Part 1 Analysis of 1 Timothy 2:11-15
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Part 1 Analysis of 1 Timothy 2:11-15
A layman's analysis
This is the third analysis in a series of examining what scripture says about men and women. If you haven't read the first parts, above are links to the intro and other analyses. The Next Verses Under Examination: 1 Timothy 2:11-15 “11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.” ESV The Supposed Argument: At first glance it seems like Paul is saying, "Because Adam was formed first and Eve was deceived and not Adam, therefore Paul doesn’t allow any woman to teach or exercise authority over any man. However, there's some sort of salvation that happens through giving birth to babies. Again, weird, Paul. Possible Meaning #1 for verses 12-13: Maybe Paul is saying that because Adam was created first, Adam got some special instructions from God that Eve didn't get and that this is the basis for this particular authority to teach those whom God hasn't spoken to. In this argument, it’s not Adam’s maleness that gives him this authority, but that he was told something directly from God that Eve was not told by God because she hadn't been created yet. Support: Genesis 2:16-17 seems to suggest that God tells Adam something before Eve was formed, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (ESV) Problems: This doesn't imply that only men thereafter will be the receivers of special instructions from God. But just that, in Genesis, Adam did. More Problems: Eve repeats God's instructions to Satan in Genesis 3, suggesting that God spoke the same instructions to Eve. However, it's also possible that Adam passed along this command to her. Some More Problems: Historically, God has spoken his special messages to all people, not just the ones that come first. This passing on of a message doesn't seem to be a job only for only men or only those who are born first, but rather for whoever God gives special instructions to. Conclusion: God gives special instructions, commands, and messages to both men and women, old and young, back then and now. Paul must be saying something else about men and women.
Possible Meaning # 2 for verse 13: Paul is saying that the order of creation makes some people older than others. Thus, age is the basis for this particular authority to teach those who are younger. In this argument, it’s not Adam’s maleness that gives him this authority, but that he was created first thus making him older and presumably wiser. Problems: If you believe God made Adam and Eve in one 24-hour period, this makes Adam only several hours older than Eve, which hardly seems reason for Adam to have an advantage maturity-wise. Solutions: On the other hand, when twins were born in the Bible days, the older still got the rights and authority of the oldest even if he wasn't more mature. Maybe it doesn't matter that someone is way older but just slightly older. This seems to be how they operated back then. Other Problems: Timothy was a young man and yet had the authority to preach and teach older men. And time and time again, God gave authority to the younger over the older—Jacob and Esau, Joseph over his entire family, King David over his brothers, Solomon over his brothers, etc. Paul even says in 1 Corinthians 1:27-28, "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are..." (ESV) Yes, in general, we do give teaching authority to those older than us, especially in regard to parents and children. But if anyone is going to claim that Paul means age always has this teaching authority over those younger, then older women must have this kind of teaching authority over younger men. And if a young man marries an older wife, then she has this kind of teaching authority over him. So unless Paul is only making a general statement and not a law about all people at all times, this interpretation doesn't work. A Solution: While God often gives authority to the younger in families, older people do often have more knowledge and understanding than those younger than them. And in Bible days, those who were older, regardless of if it was ten years older or ten minutes older, were given deference. Thus in general, younger people deferred to older people. Paul even tells Timothy not to rebuke an older man in 5:1. And in 1 Peter 5:5, Peter says, "Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders." Perhaps Paul is just giving a general proverb about age and authority here, not necessarily a law about how all men and women at all times ought to act. This seems the most likely to me. More Problems: However, if Paul is just stating a general proverb about age and authority, why does Paul specifically mention women? He says women should be in submission to men—fyi: this may also be translated as wives and husbands. Paul then uses the example of a married couple—Adam and Eve—and references childbearing. Thanks, Paul, for complicating things. Possible Solution: Perhaps Paul is simply talking about age and authority in marriages: "I don’t allow younger wives to have this kind of teaching authority over their older husbands." This is assuming most marriages of the time were between older men and younger women, which seems likely. This interpretation also seems supported by the fact that Paul uses a married couple where the man is older as support for his argument—Adam and Eve. Plus, Paul mentions childbearing in verse 15, which relates to married couples. Conclusion: So far, it seems most likely that Paul is making a general statement about younger wives and older husbands.
Possible Meaning # 3 for verses 12-13: Perhaps Paul isn't talking about age at all, but rather, he means that he doesn't allow any women to have the teaching authority of elderhood over men. This ties these verses into the very next chapter, chapter 3, where Paul gives elder and deacon qualifications. Problems: In the middle of the qualifications for elders & deacons, Paul mentions qualifications for women in verse 11 "In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything." (ESV). Now why would Paul mention women's qualifications in the middle of talking about elder and deacon qualifications, if he women couldn't have this elder and deacon teaching authority? Solution: Maybe this description of women's qualifications describes how deacon's and elder's wives ought to behave. Problem: While the original Greek uses "his own" to describe an elder's household that he ought to manage well in 1 Tim. 3:4, the Greek has no possessive pronoun to describe wives or women in verse 11. Maybe this is no big deal. I don't know enough about the Greek to be able to say.
Other Problems: Seems strange that Paul would require a man's wife to also be godly in order for a man to be an elder or deacon. What if the man had an unbelieving wife? Or no wife? Seems rare that a husband and a wife both have these characteristics that Paul is describing. We also read in 1 Corinthians 7, I believe, how it was indeed not uncommon for men and women in the church to have an unbelieving spouse. Seems like if Paul required elders to have a godly wife, this would disqualify a lot of godly men including Paul himself. More Problems: Authoritative teaching and ruling well, which are words to describe what elders do, both seem to be spiritual gifts given to various people from the lord not on the basis of gender or birth order or order of creation. Romans 12's list of spiritual gifts makes no distinction between men or women, young or old. Conclusion: These verses DO seem to relate to elderhood, but not in relationship to all men and women. I think I need to conclude that they just apply to older husbands and younger wives. Thus, my best guess for this passage so far is that Paul is giving elder qualifications, saying that in general, it's best not to have a younger wife be an elder over her older husband.
Abby's Best Paraphase: Based on all this, here's my best paraphrase of these verses so far. The ESV follows for your comparison. “11 Let a young wife learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I generally do not permit a wife to teach or to exercise elderhood over an older husband; rather, she is to remain in quiet submission. 13 This is just how God set up age and authority from the start, just as Adam was made before Eve;" (Abby version) “11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve;" (ESV) To read the second half, click the link below.