What’s always ignored or missed, perhaps due to the uninspired chapter breaks, is the fact that Paul goes on to explain what he means by not allowing a woman to oversee a man. For example, in 1Tim 3 Paul limits the office of an overseer, aka pastor/elder, to males only by the phrase "the husband of one wife," which literally means "a-one-woman-man."
NOTE Paul's presupposition that a man is to be faithfully married does not of course mean that a single man was disqualified from the position. Paul himself was probably single and elsewhere even recognized celibacy as perfectly suitable for ministry.
The ESV Study Bible note on 1Tim 2.12 explains that “Since the role of pastor/elder/overseer is rooted in the task of teaching and exercising authority over the church, this verse would also exclude women from serving in this office (cf. 1 Tim. 3:2). Thus, when Paul calls for the women to be quiet, he means quiet with respect to the teaching responsibility that is limited in the assembled church."
The NET Bible adds that the phrase "must remain quiet" is used in Greek literature either of absolute silence or of a quiet demeanor. For example, in 2Thess 3:12 Paul uses the same Greek word to urge some in the church to do their work quietly. Hence, my paraphrase:
The woman is not to oversee the church by taking on the teaching and authority of the male elder but instead she should maintain a quiet demeanor.
No comments:
Post a Comment