It is necessary to distinguish between two ideas of equality, which are highly different in moral terms: the idea of equality for the elite, the formal but necessary basis of which are privileges, status, a code of honor, and other marks of distinction from the rest, and the idea of equality for all. The idea of equality is always based on the idea of being chosen. The chosen ones may be a narrow circle of the noble and called, or there may be a wide circle of persons who have the rights of citizenship, citizenship, belonging in the most general sense – to a people, country, tradition, culture. In any case, equality cannot be realized before the circle of persons to whom it will apply is outlined Christin E. Bøsterud, Women in the Bible: What can they teach us about gender equality?, 55 In die Skriflig / In Luce Verbi 1–9 (2021). The Bible states that the creation of woman and man demonstrates the basis of the unity and equality of people Gen. 2:21-23 (King James). However, the nature of this equality is rather unique. This paper examines the possibility of women serving in the army, as well as the possibility of their participation in hostilities from the point of view of biblical teaching. Many of the controversy caused by these questions implies that there is no single correct answer to this question in the Bible, and a deeper understanding of the Scriptures is needed.
It is widely believed that equality is identical with sameness concerning people, and although conformity occurs as a measure of equality, the main essence lies elsewhere. In New Testament times, women filled prophetic, priestly, and royal functions equally with men Acts 2:17-18, 21:9; 1 Peter 2:9-10; 1 Cor. 11:5; Rev. 1:6, 5:10 (King James). Thus, a few isolated passages of Scripture that seem to limit the woman’s redemptive freedom should not be construed in isolation. All the teachings of Scripture and the general context are just comprehended in the whole presentation. The performance of functions, exceptional leadership, in fact, is defined by the Bible not as the exercise of power over others, but as the empowerment to serve them Mat. 20:25-28, 23:8; Mark 10:42-45; Gal. 5:13; John 13:13-17 (King James). In fact, equal opportunity to serve others is at the heart of biblical equality. The performance of ministry functions can be completely different, but the Bible indicates that men and women can perform them equally.
A man is not the same as a woman, at least physically. However, in the family, fellowship, and churches, women are recognized and endowed with the same responsibility as men about, for example, the upbringing, preparation, and education of children Ex. 20:12-13; Col. 3:20 (King James). Service is often identified with love. The immensity of a husband’s love in marriage with his wife appears literally as a loss of measure – that category that the Greeks and the peoples who adopted their culture elevated to virtue, and which, by the way, is a necessary condition for equality Justus D. Doenecke, The Oxford Handbook of the Bible in America, 90(3) Anglican and Episcopal History 316-319 (2021). After all, equality is a particular case of the relationship of commensurate entities. Two entities may turn out to be equal, knowingly placed in one row, measured by one measure. If the measure is lost, it is impossible to compare the essences of the same series. Jesus himself repeatedly hinted at this problematic feature of the Kingdom of Heaven, preparing his disciples for it with teachings and parables. Among them are the parables about workers who received equal pay for unequal work or the parable about the steward who won favor with outright swindles, which disturb the ordinary moral consciousness.
Biblical principles of equality do not dictate the policy of appointing women to the army since women can serve the same way as men. On the other hand, hostilities result from any conflicts caused by a lack of love service to God Elisa Uusimäki, An intersectional perspective on female mobility in the Hebrew Bible, Vetus Testamentum 1–24 (2022). In this sense, military service is encouraged by the Bible, and it is often specified that only sons went into battle, and women met them from the war Gen. 14:14-15 (King James). Military action is contrary to the fundamental principles of biblical teaching, which preaches a pacifist point of view, but war is possible if the conflict is necessary for the common good. However, caring for the home and children are the core values of the Bible for women to keep the hearth while their husbands serve in the military.
It turns out that according to the principle of non-resistance, when the war is just and carried out for the sake of achieving the common good, and the woman is unmarried and not a mother, only in this case, according to the Bible, is it possible for a woman to be allowed to fight. A fair and preventive war is sometimes a forced necessity in the struggle against a great evil dictated by the service of God. For this decision, it is possible to involve parents and a pastor, who can also influence an unmarried woman who has chosen the role of an aggressor only to avoid more harm to the community. Consequently, the Bible imposes certain restrictions on the participation of women in combat while not violating equality in the service of God: some duties of women are higher than military duty, and marriage completely prohibits it.