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KEY Commentary Side Textual Bibliographic Scriptural
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But .ij. thinges are with out lawe / god and
necessite. Yf god to shew his power shall shede out his grace
moare
vppon youth then vppon age at a tyme / who shall
lett him? wemen be no mete vesseles
to rule or to preach (for both are forboden them)
yet hath god endoted
them with his spirite at sondrie tymes and shewed his
power
& goodnesse vppon them and wrought wonderfull thinges by them / because he wold not haue them dispised. We reade that
wemen
haue iudged all Israel and haue bene greate
prophetisses and haue done mightie deades. Yee and if stories be
true / wemen haue preached sens the openynge of the new
testament.
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Note [1531]
Wemen [1531]
16/29–30
wemen ...
preach. Cf. 1 Cor. 11.3, 9–10. A sidenote explains
that woman's head-covering is a sign that she is subjected to man
(Wallis 360; TNT 253). In spite of the prohibition against women's
preaching in 1 Tim. 2.11–12, Tyndale affirms that love of one's neighbor
allows women to preach and rule in cases of necessity , cf.
17/7–10, 178/1.
forboden] forbidden 1573
1 CORINTHIANS: 11.3.9–10:16/29–30
1 TIMOTHY: 2.11–12: 16/29–30
endoted] endowed 1573
17/2–5
wemen ... new
testament.
Tyndale does not name specific OT women
leaders but for Deborah, cf. Judg. 4–5; for Huldah, cf. 2 Kings 22.14, 2
Chron. 34.22. An outstanding example of female preaching in the NT is
Mary Magdalene's proclamation of Christ's resurrection to the apostles,
cf. Mark 16.11, John 20.18.
JUDGES: 4–5: 17/2–5
2 KINGS: 22.14: 17/2–5
2 CHRONICLES: 34.22: 17/2–5
MARK: 16.11: 17/2–5
JOHN: 20.18: 17/2–5
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Doo not oure wemen now christen and ministre the
sacrament of baptim in tyme of neade? Might they not by as good
reason preach also / if necessite required? If a woman were
dreuen in to some Ilande / where Christ was neuer preached /
might she there not
preach him / if she had the gyfte therto? Mighte she
not also baptise? And why might she not / by the same reason
ministre the sacramente of the body & bloude of Christe /
and teach them how to
chose officers & ministres? O pore wemen / how
despice ye them!
The viler the better welcome vnto you. An hore had ye
lever than an honeste wife. If only shauen & annoynted maye
doo these thinges / then Christe did them not ner any of his
apostles / ner any man in longe time after. For they vsed no
soch ceremonyes.
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now] 1573, nov [1531]
17/7
baptim. Tyndale
discusses the ceremonies connected with Baptism (19/3), and Baptism as a
sign of repentance (172/23–25). He gave a full exposition of the
traditional seven sacraments in Obedience; see
esp. "Baptim" (M1v–M2) and "Anoylynge" (O3–O4). He treats Baptism as a
promise to obey the Two Great Commandments (1 John A2), and as inward washing (Matthew b1, b2, k6v). Baptism also appears in A Brief Declaration of the Sacraments (A5v,
B5—B6v). For Baptism administered by women, cf. 17/10,
27/28–32,96/13–17.
17/11–12
ministre ... body
& bloude. Based on the needs of the neighbor, Tyndale argues that women can celebrate the
Eucharist
in an emergency, cf. 178/4. For More's
disagreement, cf. CWM 8/1.92/17–18 and 8/2.807/32–33. For a study of
Tyndale's protofeminism , see Donald Dean Smeeton, "Marriage,
Motherhood and Ministry: Women in the Dispute between Thomas More and
William Tyndale," Churchman 108.3 (1994)
197–212.
17/7–12
preach ...
Christe. Cf. CWM 8/1.190/31–36.
them!] ed., them? 1531, 1573
17/13–15
O pore . . .
wife. Cf. CWM 8/1.191/25–27. More renders Answer's "honeste wife" (17/15) as "good woman" (8/1.191/27).
In 16c English the two phrases are synonymous, but Tyndale's connotes
a married clergy.
17/15–17
If . . .
ceremonyes. Cf. CWM 8/1.193/29–32.
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Notwithstondinge though god be vnder no law &
necessite lawlesse : yet be we vnder a lawe & ought to
preferre the men before the wemen and age before youth / as nye
as we can. For it is agenst the lawe of nature that younge men
shul
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