Are Women Called to Preach or Be Apostles?

Many times people have said to me that women are not allowed to teach based on scriptures, yet the Bible refers to women as leaders, prophets and even ministers. There were even women sages. How can this contradiction exist? Something in our understanding must be in error. The Bible can be confusing to read because it was not written in English and we have to rely on translators and that things are translated correctly. Concordances can be useful in determining what we really are reading.

The following passage does not speak against women teachers as one would think at first glance but speaks about a women usurping her husband's authority.

I Timothy 2:11-12

Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection, But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived in the transgression.

Now we read what the above scripture says, but what does it really say? When we look up the word woman in the Strong's Concordance we find that this use of "women" is Strong's number 1135, The definition of this use of woman is "wife." When we look up the word "man" we find that it is Strong's number 435, this use of man means "husband."

Now if we insert the correct use of the word woman and man the passage now reads as follows:

"Let the wife learn in silence with all subjection, But I suffer not a wife to teach, nor to usurp authority over the husband, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the wife being deceived in the transgression."