God's Word to Women

GOD'S WORD TO WOMEN100 Bible Studies On Woman's Place in the Divine Economy

by Katharine Bushnell

God's Word to Women

by Katharine C Bushnell

Katharine C. Bushnell (1856-1946) was a courageous and gifted servant of God who modeled her life’s motto “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13). She was a physician, missionary, crusader, reformer, author and speaker as well as a brilliant and original scholar who spoke seven languages and was grounded in Greek and Hebrew. Bushnell left medicine to do what she considered the more important work of reforming conditions of human degradation through leadership in the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) of the 19th century women’s movement. The scriptural status of women was of intense concern to Bushnell who came to believe that mistranslations were responsible for the social and spiritual subjugation of women. She left the WCTU in 1896 to spend her remaining years writing and sharing the biblical truth of God’s original and unchanging intent of full equality for women.

God’s Word to Women by Katharine Bushnell is a groundbreaking study that carefully examines every scripture relating to women. Jessie Penn Lewis said that the material opened up the Scriptures in a way that can only be described as containing a revelation direct from God. For many today, it is the book that set them free to be what God has called them to be and to do the work that the Holy Spirit has placed in their hearts.
While in China as a medical missionary, Bushnell discovered that the Chinese Bible was mistranslated to support cultural prejudice against the ministry of women. She wondered whether the same male bias might prejudice English translations as well and renewed her study of Hebrew and Greek. Later, while traveling throughout the world for the WCTU, she made good use of hours spent on trains, boats and in rooms where she was staying to carefully compare biblical translations with the Word as found in the original languages.
Through experience and study, the Lord was preparing Bushnell to write God’s Word to Women. Begun in 1908 as a correspondence course, it was first published privately by Bushnell. Despite positive early reaction, the book soon disappeared; and Bushnell died believing that her life had made little impact. God knew better! The book was rediscovered and continues to be republished by those who see its priceless value. Today it is finally receiving well-deserved recognition as a foundational reference for those working on the cutting edge of biblical equality for women.

FOREWORD TO THE 2005 EDITION

To God be the glory for the measure of revelation given to Katharine Bushnell, faithful to the truth she has proclaimed about what God intended in His original plan for women. Through Katharine’s zeal, His beauty has come forth out of ashes into the lives of many.

What a blessing to see what God has done to preserve this book—initially through Ray Munson, a pastor who acknowledged his indebtedness to the body of Christ for the reprinting of the book. Then, through Bernice Menold and Cosette Jolliff, who actually participated in a couple of reprints with Ray Munson, followed by Christians for Biblical Equality, the book continued to be kept in print. Now, three of us, Pat Joyce, Barbara Collins and Gay Anderson are keeping Bushnell’s legacy alive and are humbled that our Lord has called us for such a time as this--in the reprinting of God’s Word to Women.

In the decision to reprint and reformat, the size was increased and the font was changed for easier reading. Also, a timeline of the life of Katharine Bushnell was added at the end of the book. Since the Holy Spirit has been carefully watching this book’s safekeeping, He will surely continue to preserve it until it fulfills the purpose for which it was intended.

“The Lord gives the word (of power); the women who bear and publish (the news) are a great host.” Psalm 68:11, Amplified.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

"Dost thou desire to study to advantage? Consult God more than books, and ask Him humbly to make thee understand what thou readest. Go from time to time to be refreshed at the feet of Christ, under His Cross. Some moments of repose there give fresh vigor and new light: interrupt thy study by short but fervent supplications."

This is a Study Book, yet it has been our hope to make the book equally interesting for mere reading.

Having been planned as a Study Book, paragraphs are to be paid attention to, not pages; it is indexed at the back on this plan. Those who do not know Hebrew and Greek, and yet wish to test its every point, will find much help in doing this in Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible, especially in editions from the seventh onward, because of the valuable Index-Lexicons at the end of the volume, informing the student of the number of times any certain Greek or Hebrew word occurs in the Bible and of all its various translations.

Some years ago, Mrs. Alexander Whyte, wife of the late Principal Whyte of New College, Edinburgh, Scotland, became interested in the Lessons, and appealed to Dr. Rendel Harris for an opinion of them from his point of scholarship, or of some other able critic. Dr. Harris referred Mrs. Whyte to Dr. A. Mingana, Professor of Arabic at Manchester University, England, and Curator of Oriental Manuscripts in the John Rylands Library, which contains a wealth of such matter.

Dr. Mingana has read carefully through the Lessons of the book, and given me the benefit of his criticisms, which, for the most part, are very encouraging. In issuing this second edition, it has seemed well to add in footnotes the substance of his comments. I have not a personal acquaintance with this most obliging and helpful gentleman, but I hope that he will, as well as Mrs. Whyte, accept this acknowledgment of valuable help as the best return I am able at present to make. I understand that Dr. Mingana's name is one that stands high in rank among philologists and Orientalists. He is a voluminous writer for theological and other journals, and the author of a Syriac Grammar; of two volumes on Syriac Sources; a volume on The Ancient Koran; two volumes on The Odes and Psalms of Solomon; a work on Early Judeo-Christian Documents in the John Rylands Library, and of several other books.

While we in no wise question the authority and inviolability of the original text of the Bible, we hold that the present English translation of Genesis 3:16, "Thy desire shall be to thy husband," is erroneous, and proved incorrect by the ancient versions. Therefore the interpretation of St. Paul's rules regarding the conduct and treatment of women, since based on the erroneous translation, is incorrect.

A few persons will, of course, resign a measure of faith unless the traditional interpretation is left undisturbed. This cannot be helped. We must continually improve in our understanding of God's will, and this necessitates a continual improvement in our interpretation of God's Word. So the question is, --Shall the Church change its present treatment of women, or its interpretation of St. Paul? Its present course of inconsistency, in teaching Paul one way, and treating women in a more honoring way, is mischievous:

(1) The Church itself, thereby, sets an example of defiance of the authority of the Bible.

(2) To explain Paul by apologizing for Paul's faulty rabbinical logic involves the expositor in an attack on the inspiration of the Bible (see Lesson 46).

(3) If women must suffer domestic, legislative and ecclesiastical disabilities because Eve sinned, then must the Church harbor the appalling doctrine that Christ did not atone for all sin, because so long as the Church maintains these disabilities, the inevitable conclusion in the average mind will be the same as Tertullian's,—"God's verdict on the sex still holds good, and the sex's guilt must still hold also."

(4) At no point is faith in the entire Bible being so viciously and successfully attacked today as at the point of the "woman question," and the Church so far attempts no defense here of her children. It assumes that the interests of merely a few ambitious women are involved, whereas the very fundamentals of our faith are at stake.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Lesson / Paragraph / Page
1 / Fundamental / 1-8 / 1
2 / Textual Criticism, Lawful and Unlawful / 9-17 / 4
3 / Facts and Fables / 18-26 / 8
4 / The Beginning of Evil / 27-35 / 11
5 / The Fable of the Rib / 36-44 / 14
6 / God's Law of Marriage Gen. 2:24) / 45-49 / 17
7 / God's Law of Marriage (Concluded) / 50-56 / 21
8 / The Early Dignity of Woman / 57-64 / 24
9 / Eve's Choice, and Adam's (Gen. Chapt. 3) / 65-74 / 28
10 / Eve Becomes a Believer / 75-81 / 32
11 / Eve and her traducers / 82-89 / 35
12 / Bible Instruction as to Adam's and Eve's Conduct / 90-97 / 39
13 / Did God Curse Woman? / 98-106 / 43
14 / The False Interpretation Gen. 3:16) / 107-113 / 46
15 / Satan's Lying in Wait / 114-121 / 50
16 / God's Warning to Eve / 122-129 / 54
17 / The Ancient Renderings of' Teshuqa / 130-137 / 57
18 / History of the Translation of Teshuqa / 138-144 / 61
19 / Review With Chart / 145 / 65
20 / Unisubjugated Wives / 146-154 / 66
21 / A Split in the First Family.. / 155-162 / 70
22 / First Sins and Their Fruits / 163-171 / 74
23 / Sweeping Conclusions from Small Premises (Num. 30:6-15) / 172-180 / 77
24 / Sweeping Conclusions from Small Premises (Concluded) / 181-188 / 81
25 / Shall Women Keep Silence? / 189-196 / 84
26 / Shall Women Keep Silence? (I Cor. 14:34) / 197-202 / 88
27 / Shall Women Keep Silence? (Continued) / 203-208 / 91
28 / Shall Women Keep Silence? (Concluded) / 209-215 / 95
29 / The Sophistry of the Veil / 216-223 / 98
30 / The Sophistry of the Veil (Continued) / 224-232 / 102
31 / The Sophistry of the Veil (Concluded) / 233-239 / 106
32 / Paul's Real Teaching as to Veiling / 240-244 / 110
33 / Paul's Real Teaching as to Veiling (Concluded) / 245-250 / 113
34 / How Did "Power" Become "A Veil? / 251-261 / 117
35 / How Did "Power" Become "A Veil?" (Concluded) / 262-270 / 121
36 / Headship in the Old Testament / 271-281 / 124
37 / Headship in the New Testament / 282-291 / 128
38 / What does "Subjection" Mean? / 292-299 / 132
39 / Must Women Obey? 300-305 136 / 200-205 / 136
40 / Paul's Words to Timothy about Women (I Tim. 2:8-15) / 306-312 / 140
41 / Historical Light on Paul's Words to Timothy / 313-320 / 143
42 / Historical Light on Paul's Words to Timothy (Concluded) / 321-326 / 147
43 / Paul's Words to Timothy Explained / 327-333 / 151
44 / Paul's Words to Timothy Explained (Continued) / 334-339 / 154
45 / Paul's Words to Timothy Explained (Concluded) / 340-345 / 158
46 / Needless Apologies for Paul's Logic / 346-353 / 162
47 / Concluding Remarks on the Headship of the Husband (Eph. 5:21-33) / 354-362 / 166
48 / "Divers Weights and Measures / 363-370 / 169
49 / Our Faith Must Repose in the Original Text / 371-377 / 173
50 / Lessons in Humility / 378-386 / 177
51 / Lessons in Humility (Concluded) / 387-395 / 180
52 / What is Meekness? / 396-404 / 183
53 / Meekness and Humility for Women / 405-414 / 187
54 / The Newly-Discovered Chapter in Woman's History / 415-423 / 191
55 / Endogamy and Exogamy / 424-432 / 194
56 / The Origin of Exogamy / 433-439 / 198
57 / The Real Cause of Exogamy / 440-447 / 201
58 / Further Proof of Woman's Early Dignity / 448-456 / 205
59 / Further Proof of Woman's Early Dignity (Concluded) / 457-464 / 209
60 / More About Woman in the Earliest Ages / 465-473 / 212
61 / Kinship Reckoned Through Women / 474-482 / 216
62 / The Transition to Male Kinship / 483-491 / 220
63 / "Who Shall Declare His Generation?" / 492-500 / 223
64 / The Most Certain Event in Human History / 501-509 / 227
65 / The Virgin Birth / 510-518 / 231
66 / The Founding of a Christian Family / 519-527 / 234
67 / The Founding of a Christian Family (Continued) / 528-536 / 237
68 / The Founding of a Christian Family (Continued) / 537-543 / 241
69 / The Founding of a Christian Family (Concluded) / 544-552 / 245
70 / Isaac and Rebekah / 553-561 / 249
71 / The Mosaic legislation was not Ideal / 562-571 / 252
72 / The Mosaic Statutes and Women / 572-580 / 255
73 / The Mosaic Statutes and Women (Concluded) / 581-588 / 259
74 / The Old Testament and Polygamy / 589-598 / 262
75 / The Old -Testment and Polygamy (Concluded) / 599-606 / 266
76 / Women of Old, and of Consequence / 607-615 / 269
77 / Sex Bias Influences Translators / 616-622 / 273
78 / Sex Bias Influences Translators (Continued) / 623-633 / 277
79 / Sex Bias Influences Translators (Concluded) / 634-644 / 281
80 / "Blessed be Jael" / 645-653 / 285
81 / "No Word of God is Void of Power" / 654-662 / 288
82 / "No Word of God is Void of Power" (Concluded) / 663-673 / 292
83 / The Pericope de Adultera (John 8:1-11) / 674-681 / 295
84 / The Authenticity of the Pericope / 682-690 / 299
85 / "Ragged Ends" / 691-698 / 303
86 / "Can Not" for "Do Not" (Matth. 19:11) / 699-707 / 307
87 / Advice for Emergency (I Cor. Chapt. 7) / 708-714 / 310
88 / Women Prophets of the Old Testament / 715-722 / 314
89 / Women May Preach / 723-731 / 317
90 / Women Must Preach / 732-741 / 321
91 / Women Were Witnesses Too / 742-751 / 325
92 / Women Were Witnesses Too (Concluded) / 752-760 / 329
93 / Preparing Women Witnesses / 761-769 / 333
94 / The Anointing of Women Witnesses / 770-777 / 346
95 / Woman's Great Destiny / 778-788 / 340
96 / Another Anointing of Women / 789-798 / 343
97 / The Nature of Scripture Prediction / 799-809 / 347
98 / The "Great Sign" / 810-818 / 351
99 / Who is " The Woman?" / 819-828 / 354
100 / A Birthright or a Mess of Pottage? / 829-839 / 358

God’s Word To Women