I Suffer Not a Woman: Rethinking 1 Timothy 2:11–15 in Light of Ancient Evidence
Overview
“I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”
—1 Timothy 2:12 KJV
This passage troubles those who desire greater leadership roles for women in ministry but who also want to remain loyal to Scripture. Did Paul forbid a woman to exercise her leadership and teaching gifts, or was he dealing with a particular error in the church? According to I Suffer Not a Woman, Paul was reacting to a specific problem that was sweeping churches: a myth, taught mostly by women, which later became a foundation for Gnosticism. This book offers an in-depth look at the Greek text of 1 Timothy 2:11–15 in the context of the Pastoral Epistles and in its historical context. By illuminating the first-century culture of Ephesus, the authors shed light on the ancient-world thought patterns Paul faced and offer a responsible alternative understanding of this much debated passage.
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- Offers an in-depth look at the Greek text of 1 Timothy 2:11
- Sheds light on the ancient-world thought process patterns that Paul faced
- Details a responsible alternative understanding of this passage
- Approaching the Text in Its Context
- Approaching the Bible with Faith
- The Pastoral Epistles: Who Wrote Them and Why
- Destination: Ephesus
- Identifying the Problem: Evidence from the Pastorals
- An Examination of 1 Timothy 1:3–2:11
- The Prohibition (1 Tim. 2:12)
- A Closer Look at Our Target Verse
- That Strange Greek Verb Authentein
- Is Another Translation Possible?
- The Feminine as Primal Source
- The Prohibition’s Rationale (1 Tim. 2:13–15)
- Condemnation or Refutation? (2:13–14)
- How an Important Bible Story Was Turned Upside Down
- New Stories for Old
- Of Jewish and Gnostic Heroines
- The Great Goddesses and Eve
- The Veneration of the Serpent and Eve
- Considerations of Childbearing (2:15)
Top Highlights
“Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:2, ‘The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful persons who will be able to teach others also.’ Here the word for ‘persons’ is anthrōpos, which is used to designate persons of either sex. Far from prohibiting them from teaching, it appears to be a strong exhortation that responsible women should make the proclamation of the truth a very high priority! Those of either sex who are able to teach hereby receive a summons to make known the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ.” (Pages 81–82)
“ contrast to other parts of the ancient world, the primary deities in Asia Minor were female;” (Page 50)
“Can they indeed find salvation in an obstetrical process rather than in the atonement of Jesus Christ? There is the further difficulty that many women pass into eternity without ever having given birth to a child. Are they not saved?” (Page 26)
“There is a serious theological contradiction in telling a woman that when she comes to faith in Christ, her personal sins are forgiven but she must continue to be punished for the sin of Eve.” (Pages 21–22)
“The phrase silence and submission, a formula used in the ancient Near East, indicates readiness to hear the will of God and to obey it. God asks of us receptivity to heed and to obey.” (Page 32)
A fascinating study on the backgrounds of ancient Ephesus and of the church to which Paul wrote the one biblical statement that is invoked the most frequently to deny Christian women the use of their spiritual gifts. It will now become impossible to interpret legitimately the Pauline prohibition without recourse to this valuable resource.
—Gilbert Bilezikian, professor emeritus of biblical studies, Wheaton College
Working from a wide range of primary sources, I Suffer Not a Woman draws the reader into ancient-world thought patterns. The authors provide a compelling case for interpreting the text in 1 Timothy as a refutation of false teaching, rather than as a narrow restriction on women’s role. . . . This book must be taken seriously and deserves a wide audience.
—Gretchen Gaebelein Hull, author, Equal to Serve
Richard Clark Kroeger is a retired pastor and college professor.
Catherine Clark Kroeger is founder and president emerita of Christians for Biblical Equality and is an adjunct professor of classical and ministry studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.