What do you think?
Rate this book
Man and Woman in Biblical Perspective: A Study in Role Relationships and Authority
The Student Bible in Clear View binding includes four colorful cover inserts allowing readers to express personal style and faith. In addition to a fun, customizable cover, the Student Bible will help readers discover new things every day. Using material from Philip Yancey and Brenda Quinn’s book Meet the Bible, the NIV Student Bible is a fascinating and enriching year-long tour of the entire Bible—its characters, places, times, stories, and meaning. Guided Tour of the a 6-month journey featuring daily points of interest100 “People You Should Know” sections give insight into the lives and faith of important biblical peopleBook introductions and overviews3-track reading plan Glossary of nonbiblical people and placesFull-color mapsSubject guide
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 1981
4 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Read
October 9, 2023Because I know the author personally, I feel that it would be unfair to grant his book a rating, but I can (and will) recommend his book to anyone desiring to better understand men’s and women’s roles in the church from a Biblical perspective. Dr. Hurley brings in linguistics, context, and many more added details to help us grasp more clearly Paul’s teachings in his letters to various churches. We are called to higher things through pursuing truth, wisdom, and goodness. Let us rise, both with courage and intentionality.
June 10, 2024
A STUDY AND DEFENSE OF THE COMPLEMENTARIAN POSITION ABOUT MEN & WOMEN
Author James B. Hurley wrote in the Preface of this 1981 book, “More than a decade ago I stood with a group of ministers … discussing difficult passages of Scripture… I felt unhappy with the idea of side-stepping a biblical command because it seemed strange… yet the idea of my wife veiling herself DID seem strange. My questions led to the study of that text and that in turn led to my asking more questions about the rationale behind the Bible’s teachings about the relationship of men and women. In the end my questions and study resulted in a doctoral thesis and in this book dealing with role relations among the people of God.” (Pg. 13)
He asks in the Introduction, “Is it possible for the Bible to speak to our social customs? Society changes all the time. The Bible does not. It is therefore to ask whether the Bible is becoming more and more out of date and whether an effort to live a ‘biblical’ life-style is not in fact an effort to put the clock back a couple of millennia… This book discusses… the relation of women and men… Within the Christian church there has been much discussion of the roles which the sexes should play… Such questions have practical implications for the Christian church and for Christian marriages. Shall we have women pastors? Should the husband be ‘head’ of the home?... Such are the questions addressed by this book… This book is written from an evangelical perspective. I accept the Bible as the Word of God, written.” (Pg. 16-17)
He states, “Human dignity stems from the fact that mankind is God’s image. The meaning and dignity of daily life also grow from this root… A basic Old Testament view of men and women, therefore, understands both to be the image of God and to be called to show forth that image in their daily lives.” (Pg. 32)
He acknowledges, “The roles of both prophet and judge were frequently played by a single individual. Among the judges of Israel, Deborah stands out, being a woman [Jud 4-5]… Deborah holds several roles at once. She is a prophetess and manifestly speaks for God, passing on his commands to others. She is also a judge to whom Israelites willingly submit… She is also a wife. The three roles do not seem to have appeared incongruous to the author of Judges. Deborah’s authority … was readily accepted by the fearful Barak, who wished... also her physical presence.” (Pg. 47)
He observes, “As herald and bringer of the kingdom of God, Jesus preached his message to the whole of society… It may be said that the foundation-stone of Jesus’ attitude toward women was his vision of them as PERSONS to whom and for whom he had come. He did not perceive them primarily in terms of their sex, age or marital status; he seems to have considered them in terms of their relation (or lack or one) to God.” (Pg. 83) He adds, “In the parables… he does not make a point of announcing his break with rabbinic customs; he simply accepts women as whole and worth-while persons.” (Pg. 88)
He notes, “Jesus was accompanied in his travels by women as well as by men. The inner circle of his companions seems to have been fairly stable and included the women whom Luke and Mark identify as having travelled with him… they took care of him,.. those with money evidently contributed to the financial support of his work. There is no evidence that these women had any ‘official’ functions as ‘apostles’… or alongside the twelve who would LATER become apostles. It should be noted, however, that Jesus did not delegate very much authority to followers of either sex.” (Pg. 92)
He cautions, “Our present enquiry is further complicated by the fact that certain words such as ‘apostolos’… diakonos’… ‘presbyteros’… may be descriptive of a formal office, a function or a status… The fact that Paul’s ministry involved a significant number of women as ‘fellow-workers’ provides a sharp answer to questions about the propriety of women joining in missionary enterprises. A question which is not answered, however, is the role of the women in Paul’s ministry. Did these women teach, preach, pastor, teach women? From Paul’s words we simply cannot say; all we know is that they were close to him and a great help.” (Pg. 119-120)
He notes that in Romans 16:7 Paul wrote, “‘Greet Andronicus and Junias… They are outstanding among the apostles'… Have we here an example of a woman being counted an apostle?... it is necessary to note that the text is unclear whether ‘Junias’ is a man or woman. The grammatical form does not permit certainty in either direction. Any conclusions drawn are therefore to be used cautiously… if Junias is a female… It is therefore more likely that he intended to say that they were outstanding as apostles. But what does that mean? The term ‘apostle’ is used in several senses in the New Testament. It can be used to designate ‘the twelve’ … The term also has a more general usage which indicates one ‘sent out’ by a person or body as a representative… What is not clear… is how their job relates to what we would today consider as the job of a ‘preacher’ or ‘teacher’ in the church. To speculate would be in vain. To use Junias… as an example of a ‘woman preacher’ or ‘woman elder’ would be irresponsible.” (Pg. 121-122)
He continues, “The debate over Phoebe revolves around her role as a ‘diakonos’ of .. the church. The term ‘diakonos’ means ‘servant’ or ‘one who ministers’ to another… In Romans 16:2 Paul says that Phoebe has been ‘prostatis’ of many, including himself… It is not likely that Paul was saying that Phoebe was his leader or ruler.” (Pg. 123)
He says, “Paul’s words to the husbands reveal an awareness of men’s shortcomings as well. It would seem that the men thought authority a thing to be exercised for personal satisfaction. Paul pointedly calls them to consider what it means to imitate Christ, who gave his own self up so that the needs of the church might be met… Here… the marital role is theologically rather than culturally defined.” (Pg. 146-147)
He states, “To say that a man is head of a woman may thus be to say that they are intimately connected as parts of a single body, or to say that he is her origin… or to say that he is in a position of authority with respect to her. These various meanings are, of course, not mutually exclusive… We must be prepared even to accept the possibility of two or three meanings being applicable simultaneously.” (Pg. 164-165)
He asserts, “What of long hair, distinctively styled?... Paul appeals to ‘nature’ as showing that women have longer hair and says that it is a woman’s glory. If ‘nature’ means ‘social custom,’ Paul’s comment is cultural and may or may not be relevant in a given culture, depending on the attitude of that culture toward men with long hair and women with short. If he means ‘God’s design for nature’ as explained in his teaching and reflected in the culture of his day, then longer hair for women ought not to be culturally relative… Christians will disagree as to this matter.” (Pg. 182-183)
He comments on 1 Timothy 2:11-13, “Verse 11 calls for quiet and submissive learning. Verse 12 forbids teaching or exercising authority over men. The two are visibly parallel… Both verses have the same situation in mind, one in which women are not to teach authoritatively but are to learn quietly… We conclude, therefore, that Paul intended that women should not be authoritative teachers in the church.” (Pg. 201)
He also states, “The text of Genesis and the text of 1 Corinthians do not say that women are made to be men’s playthings. They do say that women were made to share with men in the service of God and in the custodial ruling of the earth… The leadership of men in the home and in the church does not rob women of their purpose in life or make them only appendages of men. Both sexes are members of Christ’s body. They share in the ruling of God’s creation and in the publication of the gospel.” (Pg. 213)
He summarizes, “In light of our consideration of 1 Timothy 2 and 3, I conclude that Paul taught that the office of elder/bishop/presbyter was restricted to men. He felt that the creational pattern of male headship in both home and church required that women should not exercise spiritual oversight of the flock. They could not be in positions of authoritative teaching of exercising discipline over men… The nature of his argument leaves virtually no room for modification of his conclusions as a result of alterations in cultural situations. Conclusions concerning the office of deacon are different. If we understand the deacon’s office to involve leading and representing the congregation in ministering to the physical needs of its poor and needy and in expressing Christian love through physical ministry to those outside, the office does not entail authority of the sort prohibited to women in 1 Timothy 2. The ‘women’ of 1 Timothy 3 … would most naturally be assumed to be women deacons… each church which establishes women as deacons or in some parallel role must determine their specific responsibilities in the light of passages such as 1 Timothy 2.” (Pg. 233)
He does acknowledge, however, that in interpreting ‘teach or exercise authority over a man’ that “we are dealing with a continuum with space for ‘grey areas’ as well as black and white. The Scripture does not speak DIRECTLY to any of the items in our list except the extremes. Differences will exist regarding the points between… Value-judgments must be made at each point…” (Pg. 243)
This book will be of interest to Christians (particularly complementarians) studying such issues.
Author James B. Hurley wrote in the Preface of this 1981 book, “More than a decade ago I stood with a group of ministers … discussing difficult passages of Scripture… I felt unhappy with the idea of side-stepping a biblical command because it seemed strange… yet the idea of my wife veiling herself DID seem strange. My questions led to the study of that text and that in turn led to my asking more questions about the rationale behind the Bible’s teachings about the relationship of men and women. In the end my questions and study resulted in a doctoral thesis and in this book dealing with role relations among the people of God.” (Pg. 13)
He asks in the Introduction, “Is it possible for the Bible to speak to our social customs? Society changes all the time. The Bible does not. It is therefore to ask whether the Bible is becoming more and more out of date and whether an effort to live a ‘biblical’ life-style is not in fact an effort to put the clock back a couple of millennia… This book discusses… the relation of women and men… Within the Christian church there has been much discussion of the roles which the sexes should play… Such questions have practical implications for the Christian church and for Christian marriages. Shall we have women pastors? Should the husband be ‘head’ of the home?... Such are the questions addressed by this book… This book is written from an evangelical perspective. I accept the Bible as the Word of God, written.” (Pg. 16-17)
He states, “Human dignity stems from the fact that mankind is God’s image. The meaning and dignity of daily life also grow from this root… A basic Old Testament view of men and women, therefore, understands both to be the image of God and to be called to show forth that image in their daily lives.” (Pg. 32)
He acknowledges, “The roles of both prophet and judge were frequently played by a single individual. Among the judges of Israel, Deborah stands out, being a woman [Jud 4-5]… Deborah holds several roles at once. She is a prophetess and manifestly speaks for God, passing on his commands to others. She is also a judge to whom Israelites willingly submit… She is also a wife. The three roles do not seem to have appeared incongruous to the author of Judges. Deborah’s authority … was readily accepted by the fearful Barak, who wished... also her physical presence.” (Pg. 47)
He observes, “As herald and bringer of the kingdom of God, Jesus preached his message to the whole of society… It may be said that the foundation-stone of Jesus’ attitude toward women was his vision of them as PERSONS to whom and for whom he had come. He did not perceive them primarily in terms of their sex, age or marital status; he seems to have considered them in terms of their relation (or lack or one) to God.” (Pg. 83) He adds, “In the parables… he does not make a point of announcing his break with rabbinic customs; he simply accepts women as whole and worth-while persons.” (Pg. 88)
He notes, “Jesus was accompanied in his travels by women as well as by men. The inner circle of his companions seems to have been fairly stable and included the women whom Luke and Mark identify as having travelled with him… they took care of him,.. those with money evidently contributed to the financial support of his work. There is no evidence that these women had any ‘official’ functions as ‘apostles’… or alongside the twelve who would LATER become apostles. It should be noted, however, that Jesus did not delegate very much authority to followers of either sex.” (Pg. 92)
He cautions, “Our present enquiry is further complicated by the fact that certain words such as ‘apostolos’… diakonos’… ‘presbyteros’… may be descriptive of a formal office, a function or a status… The fact that Paul’s ministry involved a significant number of women as ‘fellow-workers’ provides a sharp answer to questions about the propriety of women joining in missionary enterprises. A question which is not answered, however, is the role of the women in Paul’s ministry. Did these women teach, preach, pastor, teach women? From Paul’s words we simply cannot say; all we know is that they were close to him and a great help.” (Pg. 119-120)
He notes that in Romans 16:7 Paul wrote, “‘Greet Andronicus and Junias… They are outstanding among the apostles'… Have we here an example of a woman being counted an apostle?... it is necessary to note that the text is unclear whether ‘Junias’ is a man or woman. The grammatical form does not permit certainty in either direction. Any conclusions drawn are therefore to be used cautiously… if Junias is a female… It is therefore more likely that he intended to say that they were outstanding as apostles. But what does that mean? The term ‘apostle’ is used in several senses in the New Testament. It can be used to designate ‘the twelve’ … The term also has a more general usage which indicates one ‘sent out’ by a person or body as a representative… What is not clear… is how their job relates to what we would today consider as the job of a ‘preacher’ or ‘teacher’ in the church. To speculate would be in vain. To use Junias… as an example of a ‘woman preacher’ or ‘woman elder’ would be irresponsible.” (Pg. 121-122)
He continues, “The debate over Phoebe revolves around her role as a ‘diakonos’ of .. the church. The term ‘diakonos’ means ‘servant’ or ‘one who ministers’ to another… In Romans 16:2 Paul says that Phoebe has been ‘prostatis’ of many, including himself… It is not likely that Paul was saying that Phoebe was his leader or ruler.” (Pg. 123)
He says, “Paul’s words to the husbands reveal an awareness of men’s shortcomings as well. It would seem that the men thought authority a thing to be exercised for personal satisfaction. Paul pointedly calls them to consider what it means to imitate Christ, who gave his own self up so that the needs of the church might be met… Here… the marital role is theologically rather than culturally defined.” (Pg. 146-147)
He states, “To say that a man is head of a woman may thus be to say that they are intimately connected as parts of a single body, or to say that he is her origin… or to say that he is in a position of authority with respect to her. These various meanings are, of course, not mutually exclusive… We must be prepared even to accept the possibility of two or three meanings being applicable simultaneously.” (Pg. 164-165)
He asserts, “What of long hair, distinctively styled?... Paul appeals to ‘nature’ as showing that women have longer hair and says that it is a woman’s glory. If ‘nature’ means ‘social custom,’ Paul’s comment is cultural and may or may not be relevant in a given culture, depending on the attitude of that culture toward men with long hair and women with short. If he means ‘God’s design for nature’ as explained in his teaching and reflected in the culture of his day, then longer hair for women ought not to be culturally relative… Christians will disagree as to this matter.” (Pg. 182-183)
He comments on 1 Timothy 2:11-13, “Verse 11 calls for quiet and submissive learning. Verse 12 forbids teaching or exercising authority over men. The two are visibly parallel… Both verses have the same situation in mind, one in which women are not to teach authoritatively but are to learn quietly… We conclude, therefore, that Paul intended that women should not be authoritative teachers in the church.” (Pg. 201)
He also states, “The text of Genesis and the text of 1 Corinthians do not say that women are made to be men’s playthings. They do say that women were made to share with men in the service of God and in the custodial ruling of the earth… The leadership of men in the home and in the church does not rob women of their purpose in life or make them only appendages of men. Both sexes are members of Christ’s body. They share in the ruling of God’s creation and in the publication of the gospel.” (Pg. 213)
He summarizes, “In light of our consideration of 1 Timothy 2 and 3, I conclude that Paul taught that the office of elder/bishop/presbyter was restricted to men. He felt that the creational pattern of male headship in both home and church required that women should not exercise spiritual oversight of the flock. They could not be in positions of authoritative teaching of exercising discipline over men… The nature of his argument leaves virtually no room for modification of his conclusions as a result of alterations in cultural situations. Conclusions concerning the office of deacon are different. If we understand the deacon’s office to involve leading and representing the congregation in ministering to the physical needs of its poor and needy and in expressing Christian love through physical ministry to those outside, the office does not entail authority of the sort prohibited to women in 1 Timothy 2. The ‘women’ of 1 Timothy 3 … would most naturally be assumed to be women deacons… each church which establishes women as deacons or in some parallel role must determine their specific responsibilities in the light of passages such as 1 Timothy 2.” (Pg. 233)
He does acknowledge, however, that in interpreting ‘teach or exercise authority over a man’ that “we are dealing with a continuum with space for ‘grey areas’ as well as black and white. The Scripture does not speak DIRECTLY to any of the items in our list except the extremes. Differences will exist regarding the points between… Value-judgments must be made at each point…” (Pg. 243)
This book will be of interest to Christians (particularly complementarians) studying such issues.
June 22, 2012
This is a very thorough and balanced investigation of Scripture regarding the roles of men and women in the Church (both OT and NT, but primarily focusing on NT). The author sees the Bible as upholding traditional viewpoints of reserving the position of elder/pastor for qualified men, but he shows that women should act as deaconesses and should be vocal and present, though orderly, in the meetings of the church. I am not yet convinced that this man's interpretation of key NT Pauline passages (e.g. 1 Tim. 2) is the best interpretation, having also read some good authors who support women in authoritative positions. However, I appreciate the way Hurley is thorough, humble, and fair. He is not chauvinistic, and he is generous in allowing for gray areas and encouraging women to use their gifts in the congregation. For instance, he would be fine with women's teaching occasional adult classes in church, as long as this instruction was okayed by the elders (which is just the way things would work in the case of a non-ordained man). So to sum up, I found this author quite helpful. I appreciate his scholarly thoroughness and his humble approach.
February 1, 2018
Informative, respectful, and accessible.
June 9, 2023
Good exegesis. Historical context is the best part. He doesn't "solve" the application of principles, even though his tone seems to imply he thinks he has.
January 17, 2016
Great and insightful book! The balanced and thorough overview of biblical manhood and womanhood that I have read.
However, if you want Hurley's view in much more brief (he goes into exegetical and historical detail for the OT and NT), condensed form - read Kathy Keller's little book/pamphlet "Jesus, Justice, and Gender Roles".
However, if you want Hurley's view in much more brief (he goes into exegetical and historical detail for the OT and NT), condensed form - read Kathy Keller's little book/pamphlet "Jesus, Justice, and Gender Roles".
March 24, 2022
Important read regarding gender roles. Hurley sees the head covering as long/loose hair but correctly understands headship as involving authority to build up others. Though dated this book still provides insights for both interpretation and application.
April 3, 2009
Very good.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews