Graham continued his series on 1 Timothy this morning from 1 Tim 2:11. rushed on the recording.

 

 Timothy Part 6 [36:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

1 Timothy 2:11-14

“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.”

There is a limit to how deeply we can go into this subject in the time available for one sermon. The false resurrection doctrine affecting Corinth at this time will have been affecting Ephesus. It is likely in view of the fact that Ephesus was a port and a short day-trip from Corinth. Also there are close parallels between problems addressed in the two churches of Corinth and Ephesus, questions about marriage, men and women, and food. This false doctrine had an effect on views about sexuality and attitudes to marriage and certain functions in the church.

About principles of biblical interpretation

You may ask yourself, “What does this scripture say to me?” That is a devotional question and must always be subject to proper principles of interpretation. First we must discover what it was meant to say to those who read or heard it first.

On this topic, and on this scripture, I seem to see advocates of proper principles of interpretation abandoning those principles.

The disciples of Christ must be a people without distinction of nationality, social standing or finances, rank, or party. We noted this to be the meaning behind the comments to women to avoid dress or ornament that emphasised differences in social class or wealth. It would be odd if Paul were now seeking to emphasis suppression or subordination of women, it would fly in the face of the context and of other declarations of Paul. See Galatians 3:28 , “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave no free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”.

We know that in Corinth there were disruptions in the meetings by some women, inquiring about prophecies (1 Corinthians 14:33-35). In Ephesus there is some problem to do with women and learning (1 Tim 2:11-12). The men had been challenged about anger and arguments disrupting worship in the church. This then is Paul telling Timothy what to do to sort things out.

Paul addressed this letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 1:2) who was looking after the church in Ephesus. We must remember this when we are trying to understand what Paul meant. This was not addressed to the church generally, or to the church in the 21st century, even taking into account our belief that through the inspiration by the Holy Spirit this is meant to speak to us today.

1) Learn

“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.”

The first keyword here is the word “learn”.

Women did learn. In the church women had access to learning.

Phoebe is mentioned as a deacon in the Greek of Romans 16:1. There is no such word as deaconess in Greek. Phoebe was a deacon. When she is mentioned alongside her husband, her name is mentioned first.

The ancient church councils produced creeds that defined what was true and what was heresy. These councils also regulated female deacons. Early in church history we see that deacons were considered an order of the clergy. While this is not scripture, it gives a clue to an early, commonly accepted, understanding of this scripture, while still not far distant from the culture of Paul’s day.

In Paul’s time, in a culture when women did not have access to learning, the church taught all the eternal truths, and allowed women to teach them. The Christian church was the only religious institution that gave women religious instruction and training.

In those days, though women could not vote, they could own businesses on their own (see story of Lydia in Acts 16). Throughout Acts we see Paul utilising influential women who are converts. Excavations of ancient Pompeii reveal that the largest building in the town was a businesswoman’s club.

Perhaps the problem was not from women being trained for ministry or the diaconate, but the new female converts. Influential businesswomen receiving religious instruction would have found the situation a novel one. Women used to being in charge now have to submit to learning for the first time in their lives. I wonder if there was any added disruption from the differences in social standing between these women. That must have been the case from what we understand from the dressing modestly comments.

Men must have been expected learn in silence and submission too, but Timothy obviously didn’t have a problem with the men’s class.

I can imagine what the young Timothy faced with older, powerful women in the church vying with each other for prominence and power.

Clash of egos!

2) Teach

I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. 1 Timothy 2:12.

Paul could have said, “Do not permit a woman…,” but he didn’t. He said, “I do not permit…”

Some would reply that I am being pedantic, splitting hairs. They would go on to say that if we are unsure, or there is any doubt at, we should restrict the activities and ministries of women in the church. I say if there is any doubt, we should not restrict them.

In Paul’s day, in the synagogues, men and women sat apart. Often the women sat in a gallery above the men. In 1 Corinthians 14:35 we read that some women were able to disrupt the meetings by asking men questions. Some think this is because they followed synagogue practice of having men and women seated separately. We can imagine how difficult this would have been with a wife calling to her husband across the room, “What it he on about?”

This scripture is a description of Paul’s practice, not a rule.

We have no record of the sexes being segregated in Timothy’s time. The early church had a mix of race, social classes and of the sexes. They reflected the words of Paul in his letter to the Galatian Christians, Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave no free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Perhaps as a Jew, Paul kept up the social customs of keeping men and women separate in the teaching environment. Perhaps, but if he did, this is only Paul’s practice. He said, “I do not permit…” If Paul is saying, “I do…” then it implies that other people did do it differently. If it was an accepted rule why would Paul speak of his practice. I suggest Paul’s way of doing things would have sorted Timothy’s problem without implying that the other common practices in other churches were not correct. This is not an instruction or commandment of Paul’s, he is giving advise to a particular young (4:12) church leader who is having problems in the particular church he looks after.

Remember the teachings of the early church. At the Church’s birth at Pentecost Peter quoted the following:

Acts 2:17-18; quoting Joel 2:28-29

In the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams, Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

Again, Paul wrote:

Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave no free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

But what was Paul’s practice? What about women prophesying?

In 1 Corinthians 11:1-15 we read about women being urged to follow a cultural custom of that time and that place, covering her head when praying and prophesying in the gathering of the church.

Paul defined what this prophesying was, in 1 Corinthians 14 verses 3,4 &31. It was to be the “edification, exhortation, and comfort of believers…” This was included in the public ministry of women allowed by Paul and was predicted by the prophet Joel.

In this letter to Timothy we are seeing the Church struggling to express the sexual equality they believe in, while being aware of the social customs they found themselves in.

3) Teach and have authority over a man (v. 12)

As we have noted this was a practice of Paul’s, and not a general rule or common practice.

Some claim that this represents a specific activity and that the general rule is that women teaching in the assembly would violate the accepted authority structure.

However, we should notice that Paul did not employ his usual term for the exercise of authority (exousia), he chose an unusual word (authenteo) that could carry other, negative connotations such as “to usurp or misappropriate authority” or “to domineer.” This unusual term probably signifies an unusual situation in the Ephesian church where women had misappropriated authority by taking upon themselves some status or position of authority. As false teaching was a problem in the church these women may have tried to domineer by the use of strange doctrines. Note the section that follows this is about the correct method of appointing leadership in the church.

Paul’s aim than in verses 11-12 is to restore peace in the gathering (back to the theme of unity again) by placing certain limits on the role of women.

But don’t forget Pricilla. Paul would not have forgotten that he knew Pricilla who led and taught in the church. And Paul knew the prophecy of Joel quoted as a declaration by Peter on the day of Pentecost,

“Your sons and daughters will prophesy…

Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

and they will prophesy”

Creation

When it comes to trying to understand what Paul meant by his reference to creation and Adam and Eve we have problems. Among Bible students and theologians there is no agreement.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:7-9 refers to the same passage in Genesis (2:21-23) as he does in 1 Timothy 2:13. But in Corinthians he deals with the covering of a woman’s head in worship, referring, most believe, to a particular culture.

In Ephesians 5:31 Paul refers to Genesis 2:24-25 where his point is that Christian marriage is honourable and is an illustration of the partnership and relationship between the believer and God.

Therefore, Paul’s allusion to Genesis 2 here, and speaking of Adam being formed before Eve (verse 13) is something we have to consider on its own.

What are the possibilities (remember there is no agreement)?

(a) Paul appeals to the order of creation to make a point. While it is usually thought that this statement backs up his comment in verse 12, “Teach and have authority over a man,” some say it covers all verses 9-12 too and encompasses dressing modestly. I see this whole chapter as being about unity in the church at Ephesus in their gatherings.

(b) Did Paul mean that the created order meant that there are distinctions between the sexes and an authority structure which existed even before the Fall, continued into the age of church? Why would he think such a thing? Compare 1 Corinthians 11:7-9.

(c) Did he mean that the conditions of the curse, which promised painful childbearing and placed the wife under the husband’s rule (Gen 3:16), were still in effect?

That was an argument of those men who opposed the introduction of anaesthetics. I wonder if anyone holding this view today will live by it and refuse anaesthetics next time they need surgery?

(d) Was he addressing the false teachers and their odd creation accounts which had influenced the thinking of some of the women?

To all of the above we have to reply that what Paul precisely intended to mean remains unclear to us.

Eve

Verse 14 is almost certainly a local reference to people in the Ephesian church being deceived. I conclude that the group of the deceived included, or were, a group of women. The deception of Eve had become a model to illustrate the dangers posed to the church by false teaching.

This model of Eve was used by Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:3, “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

Paul’s use of the Eve model should not be taken too far though. I don’t think he intended it to be. Adam did nothing to help Eve and protect her from harm. When offered temptation by Eve (the forbidden fruit), Adam sinned. Adam did it. See Paul’s writings to the Christians in Rome.

Romans 5:12-14

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.”

Not a mention of Eve in Romans 5 where Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit blames Adam. In Adam all die, in Christ all can live. It was not Eve’s fault.

Conclusions

In all I have said so far today I have not mentioned what Jesus taught. Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well then sent her off as an evangelist. Jesus showed his resurrected body to women first. We should not be party to discrimination and suppression of women just to be on the safe side, when there is no incontrovertible biblical foundation for it.

Unity in the church is paramount.

Those who set their heart on being an overseer in Christ’s church desire a noble task (1 Tim 3:1) but it is done achieved by grabbing, but by developing character and living the right way.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 4:31 pm and is filed under Mp3s, Sermons. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.