previous biblical text. Paul's First Letter to Timothy also lacks meaningful instruction on gender in Christian communities, but provides guidelines. for the development of Christian communities. Paul mentions that “women should dress modestly and decently, in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided, nor with gold or pearls or expensive clothing, but in good works, as becomes women who profess reverence for God” (2:9-11). This can be interpreted in two ways. While Paul was most likely speaking literally, saying that women of this era should not draw attention to themselves in the Church, this was taken figuratively by many Christian communities. Paul's underlying message is that good deeds in the Church.