The Biblical Role of the Pastor's wife - South African Theological ...

other wives with the congregation as well as wives belong to elders or those
higher up in the leadership of the church.
MacDonald (1995) does not lend himself to the interpretation of the
passage as specific to the wife of a deacon but to a woman in service to the
church. With further investigation into the text, the Greek term translated
“wives” literally means “any adult female”, married or unmarried. Danker et al.
(2000) suggest that the Greek word gunē can be translated as either woman
or wife and within the context of 1 Timothy 3 they favour rendering it as wives
because the discussion revolves around the responsibilities of male deacons.
Therefore the male deacons were also responsible to have “wives whose
dress, conduct and speech are exemplary and befitting their position as wives
of deacons.” The most common translation would be that of wife but it is not
limited to such as the phrase does not include a modifier (Schreiner,
1991:214). Lewis␣ (1979:169) offers that the conjunction translated, “in the
same way” in the NIV or “likewise” in the NASB, distinguishes a new and
distinct group being discussed. Schreiner (1991:505) suggests that Paul was
referring to female deacons as he omits any moral qualifications specific to
wives of elders. Schreiner holds to the fact that women cannot be elders but
offers evidence that women functioned as deacons within the church. Some
scholars (Schreiner 1991, Madigan 2005, Lewis 1979) and churches have
agreed to this interpretation thereby justifying the appointment of female
deacons. However, there is no determined consensus.
It is most probable that the reference to woman in 1 Timothy 3:11 is not
limited to the wife of a deacon (Vine, 1996). Many scholars have pointed out
the notation to Phoebe in Romans 16:1, a servant (diakonos), identifies the
concept and acknowledges the appointment of female deacons. Fitzmyer
(2004:592) concurs; he states that no possessive pronoun is found in the
original Greek and therefore wives cannot be the correct interpretation. The
author of 1 Timothy is clearly discussing those who have responsible roles to
play within the church. The phrase (hōsautos) translated likewise or in the
same manner is also scrutinised. The use of this adverb suggests the author
is presenting a new group within the list of offices, but not necessarily a new
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