Sárospataki Füzetek 19. (2015)

2015 / 4. szám - TANULMÁNYOK - Enghy Sándor: Ézsaiás és Jeruzsálem. Jeruzsálem jelene és jövője az Úr szava és az Úr napja tükrében (Ézs 2-4)

van Houwelingen, Rob

For a neutral expression as “having authority” Paul would have had other verbs at his disposal.7 Within the framework of male/female relationship in the church, the activity of teaching has a negative connotation: women with an authoritarian attitude should not abuse the teaching-learning situation by trying to overrule the men. That would disturb the desired “rest” of the worship service.8

So, this is what verse 12 communicates by stating SiSdoKeiv 5s yuvaud otjk sjuxps7tco ot)8s anBsvxstv ávSpóq:

“I do not permit a woman to teach or [in combination with this/contrary to her subordinated position] to exercise authority over a man.”

To understand the situation Paul is addressing, we have to realise that at that time three developments were taking place that strengthened each other’s impact. The first one was the ambition of rich women to physically (by clothing) and verbally (by teaching) assert themselves over against the other gender. That was a form of taking control that could cause serious unrest during worship services. The second was the possibility that such women would be stirred up by false teachers into doing exactly that. Those false teachers were looking to promote their heretical views (hence the charge of “capturing silly women”; 2 Tim. 3:6). The third was the emergence of a trendy type of “free woman” from Rome. It probably also started to infiltrate the Christian congregation at Ephesus, functioning as a sort of role model for independence. In the context of a teaching-learning situation in which men

elements can be discerned (2 Cor. 7:12) still shows a self-evident relation between the both. He paraphrases:"! am not permitting a woman to teach and [in combination with this] to assume authority over a man". Payne, Philip B.: "1 Tim 2.12 and the Use of oúöé to Combine Two Elements to Express a Single Idea,” New Testament Studies 54 (2008): 235-253 [253]. One could argue that teaching was considered contrary to the subordinated position of women.

7 The dictionary of Louw & Nida describes the semantic field to which aűGevreív belongs: Louw, Johannes P.& Nida, Eugene A. (eds.), Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on semantic domains, Volume 1-2. Cape Town, Bible Society of South Africa, 1989, Domain 37:'Control, Rule.'The antique Lexicon of Hesychius lists a.o. é^oucná^ew and cuuoSiksiv as synonyms.

8 Blomberg points out that in this letter Paul more often uses partly synonym words or expressions. Thus in this case SiScxctksw gets more colour by oruGevieiv öv8pó<;. Paul does not allow women to tell men what to do. Blomberg, Craig L.: "Neither Hierarchalist nor Egalitarian, Gender Roles in Paul," Appendix in (eds.) Beck, James R. & Blomberg, Craig L.: Two Views on Women in the Ministry, Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2001, 329-372. See for more lexicographical research on the meaning of the verb cröOevxeiv: Knight, George W. lll,"AY0ENTEQ in Reference to women in 1 Timothy 2.12," New Testament Studies 30,1984,143-157; Wilshire, Leland E.:"The TLG Computer and Further Reference to AY0ENTEQ in 1 Timothy 2.12," New Testament Studies 34, 1988, 120-134; Wolters, AI: "A Semantic Study of aú0évTT|<; and Its Derivatives," Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism 1, 2000, 145-175; Belleville, Linda L.: "Teaching and Usurping Authority. 1 Timothy 2:11 -15," in (eds.) Pierce, Ronald W. & Groothuis, Rebecca Merrill: Discovering Biblical Equality, Complementarity without Hierarchy, Downers Grove, InterVarsity, 2004, 205-223.

62 Sárospataki Füzetek 19. évfolyam 2015-4