What Paul Really Meant in 1 Timothy 2:11-15 | Women, Silence and the Ephesian Context
OK, let's end the week with the trickiest words in 1 Timothy 2. Paul writes: "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 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. But women will be saved through childbearing - if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety" (1 Timothy 2:11-15 NIV11).
Understanding the Ephesian Context of 1 Timothy 2
Let me paint a picture of the context in which Paul and Timothy were living. The city of Ephesus, where Timothy ministered, had the Temple of Artemis (or Diana in Latin) - one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was a massive construction that functioned as a bank, an asylum, an art gallery, and a religious temple.
Now, the cult that was linked to this temple worshipped the figure of Artemis: a fertility goddess, who lorded it over the males and represented female power and independence. The temple of Artemis hired female priestesses and officials. It's believed by many that they engaged in prostitution as part of their role in this temple, and their cultic celebrations involved great loud processions and festivals where these priestesses and female officials would perform and shout in a frenzied and often very sexual manner.
So, perhaps you are beginning to sense why Paul is saying what he's saying in chapter 2. In a culture where there were great godless displays of frenzied sexual pagan worship, especially by women, Paul says:
Appearance matters. Be humble and decent and modest, unlike the ladies of the temple.
Actions matter. Do good and helpful deeds, unlike the self-obsessed and power-obsessed ladies of the temple.
He also says that accuracy matters. An accurate view of reality is important. Scripture gives us that accurate view.
What Paul Really Meant About Women Learning in Silence
So Paul says to the women: instead of the loud, godless ways of the temple, come to the Ephesian church, and learn in submission and silence.
This was radical for the time! For Paul to say let the women come in and let them learn was quite unusual. He was actually giving them a place that others in the religious world would never have done.
Now, I want us to remember that there were female teachers in the church in those days. Phoebe and Priscilla and others taught. In some cases, like what we read about Priscilla in Acts, they did teach men who needed to learn about Jesus.
I believe that what Paul states in this letter is not a complete ban on all women teaching or speaking in church. I believe he was telling Timothy to allow the women of his day to come and learn in quietness and submission, so that they could get an accurate view of the truth, rather than the false teaching of the Ephesian Artemis cult which had led so many women astray.
Finding an Accurate View of Truth Today
Just like Eve had been deceived in the garden by the serpent, so the women of his day were being deceived by the godless cultural practices around them. But Paul assures them that they have a place in God's kingdom, and that they could also come to a knowledge of the truth and find salvation and a better way.
As for that verse about being saved through childbearing? It doesn't mean that if a woman has a child, then she is saved. But the Artemis cult was very anti-family, anti-marriage. Females were encouraged not to marry and not to worry about having children.
Paul is saying to the women of his day - there is dignity and purpose in family life. God will save you through childbirth and family life. Embrace it as a holy privilege, if you are given that opportunity, to bring children into the world.
So hear Paul's heart here: not to oppress or diminish the role of women, but to help them find an accurate view of reality, not skewed by godless cultish teaching. He wants them to learn the good news, and not get caught up in the falseness of Artemis.
In our world, there are certain strands of feminism that have similar dangers to the Artemis cult - emphasising female self-sufficiency at the expense of family values. Perhaps there is a need for some in our time to hear Paul's call to learn in quietness and submission the accurate truth of the gospel, and unlearn the godless ways of the culture in which we live.
Paul's words about women learning in silence make far more sense once we understand the pagan culture of Ephesus he was addressing. Take time today to test what you're being taught, by Scripture, rather than by culture.