The Elders and Deacons Committee Five Biblical Reasons: Part One

The Elders & Deacons Committee’s (EDC) Overture for male only eldership attempts to deal with the claim that scripture allows female elders. They present five reasons why this is not the case. I will look at all five. The first is below:

1. The Scriptures present a consistent pattern of male eldership and so teach, by their example, that elders are men: in the OT, both the Hebrew and the Greek translations consistently use the masculine forms of the word “elder” to refer to Israel’s elders (from Exod 3:16, 18 onwards), and several texts specify that elders were “men” (Num 11:16, 24–26; Deut 29:10; Judg 8:14; Ruth 4:2; 1 Kings 20:11 LXX; Ezek 8:11; cf. Exod 18:21, 25); in the NT: Jewish elders are always described using the masculine form of the word “elder,” and named Jewish elders are always men (Mark 14:53; Luke 23:30; John 3:1; Acts 5:34; 23:1, 6); further, the “elders” who hold office in the Church are always described using the masculine form of the word “elder” (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2, 4, 6, 22–23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18; 1 Tim 5:17, 19; Tit 1:5; Jas 5:14; 1 Pet 5:1, 5); by contrast, the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments never employ the feminine forms of the word “elder” for a person holding office, and provide no example of a woman holding the office of elder;

The EDC claim there is a “consistent pattern of male eldership” in scripture. The use of masculine terms in the Hebrew and Greek for the word “elder” are given as evidence. Before we look at the proof texts provided, we need to know how Hebrew and Greek grammar functions with the masculine.

For a Hebrew or Greek reader, when a group are referred to as masculine, it is usually assumed that the group includes male and female. This is called the ‘generic masculine’. There are ways in Hebrew and Greek of making it clear when a group is only male. We will look at all the passages provided, but the passages that speak of Jewish/Israel/town elders are less relevant. Elders of the NT church are the context of the discussion in PCNSW.

1 – Exodus 3:16 & 18 onwards:
In these verses the “Elders of Israel” is masculine but there is nothing in the passage to suggest that the group referred to is only male.

2 – Numbers 11:16 & 24-26:
In these verses “70 men of the Elders of the people” are referred to. We should not assume that all the elders of Israel were men.

3 – Deuteronomy 29:10:
Including the following verse this reference says,

“All of you are standing today in the presence of the Lord your God—your leaders and chief men, your elders and officials, and all the other men of Israel, together with your children and your wives, and the foreigners living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water.”

Where the text says “elders” it is masculine. There is nothing to indicate it is male only. We see generic masculine’s all through these two verses. The “leaders”, “chief men”, “elders”, “officials”, “men”, “children”, “foreigners”, “the one who cuts wood” and “the one who carries water” are all masculine. We assume that some who carried water were women, and some foreigners were women, and some children were girls, just as some elders were women.

4 – Judges 8:14:
This verse references “elder” using the masculine. At times Gideon seems to be talking to the ‘people’ of Sukkoth and other time the ‘men’, but both are the same generic masculine.

5 – Ruth 4:2:
In these verses Boaz takes “10 men of the elders”. “Elders” is masculine but there is nothing to suggest they are exclusively male.

6 – 1 Kings 20:11 LXX:
I am not sure why the EDC specified the LXX for this reference, but this verse in the Hebrew and the Greek LXX does not reference elders of either gender.

7 – Ezekiel 8:11:
This verse references “elders” in the masculine and highlights a situation of 70 men of the elders being chosen. There is nothing to indicate that all the elders from which the 70 are chosen are only male.

8 – Exodus 18:21-25:
These verses tell of Jethro’s advice to Moses to choose “men from all the people of Israel” to “rule”. It does not provide any reference to “elders”.

9 – Mark 14:53:
This verse references the Jewish elders using the masculine. As with the Hebrew, the Greek functions also with a generic masculine and there is nothing in the passage to specify male only elders.

10 – Luke 23:30:
There is no mention of elders in this verse.

11 – John 3:1:
This verse does not reference elders. It speaks of Nicodemus coming to Jesus and refers to him as an “archon” or ruler.

12 – Acts 5:34:
This verse references and speaks to Gamaliel as a Jewish teacher of the law. It does not mention ‘elders’.

13 – Acts 23:1 & 6:
Paul addresses the Sanhedrin in these verses. He addresses them as “men, brothers”. The term for “brothers” is consistently used through the NT as a reference to men and women. This is not the “elders” of Israel but rather a Jewish court of law.

The EDC also claims, “the “elders” who hold office in the Church are always described using the masculine form of the word “elder” (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2, 4, 6, 22–23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18; 1 Tim 5:17, 19; Tit 1:5; Jas 5:14; 1 Pet 5:1, 5);”  As we have learnt with the use of the generic masculine, the lack of the feminine form of the word elder does not mean that women elders are never included.

14 – Acts 11:30, 14:23, 15:2, 4, 6, 22-23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18:
All these verses from Acts reference “elders” in the masculine. They do not indicate any reason to limit the elders to only male. Just as in Acts 21:20 Jews are referenced as masculine, and we assume that this includes female Jews.

15 – 1 Timothy 5:17, 19 & Titus 1:5
These verses reference “elder/s” in the masculine but there is nothing in the context to suggest they are only male.

James 5:14:
This verse says, “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.” It is the masculine form of “elders” but there is nothing to indicate they are only male. Indeed, the sick person is only referenced as a singular male but we assume sick women can call the elders.

1 Peter 5:1, 5:
Both verses use “elder” in the masculine form but do not suggest they are only male. The first half of 1 Peter 5:5 says, “In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders.” The “you who are younger” is technically “young men”, but most translations understand this to include young women. We should do the same for the reference to “elders” in this verse.

If you would like to learn more about the generic masculine there is a good article here and another here!

The last part of this first section from the EDC concludes with, “the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments never employ the feminine forms of the word “elder” for a person holding office and provide no example of a woman holding the office of elder.”

The bible does employ the feminine form for “elder”, but the EDC assume it is not a reference to someone holding the office of elder. This is in Titus 2 just after the male form is used. The context of the preceding chapter is explicitly about those who hold the office of “elder” and the need for sound doctrine and sound elders. The next verses at the beginning of Titus 2 the EDC assume Paul is no longer talking about church elders, but rather old people. Perhaps Paul has switched topic but there is nothing to indicate this in the passage. Indeed, the things he urges the older men and women to do is consistent with what he expects of elders. He even instructs the ‘women elders’ to teach what is good. Paul does not limit their teaching to only women, or suggest their teaching is about how to be a good wife and mother.

The claim that the EDC make that “the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments never employ the feminine forms of the word “elder” for a person holding office” is contestable. There is no way of knowing with certainty that Titus 2 is not a reference to female elders. The EDC also claim that scriptures provide “no example of a woman holding the office of elder.” This is true but it is an argument from silence. Indeed, can the EDC name a single man in scripture who holds the biblical office of church elder? There are only two men named as elders in the NT church. Both Peter and John refer to themselves as elders, but not as elders of a particular local church. No women, and no men are ever named in Scripture as Elders of a NT church!

Scripture does give us examples of women in roles of significant spiritual oversight. Deborah was a prophet and a judge. She ruled Israel (Judges 4-5). Junia was a female apostle (Romans 16:7). The first people given the responsibility by Jesus to be messengers (apostles) of the news of his resurrection were women. They were given the responsibility of telling the men (John 20:28). Paul entrusted arguably his most important work with a woman to take and deliver to a church community (Romans 16:1-2). A woman with her husband took aside a teacher who knew his bible well, to instruct him more fully (Acts 18:26). There are some very clear patterns in scripture if we have eyes to see them. Men seek to rule over women, as God said they would (Genesis 3:16), but God continues to empower and give autonomy to women as a part of his redemptive plan.

In PART TWO we will look at the next of the five reasons given by the EDC where they claim that scripture has explicitly ruled that elders are to only be male.