1 Cor 14:34 -- LALEIN

Jim West jwest at Highland.Net
Sat Sep 11 11:16:34 EDT 1999


At 10:48 AM 9/11/99 -0500, you wrote:
>
>Colleagues:
>
>(Again, apologies for lateness--computer crash.)
>
>
>Jim West repeats an old saw about division of men and women in synagogues
>(and churches!  what buildings did they have in Paul's day?).

They had houses!  And, believe it or nay, houses are built in such a way
that some people can be on one side of a room and others on the other side.  

On the implied suggestion that an old idea is a priori a bad or outdated
idea- I would offer the opinion that older scholars are often far more
competent and well read than younger ones, right Edward...  :-)
Thus, also, older ideas are not bad simply because they are old (though our
youth worshipping culture would have us believe otherwise).


>
>Bernadette Brooten laid this to rest about two decades ago-- she proved 
>that the supposed archeological evidence was grossly misinterpeted (the
>imaginary "balcony" was used for grain-storage, not seating for women!).
>And (as Randall has already stated), the segregation of women is a
>much later development in the literature.

Bernadette who?
Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who is this Brooten person?
;-)

>
>
>The archives have a great deal to say about this--we've been around it
>a great deal.  The literature is heavy, and many hold that the sentence in 
>14 is a later gloss (there is even text-critical evidence for this, with
>the sentence moving in some OL MSS.).

Hmm.. wonder what would prompt those old latin scribes to move something
around when it came to women in the church....

>
>Ande if Paul did write it, he really WAS a misogynist!  (Women chatter;
>they interrupt services; their husbands are smarter than they are, and must 
>explain things at home; unmarried women will have to remain uncorrected.)
>It sounds like good old Polycarp to me!  (As Hans von Campenhausen argued,
>quite persuasively once, in regard to 1 Timothy.)

Nah- he was merely a child of his day.  No need to label him something from
our day that doesnt apply to him- else we fall into the dread abyss of
anachronism.

>
>
>See the archives.

Indeed do.


Best, as ever, and best wishes in the new school year to all.

Jim
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jim West, ThD
email- jwest at highland.net
web page-  http://web.infoave.net/~jwest




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