Women and Worship at Corinth: Paul’s Rhetorical Arguments in 1 Corinthians

Paul’s arguments in 1 Corinthians 11-14 - from the role of women in public worship, to the value of speaking in tongues and prophecy for the unbeliever - have long posed challenges to the lay reader and scholar. Despite numerous explanations offered over the years, these passages remain marked by inconsistencies, contradictions, and puzzles. Lucy Peppiatt offers an interpretation in which she proposes that Paul was in conversation with the Corinthian male leadership concerning their domineering, superior and selfish practices, which included coercing women to wear head coverings, lording it over the ‘have-nots’ at the Lord’s Supper, and ordering married women to keep quiet in church.

Peppiatt’s bold arguments not only bring internal coherence to the text, but also paint a picture of the apostle gripped by a vision for a new humanity ‘in the Lord’, resulting in his refusal to compromise with the traditional views of his own society. Instead, Paul tells the Corinthians to become more like Christ, to make ‘love’ their aim, and to restore dignity and honour to women, outsiders, and the poor.