The context of 1 Timothy 2:8--15 seems to be church life (prayer, holy hands, godliness with good works) rather than broader society.
Are you sure? Men are told to pray "in every place." The women's modest dress would seem to be everywhere, not just during worship. The following is the commentary the CEB Study Bible has on these verses, where it takes a different approach.
Although Paul's instructions could refer to women's roles in a church service, the language of 1 Timothy 2:11-15 fits specific practices in the home much better. The Greek term gyn? (used throughout this section) could simply refer to “a woman,” but it's often used more specifically to refer to “a woman who is married” – that is, “a wife.” The best translation is indicated by the context, usually by the mention of a man, her husband (in Paul, see 1 Cor 5:1; 7:2, 4, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 33; 9:5; Eph 5:23, 28 31, 33). The context in 1 Timothy 2:11-15 indicates that Paul is referring to “a wife” (and husband). First, Paul's language refers to an individual woman (singular) and an individual man. In the Greco-Roman world, such language wouldn't be appropriate in references to persons outside of close family members. Second, this text involves specific directions regarding the instruction of a woman in the faith, which is the responsibility of her husband in the home (see 1 Cor 14:35). Third, Paul's instruction is supported by a reference to the classic passage concerning marriage, Genesis 2:18-24. Fourth, this text ends with a focus on childbirth, which is clearly a domestic issue. Finally, the letter as a whole indicates that false teaching among women was being discussed in the day-to-day activities of the home. Through private storytelling, myths, genealogies, gossip, and slander, false teaching was spreading from house to house (1 Tim 3:11; 4:7, 5:13; cfr. 1 Tim 1:4). In part, this false teaching attacked marriage and marital relations (1 Tim 4:3; 5:14). Moreover, 2 Timothy 3:6-7 indicates that men who were false teachers in Ephesus were targeting women in their homes. In contrast, women aren't singled out for violations in public teaching in either 1 Timothy or 2 Timothy.
"Every place" means gatherings for prayer at their various locations. It would not woodenly mean in Caesar's house, pagan temples, the bottom of the ocean, etc. That would be silly.
Jesus explicitly excluded street corners, as I recall.
If Jesus excluded street corners, then he also excluded synagogues when you look at the whole verse: "“When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners so that people will see them. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get." (CEB) It's not the place so much as the motivation behind praying in public. It seems to me that a family prays in a restaurant
to be seen by others, Jesus' admonition could apply to them.
1. What's your evidence that: (a) "every place" meant places of worship; and (b) that each community had various places of worship?
2. What about the other arguments? (a) Was a woman's appearance just for worship or an admonition for all places and all times? (b) The inclusion of child-birth, which I believe was much more likely to take place at home or with a midwife, than at worship? (c) The singular woman/wife and man/husband?
3. We know that Paul allowed women to pray and prophecy in worship from 1 Corinthians. I suspect that when the prophecy was deemed as coming from God, it had authority (different than authente?) over the whole community, including men.
Show Posts
