# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1956_S559
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS 559

1 Cor. 14:34, where women are forbidden to speak in the churches,
and hence regard the latter passage as not written by Paul but
inserted by some later copyist. Others think that Paul in v. 4 is
either speaking hypothetically, assuming a case that actually did
not occur, or is not yet speaking out his real mind, reserving that
until his later chapter with its “absolute veto,” as it is there under-
stood by these interpreters. Still others suppose that Paul in
Ch. 11 is speaking not of public assemblies but of private gather-
ings or “family devotions.” But there is not a bit of evidence for
this assumption in the context. On the contrary, the whole section
from 11:2 to 14:40 pertains to public worship services (see, e.8.,
11:17 ff; disorders at the Lord’s Supper).

5. The solution of the problem seems fairly simple when one
recalls that the “‘gift of prophecy” was one of the remarkable
“spiritual gifts” spoken of in 1Cor.12:1-11 (see also Ch. 14). On
the precise nature of most of these phenomena we are largely in
ignorance. They are merely alluded to and were for the most
part abnormal and transitory. With regard to the “gift of
prophecy,” however, we are not in complete darkness. Both in
the Old Testament and in the New Testament the “prophet” was
one who “spoke forth” for God as God spoke to him (Num. 12:2)
and revealed His secrets (Amos 3:7). In 1 Cor. 14: 26-30 it is shown
that “prophecy” had its correlative, a “revelation,” a special act
of divine inspiration (cf. 1 Peter 1:12; Eph. 3:5). However much
prediction of the future may have constituted the content of
prophecy, this element did not exhaust or determine the concept.
In 1 Corinthians 14, prophecy is spoken of as a Spirit-given capa-
city for building up Christian character, quickening wills, and
encouraging spirits (v. 3), at times converting unbelievers by
unsealing the secret fountains of their inner life (v. 24f.).

Already the Old Testament had its “prophetesses,” like Miriam
(Ex. 15:20), Deborah (Judg. 4:4), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14). At the
vestibule of the New Testament there was Anna (Luke 2:36).
Later there were the four daughters of Philip (Acts 21:8, 9). And
we need not be surprised that in the church of Corinth, so signally
blessed by so many extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, the prophetic
gift was granted also to women (this seems to have been a rare
phenomenon also in Corinth, since the “prophesying woman” is
mentioned only in v.4f. and never again in the letter, not even in
v. 13, where the “praying woman” recurs). This was in literal
fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy quoted by Peter in his Pentecost
sermon (Acts 2:17).

In keeping with his own precept: “Do not quench the Spirit,
do not despise prophesying” (1 Thess. 5:19), Paul would not have