Women in Church History
WOMEN PROPHETS
by Rev. Kathryn J. Riss
THE PROPHETIC MINISTRY
The basic definition of a prophet is one who speaks for
God. Prophecy consists largely in speaking God's word, calling people to
repentance, warning of future judgments, and praising the Lord. Whenever
the Holy Spirit moves on a chosen vessel to speak Divine communications, the
spirit of prophecy is at work.
The Bible makes no distinction between the prophetic
ministry of men and women. A prophet, whether male or female, is God's servant,
called and anointed by Him. Prophets are chosen by God, who opens their
spiritual ears, gives them a message, and directs them as to when and to whom to
speak His Word. This Divine calling and direction constitutes the basis for
their spiritual authority. God often gives His prophets and prophetesses words
of rebuke and correction to those in authority. Often, prophets are rejected and
persecuted by those in power, because the messages God gives through them
frequently call these powers to account. Their responsibility is to speak the
word of the Lord and leave to God whether or not their messages are received,
believed and obeyed.
The exercise of the prophetic ministry is under the
authority of the prophet as directed by God; but in public settings, common
courtesy and due regard for the upbuilding of others are to be maintained. New Testament prophets are, along with
apostles, builders of the church's foundation. They catch God's vision for His
people, speak it boldly, and exhort others to follow Christ. As they pray and
fast together, seeking God's will for the church, the Holy Spirit gives
direction to them for the church's mission (Acts 13:1-3).
PROPHECY AND TEACHING
I Cor. 14:3-5 states, "Everyone who prophesies speaks to
men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort" and "builds up the
church." Verses 29-31 state that prophets receive God's revelation so that all
may learn and all may be comforted. Thus, the teaching function is inherent in
prophecy. That prophecy was not forbidden to women is clear from I Cor. 11:5,
where women's public prophesying is presupposed and their deportment regulated. Paul was not trying to quench the Holy Spirit from speaking through women, but
he wanted to ensure that women who spoke for God acted modestly in a way that
could not bring legal accusations against the church. Doubtless, his concern to
protect the women leaders who were being persecuted in unspeakable ways
motivated his cautions.
NEW TESTAMENT PROPHECY AS A MESSIANIC SIGN
Concerning the ministry of prophecy during the Church
Age, Acts 2:17-18 states, "And it shall come to pass, in the last days, says
God, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy." Here, Peter quotes Joel 2:28 to explain the phenomena of
Pentecost. He goes on to show that in the Messianic "last days" that Jesus has
inaugurated, the prophecy of Joel is fulfilled. Without respect of persons, God
will pour out His Spirit upon all people, and they will speak Divine
revelations. The Gospel is offered to all, and the sign of the Holy Spirit, as
evidenced in speaking in tongues and prophecy, is offered freely to all who
believe.
On the day of Pentecost, one hundred and twenty
followers of Christ were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke in languages they
had never learned, publicly proclaiming "the wonderful works of God." According
to Acts 1:14, these one hundred and twenty Holy Spirit-inspired preachers
included both men and women. Their speech was not just ecstatic praise, although
that would be wonderful enough, but inspired preaching which listeners
understood in their own languages. Its purpose and effect was the conversion to
Christ of hearers from many lands and languages and their becoming unified as
members of His Body, the church, the community of believers in Jesus.
PROPHECY AND EVANGELISM
New Testament tongues and prophecy, given both to men
and women, thus have an evangelistic purpose. They are signs and wonders
demonstrating the marvel of God's mercy and abundant grace offered to all and
poured out for all through Jesus Christ. This is why it is so important that the
freedom to prophesy and preach not be restricted. We can only demonstrate the
Gospel by allowing God to be God and letting all those He fills with His Spirit
and so directs testify of His wonderful works! The medium IS the message. A
church that allows only a few professionals to preach the Gospel conveys a false
message that free participation in the Gospel is only for the elite. But when
all believers are free to exercise the gifts God gives them, the Gospel is seen
for what it truly is--good news for all people..
PROPHECY GIVEN WITHOUT RESPECT OF PERSONS
Acts goes on to quote Joel that "even upon my
menservants and maidservants I will pour out of My Spirit, and they shall
prophesy." Note that God calls those He sovereignly fills with His Spirit His
servants and says that "all flesh" shall prophesy. New Testament prophecy is not
reserved for the spiritually mature, but a gift God offers freely to all
believers. Thus, the prayer of Moses is fulfilled, "would God that all the
Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them."
(Num. 11:29) Through the free exercise of inspired preaching in the church, God
demonstrates His extravagant grace!
The gift of the Holy Spirit, as evidenced by speaking in
unknown languages and declaring the praises of God, was also poured out upon new
Gentile converts to Christ at the household of Cornelius in Capernaum. Here, the
grace of God was extended cross-culturally. How difficult it must have been for
Peter and his Jewish-Christian friends to accept the fact that God had given His
Holy Spirit to Gentiles, who were despised as unclean by religious Jews! God had
to prepare Peter by giving him a vision three times. When the leaders of the
church at Jerusalem questioned what Peter had done in baptizing these Gentiles,
he said, "Since God gave them the same gift as to us, who believed in the Lord
Jesus, who was I to oppose God?" (Acts 11:17) This is an attitude all Christians
would do well to emulate.
WOMEN PROPHETS BEFORE CHRIST
God is no respecter of persons. There had always been
women prophets in Israel. Miriam, who by her faith and courage saved her baby
brother Moses from death when she was just a child, prophesied to the nation and
was set before them as a leader by God Himself along with Moses and Aaron (Micah
6:4). Miriam led the women of Israel in antiphonal praise to God at the Red Sea,
exulting with the men in God's victory over Pharaoh's armies.
Deborah-- prophetess, judge and military leader-- is the
most celebrated woman prophet of the Old Testament because she brought liberty
to Israel through her faith, courage and boldness. Judges 4:4 is generally
translated as "Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lapidoth. . ." but the Hebrew word
here translated "wife" usually means "woman," and Lapidoth is not attested
elsewhere as a man's name. Rather, it is the ordinary feminine plural for the
word "fire." As her career demonstrates, Deborah was a fiery woman! The Hebrew
is emphatic that SHE judged Israel at that time. Respecting her as a wise woman
who heard from God and knew His Law, the people of Israel came to her for
judgment. When the word of the Lord came to Deborah, she summoned Barak from
Naphtali and directed him to obey God by mustering troops against the oppressor
Sisera. When Barak agreed to do so only if Deborah accompanied him, she did not
hesitate to go and rally the troops.
After the victory, in the ode of celebration, Deborah
sings, "The villages ceased, they ceased in Israel until I, Deborah, arose,
until I arose a mother in Israel." Deborah heard the word of the Lord and was
obedient to God's call. In response to that call, not human invitation, Deborah
rose up to lead her nation, inspiring others to follow her faith. Because of her
courage and fear of God, not man, the nation was set free and enjoyed peace for
forty years.
The prophetess Huldah taught at the college in Jerusalem
and brought revival to the nation when she confirmed the Word of God brought to
her and prophesied judgment and grace to King Josiah, the high priest, and the
religious elite of her day. These men received and acted upon her declaration as
it was, the word of God, not a human. Note that this occurred during the
ministry of Jeremiah, who had been prophesying at Jerusalem for five years by
the time the Lord used Huldah to speak His message. God wasn't out of men to
use! He deliberately chose to use this woman. According to the original edition
of the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, "The standing and reputation
of Huldah in the city are attested by the fact that she was consulted when the
Book of the Law was discovered. The king, high priest, counselors, etc. appealed
to her rather than to Jeremiah, and her word was accepted by all of the word of
Jehovah." ("Huldah" by J. J. Reeve, ISBE, Vol. III, Chicago: The
Howard-Severance Company, 1915, p. 1389)
PROPHECY IN THE MESSIANIC AGE
It is ironic that some today assume that God would have
His New Testament handmaidens--washed in the blood of His Son, filled with His
Holy Spirit, and set free from the Law--do less than His handmaidens under the
old covenant! Especially since Jesus told His followers, "greater works than
these shall ye do, because I go to my Father." The only winner in this battle is
satan, who divides the church, silences the female majority, and deludes the
minority to trust in the flesh instead of God's Spirit. Like Deborah, we need to
let God be God and be faithful to Him. Like Barak, we need to listen to God
speaking to us through His chosen prophets, whether male or female.
NEW TESTAMENT PROPHETESSES
New Testament prophetesses include Anna (Luke 2:36-38),
the first to proclaim Jesus as the Redeemer publicly; Elizabeth (Luke 2:41-45),
who recognized Christ while still in His mother's womb; Mary (Luke 2:46-55), who
through faith conceived God in the flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit; and a
false prophetess called Jezebel, whom God called to repent from immorality.
Prophets are well known for predicting future events;
and Mary, the mother of Jesus, did just that when she said, "The Lord has
regarded the humble estate of His handmaiden; from henceforth all generations
shall call me blessed." (Lk.1:48) So did her cousin Elizabeth, who declared,
"Blessed is she who believed, for there shall be a performance of those things
which were told her from the Lord." (Lk.1:45) Through the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, Mary also rightly interpreted Scripture concerning the Abrahamic
Covenant as fulfilled in her Divine Son (vs.54-55).
The Book of Acts tells us that the evangelist Philip had
four virgin daughters who were prophetesses. The early fourth-century historian
Eusebius writes that the family moved to Asia. In the epistle of Polycrates,
bishop of Ephesus, to Victor, bishop of Rome, we learn that "in Asia, also,
mighty luminaries have fallen asleep . . .Philip, one of the twelve apostles who
sleeps in Hierapolis, and his two aged virgin daughters. Another of his
daughters, who lived in the holy Spirit, rests at Ephesus." (Eusebius,
Book II, ch XXXI) Eusebius goes on to say, "But we must now show how Papias, coming to
them (at Hierapolis), received a wonderful account from the daughters of Philip. For he writes that in his time there was one raised from the dead." (Ibid, ch.
XXXIX)
Eusebius mentions this as part of Papias' credentials,
who "professes to have received the declarations of the apostles from those that
were in company with them. . . " Thus, the accounts Papias received from the
daughters of Philip, along with other trustworthy Christians who were likewise
acquainted with the apostles, were accepted as authoritative.
This account is significant because Papias was a
second-generation believer very highly regarded by the early church. A disciple
of John at Ephesus and link to the bishop and martyr Polycarp, Papias is our
earliest source for much post-apostolic tradition. Eusebius was the foremost
church historian of his age who documented both the New Testament and
sub-apostolic periods. The fact that Eusebius cites Papias' contact with the
daughters of Philip as proof in part of Papias' own credentials as a reliable
authority for early Christians shows the very high regard in which these
prophetesses were held.
That these women prophets were highly regarded by the
early church is evident from the writing of Apolinaris of Hierapolis, who in
refuting the claims of the ecstatic prophets Montanus and Maximilla, wrote, "But
the false prophet is carried away by a vehement ecstasy, accompanied by want of
all shame and fear. Beginning, indeed, with a designed ignorance and terminating
in involuntary madness. They will never be able to show that any of the Old or
any of the New Testament were thus violently agitated and carried away in
spirit. Neither will they be able to boast that Agabus or Judas or Silas or the
daughters of Philip or Ammias in Philadelphia or Quadratus or others that do not
belong to them ever acted in this way." (Eusebius Book V ch. XVII) Here,
Aplinaris points to the daughters of Philip as examples of true, Godly prophets.
REJECTION OF CHARISMATA AND THE RISE OF MONTANISM
Quite early in the church's history, Christians who
continued to exercise charismatic gifts including prophecy after the apostolic
age were considered to be heretics. With increasing persecutions against the
church, emphasis shifted from evangelism with signs following to courage and
witness under the tortures of martyrdom. Reverence for the apostles and prophets
who founded the church produced an attitude of humility which deterred people
from seeking to emulate their ministry themselves. The healing ministry
continued through the intercession of martyrs more than through living
believers; and with the formalization of the New Testament canon, the ministry
of prophets was seen as no longer needed. A growing church hierarchy had a
dampening effect on lay ministry. As the practice of charismatic gifts died out
in most churches, ecstatic prophets were viewed as too similar to pagan
prophets, with whom they were categorized.
During the latter part of the second century, a
Christian sect developed in Phrygia, led by one Montanus and two prophetesses,
Priscilla and Maximilla. Church historian Philip Schaff writes, "During the
bloody persecutions under the Antonines, which raged in Asia Minor and caused
the death of Polycarp AD155, all three went forth as prophets and reformers of
the Christian life, and proclaimed the near approach of the age of the Holy
Spirit and of the millennial reign in Pepuza, a small village of Phrygia, upon
which the new Jerusalem was to come down. Scenes took place similar to those
under the preaching of the first Quakers, and the glossolalia and prophesying in
the Irvingite congregations." (Philip Schaff, History of The Christian Church,
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1882-1910, vol 2, p. 414.)
The Montanists adhered to Catholic church doctrine but
called believers to a higher standard of holiness and to the practice of
prophetic gifts. They believed in preparing for the coming Judgment,
return of Christ and the millennial age by fasting and other ascetic practices,
terming themselves "spiritual" as opposed to "carnal" Christians. Montanist prophets
sometimes fell into trances and prophesied in the first person. These practices,
along with the fact that their leadership did not arise from the Catholic clergy
but from lay men and even women, brought criticism.
Philip Schaff wrote, "This brings us to another feature
of the Montanistic movement, the assertion of the universal priesthood of
Christians, even of females, against the special priesthood in the Catholic
church. Under this view, (Montanism) may be called a democratic reaction against
the clerical aristocracy, which from the time of Ignatius had more and more
monopolized all ministerial privileges and functions. The Montanists found the
true qualification and appointment for the office of teacher in direct endowment
by the Spirit of God, in distinction from outward ordination and episcopal
succession. They everywhere proposed the supernatural element and the free
motion of the Spirit against the mechanism of a fixed ecclesiastical order." (Schaff,
op. cit, p. 418). Catholic clerics denounced the Montantists as presumptuous and
assumed that their supernatural manifestations were demonic, not divine. Most of
them were excommunicated.
The theologian Tertullian, who became a Montanist at the
turn of the third century, wrote, ". . . we have among us now a sister who has
been granted gifts of revelations, which she experiences in church during the
Sunday services through ecstatic vision in the Spirit. . . And after the people
have been dismissed at the end of the service it is her custom to relate to us
what she has seen. . ." (Tertullian, De Anima, ix c.210)
The Montanist movement attracted a wide following in
Rome, Asia, Constantinople and North Africa and continued in the church to the
sixth century, when its rigors caused it to die out. Schaff writes, "But the
religious earnestness which animated it, its prophecies and visions, its
millennarianism, and the fanatical extremes into which it ran, have since
reappeared, under various names and forms, and in new combinations, in
Novatianism, Donatism, the spiritualism of the Franciscans, Anabaptism, the
Camisard enthusiasm, Puritanism, Quakerism, Quietism, Pietism, Second Adventism,
Irvingism, and so on, by way of protest and wholesome reaction against various
evils in the church." (Schaff, op. cit, p. 427) Many would include the
twentieth- century Pentecostal movement and its child, the charismatic movement,
with their emphasis on freedom in the Holy Spirit under the Lordship of Jesus
Christ, in this tradition.
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