Paul and Gender

by Cynthia Long Westfall

Publisher:

Baker Academic

, 2016

Overview

In this volume, respected New Testament scholar Cynthia Long Westfall offers a coherent Pauline theology of gender. S interprets passages on women and men together and places those passages in the context of the Pauline corpus as a whole. Her inclusion of the entire Pauline canon enables her to address the issues effectively, and she reads the texts in light of their own claims of authorship, recipient, and circumstances. She also gleans new insights by making sense of the passages in the context of the Greco-Roman culture.

Paul and Gender includes fresh perspectives on the most controverted texts, offering viable alternatives for some notorious interpretive problems in certain Pauline passages. The author reframes gender issues in a way that stimulates thinking, promotes discussion, and moves the conversation forward. As Westfall explores the significance of Paul's teaching on both genders, she seeks to support and equip males and females to serve in their area of gifting, regardless of social status, race, or gender.

This book is a call for all who study Paul and gender to learn to distinguish between their assumptions and the presuppositions they use to make sense of the texts. It will be of use to New Testament scholars, professors and students in courses on Paul, and pastors and church leaders.

Key Features

• Fresh perspectives on difficult exegetical issues
• Seeks to promote dialogue and discussion
• Examines a number of notoriously difficult exegetical problems

Contents

• Culture
  • Paul's Hellenism and Palestinian Judaism
  • The Pauline Relationship with the Church and Greco-Roman Society
  • Contrast between Rhetoric and Practice in the First Century
  • Gender and Greco-Roman Values
  • Gender and Public and Domestic Spheres
  • First Corinthians 11 and the Head Covering
• Stereotypes
  • Male Metaphors Applied to All Believers
  • Feminine Metaphors Applied to All Believers
  • Feminine Metaphors Applied to Men
• Creation
  • Gender and the Image of God
  • The Glory of God and the Glory of Man
  • The Purposes and Destiny for Gender in Creation
  • Gender and the Order of Creation
  • Creation and Headship
  • Woman Created for Man
• The Fall
  • Gender and Deception
  • Gender and the Origin of Sin and Death
  • A Woman Is Saved through Childbirth
• Eschatology
  • Pauline Eschatology and Transcendent Norms
  • Eschatology and Creation
  • Eschatology, Resurrection, and the Representation of Christ
  • Eschatology and the Destiny of Humanity
  • Eschatology and Life in the Christian Community
  • Eschatology and the Household
  • Eschatology and Galatians 3:28
  • Is There a Problem with Overrealized Eschatology?
• The Body
  • Gender, the Flesh, and the Body in Paul
  • The Body as Male/Female
  • Sexuality
  • Marriage and Singleness
  • Sex and Children
  • Separation, Divorce, and Remarriage
  • Sexual Immorality (Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:12-19)
• Calling
  • Gender, Call, Service, and the Priesthood of the Believer
  • The Relationship between Marriage and Calling
  • Women in Service or in Silence?
• Authority
  • Gender, Authority, Power, and Status in the Greco-Roman Culture
  • Paul's Theology of Authority, Power, and Status
  • Men and Authority
  • Women and Authority
• 1 Timothy 2:11-15
  • Broad Exegetical Choices
  • The Purpose of the Letter
  • Antidotes to False Teaching (2:1-15)

Top Highlights

“In Greco-Roman society, legislating and enforcing the ‘proper’ behavior of women was a major concern for authorities because they believed that disorder in the household had seditious ramifications for the welfare of the empire. Therefore, cults and sects were often attacked because of the wild behavior of the women participants.²¹ In order for Paul’s gentile mission to succeed, the behavior of Christian women would need to be consistent with what was practiced by women in the broader first-century Greco-Roman world. Therefore, Paul’s gender concerns were often missional when he addressed gender roles in the church and the home, and his intention was for believers to fit into the culture while remaining ethically pure.” (Page 13)

“Gender’ refers to the characteristics that define, describe, and differentiate male and female.” (Page 1)

“It was very common to raise only one daughter per family, which, together with maternal mortality, contributed to a shortage of women during the Roman Empire that created a population crisis. Therefore, when Paul gives honor and recognition to so many female members of the Roman church in Romans 16, it stands out as a significant deviation from the cultural practice and ideal.” (Page 19)

“The Roman matron’s dress code signified her rank as well as ‘her status and role as a sexually mature woman in Roman society.’⁸⁴ On the other hand, an unveiled head signified sexual availability, so that a woman slave or a freedwoman was prohibited from veiling.” (Page 29)

“Thus the difference between men and women is not a distinction of roles in church, but rather how they function differently in those roles. Women and men may serve God in the same ministries, but there are different requirements that involve gender-specific apparel. It is not an instance of a double standard whereby men have no restrictions while women are restricted; both are restricted, but the focus of the passage is on women.” (Page 26)

Praise for the Print Edition

Westfall provides much-needed clarity for those of us who are often perplexed and even alarmed at the apostle Paul's remarks about men, women, authority, and gender roles. She introduces readers to ancient views of marriage and family, provides solid exegesis of key Pauline passages, and instructs us on what Paul is and is not saying in these controversial texts. This book is guaranteed to inform and challenge readers to think of gender and sexuality in light of a genuinely biblical worldview.

—Michael F. Bird, lecturer in theology, Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia

After the deluge of literature on gender roles in the Bible, can anyone add anything distinctive and persuasive to the discussion? Cynthia Long Westfall has demonstrated that the answer is a resounding yes. This is one of the most important books on the topic to appear in quite some time, and all Westfall's proposals merit serious consideration. The approach does not replicate standard contemporary complementarian or egalitarian perspectives but charts a fresh course in light of first-century cultural history and informed linguistic and discourse analysis. A must-read for anyone serious about understanding Paul on this crucial topic.

—Craig L. Blomberg, distinguished professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary

This is not another book about the 'women's issue.' In Paul and Gender, Westfall breaks new ground in Pauline studies by attending to gender concerns in light of sociohistorical context, formal and semantic features of the text, and literary constructs. She tackles the tough passages head-on, providing clear and at times provocative arguments as she builds her case that Paul upends his culture's gendered stereotypes in light of the gospel mission.

—Lynn H. Cohick, professor of New Testament, Wheaton College

Product Details

• Title: Paul and Gender: Reclaiming the Apostle's Vision for Men and Women in Christ
• Author: Cynthia Long Westfall
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication Date: 2016
• Pages: 368
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Topic: Pauline Studies

About Cynthia Long Westfall

Cindy has published in the area of discourse analysis of the New Testament and is a recognized expert on the book of Hebrews. Her first book on Hebrews and its form and meaning appeared this year. Cindy has taught previously at Mars Hill Graduate School, Denver Seminary and Colorado Christian University.