merryheart
bookworm nerdgirl
- Mar 1, 2004
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"theseed said:
The translation hinges on the Greek verb, authentein. The problem is that this verb is found nowhere else in the Bible. Translators usually learn the meaning of a word by studying it in other Bible passages. Where there are no other Bible passages, they must look in comparative literature of the same time period. Although most translators of I Timothy have interpreted authentein to mean 'to usurp authority' over a man, or 'to have authority' over a man, such a translation violates both the context of Paul's writing and the first century usage of the word in other literature...
"Around the time the New Testament was written, the most common meaning of authentein was 'to be, or claim to be the author or the originator of something.
"Not only have translators overlooked the prevailing meaning of the word authentein at the time the New Testament was written, but they also seem to have missed the cultural context in which Paul wrote his letter to Timothy.
"Timothy was in Ephesus. Ephesus was the world center of paganism governed spiritually by the female deity Artemis, whom the Romans called Diana. The cult of Artemis taught the superiority of the female and advocated female domination of the male. It espoused a doctrine of feminine procreation teaching that this goddess was able to bring forth offspring without male involvement. The cult was characterized by sexual perversion, fertility rites, endless myths, and elaborate genealogies traced through female rather than male bloodlines...
"Also present in Ephesus was a contingent of Jewish Gnostics who represented the first century's equivalent of the New Age movement. The Greek word for 'Gnostic' is gnosis meaning 'knowledge.' Gnostics acknowledged spirit guides and combined the teachings of Artemis with the teachings of the Old Testament story of Adam and Eve.
"In the most prevalent Gnostic version of the story, Eve was the 'illuminator' of mankind because she was the first to receive 'true knowledge' from the Serpent, whom Gnostics saw as the 'savior' and revealer of truth. Gnostics believed that Eve taught this new revelation to Adam, and being the mother of all, was the progenitor of the human race. Adam, they said, was Eve's son rather than her husband. This belief reflected the Gnostic doctrine that a female deity could bring forth children without male involvement.
"In light of the authentic meaning of the word authentein and of the social context within which Paul wrote his letters to Timothy, let me offer what I believe is an appropriate rendering of the text in I Timothy. I believe Paul is saying, 'I am not allowing (present tense for that situation) a woman to teach or to proclaim herself the originator of man authentein.' Do you see how this translation offsets false doctrine?
"The word that is frequently translated 'silence,' hesuchia, also means harmony, peace, conformity or agreement. I therefore suggest Paul goes on to say, 'she must be in agreement,' meaning agreement with the Scriptures and with sound teaching in the Church.
"He continues in this vein saying, 'Adam was formed first, then Eve.' This statement militates against the doctrine of Eve as progenitor. He also says, 'Adam was not deceived, but the woman was! And sinned!' This statement directly contradicts the notion that Eve was the 'illuminator,' and carrier of new revelation."
Timothy 2:11-12 (Paraphrased and Amplified)
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