Some however see a difference between what they call `public' and `private' prayer,

reckoning `public prayer' to be of a formal nature, such as would take place in a church

or chapel, whilst `private prayer' belongs to gatherings in homes or similar `informal'

places. Before any comment is made on this concept, the reader might note again the

literal rendering of I Tim. 2: 8 as given by the Englishman's Greek N.T.:

Are we to distinguish between `public' and `private' prayer in the light of Paul's

"every place"? Also, can it really be maintained that the place where people are met for

prayer and the nature (formal or informal) of the meeting, makes any difference to the

principle behind Paul's word, `I will therefore the men to pray . . . . ."? Added to this it

may be noted that no `formal' church buildings existed at the period when Paul wrote,

believers meeting in each others houses (Rom. 16: 5; I Cor. 16: 19; Col. 4: 15;

Philemon 2); all meetings were, from that point of view, `informal'.

There is no end to the qualifications that some people make to get round plain

statements of Scriptures and find some loophole, whereby they can dodge the real issue.

Such qualifications are particularly appealed to where subjects like the teaching and

leading in prayer of women are concerned. Artificial divisions are invented (such as that

between `public' and `private' above) which obscure the real issue and blunt the

testimony of Scripture. But for those whose sole appeal is the Word itself, unadulterated

by popular conceptions, there can be but one course, to face the truth and keep it all costs.

In the passage under review (I Tim. 2: 8-15) Paul's injunctions concerning the

relationship of woman to leadership and teaching are based solidly upon O.T. Scripture

(verses 13, 14). His whole position acknowledges the God-ordained places of `male and

female' (13). He was wise enough to see that for a man or woman to step out of what

God had originally intended was to court tragedy (14); let all be done `decently and in

order'--God's "order". For that reason he instructed (with no contradiction from the

Holy Spirit) that the ministry of teaching the Word of truth belonged to "faithful men . . .

able to teach others also" (II Tim. 2: 2) and that overseership (even leading in prayer)

belonged also amongst men. Was he wrong? Can we treat his words as `personal views',

biased by the society in which he lived? No reader of these pages will need the answer to

such questions. Faithfulness must never be dispensed with in favour of usefulness.

It has been observed that Phebe (a woman) is referred to by Paul in Rom. 16: 1 as a

`deacon of the assembly in Cenchrea' (the A.V. has translated the Greek diakonos

`servant'). Diakonos (the verbal form is diakoneo, minister or serve) is used in the N.T.

of `servants' at a wedding feast (Matt. 22: 13; John 2: 5), of rulers (Rom. 13: 4), of

Paul and Apollos (I Cor. 3: 5), of Tychicus (Eph. 6: 21), of Epaphras (Col. 1: 7) and of

Timothy (I Thess. 3: 2 omitted by some texts). In particular it ought to be noted that the

word is used of Christ Himself: