Paul And Women Essay by Top Papers

One of the dominant themes in scholarly debate over Pauline texts in recent years concerns St. Paul's representation of gender relations in the early Christian community (Watson 520). These discussions have been particularly contentious, some critics have argued, because of the influence of modern thinking about female equality and social egalitarianism upon scholarly discussions of exegetical questions (Engberg-Pedersen 679). This paper will explore aspects of this debate with a particular focus upon the question of the significance of Paul's discussion of the role of women in the early Church. The thesis will be argued, with close reference to 1 Cor. 7:3-5, 11:2-16 and Gal.3:27-29, that Paul's discussion of the appropriate role of women in the early Church is significant not only in terms of gender but, in particular, in terms of how Paul envisioned a common identity in the early Christian community.