The Eden Podcast with Bruce C. E. Fleming

Where does the Garden of Eden appear in 1 Timothy? It appears at the end of chapter 2. But prejudice or bias from a mistaken interpretation of what God said to the woman in the Garden of Eden appears a bit earlier in the chapter.Have you heard that Paul was biased against women? I have. Do you think Paul could have gotten something that important so very wrong? That idea goes against my understanding of what inspiration by God involves. In my mind, if God inspired Paul’s words in 1 Timothy and if God’s theology is trustworthy, then what Paul wrote must be error free as well.I don’t think we take the Bible seriously if we dismiss this part of it as being culture-bound and irrelevant. So let’s study the passage in 1 Timothy a bit shall we?In order to not take the verses on Eden out of context we need to determine what their context is. This means we need to determine where the passage in 1 Timothy that refers to Adam and Eve begins and ends.To save time, let me say that Paul lists his three personal sins in 1 Timothy 1:13. Paul was astounded that God gave him the commission to serve as God’s mouthpiece among the nations outside of Israel. God treated him gently because he had only sinned ignorantly and in unbelief. After giving God praise for saving him especially from three of his sins, he uses this list to go step by step in the remaining verses of chapter 1 and in chapters 2 and 3. First, he refers to his fist sin, that of blasphemy in 1 Timothy 1:19 and 20. He names two blasphemers, Hymenaeus and Alexander, who he delivered to Satan to learn not to blaspheme any longer.Then, his second sin, that of being a persecutor of the church, he takes up in 1 Timothy 2:1-7. He had been saved even though he was a persecutor of the church of Jesus Christ. He wanted other persecutors like him to be saved as well. Finally starting with 1 Timothy 2:8 and going down through to the end of chapter 3 he takes up his third sin, that of being a disrupter of the church. I dedicate several detailed Episodes in Season Three of The Eden Podcast to this passage in the context of 1 Timothy.Finally, Paul tells Timothy to retrain the subgroups of men and women overseers, those who had gone astray in their teaching and their practice. They were not to be delivered over to Satan to learn their lesson as were Hymenaeus and Alexander. Instead, they were to be retrained by Timothy in the manner typical of rabbinical students who listened quietly and submissively to their teachers. These students learned in order to teach and practice. This was the ministry of the men and women overseers in the church at Ephesus.Why should they get such gentle treatment, compared to Hy and Alex? Paul justifies his advice to Timothy in chapter 2 verses 13-15a. He turns to what happened in Eden because the situation of the women overseers who were being retrained was very similar to that of Eve in Eden.Paul had been a second-degree blasphemer, persecutor and disrupter. He hadn’t sinned on purpose like a first degree murderer or sinner. He did it ignorantly and in unbelief. This had been the case for Eve.Adam ate the forbidden fruit with his eyes wide open. He was a deliberate and first-degree sinner. A first-degree eater, if you will. But Eve had to be deceived into eating. Only eating after being deceived did she eat. She, like Paul was a second-degree offender.God gave Eve a gentler treatment than he gave the man. The man received a curse on the ground from God. This was a harsh sentence of judgment! But nothing was cursed by God because of the woman.In fact, a true reading of Genesis 3:16 shows that God didn’t curse Eve (or Adam) or limit the woman in any way. What did God promise? In what promise could she place her trust? According to Genesis 3:15 and Line 1 of 3:16 Eve would be saved by placing her faith in her Offspring, in the One God had promised. God had promised that her offspring would crush Satan’s head. And he did so on the cross.This familiar message, to us, is that her promised Offspring, Jesus, is the Messiah, the Savior of the world. He is our Champion too!Do we think Eve had a different hope to believe in? We should not miss this message referred to in 1 Timothy chapter 2. Jesus is the One. We look to him in faith to save us. Eve looked to him in faith to save her. That is the message of the three verses at the end of 1 Timothy 2.Let’s not get sidetracked by verses 13 and 14 in 1 Timothy. In what came to be numbered as verse 15a Paul testifies that Eve was saved through “the Childbearing.” The word Childbearing is a singular noun that has within it the potential of plural fulfillment. Of course it does. There were many generations of Eve’s seed down until the birth of Jesus by Mary in Bethlehem.Mini Course!  The Tru316 Foundation (www.Tru316.com) is the home of The Eden Podcast with Bruce C. E. Fleming where we “true” the verse of Genesis 3:16. The Tru316 Message is that “God didn’t curse Eve (or Adam) or limit woman in any way.” Once Genesis 3:16 is made clear the other passages on women and men become clear too. You are encouraged to access the episodes of Seasons 1-11 of The Eden Podcast for teaching on the seven key passages on women and men. Are you a reader? We invite you to get from Amazon the four books by Bruce C. E. Fleming in The Eden Book Series (Tru316.com/trubooks). Would you like to support the work of the Tru316 Foundation? You can become a Tru Partner here: www.Tru316.com/partner

The Tru316 Project was launched to clean up the word pollution of Genesis 3:16 and related passages. How has the interpretation of the other passages set pollution fires? - Some people teach the woman was the Temptress and was cursed by God. - Some teach God saw evil desire in her heart and put the man in charge. - Some teach a man is like Christ to a woman. - Some teach that God gifts men only for public ministry. And there’s more. All this can be traced back to the incorrect translation of Genesis 3:16. That’s why we need a true 3:16! Because God didn't curse Eve (or Adam) or limit woman in any way!FREE book offer!  The Tru316 Foundation (www.Tru316.com) is the home of The Eden Podcast with Bruce C. E. Fleming where we “true” the verse of Genesis 3:16. The Tru316 Message is that “God didn’t curse Eve (or Adam) or limit woman in any way.” Once Genesis 3:16 is made clear the other passages on women and men become clear too. You are encouraged to access the episodes of Seasons 1-11 of The Eden Podcast for teaching on the seven key passages on women and men. Are you a reader? We invite you to get from Amazon the four books by Bruce C. E. Fleming in The Eden Book Series (Tru316.com/trubooks). Would you like to support the work of the Tru316 Foundation? You can become a Tru Partner here: www.Tru316.com/partner

Many people are disappointed or even shocked when they read what God apparently said to Eve in the Garden of Eden.In more than seven years of research Dr. Joy Fleming revealed that modern translations are NOT telling us the meaning of God's eleven words in Genesis 3:16.Because her research was largely unknown in the Christian world, her husband and fellow scholar Bruce C.E. Fleming launched the Tru316 Project and The Eden Podcast. Now tens of thousands of episodes have been downloaded. And books and online courses have been snapped up.Here's you offer for a FREE book!  The Tru316 Foundation (www.Tru316.com) is the home of The Eden Podcast with Bruce C. E. Fleming where we “true” the verse of Genesis 3:16. The Tru316 Message is that “God didn’t curse Eve (or Adam) or limit woman in any way.” Once Genesis 3:16 is made clear the other passages on women and men become clear too. You are encouraged to access the episodes of Seasons 1-11 of The Eden Podcast for teaching on the seven key passages on women and men. Are you a reader? We invite you to get from Amazon the four books by Bruce C. E. Fleming in The Eden Book Series (Tru316.com/trubooks). Would you like to support the work of the Tru316 Foundation? You can become a Tru Partner here: www.Tru316.com/partner

This is a BONUS Episode of The Eden Podcast. Recently, our church welcomed Dr. Jeannine Brown to our pulpit. She is a New Testament professor and a member of the Committee on Bible Translation for the NIV. This audio picks up in the middle of the morning service as our pastor introduces Dr. Jeannine Brown.  The Tru316 Foundation (www.Tru316.com) is the home of The Eden Podcast with Bruce C. E. Fleming where we “true” the verse of Genesis 3:16. The Tru316 Message is that “God didn’t curse Eve (or Adam) or limit woman in any way.” Once Genesis 3:16 is made clear the other passages on women and men become clear too. You are encouraged to access the episodes of Seasons 1-11 of The Eden Podcast for teaching on the seven key passages on women and men. Are you a reader? We invite you to get from Amazon the four books by Bruce C. E. Fleming in The Eden Book Series (Tru316.com/trubooks). Would you like to support the work of the Tru316 Foundation? You can become a Tru Partner here: www.Tru316.com/partner

Unsaved husbands needed to be “won” to Christ! When Peter said “if any obey not the word” he used “if” in a first-class conditional way. He could have used the word “since.” There was nothing “iffy” about these men. None of them obeyed the word. All were unsaved.Verse 7 is packed full of meaning. In context, this verse provides the best practical advice in the Bible for husbands whose wives are unsaved. Peter’s advice is that unequally-yoked husbands – Christian men married to unbelieving women – should be model husbands.  The Tru316 Foundation (www.Tru316.com) is the home of The Eden Podcast with Bruce C. E. Fleming where we “true” the verse of Genesis 3:16. The Tru316 Message is that “God didn’t curse Eve (or Adam) or limit woman in any way.” Once Genesis 3:16 is made clear the other passages on women and men become clear too. You are encouraged to access the episodes of Seasons 1-11 of The Eden Podcast for teaching on the seven key passages on women and men. Are you a reader? We invite you to get from Amazon the four books by Bruce C. E. Fleming in The Eden Book Series (Tru316.com/trubooks). Would you like to support the work of the Tru316 Foundation? You can become a Tru Partner here: www.Tru316.com/partner

Here is my paraphrase of 1 Peter 3:1-7Advice to witnessing wives1You unequally-yoked wives, be submitting yourselves to your own husbands so that even though they do not yet believe the Word, through your conduct without using a word, they may be won to faith in Christ, 2 when they observe your God-fearing, pure conduct3not outward adorning or special coiffure, or the wearing of gold, jewelry and fine clothes 4but the inner adorning of the heart by your incorruptible meek and quiet spirit which is of great value before God5for indeed this is how the holy women of old, who kept hoping in God, adorned themselves as they submitted themselves to their own husbands.6Sarah, for example, trusted in God and submitted to Abraham her husband after the angel came. You are now her daughters by your well doing and your fearlessness of any disappointment.Advice to witnessing husbands7Likewise you unequally-yoked husbands, use good sense as you dwell with your unsaved wife while she is the weaker partner, treating her with dignity as a fellow human being, so that your prayers for her salvation might not be hindered.Not all spouses are ready to receive Christ when their partner first comes to Christ. It can be a sad and distressing experience to find that the other spouse is not ready, is closed, or even hostile, to the good news about Jesus. It is hard for a new believer to realize that just because one of them now has and understands new life in Christ, that the other may not yet be ready to believe!In verses 1-7, Peter tells these Christians how to get their message across, even if they find themselves prevented from speaking a single word! First he addresses Christian wives with unsaved husbands, and then he writes advice for Christian husbands with unsaved wives.These spouses are for at least a time “unequally yoked.” These spouses are joined together in marriage but each one is not pulling their full weight in the spiritual realm. One is alive in Christ. The other, as yet, is not.GO DEEPER: Please visit Tru316.comHave you read the foundational research that makes all these studies possible? Please read The Book of Eden, Genesis 2-3 by Bruce C. E. Fleming (based on the research of Dr. Joy Fleming).  The Tru316 Foundation (www.Tru316.com) is the home of The Eden Podcast with Bruce C. E. Fleming where we “true” the verse of Genesis 3:16. The Tru316 Message is that “God didn’t curse Eve (or Adam) or limit woman in any way.” Once Genesis 3:16 is made clear the other passages on women and men become clear too. You are encouraged to access the episodes of Seasons 1-11 of The Eden Podcast for teaching on the seven key passages on women and men. Are you a reader? We invite you to get from Amazon the four books by Bruce C. E. Fleming in The Eden Book Series (Tru316.com/trubooks). Would you like to support the work of the Tru316 Foundation? You can become a Tru Partner here: www.Tru316.com/partner

What a  joy it is to see the rising number of episode downloads as YOU listen to the life-changing meaning of the passages we are studying together. Thank you so much. You are making a great investment in your life, the life of your family and friends and the life of your local church.Our launch Episode, Episode One, Season One, of The Eden Podcast has been downloaded many more than a thousand times. Listeners have gone on to download the equivalent of 10 more times each, downloading more than 15,000 episodes! Listening to Seasons One through Four is equivalent to your taking a year’s Introductory Course in Bible Content and Practical Theology on Genesis 3:16 and the related Old Testament and New Testament passages! Congratulations!!!Now that you have listened and learned so much what comes next?** Most listeners will be a basic learner. Maybe that’s you. You have been learning in order to apply what you have learned. God is helping you have confidence in the Bible and to boldly live out in your daily life what you have been learning. And that’s great! Please try to listen to all of the first four Seasons of The Eden Podcast where we think again about the key passages on women and men in the light of a true understanding of Genesis 3:16. We learn that in Genesis 3 God didn’t curse Eve (or Adam) or limit woman in any way. You can now get and study the books in The Eden Series. There are Study Guides that go with each chapter to help you go deeper! Book One in the Series is The Book of Eden, Genesis 2-3 by me, Bruce C. E. Fleming.** Some listeners, perhaps every listener, will be gifted by God to help others. Maybe this is you?? In what ways can you help others? Pray for those who are listening to The Eden Podcast, including you. Pray for others who need to find out about The Eden Podcast and the books in The Eden Series. Refer them to episodes of The Eden Podcast that interest them. Refer them to a book in The Eden Series that interests them.Engage with others in informed, loving conversation. Point them to the website of the Tru316 Project with its blog, shop, products, transcripts of the podcast episodes, links to the YouTube Channel and more.Refer them to a Tru316 Project mentor who can answer their questions.** Some listeners will be called by God to do more. To take action. Maybe this is you? In what ways can you take action?Organize a listening group or a book club to go through an episode or a chapter.Apply to be a Mentor with the Tru316 Project to answer questions on the content of The Eden Podcast. Attend live, or by replay, the Monthly Mentoring Meetings.Be an activist encouraging translation committees, authors, pastors and educators to update their materials in light of the correct understanding of Genesis 3:16. This action is the very reason I founded the Tru316 Project! This is what I pray for!** One or more listeners will join the team of the Tru316 Project part- or full-time. Maybe that’s you. What skills could you bring to the Tru316 Project that would strengthen the ministry of the people just described? What will happen if you go deeper with the Tru316 Project? More will happen! Much more! You already know what happens on The Eden Podcast. You share our love and respect for the Bible, even in the so-called difficult passages, which turn out to be full of good news. For whatever level of engagement you choose to make, make it a good one. Pray about it. Keep listening to The Eden Podcast. Keep reading your Bible.  Refer others to the podcast and the books. Step up and start making monthly financial support to the Tru316 Project as an e-patron over on patreon. Above all - take action!GO DEEPER  The Tru316 Foundation (www.Tru316.com) is the home of The Eden Podcast with Bruce C. E. Fleming where we “true” the verse of Genesis 3:16. The Tru316 Message is that “God didn’t curse Eve (or Adam) or limit woman in any way.” Once Genesis 3:16 is made clear the other passages on women and men become clear too. You are encouraged to access the episodes of Seasons 1-11 of The Eden Podcast for teaching on the seven key passages on women and men. Are you a reader? We invite you to get from Amazon the four books by Bruce C. E. Fleming in The Eden Book Series (Tru316.com/trubooks). Would you like to support the work of the Tru316 Foundation? You can become a Tru Partner here: www.Tru316.com/partner

Since God didn’t limit from ministry in any way, it should come as no surprise that many women participated in ministry in the early church. Others have described well their work but these women deserve mention once more.With Paul. Paul had many women co-laborers in public ministry. A third of those persons listed as ministering in Rome in Romans 16 were women. In Corinth and Ephesus, Paul worked openly and fruitfully with Priscilla, an accomplished theologian, teacher and church planter. In no place did Paul restrict women from use of any spiritual gift in the church, in the home, or in society. In order to shake out the cobwebs of the proposal from the legalists who wanted to limit women in ministry, it is helpful to review what the Old and New Testaments teach about women in ministry. Paul quoted their proposal in 1 Corinthians 14 verses 34-35 and then refuted their ideas in the very next verses.Old Testament. In the Old Testament, a number of women were great judges, prophets and queens. Miriam was one of the three great leaders of Israel during the Exodus (Micah 6:4). She sang the great song of celebration after the defeat of Pharoah’s army. The prophet Hulda’s threefold “Thus says the Lord!” led to a great revival (2 Kings 22:13-20). Judge Deborah was a leader in Israel (Judges 4:4-5; 5:1-2). Esther became queen for “such a time a this” (Esther 4:14). Her leadership resulted in many Gentiles coming to faith in God (8:17). She was recognized for her prudence and judgment and was vested with authority (9:11-12, 29-32).Hebrew pronouns, which are more gender precise than they are in English, showed that women were told in the Psalms and in Isaiah to proclaim the Word of God. Kroeger and Kroeger (p. 13) pointed out: "Psalm 68:11: The Lord gives the Word. Great is the host of women who proclaim it. Isa 40:9: O woman who is herald of good tidings in Zion, lift up your voice with strength, O woman who is herald of good tidings to Jerusalem, lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God.’”During the Old Testament period only the few Israelites who were descendants of Levi were allowed to be priests (Exodus 29:9, 40:15). Even those who were Levites had to disqualify themselves if they had a blemish or open wound of any kind (Leviticus 21:17-24). This was part of the symbolism embodied in the sacrificial system of the Tabernacle.Since women have regular menstrual periods, they were freed from duty as priests. This was in order to maintain the symbolism that the only blood in the Tabernacle or the Temple would be the blood of the sacrifice (Leviticus 10:1-3; 15:31-33; cf. 16:1-4, 17). This blood of the sacrifice represented Christ’s coming sacrifice in which his blood would cover sins (Romans 3:25). No other blood was allowed.This restriction due to the symbolism of the blood of the lamb was similar to the restriction placed on fire because of the symbolic importance of the fire used to light the sacrifice on the altar. Aaron’s eldest sons presented unacceptable fire to the Lord and were put to death (!) for doing so (Leviticus 9:23-10:2). All this was done to maintain the purity and the clarity of the spiritual meaning of these symbols.New Testament. Jesus replaced the symbolism of the Old Testament period with the real thing. Instructive symbolism was no longer needed. The rituals that pointed to the sacrifice of Jesus were no longer needed. Instead people could clearly point to Jesus dying for our sins on the cross. We all, each one of us, now can repent of our sins and invite Christ to send the Holy Spirit into our hearts. When we do so we are, to use Jesus’ words, born again. In the New Testament, with restrictions due to symbolism no longer necessary, both women and men are called priests and kings (Rev 1:6), as well as prophets and apostles. Peter taught (1 Pet 2:5, 9) that all believers are part of a holy priesthood. All believers offer up spiritual sacrifices and are to proclaim the praises of God.Some may ask, “Why wasn’t at least one of the twelve disciples a woman?” Discreet men of that time had only males as close companions if they wanted to remain free from the innuendo and accusations of outsiders. Jesus was a male and so he traveled with other males in his immediate group. But outside of his immediate companions, were a number of women who traveled with Jesus. In Luke, women learn and minister along with the twelve disciples (Luke 8:2-3; 10:38-42; 13:10-11; etc.). We know the names of the twelve disciples. The names of a number of women are known as well. They are Mary and Martha of Bethany, plus Mary Magdalene, Salome, Johanna, Susanna and Mary the mother of Jesus.In Acts 1:13-15; 2:1-4, Luke records that a number of women were in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost. They were part of the 120 who were anointed by the tongues of fire of the Holy Spirit and then went out proclaiming the Gospel in public. Peter explained in Acts 2:17-18 that this had been foretold by the prophet Joel.‘And it shall come to pass in the last days,’ says God. ‘That I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on my menservants and on my maidservants I will pour out my Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.’Luke further records in Acts that a number of women were in the forefront of public ministry. In the Epistles, women were called to minister in every way. The Kroegers (24, 90-92) summed up the situation as follows in this extended quotation:The New Testament teaches that individual members, along with their gifts and talents, are God’s gift to the church (1 Cor 12:4-11; Eph 4:11-13). There are many gifts …, (Rom 12:4-8). Among these gifts are those of teaching and administration. No limitation with respect to gender is indicated (Acts 2:17-18; 1 Cor 12:28). Persons endowed with the gift of teaching are expected to develop this potential to the glory of God … (Rom 12:7-8).Continuing the quote from the Kroegers: "… Romans 16:1-2 speaks of Phoebe as a deacon (or minister) of the congregation at Cenchrea, and she is also called a prostates (overseer, guardian, protector). A verbal form drawn from the same stem … is used also in the New Testament at 1 Timothy 5:17 for elders who “preside” (or rule) well, and at Romans 12:8 (rule) and 1 Thessalonians 5:12 (hold authority over).” … Junia is called a noteworthy apostle (Rom 16:7). Paul mentions several women, including Priscilla, as “fellow laborers” and asks that Christians be subject to such as these (Phil 4:2-3; Rom 16:3-4, 6, 12; 1 Cor 16:16, 19). A number of Christian women appear to have presided over churches which met in their homes (Acts 12:12; Acts 16:13-15, and verse 40; Rom 16:3-5; 1 Cor 1:11; 16:19; Col 4:15; 2 John).GO DEEPER:I invite you to visit our website at Tru316.com for links to the podcast, plus our books, blog posts and our YouTube Channel with more than a dozen in-depth Workshops on the 7 key Bible passages on women and men from Eden on. There is also a Study Guide on this episode for use in personal study or in small groups and more. You can find it in the blog posts on Tru316.com or write me at Bruce@Tru316.com. And thanks for listening to The Eden Podcast!The Eden Podcast is a part of the Tru316 Project. YOU can make a difference by supporting us for $3.16/month. Go to patreon.com/tru316project.Have you listened to Seasons 1-4 of The Eden Podcast?Season 1 is on Genesis 2-3, 8 episodes. This has the important episodes 1 and 7 on 3:16.Season 2 is on Ephesians 5-6, 6 episodes. Season 3 is on 1 Timothy 2-3. Season 4 is on 1 Corinthians 11 and 14 and 1 Peter 3. You can start listening at TheEdenPodcast.com.  The Tru316 Foundation (www.Tru316.com) is the home of The Eden Podcast with Bruce C. E. Fleming where we “true” the verse of Genesis 3:16. The Tru316 Message is that “God didn’t curse Eve (or Adam) or limit woman in any way.” Once Genesis 3:16 is made clear the other passages on women and men become clear too. You are encouraged to access the episodes of Seasons 1-11 of The Eden Podcast for teaching on the seven key passages on women and men. Are you a reader? We invite you to get from Amazon the four books by Bruce C. E. Fleming in The Eden Book Series (Tru316.com/trubooks). Would you like to support the work of the Tru316 Foundation? You can become a Tru Partner here: www.Tru316.com/partner

Paul inserted a final quotation from the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. Then he refuted and rejected the proposal.In these two verses the subject, tone and vocabulary of the passage change noticeably. Then, in verses 36-38 comes a return to Paul’s normal vocabulary and style with a strong rebuke to those who proposed the ideas contained in the previous two verses. Finally, in verses 39 and 40, the storm passes and earlier themes are picked up again.According to verses 34-35, some want the Corinthian Christians to adopt legalistic limitations on who can, and who should not, use their gifts for the building up of the church. Specifically, the proposal excludes Christian women from speaking in church.Contentious claims. In verses 34 to 35 we encounter a string of bad ideas that do not belong to Paul. Why should women not speak, or preach, publicly? Because they are “not permitted.” Permitted? By whom, or by what?Women are to “be subject.” Why? Because that’s what their “law” says. If a Christian woman has a Christian husband who is informed enough to be able to instruct her, she can learn from him at home! Preposterous!What law? People have suggested that the quote/unquote “law” being referred to in verse 34 is … a reference to Genesis 3:16. However, Genesis 3:16 says nothing about “speaking” or about “being silent.” As we have seen earlier, that verse is not a curse, nor does God limit woman in any way. There is no such restriction in a true 3:16!Paul’s teaching elsewhere in the New Testament is nothing like the proposal in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. Let me quote what David Odell-Scott says:Paul … states time and again that Christians are not under the law, but are free of it. … “But now we are discharged from the law” (Rom. 7:6). Earlier, in 1 Corinthians Paul instructs the Gentile men of Corinth that they are free of the law and are, therefore, not required to be circumcised (1 Cor. 7:18-19). Elsewhere, too, Paul has rejected the claim that Gentile Christians should keep the Jewish dietary laws. (Odell-Scott, BLT, p. 14)Those who are proposing limitations on women in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 are advocating the ideas of the legalists, the sayings of Jewish teachers that were passed on orally and later written down in the Jewish oral law. In an early article of his, (“Libertarian Women” Trin J 1 NS, p. 187) Philip Payne pointed out how verse 34 indicates the source of these ideas:… when Paul refers to the Old Testament, he usually does not write ‘as the law says’ (which often suggests oral tradition) but ‘just as it is written’.Payne also pointed out the elements in these verses that come from the milieu of the Jewish oral law:(quote) … According to Jewish custom, the part of the synagogue given to the scribes’ teaching was open only to males, as its name suggests: andron. … Women were forbidden to teach…. Their position in society was reflected in the common formula, “women, slaves, and children.” In the home, too, the wife was not even to pronounce the benediction after a meal. (Close quote)The “law” appealed to in 1 Corinthians 14 is the oral law. The words used here, such as the Greek word for “shame” in verse 35, are typical of the rough language used in the oral law. They are not the kind of words Paul uses. This is an example of the segregationist practices of Jewish legalism seeping into the church.To clarify that verse 34 refers to the “oral law,” and not the Old Testament “Law” with a capital “L” Bible editors of the NIV removed the capitalization that was first used in the NIV of 1971. Instead of using a capital L “Law,” the verse now has a lower case l “law,” for “… as the law says.”Was Paul intimidated? In making a reference to the oral law, those who contended with Paul made a serious tactical error. Paul no longer looked with favor on the rules he had followed as a Pharisee before his conversion. Paul had rebuked Peter for giving in to such influences (Galatians 2:11-14). He would not be swayed by a similar appeal coming to him from Corinth!GO DEEPER: To read about the foundational research on Genesis 2-3 by Dr. Joy Fleming that makes these New Testament studies possible please see The Book of Eden, Genesis 2-3 by Bruce C. E. Fleming  The Tru316 Foundation (www.Tru316.com) is the home of The Eden Podcast with Bruce C. E. Fleming where we “true” the verse of Genesis 3:16. The Tru316 Message is that “God didn’t curse Eve (or Adam) or limit woman in any way.” Once Genesis 3:16 is made clear the other passages on women and men become clear too. You are encouraged to access the episodes of Seasons 1-11 of The Eden Podcast for teaching on the seven key passages on women and men. Are you a reader? We invite you to get from Amazon the four books by Bruce C. E. Fleming in The Eden Book Series (Tru316.com/trubooks). Would you like to support the work of the Tru316 Foundation? You can become a Tru Partner here: www.Tru316.com/partner

In the full passage of 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, Paul focuses parts of the passage on each of these three groups in the church:Verses 3-9: on the converted Jews.Verses 11-12: on everyone in church.Verses 13-15: on the converted non-Jews.Here is my paraphrase of verses 10-12:Verse 10 - Application of the principle for Christian womenTherefore, a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels.Verses 11-12 Theological basis of the principle of unityNevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all come from God.Prior to verse 10, Paul defends the principle that a Christian woman is a member of the body of Christ in every way. Then, in verse 10, he applies this principle in a simple affirmation.He ends verse 10 by adding another principle that argues in favor of the full status of women in ministry (those who are “praying and prophesying,” or preaching and teaching). In verses 11-12, he puts the matter in theological perspective. (1) women and men share in reciprocal relationships and (2) God is over all.Studying the grammar of 1 Corinthians 11, we note the following developments in the passage:Verses 4-6 are a unit that should be set off with quotation marksVerse 7a is a thought by itselfVerse 7b is a different thought followed by two verses that are subordinate to it and elaborate on itVerse 8 is subordinate to 7 – it is introduced by: “for” Verse 9 is subordinate to 7 as well – “for indeed”This structure is rare in the New Testament but is used six times in 1 Corinthians (pointing this out would be worth a “home run”)Verse 10 is introduced in Greek by “therefore” and is the culmination of this series of thoughtsThe verb in verse 10, “ought” is the same one used in verse 7, where a man “ought not” cover his head (another home run observation)Based on this here are my summary thoughts:A Christian woman is as equally obligated and empowered as a Christian man to not cover her head when ministering in church.GO DEEPER:I invite you to read the foundational study in Genesis 2-3 that unlocks the meaning of 1 Corinthians 11. It is The Book of Eden, Genesis 2-3 (God didn't curse Eve (or Adam) or limit woman in any way).  The Tru316 Foundation (www.Tru316.com) is the home of The Eden Podcast with Bruce C. E. Fleming where we “true” the verse of Genesis 3:16. The Tru316 Message is that “God didn’t curse Eve (or Adam) or limit woman in any way.” Once Genesis 3:16 is made clear the other passages on women and men become clear too. You are encouraged to access the episodes of Seasons 1-11 of The Eden Podcast for teaching on the seven key passages on women and men. Are you a reader? We invite you to get from Amazon the four books by Bruce C. E. Fleming in The Eden Book Series (Tru316.com/trubooks). Would you like to support the work of the Tru316 Foundation? You can become a Tru Partner here: www.Tru316.com/partner