Women Leadership and Scripture

[David_McQueen]

From a scriptural point of view is there any reason why women were never in positions of spiritual leadership, e.g. queens of Israel and Judah, Levites, etc?

And even though they had roles as judges and prophets that spiritual leadership was the domain of men?

If this has changed on what scriptural basis is this changed supported?

[Gregory Matthews]

If there filled the role of a prophet, and they did, they filled the role of a spiritual leader.

[David_McQueen]

Is that one answer for all three questions?

[Nicodema]

David, for your third question I turn to the Paul & slavery example. Paul wrote about how Christian slaves should behave toward their masters because slavery was part of the culture of that time and place. However, to say that in doing so, Paul advocated slavery, would not be accurate, would it?

Likewise, much of the Bible was written in the time, place, cultural context of a world in which women were regarded as inferior -- and thus subject and subjugated -- to men. Does this mean the Bible condones and advocates such a viewpoint? Or does it merely indicate the context of time, place and culture in which the books of the Bible were written?

I tend to believe it is the latter. This would mean two things: first of all, that women in leadership roles were not likely to be recorded as such in history; second that such women may have been a rarity (though even if not, the first principle still applies).

I do know that Deborah, for example, was both prophetess and judge in Israel during her time. I also know that there were prophetesses during Jesus' time, and that even stuffy Pharisee Paul wrote "there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female, but all are one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, ye are Abraham's SEED, and heirs according to the promise." We think of "seed" as a male thing, but here it is clearly saying women, too, are that "seed".

But now I'm digressing, so I'll end this post here.