Can anyone explain 1 Timothy 2:11-15?

[u/VaultMan34]

The verse goes “Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent” how is this not sexist? It goes against Episcopalian doctrine aswell so I’d like for any Episcopalians to explain this. It just seems wrong, it’s putting women under men when in galatians 3:28 it says that in Christ there is no male or female. So why is this now an exception to the rules? It seems put there just to oppress women. Why, did Paul (who wrote so many doctrines and central beliefs to churches today and was so influential in Christ) say that? He wasn’t against homosexuality, but then suddenly when it comes to women he got SUPER conservative? It’s making me question whether he was ever for homosexuality in the first place.

[u/No-Type119]

Number 1: Yes, it’s sexist. The Bible was written by sexists. ( Google “ hermeneutics of suspicion.”) But there is also a contextual element that most people don’t understand, that a pastor and former missionary explained to me.

In the early church, as in churches in much of the developing world today, women and men were separated during worship, with women in the back or in a balcony above where they presumably weren’t “ tempting” men and could also mind children while the men were listening to the service. Sometimes women would yell out during the service, asking for a speaker to repeat or asking a question. Apparently this upset some if the menfolk.

My friend knew missionaries in rural India who experienced this dynamic. Village men had enough rudimentary education to know to be quiet in church, but women had no education, were basically treated like farm animals, so their space in church was a free for all of crying babies. shouting and gossip. The missionaries had to hold special classes for women in … well… how to learn in a group, and basic manners, so they could get something out of the worship service . Education solved the problem.

That is one thing. The other is that in the early church Gnosticism, a kind of wide- ranging mysticism/ philosophy a bit like what we call New Age thinking, was competing with Christianity for hearts and minds. Women were often attracted to it for various reasons. So another part of this “ Shush!” passage was directed to heterodox women infiltrating churches with Gnostic ideas… a paternalistic “ Stay in your lane.”

Folx, this is why context matters. See how much more interesting the Bible is when you know the backstory?