[Greek] ὑποτάσσω (hypotassō), [Latin] subdare, [Latin] subicere, [French] soumettre, [French] obeir, [Latin] obtemperare, [Latin] humilitas: to be subject to, to submit, to be obedient, to bring under control, to put oneself under; 49 scriptures
Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body reflects on God’s design for the masculine and female bodies.
Background information:
Greek Hellenism: This term means to place under, to subordinate, to subdue, to be obedient, to underlie, and to put after.
Polybius’ Histories 3.36.7: The next is to arrange the several parts of the globe according to these points, and always to refer in thought, any place mentioned to one or other of them.”
Polybius’ Histories 3.13.8: “By a liberal treatment of the forces under his command, he established an excellent feeling toward himself in the army.”
Old Testament: This term means to subdue, to threaten, to subject, to keep under, to serve, to revere, to lay upon, and to conquer.
“The Lord God said: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper (with EQUAL dignity) suited to him.” Gen.2:18
A marital hierarchy was introduced at creation, where the husband was to lovingly exercise authority over his wife and the wife was to respectively submit to her husband. This order was designed by God!
[Hebrew] ezer neged (suitable helper): The Hebrew ezer means helper, frequently used for God as a helper to man. This term means EQUAL partner, not helper, servant, or inferior. The Hebrew neged means suitable. This term refers to a suitable rescuer or protector.
“To the woman [Eve] He said: I will intensify your toil in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Yet your urge shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Gen.3:16
The punishment of Adam and Eve from the garden serves only to reinforce the woman’s relationship with her husband. Hierarchy between the sexes comes from God’s creation order, NOT the fall.
New Testament: This term means to be obedient, to be subject, to submit, and to subject. Examples include: Jesus being obedient, demons/hostility being subject to God, creation subject to God, Israel not subject to righteousness, respecting higher authorities, women being subordinate, and marriage relationships. For purposes of brevity, I will focus on human relationships.
Rom.8:7: “For the concern of the flesh is hostility toward God; it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it.” (Holiness is more difficult to attain. Selfishness, disobedience, hostility, direct and indirect Satanic influences, and sin show themselves against God’s laws.)
Rom.10:3: “In Israel’s attempt to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.” (Israel does not recognize (submit itself) to Christ as the Messiah.)
1Cor.14:34: “Women should be kept silent in the Church, for they are not allowed to speak, but should be subordinate.” (It must be acknowledged there existed a patriarchal society in early Christianity. At this time, it was necessary for women to attend to women’s affairs.)
Eph.5:21-22: “Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.” (For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is head of the Church. The husband/wife relationship was modeled after Jesus [Groom]/Church [Bride] relationship.)
Eph.5:24: “As the Church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.” (Husbands are called to love their wives, even as Christ loved the Church as He handed Himself over to her. Husbands are also called to hand themselves over (even lay down their lives) for their wives.)
Jas.4:7: “So submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (Submission to God infuriates the devil. This becomes the greatest defense against Satan.)
1Pet.3:5: “For this is how holy women who hoped in God once used to adorn themselves and were subordinate to their husbands.” (A woman’s excessive adorning herself for her husband also becomes a form of subjection. Instead, one is called to cultivate one’s interior life, not one’s external appearance. This notion alludes to our society’s preoccupation [both sexes] with physical attractiveness. WOMEN AND GIRLS: GREAT COSMETIC ADVICE! ☺☺☺)
Husband and wife: The husband and wife each have an individual sub-mission (smaller mission) to serve each other and to be a gift to each other. The husband serves, protects, and cares (lays down his life) for his wife like Christ serves His Church. The wife serves (nurtures) her husband by allowing him to serve and care for her as the Church serves Christ. Each are called primarily to help bring their spouse into heaven.
Obedience: “Houston, how can we solve the problem?” Gender ideology and LGBTQ ideology
As a society we need to step back and understand that man and women are suited for each other. We must celebrate the complementarity and differences between man and woman. Man is more object-driven, while woman is more relationship-driven. (And that is a very good thing).
I submit to you: God knew exactly what He was doing in only creating the masculine and feminine! We must stop this “thinking we know best” attitude and submit to His wisdom.
From Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body:
What is a woman? (Feminine Genius): A woman is called to be a mother, sometimes in body, always in soul. A woman is called to be a gift to nourish and nurture life all around us, to encourage, affirm, teach, welcome and pay attention to every person God sends our way. A woman is complementary to the man.
What is a man? (Masculine Genius): A man is called to do (work), externalizing his surroundings. A man is called to be a gift, to care for and lay down his life for the other. A man is complementary to the woman.
How can we solve the problem? One must first acknowledge the reality that God created only two genders: male and female. One must understand the physical and psychological consequences of undermining, changing, blurring, and redefining gender. One must more fully understand the dangers and enormous moral consequences of acting like God in thinking “I know better than God as to what gender I should be.”
I think that each of one us could easily imagine Satan, hiding in the background, saying, “Many of you are really taking to heart these thoughts and ideas I am planting into your heads. Keep up the ‘good work’! I am on my way to undermining man (and woman’s) relationship with God.
Instead, one must have humility in understanding the magnitude and gravity of this existential problem!
Etymology: The Greek verb hypotasso means to obey, to place (-tasso) under (hypo-). The Latin verb subdare means to place under. The Latin verb subicere means to throw under. The French verb soumettre means to submit to. The Latin verb obtemperare means to obey: (to show restraint (-tempero) against (ob-).
Conclusion:
Subdue, subject, subjection, temper, temperate, humility, humiliation, submit, submission, obey
In the Old Testament, God creates a nurturing and supporting female partner who is sexually complimentary to her husband.
‘Names written in heaven’ refers to the symbolic reference to the list of God’s faithful people.
[Greek fun fact: The Greek verb kosmeo (to adorn) ==>cosmetic]
Update: Many of us do not realize that gender ideology is more than just “I can be any gender I can be”. This ideology seeks to upend and destroy God’s designs for the masculine and feminine gender. (Satan would be all in for this!)
Submitting to God’s will ensures happiness (since God know us better than we know ourselves). But we often don’t realize this! Doing whatever we want CANNOT always assure this happiness. Many are now regretting their earlier decision to transition.
Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body reflects on God’s design for the masculine and feminine body.
Many of us need to mindful of the consequences of “doing whatever we want” and “thinking we know better than God” about our gender.
Perhaps more and more women are realizing that there could be something behind this “trad-wife” phenomenon, not realizing that this practice has continued and succeeded for countless generations throughout history. Modern feminism has also warped and confused many women’s understanding about of gender roles in relationships. Prove me wrong!
And yet we now have modern feminism and sexual liberation advocating that women both despise men and to be like men (which is not attractive to men, duh!). Now many women find themselves alone “hitting the wall”. This has also caused men to “check out” (run away) in terms of relationships.
It is significant to note that the transgender and LGBTQ crowd at St. Patrick’s Cathedral refused to submit to any human decorum and decency. Instead, they deliberately exhibited sacrilege, profanity, and questionable moral character. Are you surprised that they acted this way? One wonders if this could have been “Satan-inspired”?
The Modernists evidently refuse to submit to Tradition or anything associated with traditional practices . Instead, they want to remake Jesus Church into a worldly synodal Church made in the image of man. The Synod of Synodalities seeks to share the clergy’s decision-making authority (about Church doctrine and practices) with the most poorly catechized laity in generations. What could ever possibly go wrong with this??
The Modernists are seeking to redefine the role of vocations regarding priests and deacons. The Modernists are succumbing to the worldly idea that vocations (priests and deacons) are job positions where women have a right to have. This reminds me of GK Chesterton’s famous quote,”We do not want a church that will move with the world. We want a church that will move the world.” Pope Francis’ papacy is moving the Church with the world!
“It is right to submit to a higher authority whenever a command of God would be violated.” St. Basil
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