Just my opinion, but I wonder if Paul was trying to protect Christian women at that particular time. Women were suppressed, disregarded and abused and not considered to be on any equal level with men. I think perhaps the women were not used to this new-found freedom in Christ and were probably overly zealous to learn and understand. Liberty was all brand new to them. I can imagine they would be excitedly calling out questions or making bold statements aloud and pretty much disrupting the teaching. Maybe they were not yet qualified to teach because liberty and grace was so unfamiliar to them as yet.
After leaving a church where I was brainwashed with legalism, I sought counseling to help renew my mind. My therapist gave me a book regarding lies the legalistic church tells women. After reading it, I was angry. I was so offended that I had been spiritually limited by the traditional views that I had been taught to believe. In fact, my counselor warned me that I would probably become angry and he advised me to allow the Lord to help me work through the anger and forgive those who misrepresented the grace of God to me. But during the time of my healing, I was in no position to teach because my anger and disillusionment with the church was preventing me from seeing clearly. But God did heal me and I was able to forgive my former pastor and church leaders.
I am thinking maybe that was the case with these women in Paul's time. Do you think that might be possible?
Someone just pointed out to me that I had missed this question. I apologize, and also thank the member who brought this oversight to my attention.
While I think your observations would be more than valid in today's America, or even in some of the other Western countries, I'm not sure I would see that as having been a problem in ancient Judea. As I understand their culture, certain sects of Jewish men would not even engage their wives (let alone other women) in conversation while in public. And, I imagine at least a part of that "custom?" had to flow over into the whole of Judaism, thereby probably leading to very few, if any, women who would even consider making themselves a focal point of attention in society.
We have but to look at most of the culture of that area, even today, thousands of years later, to see much of the same attitude still going on, and fully accepted by both genders. The vocal Eastern women we see on TV as news casters or political figures might have actually been stoned back in those archaic days of patriarchal domination. Personally, I see Paul's admonishment directed more to the various followers of Jesus who, perhaps, may have been trying to follow Christ's example in treating women as equals.
It is irrational folly to elevate the Apostles to the status of perfection in their behavior, or even their understanding. They fought with one another, publically called each other out as being in error at times, were totally in the dark as to Jesus' true mission, often acted prejudicially, and in truth, were about as fallible as church leaders continue to be today.
So, though Paul may have been trying to protect women from themselves, I have my doubts. I think he was just being himself, often reflecting his upbringing and heritage.
Remember the Bible does NOT say all the things said in Scripture are correct... only that they are inspired, and that we can learn from them. Sometimes, the lessons learned may, perhaps, come from a negative, eye-opening viewpoint.... an example of excesses or misunderstandings to be avoided.
