Women’s Submission

Egalitarians and Complementarians both agree that Genesis 1 through 3 is central to the debate.

Mary Conway (egalitarian author) from her book: Discovering Biblical Equality:

“The creation accounts in Genesis one through three constitutes the theological foundation for the relationship between men and women.”

*General Complementarian approach:

Genesis 2 shows that husbands have a leadership role

Genesis 3 confirms it.

*General Egalitarian approach:

Genesis 2 has nothing about Adam’s authority over Eve.

It’s only in Genesis 3 after the fall that male authority comes into play.

Genesis 1:26–27 (NET 2nd ed.)

Then God said, “Let us make humankind (man) in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.” God created humankind (man) in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:28 NET 2nd ed.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.”

In Genesis chapter 1 man is always referring to male and female (mankind).

Male and female is in God’s image.

There is no lesser humanity for woman.

Men and women have dominion or authority over the earth. - so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.”

Limiting women to just house work does not fit the understanding women having dominion over the earth.

“Therefore the specification does not indicate any social or functional superiority or inferiority of either male or female since both have dominion over creation before the fall this is detailed in Genesis 1:28.

Immediately after the identification of them as male and female God blessed them and said to them be fruitful and multiply (a plural word) and subdue (a plural word) and have dominion that’s a word that is plural in the Hebrew also.

The pronouns and imperative verbs are all plural and therefore include both the man and the woman who are given the same functions. There is not indication that any of these activities is restricted to either the man or the woman including to have dominion which derives from the Hebrew root to have dominion or rule over or be in charge of.

It is clear that there is nothing in the first creation narrative Genesis 1 to indicate that the subordination of women whether in regard to their nature or function was part of Yahweh’s original intention for humanity.”

- Dr. Mary Conway (Egalitarian)

Titus 2:3–6 NET 2nd ed.

Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy, not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good. In this way they will train the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, fulfilling their duties at home (carrying out household responsibilities/but it doesn’t mean she can’t work outside the home), kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the message of God may not be discredited. Encourage younger men likewise to be self-controlled,

Proverbs 31 takes about a woman who is an entrepreneur. Works at home but also outside of the home.

Lydia was a woman in the NT who was well respected and worked for a living and used her money to help support the ministry.

Priscilla & Aquila made tents for a living

Luke 8:2–3 (NET 2nd ed.)

and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and disabilities: Mary (called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Cuza (Herod’s household manager), Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their own resources.

Relationship of humans to creation is the focus of Genesis 1.

Relationship of husband and wife is the focus of Genesis 2.

Genesis 2:7–25

7 The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

8 The Lord God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed.

9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)

10 Now a river flows from Eden to water the orchard, and from there it divides into four headstreams.

11 The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.

12 (The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there).

13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through the entire land of Cush.

14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it.

16 Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard,

17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.”

18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him.”

19 The Lord God formed out of the ground every living animal of the field and every bird of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.

20 So the man named all the animals, the birds of the air, and the living creatures of the field, but for Adam no companion who corresponded to him was found.

21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was asleep, he took part of the man’s side and closed up the place with flesh.

22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

23 Then the man said, “This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and they become one family.

25 The man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed.”

Dr. Philip Payne (egalitarian) gives an argument for the creation of Eve:

“The man’s joyful exclamation finally bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh in Genesis 2:23 emphasizes the man’s recognition that man and woman share the same essence. Throughout Scripture bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh identifies shared standing or kinship never subordination.”

“When Adam calls Eve bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh this kind of rules out the complementarian view because that always means shared standing or kinship.”

“Does Dr. Payne mean (in reference to bone of my bone) that it is never used of someone who’s subordinate to another or does it mean the term itself doesn’t mean subordination.

2 Samuel 5:1 NET 2nd ed.

All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron saying, “Look, we are your very flesh and blood (bone)! - Showing some type of authority by David over his people.

Judges 9:2 NET 2nd ed.

“Tell all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want to have seventy men, all Jerub Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood (bone).’ ”

Flesh & Bone just means that Adam and Eve are from the same substance.

“If the woman left her father and mother complementarians would take it to imply male authority.” - Dr. Philip Payne

The fact that the husband is leaving father and mother implies equality.

If the husband is leaving father and mother then he is under both parents authority, not just the father.

All the text means is that the marriage relationship goes above the relationship to your parents.

“The fact that a husband leaves his father and mother shows that they share equal authority in his life before he leaves them.”

But no complementarian would say that a mother has no authority over her kids.

Thomas R. Schreiner (Complementarian) from the book Two Views on Women in Ministry on page 289 gives 6 reasons why Genesis 2 supports Adam having a role of leadership or authority over Eve:

1. God created Adam first

Crazy Argument suggesting that Adam was a sexless being when God made him.

This argument is presented by Phyllis Trible author of the book God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality.

Adam does not become male until after Eve is made.

“The creative process is erotic, more important this creature (Adam) is not identified sexually. Grammatical gender Adam as a masculine word is not sexual identification nor is sexuality assumed here since it’s created later in the fourth episode (When Adam is closed up after making Eve).

In other words the Earth creature is not male it is not the first man. Although the word Adam acquires ambiguous usages and meanings including an exclusively male reference in the development of the story.

Those ambiguities are not present in the first episode instead the earth creature here is precisely and only the human being so far sexually undifferentiated the complete story of creature hood is a process the tale that is being told at the beginning some clues are given further understanding awaits the end the sexually undifferentiated earth creature owes its existence to Yahweh God.”

Genesis 2:22–23 NET 2nd ed.

Then the Lord God made a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

Other Egalitarians lean on some of Phyllis Trible’s arguments.

In Hebrew culture the firstborn was a leader to the other kids in the culture especially if it was his son.

This is called Primogeniture - the right of succession belonging to the firstborn child, especially the feudal rule by which the whole real estate of an intestate passed to the eldest son.

Egalitarians will say that Adam being created first is only speaking of order and source not authority.

But does order and source negate authority?

“The man was created first before the woman (v.7). Modern readers think little of this and move quickly on, but ancient Jews, accustomed to laws of primogeniture (both in their Scriptures and in surrounding cultures) that gave the firstborn a double share of any inheritance (Deut. 21:17, seemingly illustrated already in Gen. 27:19 and 49:3, spiritualized in 2 Kings 2:9 and presupposed in Luke 15:12) might well have seen this as a sign of privilege.”

- Craig Blomberg

Egalitarian pushback:

The bible does not care about primogeniture.

“That the woman is formed after the man (ha’adam) does not imply subordination or inferiority either, since there are numerous examples in Scripture of a younger child being given preference (e.g., Gen. 37:5-11; Jacob, Gen. 25:22-23; David, 1 Sam. 16:1-13; Gideon, Judges 6:11-16. The term firstborn is often associated with the concept of preeminence, however, and this may be relevant in regard to some New Testament passages (e.g., Ex. 13:1; Deut. 21:15-17; Num. 3:13; 1 Chronicles 5:1-2; see also Rom. 8:28; Col. 1:15.)”

-Mary Conway

1 Timothy 2:12–13 NET 2nd ed.

But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man. She must remain quiet. For Adam was formed first and then Eve.

Paul seems to be drawing some interpreting of Adam being made first as being very relevant to the very nature of the relationship between man and woman.

2. God gave Adam the command to not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, not directly to Eve.

3. God created Eve to be a helper to Adam

Genesis 2:18 - Helper (companion) - Does not mean subordinate according to egalitarians.

Psalm 146:3–7

“3 Do not trust in princes, or in human beings, who cannot deliver.

4 Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground. On that day their plans die.

5 How blessed is the one whose helper is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God.

6 the one who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who remains forever faithful,

7 vindicates the oppressed, and gives food to the hungry. The Lord releases the imprisoned.”