It is such an honor to work as acting editor of Priscilla Papers, and yet, I cannot remember all the times I have longed to pick up the phone and call Carol for help. The sound of her voice has been replaced with silence.
Much of this issue of Priscilla Papers deals with silence. Take 1 Tim. 2:11 for example: “Let a woman learn in silence with full submission.” As Linda Belleville points out in her article, this is a reasonable way to learn, calmly with self-control, and she discusses how 1 Tim. 2:11-15 can be understood, so that silence is constructive, not oppressive. Gilbert Bilezikian also considers 1 Tim. 2:11-15. He challenges those who think it should restrict all women at all times to evaluate other passages that apply to men with the same vigor, for the sake of consistency.
David Joel Hamilton provides the first part of a two part series on 1 Cor. 14:26-40 demonstrating that Paul’s admonishment to women to stay silent in church was intended to correct the way women ministered, not prevent them from ministering.
A hierarchical view of 1 Cor. 11:2-16 has also been used to oppress and silence women, but Alan Padgett takes us through this passage backwards to bring clarity to what Paul is saying. Finally, Kevin Giles offers his response to those who do not allow women to have roles of leadership in the church.
I am proud to announce that Priscilla Papers earned awards from the Evangelical Press Association: second place in the biblical exposition category for Gordon Fee’s article “The Cultural Context of Ephesians 5:18-6:9” and fifth place in the critical review category for John R. Kohlenberger’s article “What about the Gender Accurate TNIV?” These awards are a wonderful tribute to the work of Carol Thiessen.
