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Has it ever happened to you, in the middle of a conversation
someone jumps in at exactly the wrong moment, and without the context of the
last few minutes, hears a line that on its own sounds really bad? I could be
talking with someone about their computer not working and say “did you try
unplugging it and giving it a kick?”, but at that moment a person joins the
conversation, and not knowing things I’m talking about a person and is horrified. This example
is a bit silly, and probably unrealistic, but it illustrates the point. Context
is key in understanding not just what someone is saying, but why as well.
Often times when we read 1 Timothy 2:11-15, we walk away
with the conclusion that Paul is saying women can’t preach in church, and then
infer from that women can’t be pastors. Seems like a simple reading of the
text, right? But what about why Paul is writing these specific words to
Timothy?
I will be summarizing several thoughts from Marg Mowczko,
who wrote a fascinating post about the connection to Gnostic literature and
this passage. (I will also link the full post at the bottom of this one).
We know that Gnosticism was one of the primary heresies that
was plaguing the early church. Gnosticism comes from the Greek work gnosis
meaning knowledge. Within this heresy it was believed that a person could received
secret knowledge from God that superseded the teachings of Jesus. This was
often used to promote either strict asceticism, or be the foundation for living
immorally. What is fascinating is that some of the gnostic literature has been
recovered, and reveals that one of the key components was perverted teachings
when it comes to the story of Adam & Eve. Often in these gnostic
narratives, Eve was elevated as the first, and often as the teacher, and
superior to Adam (specific quotations from these writings are found in the
linked blog post from Marg).
So what is the connection?
Textual evidence (1 Tim. 1:3–7; 2:5, 15; 4:1–4, 7; 6:20) and
writings from Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Eusebius suggest that one of the primary
issues faced by Timothy in the city of Ephesus was dealing with Gnosticism. As
we know Paul’s letters were usually written in response to problems facing
these churches of the recipients, it is very likely that Paul is addressing elements
of gnostic teachings in this letter. This would address why Paul writes specifically
about women teaching, and why he lays out the Biblical account of Adam & Eve
as a means of correcting the error being taught by the Gnostic.
What do we do with this?
We know that Paul was writing in context, addressing
specific issues in the church. The problem was not that women as a whole were
teaching. It seems that because of wrong gnostic teaching, women felt superior and
justified in supplanting men in ministry on the whole. Because of other
evidence in Paul’s writings, and the affirmation of women in position of
teaching in home churches, the writings specifically in 2 Timorthy, and in
other areas like 1 Corinthians are addressing issues of order and false
teaching, rather than a general ban on women in ministry.
Again, I hope you will check out Marg’s post specifically on
this topic as she covers it much more in depth.