Today we will review Chapter 5 : "Womanly Dominion In The New Testament". I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this :)
Chanski gives us four examples of women who took dominion in the New Testament. This week we will look at the fourth, Priscilla.
Paul writes in the book of Romans, "Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church that is in their house." Romans 6:3-5
Notice that Priscilla's name is listed before her husband's. Her name is also listed before her husband's in Acts 18:18: "So then Paul remained there a good while. Then he took leave of the breathren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him."
Chanski writes, "Why this repeated sequential priority of the wife Priscilla before her husband Aquila?" Jacob Kapp writes:"The fact that Priscilla's name it mentioned several times before that of her husband has called forth a number of conjectures. The best explanation seems to be that she was the stronger character." (page 93).
In Acts 18:24-28 we read about an encounter with a man named Apollos. It seems that Apollos needed to be explained the things of the Lord more accurately. Priscilla and Aquila took him aside and did this. Chanski writes "It seems quite clear that the wife-before-the-husband name order intimates that it was Priscilla who took the verbal lead in sharpening Apollos' sword." (page 94).
"This Priscilla is a wonderful and amazing woman. The Apostle Paul, who instructs women to "keep silent in the churches (1 Corinthians 14:34), and to "be subject to your own husbands" (Ephesians 5:22). commendable recognizes her rich deposit of grace, wisdom and gift by granting her priority treatment over her husband in the Romans 16 parade of the saints" (Chanski, page 94).
Priscilla was a woman of dominion who subdued and ruled in her feminine sphere of influence (Chanski, page 95). How can woman today do the same?
Hmmm...I never really paid attention to her name being first. It's interesting to think about.
ReplyDeleteI think they made a great ministry team.
Huh. I had never noticed that before!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I have discussed this before a few times and we have both reached the same conclusion.
ReplyDeleteWhat I really appreciate is the fact that the author had concluded that it was BECAUSE she was in line with scripture's teaching about what Paul had instructed women to do.
Feminists will take these verses and say that it was because she had the stronger, more domineering personality and that is why she is mentioned first.