Why So Many Submit Texts?
In my men’s group we’re up to the submission section in 1 Peter 2:13f
“Submit yourselves to every human authority for the sake of the Lord…” “House slaves submit in all fear to the despots, not only the good and gentle ones but also the crooked.” “Wives in the same way submitting yourselves to your own husbands…”
These texts and those like them: Romans 13, Titus 2, 3, 1 Timothy 6, Ephesians 5, Colossians 3. Why are there so many of these texts in the New Testament epistles?
I’ve never heard anyone address this question in a constructive way. Over much of my lifetime these passages have been criticized or idealized, dismissed or used as prooftexts. You simply can’t help but ask the question, why did the different authors of these letters ALL feel it necessary to comment on this point? They talk about a lot of other things but the commonality with which they approach this stands out to me.
Presumed Narrative of Maintaining Privilege
These passages are often dismissed as an attempt by privileged men to maintain their position of power, control and superiority over subservient classes: slaves, women, children.
OK, I can understand how we are tempted to read these passages in this way especially in terms of the cultural narratives of liberation that are popular but does this really hold historical water? How “privileged” WERE the authors of these letters? What was their social standing relative to the recipients of these letters? What advantage did sending this message offer to the authors of these letters and their social cohort?
We need to ask ourselves “how privileged were the authors of the epistles?” Continue reading →
