its a 3rd person plural active imperative present...
Thank you WoodlandApple! That's exactly the explanation of your basis for believing that silence means keep the peace and otherwise that I was looking for.
Your explanation is clear and there is no need to further explain it to me.
As I suspected however your basis is comprised mostly of what if's and this could not be because and otherwise and not something concrete as in this word means that to support your belief.
I quote...
The definate sense of process shows us that silence is not limited to a single act, but rather that it is a continuing process. That Women are to be silent and keep being silent, This supports the notion that women are not to make ANY noise at all, not even greetings etc if we take a plain reading of the word in question to mean only silence. however if it is a continuous process of women not squabbling etc then that fits in whith what the rest of the bible tells us, and also compliments the gender roles of women.
For purposes of determining what Paul said it doesn't matter if what Paul says fits in with the rest of the Bible. It is what it is and he said what he said. Rather than trying to make it say something else more in line with what we understand the rest of the bible to say (which understanding is of course subject to being wrong) what we ought to be doing is taking what Paul said at face value and seeking the Lord as to how it fits with the rest of the Bible. Not discounting it because it does not seem to fit.
Likewise it matters not if it complements the role of women to say that the silence is of a kind only limited to being silent while disrupting. If it compliments it in how we think it should or in what we understand that role to be.
It doesn't matter!
The question is what did Paul actually say NOT, NOT, NOT how well what he said fits in or does not fit in with whatever else he might have said such that if it does not seem to fit we discount or ignore it in favor of whatever other understanding we have.
I mean good grief. Even a seven year old child could tell us what Paul said.
Women means...well...ladies. Their mommies. The opposite sex.
Silence means shut up. Be quiet. Don't talk (I am speaking as a seven year old might say about what the verse says).
Church means that meeting that all the Christians gather at.
There is nothing complicated about understanding what Paul actually said. It's in ALL the manuscripts. In ALL our English bible's and our Greek one's. And whether it goes after verse 40, verse 33, or who knows where (not that there is any definitive reason to believe it goes anywhere else other than where it is in ALL our English bible's...just saying) none of that takes away from the plain command of God through Paul that women are to be silent in church assemblies!
I beleive that this simply contradicts what the Bible says elsewhere, and Ive pointed them out numerous times.
Again...just your opinion and nothing definitive by any means. We do not interpret or accept verses based on what does not seem to be contradictory. We interpret it based on what it says!
The consistant use of Sigao to reference silence with keeping the peace/secret etc in the NT sets a precedent,
We do not interpret the bible based on supposed precedent. We interpret it based on what it says leaving what it says to fall where it might. Not to mention that there is no such consistent use (see some of my previous posts showing clearly where it was not used as such...1 Cor 14:28 being a very clear use of an unlimited silence for the duration of the assembly when there is no interpreter).
You believe there is precedent and that we should interpret sigao in 1 Cor 14:34 a certain way because in your mind all other verses where it is used, use it in a certain way (which is completely untrue by the way as a cursory reading of these other verses readily shows).
the occassional usage where it refers to complete silence can be seen as exceptions to the rule...
Ah...an admission that it is used in another sense! Good.
We do not interpret the bible based on arbitrary rules made up by who knows where that says that we ought to interpret a word based on how it is used elsewhere.
to the point where the first reading of sigao should be keeping peace/secret as the default and only viewed as absolute silence when the text clearly points out that it is, I dont think this text does.
Says who that the first reading should be keeping the peace? Says who?
We do not interpret the bible based on a first reading anything.
We ought to interpret the bible based on what it says!
You readily admit that the context and text are important but of course you state that you do not believe sigao in context is a silence of a kind that is unlimited for the duration of an assembly.
So far because of a supposed precedent meaning from other verses (which is by no means conclusive either way) a rule of first use (which doesn't matter in the least and is nothing more than an assumption if a verse does not clearly indicate one way or another...in other words it could be a new use and meaning or a first use, or a second use, or anything else...who knows) and your personal opinion.
And whilst this does give us no reason to dismiss silence outright...
Agreed.
...it does give us enough to use the meaning that is used the most unless proven otherwise.
No. It gives us enough to say that we cannot dismiss silence outright and that 1 Cor 14:34 could well be referring to that.
We do not interpret the bible based on how a word is used most often when that word is used in various ways throughout it's use throughout the bible. To mean keeping the peace AND keeping something secret AND keeping silent!
We conclude that it doesn't mean keeping silent because...well...because it is used elsewhere in another way?!
Not a good way to determine it's use one way or another. Just personal opinion and certainly nothing definitive.
I believe the context makes it very clear that the use is of an unlimited kind that lasts for an entire assembly (refer to my previous posts for that clarity).
Why would the bible commend and honour Female leaders of the faith if they where to remain silent at all times in the church, how can you lead if your not allowed to talk?
A rational and logical question but we do not interpret the bible based on what seems logical and rationale to us in our natural selves. We interpret the bible based on what it says!
You assume female leaders of a kind that ought to be able to talk in the assembly (akin to women pastors). A great big assumption that is not supported biblically.
why would Paul tell women to prophesies with their head covered in church if they cant talk at all?
You assume that Paul's instructions about head coverings are meant to be applied within an assembly when NOTHING in the context of those instructions sets the context to be a church assembly in a definitive way as in there could be no other context in mind.
why would Paul encourage the 'brethren' both male and female to prophesy and speak in tounges, but to do so orderly in the summery and conclusion of this passage if women where not to speak at all?
You completely ignore the possibility that Paul gives liberty for women to pray and prophesy, loudly, as often as they like outside the assembly.
And you assume that these instructions were for women as well as men completely ignoring Paul's clear instructions to the contrary that women ought not to speak out in the assembly.
How is women being silent in churches honouring their original purpose of serving as Helpers to Man?
There is something far greater than being a helper to man here. And that something is the need to glorify the Lord of all authority in and through the assembly!
You completely miss the implications of silence as an expression of submission that points to the one having all authority. That without an expression of submission...a visible expression, it is difficult to know that submission is even going on with the result that His glory as the ultimate one in authority is diminished.
But helpful or not...doesn't matter in the least!!
We do not interpret the bible based on how something seems to be helpful or not. We are not God! We do not believe and obey based on what seems logical to us.
Christians take the bible to be God's word to us and our role is to simply believe and obey what it says as an expression of love for God.
There are larger implications as well, We all know that church isnt just on sundays, and the church is the body of Christ - how we are told to interact in church is how we should interact in our relation with Christ, and other christians, The Church is the body of Christ, and the body of Christ is meant to bring Christs mission to the world, then how does Women being silent in all this fit in?????
Christians should not care one whit how it fits or doesn't fit. The only consideration is what does it say!
We ought to have hearts to ask our Father in heaven how high when He says jump. Not whether or not jumping fits in with what we ought be doing!!
God said for women to be silent in the assembly! We should be asking ourselves as to how silent He might want us to be and discussing that rather than trying to come up with reasons why Paul could not have possibly meant for women to be silent in the first place!
Doctrine should not be built apon one verse.
Agreed. But where a verse is clear it should most definitely be a part of forming a doctrine. That 1 Cor 14:34 does not by any means stand alone as requiring women to be silent and in submission makes it even stronger.
But rather what the bible shows as as a whole, nowhere else does the bible show is that women should be slient, so I approach this passage with that in my mind.
We do not interpret the bible based on the principle of nowhere else. That a verse cannot possibly mean what it so plainly says because what it says is nowhere else to be found.
Not to mention that such a thing is not true at all. Paul connected being quiet with submission in 1 Timothy as well.
And the need for women to be in submission is all over the place.
You have a lot of assumptions and personal opinions mixed in with your Greek WoodlandApple.
For me to continue back and forth with you over this is bordering on us falling into wrangling about words which will not do anyone any good and something that it falls on me not to do if I am going to be obedient to God.
You have stated what you believe. I have stated what the bible says.
Each person must decide for themselves in the presence of God whether what has been said is so.
I will leave it at that between me and you other than to answer two other points that you brought up which I feel a need to respond to lest anyone reading this thread be left thinking that what you said about the points I will address shortly is the way it is.
Carlos