Topic reference
What does the Bible say about women in church?
Does the word appear in the Bible?
The word "women in church" appears in the Bible.
The Bible contains many passages addressing women in the gathered Christian community. Paul's letters present some passages that appear restrictive (1 Timothy 2:11–15, 1 Corinthians 14:34–35) and others that name women in active leadership-related roles (Romans 16:1–2 of Phoebe, Romans 16:7 of Junia, Acts 18:26 of Priscilla, Acts 21:9 of Philip's prophesying daughters). The relationship between these passages is interpreted differently across Christian traditions.
Every relevant passage
1 Timothy 2:11-15
A woman must learn in quietness and full submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man. Instead, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman was deceived and fell into transgression. Women, however, will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.
Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
1 Timothy 2:11–15 appears within Paul's first letter to Timothy, addressed to a younger associate regarding teaching in the church at Ephesus. The passage is one of the most heavily debated in the New Testament. The Greek verb αὐθεντεῖν (authentein, 'to exercise authority') in verse 12 appears only here in the New Testament; its precise meaning is contested in the lexical literature. Verse 15 — 'saved through childbearing' — is also subject to multiple interpretive readings.
1 Corinthians 14:34-35
Women are to be silent in the churches. They are not permitted to speak, but must be in submission, as the law also says. If they wish to inquire about something, they are to ask their own husbands at home; for it is dishonorable for a woman to speak in the church.
1 Corinthians 14:34–35 has a complex textual history. In some early manuscripts the verses appear after verse 33; in others (notably Codex Claromontanus and several Western witnesses) they appear after verse 40. This 'floating' position has led some scholars to argue the verses are a later interpolation; others argue the manuscript evidence is consistent with original placement and later transposition. The verses are present in all major modern editions of the Greek text (Nestle-Aland 28, UBS 5).
1 Corinthians 11:5
And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for it is just as if her head were shaved.
1 Corinthians 11:5 explicitly assumes that women in the Corinthian church both prayed and prophesied in the gathered assembly. This stands in apparent tension with 1 Corinthians 14:34–35 in the same letter. The relationship between these two passages — within a single letter to the same congregation — is one of the long-standing exegetical puzzles in New Testament studies.
Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28 appears within Paul's argument about justification by faith. The verse is frequently cited in discussions of women's roles. Its application to questions of order in worship and church office is interpreted differently across traditions; some read it as applying to soteriological status only, others as applying broadly to ecclesial roles.
Romans 16:1-2
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. Welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her with anything she may need from you. For she has been a great help to many people, including me.
Romans 16 is Paul's letter of greetings and commendations. Phoebe is identified using the Greek word διάκονος (diakonos), which can be rendered 'servant,' 'minister,' or 'deacon.' The same word is used elsewhere in Paul's letters as an office (e.g., Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:8). Translations vary on whether to render διάκονος here as a generic descriptor or as the office of deacon.
Romans 16:7
Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow countrymen and fellow prisoners. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
Romans 16:7 names Junia (a woman) as 'outstanding among the apostles.' From the medieval period until the late 20th century, the name was sometimes rendered as the masculine 'Junias' in translations and Greek editions; modern critical scholarship (drawing on Eldon Epp's monograph 'Junia: The First Woman Apostle' and earlier work) has established that the Greek manuscript evidence supports the feminine reading. The phrase 'outstanding among the apostles' (ἐπίσημοι ἐν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις) has been read either as 'well-known to the apostles' (i.e., known by them but not among them) or as 'noteworthy among the apostles' (i.e., themselves apostles). Both readings are within the Greek.
Acts 18:24-26
Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and with great fervor he spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him in and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
Acts 18 records Priscilla (a woman) and her husband Aquila instructing Apollos. In several New Testament passages where the couple is named, Priscilla is named first (Acts 18:18, 18:26; Romans 16:3; 2 Timothy 4:19), which is unusual in first-century convention and is sometimes noted in discussions of her teaching role.
Acts 21:9
He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
Acts 21:9 records the four daughters of Philip the evangelist as prophesying. The verse is brief and does not specify the setting, but the practice of women prophesying in early Christian communities is also referenced in 1 Corinthians 11:5 and Acts 2:17 (citing Joel 2:28–29).
Acts 2:17
In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
Peter's Pentecost sermon, citing the prophet Joel (2:28–29). The prophecy explicitly names both 'sons and daughters' as recipients of the Spirit who will prophesy. The verse is part of the foundational Pentecost narrative in Acts.
Original language
Original language
Two Greek words are central to modern discussion of women's roles in the New Testament texts: • αὐθεντεῖν (authentein) — appears only at 1 Timothy 2:12 in the entire New Testament. The verb's classical Greek and Hellenistic usage covers a range from 'to murder, to be the perpetrator' (older usage) to 'to have authority over' (later usage). Standard NT lexicons (BDAG) note the lexical complexity. Some scholars argue the verb has a negative or domineering connotation in this passage; others argue it is neutral. There is no scholarly consensus on the precise force of the verb at 1 Timothy 2:12. • διάκονος (diakonos) — used of Phoebe in Romans 16:1. The word can mean 'servant, attendant, minister' generally, or refer to the office of deacon. In Philippians 1:1 and 1 Timothy 3:8, the same word names a recognized church office. Translations have to choose how to render the word in Romans 16:1; the word itself does not specify.
What the text does not say
Passages commonly cited in this discussion that, in full context, are about something else.
- 1 Timothy 2:12
The Greek verb authentein appears only once in the entire New Testament. The precise scope of what is being prohibited — and to whom and where — is the subject of significant scholarly variation.
- 1 Corinthians 14:34-35
Earlier in the same letter (1 Corinthians 11:5), Paul assumes women pray and prophesy in the gathered assembly. The relationship between these two passages within one letter is one of the long-standing puzzles in Pauline studies.
- Romans 16:7
The Greek phrase 'outstanding among the apostles' (ἐπίσημοι ἐν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις) has been read either as 'noteworthy as apostles themselves' or as 'well-known to the apostles.' Both readings are within the Greek.
What we are showing you
This page lists Bible passages commonly cited in discussions of women’s roles in the gathered Christian community. We do not draw a conclusion about how the texts apply, in what contexts, or to whom. Christian traditions and academic scholars within them hold widely differing positions; the RULEBOOK governing this site does not permit us to resolve them.
Three things to know about the texts
First, the New Testament contains passages on this topic that appear in tension with each other. 1 Timothy 2:11–15 and 1 Corinthians 14:34–35 are read by some as restrictive of women’s speaking and teaching; the same letter (1 Corinthians 11:5) explicitly assumes women pray and prophesy in the gathered assembly. Romans 16 names Phoebe as a diakonos and Junia as “outstanding among the apostles.” Acts 18 names Priscilla as instructor of Apollos. Acts 21:9 names Philip’s prophesying daughters. The relationship between these passages is one of the long-standing exegetical puzzles in New Testament studies.
Second, the Greek verb authentein (αὐθεντεῖν) at 1 Timothy 2:12 appears only once in the entire New Testament. Its semantic range in classical and Hellenistic Greek covers everything from “to murder” (older usage) to “to have authority over” (later usage). Standard scholarly lexicons document the lexical complexity. There is no scholarly consensus on the precise force of the verb in this verse.
Third, 1 Corinthians 14:34–35 has a complex textual history — in some early Greek manuscripts the verses appear after verse 33; in others, after verse 40. The verses are present in all major modern editions of the Greek New Testament; some scholars argue the floating position is evidence of a later interpolation, others that it reflects a transposition of an originally placed text. The verses’ authenticity and placement are matters of continuing scholarly discussion.