Posted on 04/22/2023 9:42:46 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
I used to believe that 1 Timothy 2:12 teaches: “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man.” But taking this as a universal prohibition ignores that this letter addresses a specific local problem of false teachers deceiving women and that this passage has only one imperative, “let the women learn” (1 Timothy 2:11). Furthermore, the translation, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man,” is dubious for four reasons.
First, the Greek word the old NIV translated “to have authority, authentein, is best translated “to seize authority.” This word’s first occurrence clearly meaning “exercise authority” is three centuries later, circa AD 370, in Saint Basil, The Letters 69, line 45: “he [the bishop of Rome] may himself exercise full authority [authentēsai] in this matter, selecting men capable of enduring the hardships of a journey” ̣(Loeb Classical Library Saint Basil 2:40–43). The New Testament uses a different word for “exercise authority,” exousiazō. In Paul’s day authentein could mean either “to dominate” or, more commonly, twenty-one times, “to assume authority by seizing it.”
The King James translation, “usurp authority,” is, therefore, more accurate. The standard New Testament Dictionary defines this word “to assume a stance of independent authority.” The 2011 NIV corrected its translation to: “to assume authority.”
Second, Paul typically uses the conjunction that links “to teach” with “to seize authority” to convey a single idea. My “1 Tim 2.12 and the Use of οὐδέ [oude] to Combine Two Elements to Express a Single Idea,” NTS 54 (2008): 235–53 examines every use of oude by Paul. My “Οὐδέ [Oude] Combining Two Elements to Convey a Single Idea and 1 Timothy 2:12,” in Missing Voices: Broadening the Discussion on Men, Women, and Ministry, ed. Hilary Ritchie (Minneapolis: CBE International, 2014), 24–34 answers objections and illustrates this use of oude to combine two elements that contrast with something else introduced by alla. Consequently, Paul prohibits only women from seizing authority to teach. This does not restrict teaching by women with recognized authority. Indeed, Paul greets Priscilla, who instructed Apollos in this same city, in 2 Timothy 4:19.
Third, “I do not permit” is a misleading translation because this verb in Greek normally refers to something limited in time, not permanent. Furthermore, its grammatical form here rarely conveys a permanent prohibition. It usually focuses on presently ongoing permission or prohibition, so should be translated, “I am not permitting,” referring to the ongoing crisis of false teaching in Ephesus, not to a universal prohibition.
Fourth, if this verse permanently prohibits women from teaching, it contradicts the Bible’s many affirmations of women teaching.
God revealed even key portions of inspired Scripture through women, including the songs of Miriam (Exodus 15:21) and Deborah (Judges 5:2–31), Hannah’s prayer (1 Samuel 2:1–10), Abigail’s prophecy (1 Samuel 25:24–31), the “inspired utterance” of King Lemuel’s mother (Proverbs 31, see verse 1), Elizabeth’s blessing (Luke 1:25, 42–45), and Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1: 46–55), the first Christian exposition of Scripture.
Thus, 1 Timothy 2:12 addresses a specific problem of deceived women in the church in Ephesus conveying false doctrine. It prohibits women in that church from seizing authority to teach a man. Women teaching with recognized teaching authority, like Priscilla, would not be seizing authority. Paul does not prohibit women everywhere or at all times from teaching or having authority over men.
1 Timothy 2:13–15 explains Paul’s restriction:
13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve was formed. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman, being thoroughly deceived, fell into transgression. 15 But anyone will be saved through the birth of Jesus if they continue in faith, love and holiness with self-control.
Since woman was formed from man, she should respect man as her source, just as 1 Corinthians 11:3, 8 and 12 explain.
“Then Eve” is the first affirmation that God “formed” woman. This implies the equality of men and women.
If Adam heard the serpent’s words and believed them, he, too, was deceived. Nothing in Genesis says that Adam heard the serpent’s words. Adam “was with her” specifically at the tree (Genesis 3:6). His sin was direct disobedience.
“The woman who was thoroughly deceived [exapatētheisa, passive]” implies that the serpent, Satan, deceived her.
Neither “will be saved” nor “if they continue” is feminine, nor does either have a feminine pronoun as subject. Everything in this sentence applies equally well to all believers. “Anyone” likewise fits the shift from singular (“anyone will be saved”) to plural (“if they continue”).
“Save” (sōzō) in Paul’s letters always regards spiritual salvation, e.g. 1 Corinthians 15:2. “Save” fits the following conditions: “If they continue in faith, love and holiness.”
All three occurrences of “childbirth” in Greek literature prior to Paul refer to the birth of a child, none to the process of childbearing. “The childbirth” has an article. Fifty-five of the sixty-one articles in 1 Timothy are clearly individualizing. Only one is clearly generic. What childbirth saves? 1 Timothy 1:15 states, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1:15) and 3:16 affirms, “He appeared in the flesh.”
The problem with using 1 Timothy 2:12 to prohibit women from teaching or having authority over men isn’t just that it doesn’t clearly teach this. The crucial problem with excluding women from teaching and from having authority over men is that so many foundational principles of the Bible directly oppose this, including each of the following theological axioms from Paul that man and woman are equally:
Mutual submission in the church entails the equality of men and women, as does
The Spirit gifts all believers for ministry.
The nature of church leadership as service applies equally to men and women.
Paul introduces his conclusion to how men and women should lead worship in prayer and prophecy in 1 Corinthians 11:11 with the word he consistently uses for “breaking off a discussion and emphasizing what is important” (BDAG 826); “to single out the main point ” (A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research [Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1934], 1187, citing Blass); “to conclude a discussion and emphasize that is essential” (BDF§449 p. 234). Consequently, 1 Corinthians 11:11 teaches specifically regarding leadership in worship: “The important point, however, is that woman is not separate from man, nor is man separate from woman in the Lord.” Galatians 3:28 similarly affirms, “there is no male-female division in Christ.” Paul’s wording and parallel passages show that this describes the church. He had just rebuked Peter for withdrawing from table fellowship with gentiles as contrary to the gospel. To prohibit all women from teaching and from having authority over men is surely even more contrary to the gospel and to our unity in Christ.
Philip B. Payne (Ph.D. The University of Cambridge) has taught New Testament in colleges of the University of Cambridge and has been a Visiting Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Theological Seminary, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Bethel Seminary, and Fuller Theological Seminary. He is well known for seminal articles on the parables of Jesus, women in the teachings of Paul, textual criticism, and Codex Vaticanus. His books include Man and Woman, One in Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Paul’s Letters, Why Can’t Women Do That? Breaking Down the Reasons Churches Put Men in Charge, and (forthcoming April 4, 2023) The Bible vs. Biblical Womanhood: How God’s Word Consistently Affirms Gender Equality. He founded Linguist’s Software, which provides fonts and input systems for over 2600 languages, including the fonts used to publish the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece 28th edition, the UBS The Greek New Testament, and HALOT (The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament). He and his wife Nancy were missionaries in Japan. Their three children and six grandchildren all love the Lord.
What twisting of scripture. Its all in the context of church worship.
Scripture is consistent. We have no female priests. No female apostles. Women are to submit to their husbands. Etc. quit torturing the plain text.
And I’m female.
1 Timothy 2:12-15 is one of the most abused, tortured, read out of context, manipulated sound-bite portions of GOD’s precious WORD that has ever led the church away from keeping first things first.
Tribes that write off half of all believers based on a context-free interpretation of this passage (and willfully ignoring the whole rest of the Sacred Book) are not edifying the body. And tribes that do not edify the body as well as carry out their “kingly priest” role are engaging in heresy.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Thank you. Heresy is running rampant. Yeah, let’s twist scripture to be more feminist and inclusive. God just didn’t understand modern society.
Oh, and I guess I should add that I’m a male.
Look around! Considering the Greatest Awakening, restoration, and billion-soul harvest about to take place, there is a HUGE SHORTAGE of able Christian leadership. I will take the bread of excellent Christian leadership and teaching wherever I can find it. I’m hungry!
Yup.
All those “instances” he cites about inspired utterance and and blessings, etc - that is not authoratative scriptural teaching from an appointed leader of the church giving a sermon to the flock.
>> Yeah, let’s twist scripture to be more feminist and inclusive. God just didn’t understand modern society.
Pope Fruitcake Francis is a male. How’s that working out for the Kingdom?
Are you saying that this verse "writes off" women?
No, it doesn't. It merely says that different classes of people have different roles to play.
Everything in the Bible indicates that God believes in categories and hierarchies. Only the fathers in the patriarchal age performed sacrifices on the family altar. Biblical Israel had hierarchies in their priesthood, and priests could only come from the tribe of Levi. There is a hierarchy among the angels. There was hierarchy in the early church.
And among all these hierarchies, different roles for different groups.
Men have their roles, women have their roles. Adults and children, different roles. Clergy and laity, different roles. And among the clergy, hierarchy and different roles.
1 Corinthians 12:21
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
Yep. desperately working angles tells us something.
Jesus chose no female apostles. Nor the 144 he sent out to preach His message. We should follow His lead.
Look what happens to every denomination and sect which ignores the prohibition of women in spiritual leadership. They quickly become apostate sexual abominations, usually within one generation (UMC, Presbyterian USA, Episcopal, etc.).
Bethel Seminary. Ok then...
LOL
(…at your Post 3…) 😂
You are rare.
An oddity.
You are surely correct, but today it’s not about what we know to be right.
There is a reason why traditions are so important. They preserve the meaning.
This college professor is not interested in the truth. He’s looking for some rhetorical way to make the meaning of scripture fit is modern value system.
Using his technique, you can easily thread together an argument supporting ANY modern social/pop culture idea as being biblical.
I love the smell of frying synapses in the morning. Paul sizzles em up in a pan real good.
I have to quote The Passion Translation here just to show how man can mangle God’s Word to fit his own modern ideals:
“Let the women who are new converts be willing to learn with all submission to their leaders and not speak out of turn. I don’t advocate that the newly converted women be the teachers in the church, assuming authority over the men, but to live in peace. For God formed Adam first, then Eve. Adam did not mislead Eve, but Eve misled him and violated the command of God. Yet salvation will come through a child born by a woman, and women will be saved by that “child” if they continue in faith with love, holiness, and self-control.”
Lol, even this guy can’t translate it without basically warning against harpies. “Misogynist! How dare you minimize the role of new converts!” (Wait a minute, didn’t Paul warn about them, too? Nooooooooooo….!!!)
Yup. It does not mean teaching other women, but teaching men.
All the “churches” I have ever encountered who are headed up by women pastors are a dumpster fire doctrinally and theologically.
‘
We’re presently seeing the effects of feminization of the culture. Judge for yourself.
Literal Greek…
1 Timothy 2:8–15 (WUESTNT):
“Let a woman be learning in silence with every subjection. Moreover, I do not permit a woman to be a teacher [in an official position exercising authority over the man in matters of Church doctrine or discipline], neither to exercise authority over a man, but to be in silence, for Adam first was molded, then Eve, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman, having been completely hoodwinked, has fallen into transgression.”
Tied to a theological reason.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.