Read Part One HERE
In this post I will focus on the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther. He lived from 1483 - 1546.
His comments on 1 Timothy 2:11 15 are as follows
"Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness."
"A woman must be completely silent in the public assembly of the church because she should remain a hearer and not become a teacher. She should refrain from teaching, from praying in public. She has the command to speak at home. This passage makes a woman subject. It takes from her all public office and authority."
"She is not allowed to teach."
"Paul does not entrust the ministry of the Word to her."
"To have authority."
"She ought not to take over for herself the heritage which belongs to a man."
"For Adam came first."
"God has ordained that the principal role belongs to the man. Adam was first. Therefore, the greater authority lies in the man rather than in the woman. Secondly this situation stands not only because of what God intended but also from the history of Adam and Eve."
"And Adam was not deceived."
"God Himself has so ordained that that man be created first - first in time and first in authority. Because of God's work, Adam is approved as superior to Eve, because he had the right of primogeniture. Not only has God's wisdom ordained this, there was more wisdom and courage in Adam. Paul thus has proven that by divine and human right Adam is the master of the woman."
"But the woman was deceived and became a transgressor."
"Paul has written quite carefully how Satan treated the fearless person (Adam) and attacked the weak one, just as he does does today."
"There are three arguments here:
Adam was formed first,
He was not deceived.
It was not he but the woman who brought on transgression."
"Paul used the argument which we have in Genesis 3:16
"Because you have done this, you will be under the man.
In punishment for your sin and transgression you must be subject to the man and suffer the pains of childbirth."
Thus that ordinance of God continues to stand as a memorial of that transgression which by her fault entered the world."
"She shall be saved in child bearing."
"It is a very great comfort that a woman can be saved by bearing children. That is, she has an honourable and salutary status in life if she keeps busy having children. We ought to recommend this passage to them. She is described as "saved" not for freedom, for license, but for bearing and rearing children."
In this post I will focus on the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther. He lived from 1483 - 1546.
His comments on 1 Timothy 2:11 15 are as follows
"Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness."
"A woman must be completely silent in the public assembly of the church because she should remain a hearer and not become a teacher. She should refrain from teaching, from praying in public. She has the command to speak at home. This passage makes a woman subject. It takes from her all public office and authority."
"She is not allowed to teach."
"Paul does not entrust the ministry of the Word to her."
"To have authority."
"She ought not to take over for herself the heritage which belongs to a man."
"For Adam came first."
"God has ordained that the principal role belongs to the man. Adam was first. Therefore, the greater authority lies in the man rather than in the woman. Secondly this situation stands not only because of what God intended but also from the history of Adam and Eve."
"And Adam was not deceived."
"God Himself has so ordained that that man be created first - first in time and first in authority. Because of God's work, Adam is approved as superior to Eve, because he had the right of primogeniture. Not only has God's wisdom ordained this, there was more wisdom and courage in Adam. Paul thus has proven that by divine and human right Adam is the master of the woman."
"But the woman was deceived and became a transgressor."
"Paul has written quite carefully how Satan treated the fearless person (Adam) and attacked the weak one, just as he does does today."
"There are three arguments here:
Adam was formed first,
He was not deceived.
It was not he but the woman who brought on transgression."
"Paul used the argument which we have in Genesis 3:16
"Because you have done this, you will be under the man.
In punishment for your sin and transgression you must be subject to the man and suffer the pains of childbirth."
Thus that ordinance of God continues to stand as a memorial of that transgression which by her fault entered the world."
"She shall be saved in child bearing."
"It is a very great comfort that a woman can be saved by bearing children. That is, she has an honourable and salutary status in life if she keeps busy having children. We ought to recommend this passage to them. She is described as "saved" not for freedom, for license, but for bearing and rearing children."
According to Martin Luther a woman should refrain from teaching and from praying in public. However, in 1 Corinthians 11:5 Paul wrote that a woman can pray and prophesy in a public setting.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, according to Luther, Paul does not entrust the ministry of the Word to her because "that heritage belongs to the man since, according to him, the man has the greater authority.
Moreover, according to Luther, there was more wisdom and courage in Adam.
However, Scripture does not mention any of these specific qualities in relation to the man but only specifies that God gave both the man and the woman the task of ruling over creation, which did not include the man ruling over the woman (Genesis 1:26-28)
Furthermore, God never blamed the woman specifically for the Fall but made both the man and the woman responsible for their sinful actions. At that time He did not place the woman under the man but forewarned her that the man would want to rule over her because of his sinful nature (Genesis 3:16).
As for a woman being saved by bearing children, that is not biblical for women are saved through the shed blood of Jesus on the Cross. Moreover, not all women, even when married, bear children. Does that mean then that these women cannot be saved? Of course not!!
The gospel presented here by Martin Luther seems to be a gospel of works rather than grace.