Making sense of 1 Timothy 2:8-15: A Case for Women Eldership

                          Making sense of 1 Timothy 2:8-15: A Case for Women Eldership

1 Timothy 2:12 is the notorious one verse (just one) that places a restriction on women being Pastors. Never mind, the fact that the letter was only addressed to Ephesus. Furthermore, many critics have also used 1 Timothy 2:15 to guilt trip women into producing children. Because of these presuppositions, many Christians fail to read  the rest of the letter in its cultural context. They choose to read it through the lenses of the Puritans instead of the Greco-Roman culture.

 

In order to understand the context of 1 Timothy 2, we need to read 1 Timothy 1:3-10 and recognize that there were false teachers plaguing the church at that time. Other things to notice in 1 Timothy is that there are some dichotomies presented in the letter to help illuminate what is going on. Each time teaching is mentioned in 1 Timothy, it is between sound teaching versus false teaching. This dichotomy is also present between a quiet spirit versus a quarrelsome spirit (2:11, 3:11, 5:14, 6:4), widows versus young widows, and internally-focused people versus externally-focused people (2:9, 3:3, 5:6, 6:17-21).

 

 

In 1 Timothy 2, notice the theme of being quiet in verse 1 (Greek word eremos-tranquil), verse 11 (Greek word hesychia) , and  verse12 (Greek word hesychia). This contrasts both quarrelsome men (2:8) and quarrelsome women (2:11). It is even possible that these quarrelsome women and men fed off each other negatively. The Greek word hesychia is  also used  in Acts 22:2. It means to be silent in order to be receptive to sound teaching. See 1 Timothy 1:7; 5:13. This is crucial to know. The women were allowed to talk, but not allowed to discuss false doctrines and be quarrelsome towards the men of the assembly for not answering such questions at the meetings (compare to 1 Corinthians 14:35). Just the fact that salvation is possible, indicates that these woman were not false teachers, but women who were their victims. They have  been influenced by false teaching (2:15).  The common Greek words for silence are sige, siōpaō, šāqaṭ, and hesychia  refers to holding one's peace. It isn't strong language as "shut up." Those Greek words are usually associated with phimoo (to muzzle), epistomizō (to stop), and pauo (to cease). These stronger words are not used here in 1 Timothy 2.

 

The call to be saved by child bearing is a compressed term for pursuing sound teaching, doing good works, and managing the household. The "THEY" can be either the women of Ephesus or a husband and wife. Managing the household is not a gender specific job. Both men and women are called to do this in this text- men (3:4,3:12) and women (2:15,5:14).

 

 

 

In 1 Timothy 5, we have a dichotomy between widows and young widows. The children of the true widows were making excuses to not provide for their mothers. For the young widows, they took a pledge of celibacy. This consisted of being enrolled into the Ephesus' church support list in exchange for ministry work. However, some young widows chose to exploit the resources of the church for riches and then marry non-believing men (faithful men would have honored the vow). It was better to have never made that pledge in the first place (get married and have children) than to use up the limited resources of the church.

 

The women/deacon's wives/widows were called to profess godliness ( 1 Tim 3:5-6,4:7-8, 5:4, 6:3-6,6:11) with good works (2:10, 5:10,5:25,6:17), not riches and external influence (2:9, 5:6, 6:17-21). To do otherwise, you were being swayed by Satan (3:6-7, 5:15, 5:20). That means  in order to be saved from Satan you would have to pursue sound teaching, good works, and proper  household management. Sound teaching was always presented against the backdrop of false teaching in 1 and 2 Timothy. We never see any issue about gender restrictions with the rest of these two letters.

 

In 2:13-15 (see also 2 Corinthians 11:1-4), we see a reference to Eve. This is an illustration of being deceived. Adam was created first in order to prepare Eve as a covenant partner to help spread God's Law out to the nations. Unfortunately, Satan seduced Eve into disobedience. She has mishandled God's Law in Genesis 3:1-3 and brought back the deception to Adam, who represented her household. Likewise, the false teachers like the Serpent have improperly influenced the women/deacon wives at their house churches (3:11, 5:13). This resulted in them being unfit for teaching (1:7; 6:3-21). These women/deacon wives were bringing in b this false teaching into their church meetings. The women of Ephesus (not women in general)have become like Eve- an ill-equipped teacher of the Law. Because of this knowledge, it is easy for these women/deacon's wives to engage in quarreling (1 Tim 1:3-10; 6:3-10). The false teaching that I believe was circulating in Ephesus is mainly forbidding marriage, but it was not limited to just that erroneous doctrine (4:3).

 

 

The Greek word used for authority in 1 Timothy 2:12 is Authenteō. It is a very disputed word. A few of its meanings can be violence, seize, to be an author or originator of one's self and usurp one's authority, position, or rights. Interestingly, it is not the common Greek word used for authority, which is exousia (used over a 100 times in the New Testament). Immediately, this passage is suspect due to its various meanings. If one takes the KJV interpretation into account, to usurp authority. This doesn't mean men/husbands has an inherent spiritual authority over women/wives. By using exousia as a reference, authority can refer to a human right or privilege. See Hebrews 13:10, 1 Corinthians 11:10, and Revelation 22:14.

 

If authenteō is taken to mean originator, then 1 Tim 2:13-14 makes sense as well. This specific woman was claiming that Eve was born first and Adam came from her. This is incorrect, which warranted Paul's rebuke. His response to her would be to pursue sound teaching (4:16), good works (2:10, 5:10,5:25,6:17), and household management (women-5:4, 5:10,13-15; men-3:4,3:13; )

 

 

If one takes authenteō to mean to usurp authority, we understand that no one has the right to overtalk, be combative, or disruptive towards another person. Therefore, this situation in Ephesus may be a behavioral conduct issue, a doctrinal issue, or both. If this was a married woman who had a question about theology, she would have talked to her husband at home about it. See 1 Corinthians 14:35. If this was a single woman, she should have taken the man aside in a respectful manner like Priscilla with Apollos in Acts 18:26. Instead, she chose to make a scene and be disruptive.

 

 

1 Timothy 2:12 King James Version 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

 

1 Timothy 2:12-15 English Standard Version 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.15 Yet she will be SAVED through childbearing—if they CONTINUE in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

 

1 Timothy 4:16 English Standard Version 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. PERSIST in this, for by so doing you will SAVE both yourself and your hearers.

 

1 Timothy 5:5 English Standard Version 5 She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and CONTINUES in supplications and prayers night and day,

 

 

1 Timothy 4:1-3 English Standard Version  4 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

 

1 Timothy 5:13-15 English Standard Version 13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. 14 So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. 15 For some have already strayed after Satan.

 

1 Corinthians 14:35 English Standard Version 35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

 

 

Other conclusions to consider

• Why would Paul change his view several years later about women in ministry.
• Priscilla is the first name and woman listed in 2 Timothy 4:19 and the second woman after Phoebe in Romans 16:3. Order plays a big role in the Bible.
• One verse doctrines are a violation of the Analogy of Faith Principle. NEVER MAKE A DOCTRINE OUT OF ONE VERSE OR A VARIANT PASSAGE. Would you drive a car with one wheel? Or put your ceramic dish set on a one legged table? How much more the Word of God with one verse?
• The husband of one wife in 1 Timothy 3:12 is not literal, but an idiom. See the reverse version of the idiom applied to the widow in 1 Timothy 5:9. If taken literal, widowed or divorced men would not be able to be elders. Also, the NRSV and NIV has it translated as being married once and being faithful respectively. Furthermore, it is not surprising, in a patriarchal society, that the these qualifications would be written with a man in mind. They didn't use gender inclusive language at this time. We even see this even in modern day instruction/training manuals for professions that are primarily filled by men.
• Notice that nothing is mentioned about an elder's wife, only a deacon's wife. Due to the wives having qualifications, it appears that the deacons had their wives trained along side them for service. Whether an assistant or deaconess, the wives had similar qualifications to their husbands.

 

In conclusion, 1 Timothy 2 needs to be read in its entirety in order to understand 1 Timothy 2:8-15.With the context now considered, I offer my interpretation on the text for better clarity.

 

My clearer interpretation of the verse: I do not give the women/wives of Ephesus the right to teach/quarrel over the men/husbands of Ephesus because they have been deceived by false teachers, they have brought this false doctrine back home like Eve to Adam. They are unfit for teaching. If they (women of Ephesus or husband and wife)  pursue sound teaching in humility, good works, and manage their households, they will be saved from Satan.