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The traditional view expressed in 1 Timothy 2 11 & 12, 'Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man ; rather, she is to remain quiet,' are Paul's own words and his own opinion. Remember he frequently differentiates 'I, not the Lord'. This is no direct quote from Jesus here. On the contrary, Jesus Himself said plainly in all three Synoptic Gospels "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you."[Mt 20:25–] [Mk 10:42] [Lk 22:25] While "lord it over" implies abusive leadership, His words "exercise authority" have no connotation of abuse of authority, who otherwise were being enslaved or destroyed by forces within themselves and in society. Here Jesus forbids any hierarchy in Christian relationships, including both women and men. "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" And stretching out His hand towards His disciples, He said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is My brother, and sister, and mother." Mathew 12:46, Mark 3:35
The many female disciples identified in the New Testament:
Women feature prominently in accounts of Jesus' crucifixion and in reports of his resurrection and at Pentecost. In all four gospel accounts, women were the first to receive a sign of Jesus' resurrection and to report it to others (the "Good news"). Women are the premier disciples of Jesus the Risen Christ. Authorship of one of the apocryphal gospels, the Gospel of Mary, is attributed to this most famous of Jesus' female apostles. In chapter 96 of the Gnostic text Pistis Sophia,Christ says: "Where I shall be, there will be also my twelve ministers. But Mary Magdalene and John, the virgin, will tower over all my disciples and over all men who shall receive the mysteries in the Ineffable. And they will be on my right and on my left. And I am they, and they are I.'
According to New Testament scholar Dr. Frank Stagg and classicist Evelyn Stagg, the synoptic Gospels of the canonical New Testament contain a relatively high number of references to women. Evangelical Bible scholar Gilbert Bilezikian agrees, especially by comparison with literary works of the same epoch. Neither the Staggs nor Bilezikian find any recorded instance where Jesus disgraces, belittles, reproaches, or stereotypes a woman. These writers claim that examples of the manner of Jesus are instructive for inferring his attitudes toward women and show repeatedly how he liberated and affirmed women. Starr writes that of all founders of religions and religious sects, Jesus stands alone as the one who did not discriminate in some way against women. By word or deed He never encouraged the disparagement of a woman.
Jesus healed many women of "evil spirits and infirmities". Only of Mary Magdalene does Luke provide any detail of her healing, stating that "seven demons" had been cast out. Presumably these "many" women had been healed of various illnesses—physical,emotional, and mental. No specific data is provided on Mary Magdalene's "seven demons". It is significant that women whose conditions subjected them to scorn and penalty found in Jesus a Liberator who not only enabled them to find health, but who dignified them as full persons by accepting their own ministries to himself and to the Twelve.
Perhaps custom here was so entrenched that Jesus simply stopped short of fully implementing a principle that he made explicit and emphatic: "Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother."[Mk. 3:35]
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