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Mother and daughter sold at Slave Auction,
Southern USA, 1860s (vintage engraving).
Go, therefore, and make disciples
[not slaves]
of all nations
Mat. 28:19
The Lord God expressly forbids the servitude of His servants:
If your kinsman under you continues in straits and must give himself over to you, do not subject him to the treatment of a slave. 40 He shall remain with you as a hired or bound laborer; he shall serve with you only until the jubilee year. 41 Then he and his children with him shall be free of your authority; he shall go back to his family and return to his ancestral holding.--42 For they are My servants, whom I freed from the land of Egypt; they may not give themselves over into servitude.-- (Leviticus 25:39-42 (Tanakh))
Hence, those in dire straits are not allowed to sell themselves into slavery. Similarly, no woman should voluntarily give herself over into servitude.
It wasn't only the men whom the Lord delivered from bondage in Egypt; He also freed the women!
However, following the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, there will be severe repercussions for those who enslave women, and for those who teach and enforce the doctrine of enslavement.
Prior to Jesus' birth, Israel were entitled to take slaves from the nations round about:
44 Such male and female slaves as you may have — it is from the nations round about you that you may acquire male and female slaves. 45 You may also buy them from among the children of aliens resident among you, or from their families that are among you, whom they begot in your land. These shall become your property: 46 you may keep them as a possession for your children after you, for them to inherit as property for all time. Such you may treat as slaves. But as for your Israelite kinsmen, no one shall rule ruthlessly over the other. (Leviticus 25:44-46 (Tanakh))
But that changed with the Messianic Amendment to the Covenant:
Go, therefore, and make disciples
[not slaves]
of all nations
Mat. 28:19 NRSV
Jesus instructed His followers to make disciples of all nations. By implication, this precludes enslaving them.
The Lord God clearly states that women are just as much His servants as are men:
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days." (Joel 2:28-29 NIV)
Since, following the outpouring of the Spirit on men, women, and male and female slaves (Joel 2: 28:29), women are as much servants of the Lord as are men, and are equal to men in every way (Joel 2:28-29). Any attempt to enslave women will incur enrolment in the Blacklist, since enslavement amounts to an attack on the Lord Spirit.
The woman - whether married or single - is being compelled to obey the man, regardless of what the Spirit might be telling her to do. The woman's focus must remain on the man if she is to avoid his wrath. The enslaver, by forcing the woman to disregard the Spirit's teaching and instruction, is attacking the Lord Spirit. The enslaver is effectively setting himself up as a god over and above the Lord Spirit. The consequences for the enslaver will prove to be fatal, for those who attack the Lord Spirit in any way will be Blacklisted.
As for those who are Blacklisted, they will not find forgiveness either in this life or the next:
[31] Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. [32] Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matthew 12:31-32 NRSV)
Paul - that enslaver of women - is wrong when states:
[33]... As in all the congregations of the saints, [34] women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. [35] If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. (1 Corinthians 14:33b-35 NIV)
[22] Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:22 NRSV)
[24] Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands. (Ephesians 5:24 NRSV)
[18] Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. (Colossians 3:18 NRSV)
[11] Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. [12] I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent. (1 Timothy 2:11-12 NRSV)
Paul states the order of precedence:
[3] But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife, and God is the head of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:3 NRSV)
Note that the list is incomplete since it takes no account of single women. Though, elsewhere, Paul shifts his position to include women along with wives (eg, 1 Cor. 14:).
Note, too, the appeal to tradition in 1 Corinthians 14:33b-35 - a practise condemned by Jesus:
[9] And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! (Mark 7:9 NIV)
And traditions such as these negate God's words:
[13] Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that. (Mark 7:13 NIV)
[Dissertation: Analyse the arguments behind Paul's assertions for the enslavement of women. Discuss the implications of his doctrine.]
The violence used against the woman may be:
Note that 'or' is used inclusively (the default).
The Lord warns Eve of her enslavement:
16 And to the woman He said,
“... And he [your husband] shall rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16 (Tanakh))
These words are a warning of Adam's intention (gramatically, the future tense, not a command); they are not a licence to enslave Eve - or women in general. The Most High states His commands clearly and without equivocation!
See also:
[Dissertation: The Covenant, and how it perfectly meets the secular needs of people at the deepest level.]
Paul's 'doctrine':
33 ... As in all the congregations of the saints, 34 women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. (1 Corinthians 14:33b-35 NIV)
[Analysis and implications: 1 Corinthians 14:33b-35 NIV.]
Peter is clearly wrong in saying:
1 Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that, even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives' conduct, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing; 4 rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God's sight. 5 It was in this way long ago that the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by accepting the authority of their husbands. 6 Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You have become her daughters as long as you do what is good and never let fears alarm you. (1 Peter 3:1-6 NRSV)
[Analysis and implications: 1 Peter 3:1-6 NRSV.]
It is worth noting that Peter uses as his authority the marriage of Sarai and Abram:
[1] Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children. She had an Egyptian slave-girl whose name was Hagar, [3] So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave-girl, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife. (Genesis 16:1,3 NRSV)
[1] Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. (Genesis 25:1 NRSV)
Peter, however, is wrong, because Abraham's marriage bore no resemblance to marriage as defined by Father and Son:
[3] Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?"
[4] He answered, "Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' [5] and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? [6] So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."
[7] They said to him, "Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?"
[8] He said to them, "It was because you were so hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. [9] And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery." (Matthew 19:3-9 NRSV)
Jesus speaks of the hardness of men's hearts. This didn't happen overnight: it was a hardness which would increse and eventually lead to Moses' Divorce Concession - a concession which was later revoked by Jesus.
Abraham's marriage bore no resemblance to the marriage of Adam and Eve in the Garden Annex; Covenant Marriage it was not. Had Peter failed to understand the true state of marriage? Or had Peter's understanding of marriage been corrupted by Paul? The corruption of the Twelve and the subsequent damage went much further than this. This is not 'opinion', since it can be shown to be the case.
Paul declares that he is the 'thirteenth' apostle: Ro. 11:13; Gal. 2:8; 1 Tim.2:1-7. Necessarily, therefore, Paul must carry the whole weight of new-covenant doctrine and policy on his shoulders. The Council at Jerusalem provides a snapshot of just how corrupt and evil the [new-covenant] church had become in those very early days. This church had not been built by Peter, as the Lord intended (Mat. 16:18), but by Paul. Paul and his acolyte, the unknown writer to the Hebrews, had declared the Covenant to be lethal, based on inadquate promises, faulty, and past its sell-by date. Having disposed of the Covenant in this way, they then erected the new-covenant, placing it on a pedestal high above the Covenant, and then forcing people to bow down and worship it (see also Identity).
1 Peter 3:1-6 confirms Peter's failure to understand marriage. I suspect, however, that Peter had been led astray by Paul; not just with regard to marriage, but with regard to the Covenant as a whole. Evidence for that corruption is to be found in Peter's unequivocal endorsement of Paul's [bogus] doctrine:
15 Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:15-16 NIV)
By endorsing Paul in this way, Peter is granting Paul's bogus doctrine the same assurance that Jesus accorded the Old Testament Scriptures. Because Peter's words are spoken some time after the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, there is the implication that he is speaking with the full authority and power of the Lord Spirit - with all that that implies.
Enslavement of the wife starts at the Physical Level and cascades to the Spiritual Level:
Fig.1: Enslavement of wife.
Paul's 'evidence' may be found here:
[7] A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. (1 Corinthians 11:7 NIV)
[Essay: The ways in which subjugation of the wife might be enforced.]
Note that in Fig.1 there is no spiritual connection with the Lord God. Compare Fig.1 with Fig.2.
How different is Covenant Marriage!
Fig.2: Unity of marriage.
In Covenant-marriage there is neither husband nor wife - only 'HusbandWife'.
In Fig.1, the wife is totally dependent on her husband at both the Physical and Spiritual Levels. There is not the unity which may be seen in Fig.2. Paul's version of marriage is as wrong as it is unacceptable.]
[Essay: The voluntary participation of the woman in Paul's folly doesn't make it right or acceptable.]
The 'chicken' came first in the shape of AdamEve:
1 This is the record of Adam's line.
When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God; 2 male and female He created them.
And when they were created, He blessed them and called them Man[kind]. (Genesis 5:1-2 (Tanakh))
Note that Adam and Eve were one person, being joined together in Covenant Marriage:
[25] The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. (Genesis 2:25 NIV)
Paul takes the narrative of creation literally. He also has an agenda, the 'Enslavement of women', which leads him to ask the question, Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?
8 Indeed, man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9 Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man. 10 For this reason a woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. 12 For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman; but all things come from God. (1 Corinthians 11:8-12 NRSV)
Paul is clearly confused. And instead of discussing his confusion with the Lord, Paul abandons ship, invoking the name of the Lord in the process! From Paul's other statements, though unvoiced here, he is indirectly invoking the authority of the Lord Spirit.
What Paul fails to understand is that Eve was taken from the common ancestral pool and brought into the Garden Annex (Gen. 1:18-22). In this play on words, 'man' refers not to Adam, but to the common ancestral pool of beings who resembled God and who were living outside the Garden. Strictly speaking, although a 'convenience', the common ancestral pool should not be called 'man[kind]', since the term was only applied to Adam and Eve following their creation in God's likeness. Nevertheless, the context was not one of scientific exactitude but of poetic license and inductive allegory.
See also: the creation of Eve.
[Essay: 'Mankind' commenced with AdamEve.]
To accuse Paul of ignorance and confusion is to let him off the hook. It is important to examine Paul's agenda, mentioned above, though not explained.
To restate the text:
8 Indeed, man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9 Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man. 10 For this reason a woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. 12 For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman; but all things come from God. (1 Corinthians 11:8-12 NRSV)
In 1 Corinthians 11:8-12 NRSV, Paul is fishing for evidence which will support the subjugation of women. This is Paul's agenda. He fails to find the support he is looking for. So Paul drags the Lord God into it: “...all things come from God.” Now that Paul has implicated the Lord God in his folly, he is able to rest his case.
[Essay: Using the members of the Trinity as the trump card.]
1 Corinthians 11:3-10 contains Paul's evil agenda. He is attempting to enforce the subjugation of women. Perhaps less obvious, is Paul's effort to extend the enslavement of wives to encompass the enslavement of women, whatever their marital status:
Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head---it is just as though her head were shaved. 6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.
7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God;
but the woman is the glory of man.
8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;
9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.
10 For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head. (1 Corinthians 11:3-10 NIV)
Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3 NIV)
the head of the woman is man (1 Corinthians 11:3 NIV)
Notice the absence of the Lord Spirit in Paul's scheming.
Paul builds his case for the enslavement of women:
Women should learn in silence and all humility. 12 I do not allow them to teach or to have authority over men; they must keep quiet. 13 For Adam was created first, and then Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and broke God's law. (1 Timothy 2:11-14 GNT)
The use of the term 'enslave' is quite deliberate. Let's not hide the truth behind euphemisms! For, as shall be seen later, the damage which is inflicted at the Spiritual Level is hugely destructive and could very well lead to Death (see: 'Error - Paul'). Today, the enslavement of women still exists in the world to a greater or lesser degree.
It is revealing to see how Adam's attempt to blame Eve for the fall is taken up by Paul.
8 They heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of day; and the man and his wife hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 The LORD God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?" 10 He replied, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” 11 Then He asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of the tree from which I had forbidden you to eat?" 12 The man said, “The woman You put at my side—she gave me of the tree, and I ate. (Genesis 3:8-12 (Tanakh))
11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. (1 Timothy 2:11-14 NIV)
Paul continues, heaping evil on evil:
15 But women will be saved through childbearing---if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. (1 Timothy 2:15 NIV)
[Analysis: 1 Timothy 2:15.]
Fig.3: Marriage in the Garden Annex, and as it was restored by Jesus.
As Fig.3 indicates, husband and wife are a single entity at both the physical and spiritual levels.
At the Physical Level, they exist as 'one flesh'. But students of biology - from their studies of specialisation - will recognise that this 'one flesh', this single physical entity, is actually a complex, composite organism called by God 'man[kind]':
This is the record of Adam's line.--When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God; 2 male and female He created them. And when they were created, He blessed them and called them Man. (Genesis 5:1-2 (Tanakh))
Genesis 5:1-2 T is precise! 'Man' is equivalent to 'HusbandWife'. Hence mankind.l So why isn't this recognised today?
22 And the LORD God fashioned the rib that He had taken from the man into a woman; and He brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,
“This one at last
Is bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh.
This one shall be called Woman,
For from man was she taken.” (Genesis 2:22-23 (Tanakh))
Perhaps the answer to the question lies with Adam's naming of Eve. The Lord sees the unity of husband and wife, which He refers to as 'Man' (hence 'mankind'). Whereas Adam sees Eve as a separate entity, and therefore calls her 'woman'. It is a division which continues to this day, despite the advances in biology and science.
Mankind is founded on the marriage of a man and a woman. And the family is the basic unit of society.
Paul is necessarily lying when he states that woman was created for man, that woman is subservient to man, that woman is the glory of man, and that a woman should carry a sign indicating that she is under the authority of man. And he compounds his error by attributing everything to God and the Lord Spirit.
Monoecious and dioecious trees.
Monoecious and dioecious trees.
[Essay: Husband and wife as a single dioecious entity!]
as do Jesus' words:The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman', for she was taken out of man." 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. (Genesis 2:23-24 NIV)
Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" 4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." 7 "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" 8 Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." (Matthew 19:3-9 NIV)
and a husband could divorce his wife by putting the necessary paperwork into her hand:Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" 4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." 7 "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" 8 Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." (Matthew 19:3-9 NIV)
There was no wrongdoing attached to this. And the woman was free to re-marry if she so wished - again, without any wrongdoing being attached to it. Jesus explained that the reason for the concession was because of the hardness of their hearts:When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. 2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife . (Deuteronomy 24:1-2 KJV)
Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" 4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." 7 "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" 8 Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." (Matthew 19:3-9 NIV)
The unity of marriage is restored to what it was at the time of Adam and Eve:I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." (Matthew 19:9 NIV)
and marriage is once again the unity of body, mind, and spirit.Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" 4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." 7 "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" 8 Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." (Matthew 19:3-9 NIV)
It shouldn't need saying - but alas it does - that marriage exists only between a man and a woman. This is confirmed by Jesus' words and his reference back to Adam and Eve.
The pre-fall way of life, as envisaged by the Lord God, was to be one of harmony, sharing, and equality: husband and wife working together, without either seeking to dominate the other; both of them working as one person under the Lord God's authority and direction; each looking out for the other; each contributing their God-given talents and abilities, and welcoming and receiving those of the other; each recognizing their own weaknesses and deferring to the strengths of the other; each knowing when to lead and when to follow; each having the freedom and the obligation to speak openly and frankly; together, discussing everything in detail with the Lord God; and together obeying the Lord's wishes.
This is the sort of life that the Lord God wanted for Adam and Eve. And this is something we ourselves can aspire to today. Okay, we may never reach that state of perfection here on Earth, we may go wrong, we may stray from the path, and we may even take a wrong turn ... yet this is still something we can strive towards.
Jesus was later to return the meaning of marriage to that of the pre-fall paradigm:
Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" 4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." 7 "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" 8 Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." (Matthew 19:3-9 NIV)
Version: 2024-09-02