Have we not the right to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
Read Chapter 9
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
To what right does he refer unless it be to the one which the Lord gave to those whom he sent to preach the kingdom of heaven when he said: “Eat what they have; for the laborer deserves his wages”? He offered himself as an exponent of this privilege. Very faithful women attended to the necessities of his life at their own expense.
When his identity has been established, he shows that the privileges granted to the other apostles are his also, namely, exemption from manual labor and livelihood in recompense for his preaching as the Lord appointed. This is stated most clearly according to the verses where St. Paul argues explicitly that faithful women, possessing the goods of this world, went along with the apostles and ministered to them from their own supplies that the servants of God might lack none of those commodities which constitute the necessities of life… Certain persons, not understanding this passage, have interpreted it as “wife.” The obscurity of the Greek word deceived them, since, in Greek, the same word is used for wife and woman. Yet the apostle has placed the words in such a way that people should not be deceived, since he says not merely “a woman” but “a sister woman,” and not “to take in marriage” but “to take about.”
The apostles concentrated on undistracted preaching and took their wives around as Christian sisters rather than as spouses, to be their fellow ministers to the women of the household, so that the gospel would reach them without causing scandal. .
Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles? The Greek is ảδελφὴν γυναξκα, which the Latin version turns mulierem sororem; and Beza, Peter Martyr, Vatablus, and Valle render sororem uxorem. They argue from this that Paul was married, urging that, though the Greek word stands both for woman and wife, yet here its meaning is fixed to the latter by the term "lead about." Men do not, they say, lead about sisters but wives.
They mistake: 1. Christ led about women, not as a husband might a wife, but as a teacher is accompanied by disciples and handmaidens, who see to his necessities. Cf. Luke 8:3.
2. It would be absurd to call a sister a wife, and the term sister would be superfluous.
3. The definite article is wanting in the Greek, which would be required if a certain woman, as, e.g, a wife, were designated.
4. It is evident from1Cor. vii8 that Paul was unmarried. This passage is explained at length is the sense I have given by Augustine...
It appears certain, from the testimony of the fathers, that St. Paul was not in the state of wedlock. St. Jerome informs us that the apostle is here speaking of such holy women who, according to the Jewish custom, supplied their teachers with the necessaries of life, as we see was done to Christ himself. It is evident from ancient records that this was a very prevalent custom in Judea, and therefore a cause of no scandal; but to the Gentiles this custom was unknown, and therefore lest it might prove a cause of scandal to any, St. Paul did not allow any woman to follow him as a companion. Tertullian denies, with St. Augustine and St. Jerome, that St. Paul is here speaking of his wife. (Estius; Calmet)
A woman, a sister. Some erroneous translators have corrupted this text, by rendering it, a sister, a wife; whereas it is certain, St. Paul had no wife, (chap. vii. ver. 7. 8.) and that he only speaks of such devout women, as according to the custom of the Jewish nation, waited upon the pr...
Thus it comes to pass that "all things are lawful, but not all are expedient "so long as (it remains true that) whoever has a "permission "granted is (thereby) tried, and is (consequently) judged during the process of trial in (the case of the particular) "permission. "Apostles, withal, had a "licence "to marry, and lead wives about (with them
