Paul and Women: An Analysis of 1 Corinthians Reflecting Paul’s Contradictory Attitudes

Abstract

This article provides a contradictory depiction of Paul in respect to women, as evidenced in 1 Corinthians, an image in which he is simultaneously egalitarian and misogynist toward his female counterparts. The author offers a possible explanation of this inconsistency, rooted in a potential sentiment of envy toward women, which Paul and the men surrounding him may have shared as a result of Jesus’ rather democratic and glorifying treatment of women (as evidenced in some of the Gnostic literature).