Pauline Theology

First Corinthians 14 contains more than a simple division between speakers and silent listeners. Tongue-speakers can be told to be silent, prophets move between speaking and receiving positions, others discern, all may learn, and recipient-side participation can itself be active and even verbal. By following this communicative structure, the study asks whether Paul’s restriction concerns a particular speaking position within an ordered contribution-setting, rather than every possible word a woman might utter in the church.

In 1 Corinthians 11 Paul speaks naturally of a woman praying and prophesying, yet in chapter 14 women are told to be silent and are not permitted to speak. Before weakening either statement, this study asks a more basic question: has Paul actually placed the two instructions in precisely the same situation? It follows the movement from the wider life of the church, to particular gatherings, activities, communicative situations, and the position a participant occupies within them.