Biblical Positions Regarding ‘women’ in I Timothy 3:11

1. The Greek term ‘Gunaika"’ (Gynaikas) simply means ‘women’.

2. Evidence supporting a reference to women who are deacons:

oooooooa. The Greek word used for deacon can be masculine or feminine and is oooooooooinconclusive.
ooooooob. The possessive pronoun ‘their’ never appears which would have made oooooooooa reference to wives clear.
oooooooc. A separate list of qualifications for deacons wives seems out of place ooooooooowhen no such list exists for elders’ wives which one would think even ooooooooomore important.
oooooood. In Romans 16:1 Phoebe is called a ‘diakonos’ (‘servant’ or possibly ooooooooo‘deacon’).
oooooooe. ‘Likewise’ may indicate that Paul is beginning a new category of oooooooooservant-officers.
ooooooof. Their qualifications parallel those of male deacons.

3. Evidence supporting a reference to women whose husbands are deacons:

oooooooa. If Paul meant women deacons, then why did he use ‘women’ instead of oooooooooplacing a feminine ending on ‘deacon’ in v. 11?
ooooooob. ‘Deacon’ in Romans 16:1 of Phoebe could easily mean simply ‘servant’.
oooooooc. If women could be deacons, why the need for a distinct address to ooooooooowomen at all? Yet no unique qualifications or duties for women are ooooooooogiven. Why does Paul note qualifications similar to those for male ooooooooodeacons if the only difference is their sex?
oooooood. The introduction of a new category in the middle of the discussion of ooooooooomale deacons seems ill placed if Paul is shifting categories to ooooooooodeaconesses.
oooooooe. The first conclusive evidence of female deacons in office in a church ooooooooodoes not occur until AD 230 and even then a sharp distinction was made ooooooooobetween male and female deacon roles, yet Paul makes no role ooooooooodistinction in v. 11.
ooooooof. In the context it makes sense that the wives of deacons would need to ooooooooodisplay impeccable character since they would likely join their ooooooooohusbands in practical service to the needy, whereas elder’s wives were ooooooooonot expected to share their husbands’ ministries of teaching and oooooooooexercising authority.
ooooooog. Many of the best modern Bible translations translate ‘Gunaika"’ as ooooooooo‘wives’ not ‘female deacons’ or ‘deaconnesses’.
oooooooh. Acts 6:3, upon which the later diaconate was likely based, reads ooooooooo“Brothers, choose seven men from among you….”
oooooooi. The term ‘deacons’ does not occur in v. 11 but is self-consciously stated oooooooooin the male qualification lists before and after this verse. Had Paul been oooooooooreferring to deacons in v. 11, that is what he would have called them.
oooooooj. Paul, who was careful concerning sexual relationships (e.g. 2:9, 5:11, 15), ooooooooowould have more likely referred to the deacons’ wives as their oooooooooassistants rather than women in general.
oooooook. Since a woman’s marital status and faithfulness was so important in oooooooooPaul’s evaluation of women in 5:9, it seems strange that he would ooooooooodiscuss the character qualities of women in general (whether for ooooooooodeaconesses or assistants) in I Timothy 3:11 without including such an oooooooooimportant element of their lives. Wives of deacons would need no such ooooooooonote.
oooooool. Paul’s placement of ‘women’ in the midst of male deacon qualifications ooooooooomakes the most sense if he is referring to their wives’ maturity, an oooooooooimportant qualification in its own right.
ooooooom. The lack of a possessive or definite article (‘their’) with wives means ooooooooolittle in light of Paul’s writing style throughout the section which oooooooooconsistently lacks possessive/definite articles where one would expect ooooooooothem (deacons – vv. 8 & 12, children – vv. 4 & 12, wife – vv. 2 & 12).

4. Evidence supporting a reference to women who assist deacons:

oooooooa. The generic term ‘women’ best labels female servants who lacked the oooooooooclearer titles ‘wives’ or ‘deaconesses’.
ooooooob. This designation eliminates the risk of violating the command for women ooooooooonot to exercise authority over men in 2:12.
oooooooc. Paul’s address to them fits the context of deacon qualifications due to oooooooootheir close association with male deacons.
oooooood. Female assistants are required for sensitive ministry to women in need.