It turns out that all Biblical principles are not comprehensive. Some are apparently very limited in scope. An example of a principle with limits is found in 1 Corinthians 14:34 in which Paul writes that women are to keep silent in church. For centuries this previously thought to be general principle was the basis for prohibiting the ordination of women. Until recently, this was an iron-clad rule of both Protestant and Roman Catholic churches – actually nearly universal throughout Christendom. Now, as it turns out, such is not the case because some argue this prohibition applied only to the women of Corinth. Recall, that it was the home of the temple built on Acrocorinth Mountain to the goddess Aphrodite with more than one thousand "priestesses." The prohibition was Paul’s attempt to keep these "priestesses" from dominating the fledgling church at Corinth. By Paul's time, the temple had fallen into ruin for over 500 years, but the "priestesses" plyed their trade in the city that catered to sailors and traveling salesmen giving it a sullied reputation for immorality (1 Corinthians 6:9-20; 2 Corinthians 12:21). The Greek word korinthiazesthai, "to live like a Corinthian" or simply corinthianize" meant (to put it mildly) drunken and immoral debauchery. By the way, "sacred prostitution was a Middle East custom, not a Greek one [and] like other large port cities, had plenty of prostitutes to service the sailors, but they were not sacred."

Certainly, in a city estimated to be anywhere from 400,000, to 750,000, all or even most of the citizens of Corinth didn’t live despicable lives. It was also cosmopolitan with many Romans, (witnessed by Roman names such as Aquila, Priscilla Crispus, Lucius, Gaius, Tertius, Erastus, Quartus, Fortunatus and Achaicus) a number of Jews and a smattering of Phoenicians and Phrygians as well. And the "Jews living there, many of whom were refugees from Rome, including Aquila and Priscilla, were more cosmopolitan and multicultural than those in Palestine." Furthermore, there were from 150 to 200 Christians living in the city. Corinth was counted as one of the three economic centers of Greece as a manufacturing center as well as agriculture and shipping. Also, it sponsored the well known bi-annual Isthmian games. Although, "Some women didn’t live the roles expected of them in either Roman or Jewish culture they were quite respectable. They headed households, ran businesses, were independently wealthy, and traveled with their own slaves and helpers. Within the congregations, (which would have been house churches) women took on the same leadership roles as men. Not surprising, conflicts arose within the congregations because women were not conforming to the usual subordinate role expected of them." One of Paul’s run-ins with the women of Corinth that is recorded in 1 Corinthians 11:2-6 was over hair-styles. There is some question about how much his objection to their hair-styles was associated with his concern that "women prophets were giving the ‘impression of madness and frenzy so typical of orgiastic cultic worship’" and how much of it had to do with women’s role in the church.

All of this raises the question if the ban on women speaking out in "church" is a principle that applies to all women in all churches for all times or was it due to the male-dominated Jewish culture of Paul – a decree from God or a bias? In such a cosmopolitan city like Corinth, it is unlikely that Aphrodite priestesses were responsible for the ban. Actually, the people Paul encountered in "church" were more likely those who were already Christians. If not, they more likely came from the more affluent citizens of the city or from the exiled Jewish community as from those who frequented the temple of Aphrodite that now lay in ruins. From Biblical accounts, "church" gatherings were a rowdy event. That’s mostly what the 14^th Chapter of 1 Corinthians is about. Only part of which deals with women being silent. But to lay the ban on women to the improbability that some stray prophetesses were disruptive and then to dismiss the ban belittles the matter. It is Scripture. Like it or not, it is there in the Sacred Word for anyone to read. Though we may like to speculate on its origins, doing so raises questions as to the veracity of every verse in the Bible. For centuries, Christendom has taken the position that women were to be silent in church; that is to say that they were not to be in positions of authority over men in any way. Paul makes it perfectly clear that what he writes are the commandments of the Lord. One other note, Paul thought a great deal of Priscilla, it is Apollos whom he calls a minister, Romans 1:16 not withstanding. Read 1 Corinthians, chapter 3 and chapter 11:1-3.