1 Timothy—The Properly Attired Praying Woman—Part 12 of the Paul and Hebrew Roots Series

 

Review of Last Two Posts

 

As promised, we’re going to finally get into an examination of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 and today’s focus will be that of the properly attired praying woman according to Paul.

 

But to quickly bring us up to speed, recall that over the last two installments to this series, in preparation for our examination of 1 Timothy 2:9-15, we discussed the following (https://www.themessianictorahobserver.org/2019/08/09/first-timothy-pauls-war-strategy-against-gnosticism-part-11-paul-hebrew-roots-series/):

 

1. Inherent problems associated with 1 Timothy such as the language in which the text was originally written; missing information; and expressed concerns over the genuiness of the its author—Paul.

 

2. Contextual concerns associated with 1 Timothy.

 

3. The true purpose of 1 Timothy—was it a church organization manual as so many in churchianity claim it to be.

 

4. The importance of deep study and what it entails, especially when trying to understand some of Paul’s more challenging and difficult to understand passages.

 

5. We looked at the socio-cultural-economic and religious situation of first-century Ephesus.

 

6. And we engaged in a detailed discussion of Jewish Gnosticism (ie., proto or early Gnosticism) that had seemingly overtaken the Ephesian Assemblies.

 

Important Considerations

 

So today, we will look at the properly attired, praying Ephesian woman from a couple perspectives:

 

(a) From the perspective of women leading prayers in the assemblies of Messiah.

 

(b) From the perspective of prayer being one of the standards by which the Faith is displayed by Yah’s people and the first weapon of choice for combating false teachers and their teachings.

 

So without further ado, let’s dive headlong into today’s study: 1 Timothy—The Properly Attired Praying Woman—Part 12 of the Paul and Hebrew Roots Series.

 

 

Verses 9 & 10

 

“I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works” (ESV).

 

In the same way…

 

In order for us to fully comprehend what Paul is communicating to Timothy in this instruction, I believe at the very least we must fall back to verse 1 of this chapter. And what we find is Paul, having already established the basis for this letter (ie., addressing the Gnostic onslaught that had overtaken the Ephesian Assemblies of YHVH), Paul begins to lay out the strategy for combating the problems. And the first thing Paul instructs is that:

 

“…supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (2:1,2; ESV).

 

Prayer—Paul’s First Tactic to Defeat Gnosticism in the Ephesian Assemblies

 

So Paul’s first tactic for defeating the Gnostic onslaught against the Ephesian Assemblies was “prayer.” In this case, we’re not just talking about personal, in your prayer-closet—daily prayers, but more so, public prayers. Paul instructs Timothy to ensure that the assembly members publicly pray for “all people,” including world leaders. And the aim of such public prayers was to ensure that members of the Body of Messiah lead a peaceful, godly, and dignified life.

 

And then in verse 8 of chapter 2, after certifying the wisdom of such an instruction, his calling and the God who the prayers would be directed towards, Paul adds something very interesting to his instructions regarding public prayers—singling out the men of the assemblies:

 

“I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling…” (2:8; ESV).

 

Considerations

 

Two things I would have you take note of here:

 

(1) Paul’s instruction that “men should pray in every place” is a direct call to the mature, set-apart men of the assemblies (”en topos”) when and wherever they gathered to engage in public prayer. Some may interpret the reference to men in this verse to mean “people,” “humans,” “man-kind,” which if that were the case, the Greek word Paul would have likely used would have been “anthropos.” In fact, this Greek term was used in verse 1 of this chapter where Paul calls for public prayers on behalf of all men (ie., “anthropos”). However, the term Paul uses here for men in verse 8 is “aner.” “Aner” generally refers to an adult male. So what about the women participating in this public prayer for all people? Is this a prohibition against women engaging in public prayer within the assembly gatherings? Absolutely not. In fact, we will see that Paul does indeed include women in his call to public prayer in verse 9, in just a second.

 

(2) The men, having gathered in their assemblies and engaged in petitions, supplications and intercessions on behalf of all people, as is part and parcel of such prayers, these were to lift up set-apart hands (ie., holy hands) unto the Creator, devoid of any anger or argument.

 

The Lifting Up of Holy Hands

 

What’s this “lifting up holy hands?” Well, it appears to be a common posture for prayer among the ancient peoples of Faith and the bible supports this.

 

Exodus 9:29—”Moses said to him, “As soon as I’ve left the city, I’ll spread out my hands to YHVH. Then the thunder and the hail will stop and won’t return so that you will know that the earth belongs to YHVH”” (CEB).

 

1 Kings 8:22—”Solomon stood before YHVH’s altar in front of the entire Israelite assembly and, spreading out his hands toward the sky…”(CEB).

 

Psalms 28:2—”Listen to my request for mercy when I cry out to you, when I lift up my hands to your holy inner sanctuary” (CEB).

 

Psalms 63:4—”So I will bless you as long as I’m alive; I will lift up my hands in your name” (CEB).

 

Isaiah 1:15—”When you extend your hands, I’ll hide my eyes from you. Even when you pray for a long time, I won’t listen. Your hands are stained with blood” (CEB).

 

The stipulation for those who would lift-up hands unto YHVH on behalf of all people is that those petitioners would be individuals who lived holy  lives and the symbolism of the lifting of hands during worship and prayer would need be devoid of evil.

 

Prayer As Paul’s Number One Tactic Against Gnosticism

 

Thus corporate prayer was one of Paul’s first spiritual war tactics to combat the Jewish Gnosticism that’d gripped the Ephesian Assemblies. Because Paul, under the influence of the Ruach haKodesh (ie., the Holy Spirit), knew that the battle for the soul of the Ephesian life. This cannot be overlooked: not every member of the assembly would be prime petitioners. Those who would be considered prime prayer warriors would be those who lived a set-apart life.

 

 

The Vital Importance of Corporate Prayer to the Assemblies

 

Now why do you suppose that Paul would make as his first tactic against the Ephesian Gnostic infiltration of the assemblies of Messiah public prayer? (Recall dear friend that in the last installment to this series—Part-11—I likened 1 Timothy to that of a war strategy; essentially Paul and Timothy’s fight was not against those pesky flesh and blood Jewish Gnostic false teachers he mentions throughout his letter. Instead, Paul’s first tactic in his overall war strategy against false teaching in the Ephesian Assembly was by way of the spiritual. And how does one engage in spiritual warfare? Through prayer my friend. Through prayer—intercessions—petitions.

 

In fact, it was the same Paul who, writing to the very same set of Ephesian Assemblies, that the war for the souls of the assembly members was against spiritual entitles. For Paul writes:

 

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12; ESV). 

 

But suffice to say that Paul comes right out of the gate requiring the assembly members engage in public petitions unto YHVH. No doubt, Paul’s secret weapon for launching the initial attack was to take the fight to the enemy’s own battle field: the spirit-realm.

 

And interestingly, Paul sets out to turn the tables on the chaos that had started to overtake the assemblies—anger and argument over stupid stuff; over fables; over endless genealogies. These would be replaced by a simple act of raised, set-apart hands petitioning and interceding on behalf all people.

 

The other thing that we must keep in mind here, which is vitally important to our understanding of the significance of what Paul is saying in these verses regarding corporate prayer is that corporate prayer as passed down by Paul and the other Apostles, when properly practiced, brought light to false teachings.

 

 

Women Appearance—Social-Cultural-Economic Impacts–The Hetairai Revisited

 

Recall we discussed the “hetairai” in previous installments of this series and that they were of “the professional courtesan or prostitution vocation” of Ephesus, Corinth and surrounding Greek cities (Donna Howell; pg. 128). In other words, these were temple prostitutes who held prominent standing in these Greek cities. And it was these women who made the adorning of cosmetics and fashion an art. The cosmetics and fashion were of course designed to elicit the immediate attention of “potential patrons” or clients (Donna Howell, “The Handmaiden Conspiracy;” pg. 128).

 

Now, none of this is to imply that the women of the Messianic Assemblies in Ephesus were hetairai. There’s no evidence to support such thinking. However, like today, fashion trends, regardless from whence they come, can have a tremendous impact on the day-to-day citizen of a society. In the case of the women of the Messianic Assembly in Ephesus, vanity was still a trait among assembly members that probably needed to be weeded out if Paul was to bring complete order to assemblies. So I believe there stands a better chance than not that pagan traits such as the adorning of alluring attire, hair styles, expensive jewelry, and such likely influenced some of the women of the assembly who “began to imitate this form of adornment simply because it looked feminine and pretty” (ibn, pg. 128). Again, I doubt the women of the Ephesian Assemblies were active temple of Artemis prostitute, but they instead “looked the part” for the sake of being trendy or appearing feminine or pretty as Howell suggests in her book.

 

Expectations of the Ephesian Women in Dress and Behavior (Torah and Pauline Expectations)

 

We find, when read in context, 1 Timothy 2:9 instructs Timothy “Likewise also the women” should pray in the same manner as the men in the assembly. Although extremely insightful, this verse also serves as sort of a transition verse to verse 8. Recall that in verse 8 Paul wrote of his desire that the men of Ephesus, wherever they would gather to worship, pray lifting up holy hands that would be devoid of anger or quarrels. Then Paul writes at the beginning of verse 9:

 

“ In like manner also (”hosautos [kai]”)…” (KJV).

 

Sadly, far too many students of the bible overlook this key transition and focus solely on what comes next in verse 9—that being a discussion on proper women attire and deportment when participating and or leading in public or corporate prayer.

 

In short, Paul writes that he desires the men of the Ephesian Assembly to pray within the guidelines of what he outlined for Timothy in verses 1-8. Then he writes, oh, by the way, I want the women of the Ephesian Assembly to do exactly what I’ve just instructed the men of the assembly to do regarding prayer.

 

The Negative Influence of Koine Greek’s Lack of Punctuation and Sentence Structure to Understanding

 

So why do so many people miss this crucial element to verse 9—in like manner? Well, in Koine Greek manuscripts, there are no punctuations: no periods; no commas; no semi-colons; no colons; no exclamation points; no quotation marks; no brackets; no paragraph starts and ends or indentations. In fact, if you simply pull up an image of a Koine Greek manuscript online, you’ll see that even the individual Greek words aren’t really separated by spaces. Thus, when New Testament translators and transcribers set out to articulate the ancient text into English, punctuation is often left to their discretion. And if you know anything about English grammar, punctuation can influence the meaning of an entire text. And when the author of the original Greek text leaves out clarifying words, translators can add to or subtract meaning to the verse in question, which we all know has the capability of leading to erroneous doctrines and traditions.

 

Let’s take, for instance verse 9, and see how various English translators rendered it from a punctuation perspective:

 

The KJV: “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel…” Notice here the comma that follows after “also.” And then the sentence continues with Paul’s discussion on women’s apparel. And if one were not careful, one would naturally think that Paul is telling Timothy that women should dress like who, the men, and not like the common women of Ephesus? It doesn’t make sense when you really look at this absent the previous verses to verse 9. Regardless, the “In like manner also” does cause one to ask: like what?

 

The same convention of sentence structure is followed in the ASV, the CEB, the ROT, and the ERV.

 

Other translations simply throw in the word “likewise [comma]” or “also [comma]” such as the CJB, the HCSB, the NASB. Still others such as the NET render “likewise” and leave off the comma entirely, forcing the reader to conclude that women are to dress like the men? Again, it doesn’t make sense.

 

Oh, and in case that wasn’t confusing enough, some translations such as the NLT and the NRS left off the transition words altogether and take the reader immediately into Paul’s discussion of women apparel and appearance.

 

Whether any of this is intentional in terms of forcing the reader to overlook Paul telling Timothy that women should participate in leading corporate prayers in the assemblies is speculative, but I would not rule it out. Let us never forget that the editors and translators and transcribers of our bibles have a tendency to filter their work through the lenses of their denomination and religious worldview. So if these believed as their churches or denominations or sects that women are prohibited from leading public or corporate prayer, they will force a translation in the English that will read according to their beliefs and understandings. Sad, but true.

 

Bringing The Women Into Leading Corporate Prayer

 

So Paul wants to make it clear to Timothy that the women of the Ephesian Assemblies, who met the same criteria as the men for leading the corporate prayers, also be devoid of anger and desputations; living set-apart lives, lifting up their hands in prayer unto YHVH our Elohim in supplications, petitions, intercessions and thanksgivings.

 

However, Paul throws in elements to the leading in public prayer that is germane to the women of the Ephesian Assemblies. And those elements involved the womens’ personal appearance and deportment, which seem to have been negatively impacted by the common fashion styles of the Ephesian culture. (We touched upon this just a moment ago actually.)

 

The Properly Attired Ephesian Woman of Prayer

 

Paul required that the women be arrayed modestly and appear before the assembly in a Godly manner (1 Tim. 2:9):

 

“I want women to enhance their appearance with clothing that is modest and sensible, not with elaborate hairstyles, gold, pearls, or expensive clothes” (CEB).

 

Ancient Greek culture viewed braids as “seductive.” In fact, the hairstyles worn by the hetairai for instance, required a professional to style and arrange. Juvenal, a Roman poet of the late first and early second century C.E., noted that such women who wore those types of hairstyle typically employed a slave to arrange their hair as well as a second slave to stand by with a whip to “lash the unfortunate beautician in case a cowlick proved stubborn” (Howell; pg. 75).

 

It should go without saying that “ostentatious” hairstyles were clear signs of “promiscuity” in the Ancient Near East. Paul instructed that such things as ostentatious hairstyles, as costly as they tended to be, was not an appropriate expenditure of money nor was it a suitable thing for one who professed Godliness to possess and display. As far as Paul was concerned, instead of adorning herself with costly common styles of the day, it was far better for a Godly woman to adorn herself with “good works” (1 Tim. 2:10).

 

 And let’s now throw in verse 10 to round off Paul’s observations here:

 

“…that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness (ie., “aidos,” modesty) and sobriety (ie., “sophrosune,”; self-control) not with broided hair (ie., “plegma,” braided hair), or gold, or pearls, or costly array. But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works” (KJV).

 

 

Interestingly, regarding arraying themselves with good works, the CEB expresses it this way:

 

“They (ie., women) should make themselves attractive by doing good…”

 

In summarizing this key, revelatory passage, researcher Donna Howell wrote:

 

“His (ie., Paul) was with a woman attending church in modesty and humility, and in making sure that her appearance in a place of worship would be for the right reasons (to worship, not to attract the attention of surrounding men). Paul was aware that women were weaving gold into their braids , which was a common practice for prostitutes who wanted to wear an ongoing advertisement in public that they were ‘available for hire.’ These women knew that the culture around them considered their hair to be an extension of the body’s most intimate fluids, so they drew even more attention to it with gold, fine metals, and gemstones” (Handmaiden’s Conspiracy; pgs. 127, 128).

 

The Importance of Prayer to the Assemblies of Messiah

 

Let’s look at prayer in the early Assemblies of Messiah.

 

When we think about corporate prayer today, especially in the so-called Church, we picture a church leader standing up before a congregation who rattles off a series of words—reverential as it may seem—in rather quick order, directed to God or in many congregations, Jesus Christ. And upon quickly dispensing of their acknowledgment of God or Jesus, the church leaders launch right into whatever it was they are set to do: preach—teach—admonish—sell—whatever.

 

But corporate prayer in the first-century assemblies of Messiah was actually a big thing. It was a huge part of worship each Sabbath. And when the assemblies engaged in corporate prayer, they prayed together and listened to prayers said on their behalf, which when ended, the assembly would respond in agreement: “Amen. So be it.”

 

According to Scot McKnight, in his article entitled “Prayer in the Earliest Church,” corporate prayers in the Assemblies of Messiah occurred at least 3-times each day (https://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2015/10/13/prayer-in-the-earliest-church/). This practice obviously stemmed from orthodox Jewish customs.

 

In fact it was an early “Christian” document that some claim was written by first-century apostles, called “The Didache,” stipulated prayer in the Body of Messiah take place 3-times daily, and the article actually recites the Lord’s Prayer. So, we’re not talking about free-will, free-form prayers uttered by a church leader during any given worship service or gathering. We’re talking about the recitation of the “Lord’s Prayer.”

 

According to Patristic Church Father Tertullian, the assemblies (ie., the churches) devoted themselves to the “Lord’s Prayer” and the Psalms for their prayer practices. And Tertullian is believed to have taught his followers to pray in the morning and evening and “then also at the three designated hours of 9 AM, noon, and 3 pm, and this was customary for early Christian prayer practices.

 

According to Scot McKnight, “Christians seemed to have prayed with the whole body: standing, kneeling, prostration, or more commonly standing with hands and head raised (cross-like). Hence, too, the sign of the cross.”

 

The raising and extending of the hands and or arms sound familiar?

 

It was under Roman Emperor Constantine that prayer became more public and pervasive to the cities: “The bishop is to urge the people to come constantly to church morning and evening every day, and by no means to forsake it on any account, but to assemble together continually…Assemble yourselves together every day, morning and evening, singing psalms and praying in the Lord’s house: in the morning saying the sixty-second Psalm, and in the evening the hundred and fortieth, but principally on the Sabbath day” (Ap. Const. 2.59).

 

Churchianity at it best huh?

 

According to Philip Kosloski, in his article entitled “4 Ancient Prayers From the Earliest Christians,” Christians prayed “the Psalms in a similar fashion to the Jews at the time, but developed their own prayers that they clung on to in their times of need” (https://aleteia.org/2017/09/23/4-ancient-prayers-from-the-earliest-christians/).

 

Of the first 3,000 members of the Way Movement in Jerusalem days after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Great Day of Pentecost, Luke wrote:

 

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Act. 2:42; ESV).

 

According to Steven D. Bruns, in his article entitled “How the Early Church Used Prayer to Make Disciples, this insightful verse reveals how the first 3,000 believers were acclimated into the Faith. These learned “the prayers.” These were not simply spontaneous prayers. These “were certain prayers that were specifically taught to the new converts” (https://www.seedbed.com/early-church-using-prayer-make-disciples-2/).

 

Bruns contends that these prayers “served in an instructive and corrective role” for the disciples of Messiah. And as Gnosticism began to take a foothold in the early years of the Faith, “one of the main criteria for determining this fact (ie., which writings were genuine, apostolic writings) was whether or not the writings or sect’s beliefs conformed to how the Christians were taught to pray.”

 

Of course the major prayer that was taught would have been the “Lord’s Prayer.” Thus Bruns describes the “Lord’s Prayer” as the “paradigmatic prayer for the Church.” In the Didache (c. 50-120 AD), there are only 2-prayers mentioned: The Lord’s Prayer and the prayer during the Eucharist (ie., the Lord’s Supper), of which the Lord’s Supper was to be prayed 3-times/day. The prayers were spoken or sung.

 

Justin Maryr, in his “Apology,” (c. 155 AD), wrote that “the president of the service would offer prayers and thanksgivings according to his ability.”

 

In a composition of various writings ranging in dates from 215 to 400 AD, entitled “Apostolic Tradition,” one writer wrote: “It is not altogether necessary for the bishop to recite the very same words which we gave before as though studying to say them by heart in his thanksgiving to God; but let each one pray according to his own ability. If indeed he is able to pray suitably with a grand and elevated prayer, this is a good thing. But if on the other hand he should pray and recite a prayer according to a brief form, no one shall prevent him. Only let his prayer be correct and orthodox.”

 

Thus it appears that over time the rote prayers, especially the Lord’s Prayer, were not necessarily read, but became more guidelines to spontaneous, heartfelt petitions and intercessions.

 

The other thing that I believe is essential information to have regarding prayer in the early Church is that prayer was, according to Bruns, one of the ways the Faith “discipled its people and encouraged them in their spiritual life and growth. Correct prayer, taught by Christians to new Christians, was among the most important means of ensuring the correct faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).

 

So the concern regarding prayer in the early church—in particular for Ephesus who was battling significant Jewish Gnosticism infiltration in the assemblies–was to ensure the one who prays had a proper relationship with God and that the individual “was addressing the correct God and using correct theology when they did speak to that God” (Brun).

 

According to Dr. D. W. Ekstrand, in his article entitled: “Worship in the Early Church:” “The most basic acts of worship in the early church were the reading and exposition of Scripture, prayer, the singing of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, and the observance of the sacraments; all of these were derived from the example and command of Jesus Himself.” (Can you detect a little Catholicism in this statement?) (http://www.thetransformedsoul.com/additional-studies/miscellaneous-studies/-worship-in-the-early-church)

 

What Constituted Scriptures in the First Century Body of Messiah?

 

In the early years of the Way Movement in Palestine and throughout the various realms of the Roman Empire where home assemblies were established, the scriptures were the books of the Tanakh. Remember, the New Testament did NOT exist in the first century A.D. And the letters that were written and disseminated to the various assemblies by the apostles were at that time in the early stages of being copied and read throughout the whole of the Faith Community—first to the assembly members of which the letter was originally addressed; and then later the copies were shared with all the other assemblies of Messiah that were strewn throughout the Roman Empire. It would be many years before the powers that be of the so-called Church Triumph would codify and canonize these books as inspired and scripture. Nevertheless, as these letters—like 1 Timothy—were introduced to the assemblies, they were read publicly as part of the worship service.

 

The earliest members of the Way Movement were Jewish. Thus, these accepted the Tanakh as the “Word of God.” And we know that these also continued worshiping at the Temple and in their local synagogues alongside their countrymen/countrywomen each Shabbat for several decades, especially in Palestine. Of course the difference between the orthodox Jews and the Jews of the Way Movement was that the members of the Way Community were devoted to Y’shua as their “promised Messiah and that salvation was found in Him alone.” Nevertheless, these continued to worship “in a basically Jewish fashion but added the Lord’s Supper (cf. Acts 2:42, 46) and prayers in the Name of Jesus to their worship regimen (cf. Acts 4:24-30). Furthermore, it appears that the members of the Way Movement, according to Dr. Ekstrand, “gathered daily for prayer, fellowship, preaching, and teaching (cf. Acts 2:46; 5:42), the ‘chief day’ for services of worship in the church was changed from the Jewish Sabbath to the first day of the week almost from the beginning, because it was the day of resurrection.”

 

Sabbath Versus Sunday Worship in the Early Assemblies of Messiah

 

My sources differ from that of Dr. Ekstrand as it relates to the early church worshiping exclusively on Sundays. My understanding is that the early members of the Way Movement worshiped primarily on the Sabbaths, and their fellowship continued on through the following day with worship and study of the scriptures. All indications are that as long as the Apostles were standing watch over the Body of Messiah, the keeping of Shabbat would have been non-negotiable. Furthermore, Sunday worship did not become a requirement of the so-called Church until Emperor Constantine, circa early 4th century AD made it so. For it was on the 7th of March, 321 A.D., that Emperor Constantine decreed that “dies Solis,” or “the day of the sun,” would be observed as a universal day of rest.

 

And of course the sacraments mentioned in Ekstrand’s article no doubt refer to the 7-sacraments of the Catholic Church, but for our purposes, the sacraments would be limited to just the Lord’s Supper and baptism.

 

So with the exception of the Lord’s Supper, the other forms of worship really did not originate with the teachings and example of Y’shua Messiah. These “were derived from the Synagogue worship of the Jews” (Ekstrand).

 

Corporate Prayer in the Early Church Derived Primarily From Synagogal Worship Regimen

 

Synagogue worship came on to the Jewish cultural-religious-social scene around the 6th century BC, about the time of the Babylonian Exile. With the destruction of Solomon’s Temple around 586 BC and many of the Jews of Palestine taken into Babylonian Captivity, synagogues provided for the needs of public worship, absent sacrifices which according to Torah could only be performed at the Temple.

 

Synagogues continued throughout the Land of Palestine (ie., Israel) after the Babylonian Captivity and it was the synagogue that provided for the basic teaching of Torah to the new Jewish and Gentile converts to the Way Movement:

 

“For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath” (Act. 15:21).

 

Torah Taught to First Century Assemblies Via Local Synagogues

 

Note I said Jews and Gentiles received Torah training from the synagogues throughout the Roman Empire. As we can clearly see in James’ Jerusalem Council edict to the assemblies of Messiah (reference Acts 15), Gentiles were supposed to receive training in Torah through their attendance of Sabbath worship services at the various synagogues strewn throughout the Roman Empire. And this is a crucial fact that so many people of Faith either take for granted or simply remain ignorant of. For we’ve all be erroneously taught by churchianity over the years that Jesus Christ brought forth a brand new Faith, totally disconnected from Judaism. Thus, according to churchianity, after Pentecost, the Church Triumphant ran entirely independent of Judaism, neither the two to ever again meet. Unfortunately, this lie from the pit of hades has contributed, in great part, to the hellacious teaching that Torah was done away with by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and the false understanding that any disciple of Y’shua who would even think of keeping any part of Torah has fallen from grace and shipwrecked his or her chances for eternal life.

 

 

Continuing on: Upon the destruction of Herod’s Temple, the synagogue “replaced Jewish Temple ritual sacrifices with Torah readings, prayer and teaching.” Furthermore, the synagogue served as “houses of prayer” and “houses of study” (ie., of Torah) and for “social gatherings.” It became the epi-center of Jewish life in every town and city where Jews had a presence. And because of these facts, synagogues were generally the first places Paul would go to deliver the Gospel. Sometimes this protocol worked out well for Paul and his evangelistic team, while in others it proved less than fruitful.

 

Recall that it was in Ephesus that Paul and His Gospel message was rejected by the synagogal leaders. Thus he was kicked out of the Ephesian synagogue. Paul ended up taking his disciples with him from the synagogue and setting up shop in Tyrannus’ Yeshivah (ie., a Jewish school for religious studies). And thus Paul evangelized and taught from Tyrannus’ Yeshivah for 2-years, drawing unto himself and his teachings Jew and Greek alike from over Asia Minor (Act. 19:9,10). And if you read further along in Acts 19, you’ll see that mighty works were manifested through Paul’s ministry there in Ephesus, leading up to the 7-sons of Sceva incident, the burning of magic scrolls by Jews and Greeks, and the Demetrius uprising.

 

Dr. Eckstrand in his article goes on to mention that first-century synagogues generally had a hall for prayer, which would constitute the main sanctuary; and smaller rooms for religious studies and other synagogal business.

 

According to Dr. Eckstrand, at some point in the latter-half of the first-century A.D.—generally after the destruction of Herod’s Temple in 70 A.D.—members of the Way Movement were prohibited from worshiping in the synagogues. Regardless, members of the Way continued with the “same rite as their Jewish counterparts with added Christian developments and themes. Thus their meeting strongly resembled synagogal worship.” And synagogal worship included the weekly Torah and Haftorah Readings; the chanting of Psalms; intercessory prayers; and teachings.

 

Is Paul’s Instructions Regarding Women Leading Corporate Prayer and Appropriate Attire Be That of a Normative or Restrictive Nature?

 

Would I mess you up to say both?

 

Indeed, in my mind at least, Paul’s stance on women leading corporate prayer in worship gathering situations and the instructions he gave regarding appropriate attire and deportment are both normative and restrictive instructions to the Body of Messiah.

 

Allow me to break it down for you.

 

Leading corporate or public prayer in the midst of Yah’s elect is a very special privilege that none of us should ever take for granted.

 

 Verse 9 clearly makes normative (ie., universal; applicable for us even today) the practice of women leading congregants in prayer during all forms of gatherings. But as it relates to Paul’s instructions on appropriate womens’ attire and general appearance and deportment in such gatherings and during their leading of corporate prayers, the apostle’s instructions are both normative and restrictive (ie., meant only for the women of the 1st-century Ephesian Assemblies). The instructions regarding womens’ general appearance, attire and deportment is restrictive to the women of the first-century Ephesian Assemblies simply because the wearing of expensive clothes, braided hair, gold jewelry and pearls today in our 21st-century, western culture are not necessarily provocative or alluring. However, Paul’s instructions become restrictive when womens’ attire, appearance and deportment become a distraction to the other members of the assembly.

 

I’m sure that you, like me, have had the experience of attending some type of worship service where certain women (and this would also apply to men for sure) would come into the service, wearing certain attire or who carried themselves in such a way that they drew attention to themselves, especially from the wandering eyes of the young men of the gathering who should have their minds focused on worship of the Almighty. In such situations, Paul’s instructions against women wearing provocative attire and carrying themselves in a common way would still apply today, especially for those women who find themselves in leadership positions in the Body and Assemblies of Messiah.

 

 

The Realities of Women Leading Public Prayers or of Women Fulfilling Leadership Roles in the Body of Messiah

 

Sadly, I have seen first hand many congregations and assemblies of Messiah where women are not permitted to lead corporate or public prayers. But growing up in the Southern Baptist Church of the 70’s and early 80’s, women were permitted only limited public or corporate prayer opportunities. I witnessed the same thing as I moved into the non-denominational sector of churchianity in the 90’s, although I did run into several congregations where women actually did lead congregational prayers.

 

And throughout all this time, I never fully understood why women were generally excluded from leading prayer in church. I knew, erroneously so, that the bible essentially prohibited women from teaching and preaching, and thus I figured this extended over to leading prayer in church as well.

 

Women Are Free In Messiah—Just Like Their Male Counterparts

 

However, it should be common knowledge that just like their male counterparts, women have freedom in Messiah (Gal. 5:1; 2 Cor. 3:17). Not the freedom that churchianity erroneously teaches that pertains to freedom to live life however one chooses (ie., a Torah-less life). But freedom to serve YHVH our Elohim in the beauty of holiness, Truth and Spirit: whether you’re a Jew or a Gentile; male or female; slave or free, we’ve all been freed to serve YHVH as He directs and leads; not controlled by religion and man-made traditions and doctrines (Gal. 3:28).

 

In Torah pass-down days, the time of the Judges and during our time in the Land and the prophets, corporate prayers were conducted exclusively by the Levitical Priests. Indeed, Hebrews commonly prayed on individual bases as their faith and personal situations dictated. Generally, these rote prayers. But the bible provides us a number of stories where women of Faith prayed privately during various situations. But corporate prayers were the exclusive domain of the Levitical Priests.

 

But when Y’shua came, things started to change in terms of women participation and leadership in the Faith. Women became an integral part of the Master’s ministry. For it was through Y’shua Messiah that women were finally “loosed” or freed from the oppression of religion and men. And under the leadership of the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul, under the auspices of the renewed covenant, women, contrary to the false teachings of so many in churchianity, realized the full extent of the freedom women had in Y’shua haMashiyach. And as we clearly saw played out in previous installments to this series, the bible clearly suggests that women led home assemblies, preached, taught, led corporate prayers, counseled, prophesied, and even served as apostles.

 

Despite scriptural proofs to the freedoms that women were afforded in Mashiyach in terms of leadership in the Faith, male leaders in churchianity have erred on the side of misogynistic practices and mindsets of Greek culture and Judaism. And the thing that kills me about the continued denial of women to fulfill their call in Messiah by certain sects of churchianity and even our Faith Community, is that despite obvious proofs that run contrary to their misogynistic views and understanding, they choose to continue to operate, live and lead in error—much to the chagrin of their precious female members.

 

Nevertheless, our focus passage here—1 Timothy 2:9-15—serves as proof that women have every right, and dare I say every responsibility to serve the Body of Mashiyach—of Messiah—as leaders in congregational prayer. And we will find in Part 13 of this series, that womens’ leadership in the assemblies of Messiah is not limited to corporate prayer, but also extends over into learning and teaching. I pray you join me.

 

Faithfully.