A Dissection of Paul's Letters Anonymous College

While the author(s) of the Epistles of the New Testament are disputed, a more compelling interest in the Biblical books is their contrasting view of a woman’s role in society. In fact, works completed by Paul polarize Christian denominations to this day, due to disputes of the extent of power a woman can hold. In the First Letter to the Corinthians and Timothy, Paul approaches a woman’s role liberally, but moderates his suggestions to conform to his cultural norms. This contrasts his blunt, coarse messages in Galatians. Paul’s letters offer very complex guidelines of gender relations, because of his varying approaches in identifying a woman’s place.

In the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, Paul approaches the church’s affairs and concerns progressively, within limits. Paul immediately addresses the church in Corinth as his “brothers and sisters”, (1:10), an inclusion of both sexes for the purpose of unifying his message. He continues to do so for the next fifteen chapters, a detail overlooked if not paid close attention. Yet, the significance of Paul’s word choice pales in comparison to his actual message. Between the first three chapters, Paul explains to the church that God should be the common denominator between him...