Without Precedent: Scripture, Tradition, and the Ordination of Women

by Geoffrey Kirk

Though the ordination of women has been hotly debated in a number of churches (and in particular in the world-wide Anglican Communion) there has been a strange silence on the subject from academic theologians. "They have left the debate," says the author of this book, "for the most part, to the also-rans."Without Precedent seeks to examine the arguments that, in the absence of serious academic contributions, have been advanced. In particular it looks at claims of ancient precedent for modern practice. What did Jesus think about women? Was Paul a misogynist or a feminist, a reactionary or a revolutionary? Does the role of Mary of Magdela, in scripture and tradition, offer any guidance (as many have claimed)? Were there female priests, and even bishops, in early Christianity?Extravagant claims have been made and repeated in all of these areas, and have crucially influenced decisions taken. This book provides, in the words of former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan "a lucid and helpful survey, which quite rightly punctures some awful historical nonsense.""I read it with appreciation for its clarity and comprehensiveness. It is undoubtedly a lucid and helpful survey, which quite rightly punctures some awful historical nonsense."--Rowan Williams, Master of Magdalen College Cambridge; former Archbishop of Canterbury"This elegant survey will no doubt cause quite a stir, and rightly so."--Aidan Nichols, OP, Lecturer in Theology, Blackfriars, Cambridge; author The Panther and the Hind"Disagree though I may with Geoffrey Kirk's final position, I must strongly recommend this sparkling volume on women's ordination to the priesthood. Dr. Kirk skillfully engages the pertinent Scriptural texts and historical record, and witheringly exposes the largely flabby arguments still making the rounds in church debate. Along the way, he uncovers logical missteps and conceptual failures that have littered the discussion. This is a book that will make reflection wiser and more honest, and finally, one hopes, more faithful to the integrity of our Christian common life."--Ephraim Radner, Professor of Historical Theology, Wycliffe College, TorontoGeoffrey Kirk read English Literature and theology at Oxford and was for many years National Secretary of Forward in Faith, a campaigning group in the Church of England opposed to the ordination of women. He was an Anglican parish priest and in 2004 entered the Catholic Church.

180 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2016

Reviews

[Matthew Colvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I am closer to NT Wright in churchmanship than to the rather Anglo-Catholic Geoffrey Kirk, this book is a masterpiece. It does not so much make a positive case for male-only ordination as show the utter bankruptness of the case for women's ordination. The enlightenment roots of the proposal are exposed; the shoddy and duplicitous scholarship of its advocates is laid bare in all its ideologically driven conspiracy theories about alleged priestesses past; the flimsy tissue of historical claims based on a hermeneutic of suspicion is shredded and cast to the wind like so much confetti; the double-standards and hypocritical criteria of feminist pseudo-scholarship are indicted, prosecuted, and convicted; the pusillanimity and cowardice of the church's most renowned scholars is roundly scolded. In the end, women's ordination stands forth as what it is: the capitulation of the church to the spirit of the age; the giving of hostages to fortune that are even now producing capitulation on other issues of sexual morality; and the replacement of the authority of Scripture with a fundamentally different rudder by which the church is now being steered.

[Cindy Lange · Rating 5 out of 5]

High level logical argument: you can assert that women can be priests, but you cannot do that and also hold that a woman can be a Christian priest, if you accept what the historical meaning of Christian and Jewish is. Extremely well argued, so worth the time, no matter your view. Worth reading for the open-minded.

[Marae · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cannot say this was compelling. Sure, some poor scholarship was called out, but I felt as though a lot of it was just Kirk repeating old rhetoric against women being good for anything but submitting to men, and that they almost aren't even an important part of seeing God.