Paul's Areopagus Address and the Gender Issue

You might be saying to yourself, “Why another post on the gender issue?”  Well, this is not the kind you have in mind, the kind that get you all bent out of shape.  Rather, this is about accuracy in translating.

Here’s the grind:  the Greek aner does mean both male and female at times.  I believe this can be successfully argued from Paul’s Areopagus Address.  Paul begins his address: ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, andres athenaioi.  I maintain that the vocative andres refers to both men and women here.

When Paul’s address comes to an end, we find a woman, gyne, coming to faith in Christ.  Yes, we also find andres, but this in no way negates its inclusive use.  Damaris like the women in 17:4 was only being singled out.

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. (Acts 17:22, emphasis added)

Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others. (Acts 17:34, emphasis added)

Here’s professor Bock’s take:

The summary of verse 34 refers to “men” (ἄνδρες, andres) joining and believing.  The inclusion of a woman in the list, however, shows that ἄνδρες can be used generically of humans… The contention that the word refers only to males here (Dionysius and others) because Damaris is designated a female (γυνὴ, gyne) fails to note that she is paced in the middle of this listing headed by the term ἄνδρες and that unnamed other are mentioned with Dionysius and Damaris in the same list.  These others thus belong to the group called ἄνδρες. (Acts, p. 572)

So did the TNIV get it right?  Yes, I believe it did.