Academic Paper : Hermeneutics - The Biblical Role of Women in Church - Interpreting 1 Timothy 2: 9-15 (original) (raw)
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An Exegetical-Hermeneutical Analysis of 1 Timothy 2:9–15
The question about whether women should be allowed to teach in church has been one of the thorniest issues in the history of Christianity. On the one hand, there are those who strongly believe that Scripture reserves the exclusive right and authority of teaching to men only. The advocates of the egalitarian view of the relationship between men and women as well as some extreme forms of feminism, on the other hand, challenge the traditional paradigm of ecclesial leadership, which, as they argue, encourages a predominately patriarchal interpretation of spiritual gifts. Paul’s instruction in 1 Tim. 2:9¬–15, regarding the role of women in church leadership, remains controversial in the Pauline corpus. This paper is an exegetical and hermeneutical analysis of 1 Tim. 2:9–15 and its purpose is four-fold: (1) to attempt to reconstruct the historical situation in Ephesus that has brought about Paul’s discussion in 2:9–15; (2) to exegete the passage at hand in its literary and historical context; (3) to derive several hermeneutical principles from the text; and (4) to briefly discuss some implications of this study in light of the current debate regarding women in ministry. The purpose of this essay is to argue that Paul’s intention in 1 Tim. 2:9¬–15 was not to discredit female church leaders in general, but rather his polemic was directed toward certain women in the Ephesian church who were teaching false doctrines and refused to be held accountable to the community of believers.
A Historian Looks at 1 Timothy 2:11–14
Priscilla Papers, 2012
Author: J. G. Brown Publisher: CBE International A woman must quietly receive instruction with all submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was first deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. (1 Tim 2:11–14 NASB) Among theological conservatives, the 1 Timothy 2 passage is pivotal in determining the role of women in the church. For today’s “traditionalists,” this passage mandates the subordination of women to men in the church because the headship/submission principle is grounded in the created order, an order that Christianity redeems, but does not alter. Today’s traditionalists/male hierarchists also claim to be upholding the historic interpretation of this passage. New research on early Protestant beliefs concerning natural law and the spiritual and civil kingdoms, however, brings their claim into serious question.
Much confusion exists in the church today over the role of women in ministry. There are a multitude of viewpoints held ranging from those who allow women the same liberty to minister as a man to those who forbid women to speak in any public setting and with every shade in between. Some allow women to fill positions of leadership, but never at the 'top of the ladder', while others restrict ministry to prescribed settings such as foreign mission fields, or to particular audiences such as women and children and small groups rather than the esteemed pulpit. Then there is the controversy over what constitutes leadership and teaching anyway; does it include prophesying, worship leading, sharing a testimony or writing a book? Can a woman teach without exercising authority? Or can women make decisions where there are men involved? These are all questions that beg a valid response.
1 Timothy 2:1-15, Translation & Commentary
The following is fresh translation and commentary on an especially controversial passage in the evangelical community. I suggest, among other things, that Paul is not speaking to men and women in general, but husbands and wives. The apostle also links public worship with husband/wife relationship in Ephesians (5:20-22) and 1 Corinthians (14:32-33). He views marriage as a type of the relationship between Christ, the mediator between God and human beings, and the church. Christian marriage, then, is intended to show forth a divine yet presently invisible reality. The typology commits Paul to headship in marriage in which the husband imitates Christ and the wife, the church. The husband manifests Christ by taking on the role of priest in the home, offering up prayers privately but also in the assembly. (In Judaism the husband would traditionally offer the prayers before meals in the home.) This is a form of leadership, but not a coercive one. The wife submits to (permits) the husband to take on this role for his family. If the husband is an overseer (elder), the wife—as well as the entire assembly—submits to his role as teacher (preacher) as well. In this context, it would be inappropriate for the wife to interrupt or correct her husband. In Greco-Roman culture, in contrast to the synagogue, “learning” would take place in symposia, festive meals, by asking one another questions. Paul presumes this form of instruction was taking place in the Corinthian churches (1 Cor 14). Women were normally excluded, but not in the church. Yet Paul wants to establish a good reputation in the community where the shaming of a husband was taboo.
Leading Him Up the Garden Path: Further thoughts on 1 Timothy 2:11–15
Priscilla Papers, 2002
Author: Rebecca Merrill Groothuis Publisher: CBE International Ever since I set forth a more-or-less representative egalitarian interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:11-15 in Good News for Women, I have felt somewhat dissatisfied with this approach. Although I found it considerably less problematic than the traditionalist interpretation, still it left me with some nagging questions. For instance, if women at Ephesus were not to teach or to have authority in the church because they were deceived or unschooled, why were they specifically prohibited only from teaching or having authority over men? And if Paul were addressing women and men in general, why did he speak in terms of “a woman” and “a man”?
What was Paul Thinking? An Ideological Study of 1 Timothy 2
Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership, 2011
1 Timothy 2 has been the primary battleground of the church’s clash over a woman’s role in church leadership. Using the ideological component of socio-rhetorical criticism, this work will seek to draw out of the text philosophies and beliefs of the early church as recorded by Paul. It is the goal of this work to deepen and strengthen the understanding of female leadership identification and development in the early church as well as allow the text to critique and point possible avenues of future research for modern theory
Socio-Rhetorical Interpretation: A Multi-dimensional Hermeneutical Approach to 1 Timothy 2:1-15
This article articulates a critical examination of the Pauline text namely 1 Timothy 2:1-15 that seems to prohibit women from exercising authority within the church. Using Vernon Robbins' Socio-Rhetorical Interpretation as a hermeneutical approach, it is hoped that clarity will be given to the socio-religious space in Ephesus and the ideological influences of the Amazon and New Roman Women that influenced the church at Ephesus. The author will demonstrate that the Apostle Paul is dealing with a cultural issue of his day and does not prohibit women from teaching, but rather calls for a prohibition that hinders the communication and spread of the Gospel in the world.