The Evangelical Burka - Part 4

Are women to never preach or teach, or minister if men are present? We need to understand the historical, cultural, literary, and socio-historical context of the Greco-Roman society first.

Nov 03, 2025

person in black hijab standing on brown field during daytime

[My apologies for putting this out later than stated. As a pastor of a small church I had to devote myself to some work projects as we had weather to do so.]

A Point We Cannot Miss In The Subject At Hand

Please do not miss this point: Paul’s motivation for Timothy’s circumcision before joining the Apostle’s ministry is the same for the Church’s mission work today. Adoption of community standards, appearance, and practices that differ from those of the missionary’s homeland but do not conflict with Scripture is standard practice in today’s missions organizations. Although head coverings for women or separating men and women in a service are not common in America, a woman missionary will wear a head covering, and the men will sit separately from the women in the meeting hall if that is practiced in the country where they seek to share Christ. By doing so, the missionary honors their culture and prevents unnecessary obstacles in reaching the people for Christ.

As we dig deeper into Paul’s commands regarding women in the Church, we need to recognize that he is directing the believers, as is permissible in Scripture, to modify their actions and gender-specific roles in ways that are “culture specific” without necessarily establishing a universal truth for all time. As noted above, Paul’s strong wording to the Corinthian Church about women covering their heads does not appear anywhere in his commands to Timothy in Ephesus. We need to pay attention to both what Paul commands and what he does not.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF 1 TIMOTHY

So, what was going on in the 60s (just “60s,” not 1960s, of course) in Asia Minor, today’s western Turkey? The year was approximately AD 63-64 when Paul was released from prison and wrote his first epistle (letter) to Timothy, as mentioned in Acts 28.^[1] Approximately 15 years have passed since these two began traveling together. At some point, Timothy became the overseer (Pastor) of the Church in Ephesus (1 Tim 1:3-4), and the notorious Nero was the current Emperor in Rome.^[2]

The purpose of writing this letter to Timothy was to remind him of the reason the elder Apostle wanted him to remain in Ephesus:

1Tim. 1:3-7 (NIV84) As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer (4) nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work—which is by faith. (5) The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (6) Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. (7) They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. (Emphasis added)

As we have already observed, the bulk of this first letter focuses on addressing the roles, responsibilities, and appropriate conduct of believers in the Church[AB1] . A further examination of the Greco-Roman household codes will be added to this section in the final edition. As a teaser, David Balch’s archeological research “offers convincing evidence that “the rules regarding household management can be traced to Aristotle’s Politics over 300 years before the church.”[3]

THE CULTURAL CONTEXT OF EPHESUS

For additional historical context, Ephesus was the capital city of the province of Asia, with a population of over 200,000, making it the third-largest city in the Roman Empire.[4] Athletic festivals played a central role in educating young citizens in the Roman Empire, and the city of Ephesus was a significant part of this.^[5] Unlike athletics today, these competitions were directly associated with one of several Greek gods (such as Zeus for the Olympics).^[6] The Christians would likely not participate in sports since the pagan religious beliefs and practices of Ephesus were intertwined in their sporting events and athletic teams.

Most prominent in Ephesus was the Greek goddess Artemis (or Diana). Ephesus was the guardian of her magnificent temple, considered one of the world’s seven wonders.^[7] The predominant role of women priests in the worship rituals of their female goddess will help us better contextualize Paul’s words to Timothy about women. More on that later.

The worship of Artemis carried over into the city’s economy in the production and sale of miniature images of her. Acts 19:24 says that the silversmiths enjoyed “no small trade” from the small statutes/idols they made and sold of their revered goddess. However, when Paul, Timothy, and others came to Ephesus in the early AD 50s, the impact of the Gospel extended even to their economy.

Beginning with the reception of the Holy Spirit by the 12 followers of Christ in Ephesus, Paul and his companions would spend two years teaching and preaching in Ephesus with such effectiveness that the entire province of Asia heard the message of salvation, likely establishing the Churches listed in Revelation 2 and 3. Due to the large numbers of people coming to faith in Christ, the impact upon Ephesus was so significant that the idol-making silversmiths were at risk of being put out of business. In a desperate attempt to save their trade, these men went through the city, stirring up the people with false accusations against Paul and his partners, causing a two-hour citywide riot. While the silversmiths claimed they were defending their goddess, in truth, it appears to have been about their income loss (Acts 19:23-41).

Timothy receives Paul’s first letter approximately ten years after this tumultuous time. The precise year when Timothy became the Overseer (Pastor) in Ephesus is uncertain, but one thing is sure: the cause of the riot was recent enough that it was likely still a point of contention. Without a doubt, it was no small decision to follow Christ in a city so permeated with a polytheistic and idolatrous culture. And with the recent memory of the riot and its negative impact on sharing the Gospel, Paul would want to assure the young Church that it did not engage in or allow unnecessary actions or practices that would stir up another uprising.

LITERARY CONTEXT OF CHAPTER 2:11-15

What is in 1 Timothy before and after this passage?

The first letter to Timothy is the first of three “Pastoral Epistles” (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus), which focuses on the roles, qualifications, and responsibilities of the overseer (Pastor) of a local Church.[8] While some of Paul’s teachings are cross-cultural, he also writes to Timothy within the context of unique cultural and societal issues specific (i.e., “situation-specific”) to the Church in Ephesus.[9] Paul had left Timothy in Ephesus for a time to keep the Church on track theologically and in matters of appropriate conduct (1:3). In verse 7 of chapter 2, the author declares himself “appointed a herald and an apostle,” a teacher to the Gentiles, and a spiritual father to Timothy.[10]

The Apostle exercises his “appointed” authority throughout this letter with such commands as “Prescribe and teach these things” (4:11), and again, “Teach and preach these principles” (6:2), and the frequent use of the Greek word paraggellō translated as “command/instruct/prescribe” (1:3, 5, 18; 4:11; 5:7; 6:13,17).[11] The twice repeated command to “fight the good fight” of the faith” (1:18 and 6:12) serve as bookends to a letter whose urgency is evident in Paul’s statement: “In case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God” (3:15). Proper conduct within the “household of God” was of utmost concern to Paul because it would directly impact how unbelievers viewed the effect of the Gospel in individuals, families, and public life – for better or worse.

In the three verses (8-10) that precede our selected passage, the author begins to give instructions about the manner and attitude in which men should pray, and that a woman’s adornment should be her good deeds and modest clothing. Once again, Paul is communicating to Timothy and the Church about the proper conduct of men and women that will benefit the preaching and hearing of the message of salvation.

In the thirteen verses following the chosen passage, the author gives specific qualifications for those who desire to become “overseers” and “deacons” (3:1-13). Paul gives Timothy a comprehensive list of character traits, acceptable behaviors, household expectations, and the need for a good reputation among outsiders for anyone seeking these offices.

Among the many qualifications listed, only one (“able to teach” in 3:2) refers to one’s spiritual gifts or abilities, while all the rest point to the individual’s character and authenticity of their faith.

In verse 11 of chapter 3, under Paul’s instruction about selecting deacons, he also includes character qualities for the “gunē,” typically translated as the deacon’s “wife.” However, this Greek word is used nine times in this epistle alone and is translated into English as “woman/women” or “wife/wives.”[12] Is the Apostle speaking of wives, or is he referring to the similar qualifications for the women serving as deaconesses? The possibility for either conclusion has merit.

In Rom 16:1, Paul says, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a ‘servant’ of the Church in Cenchrea” (NIV84). The Greek word “servant” in Rom 16:1 is the same as that in Paul’s letter to Timothy for a “deacon.” If the Greek word for Stephen and Phillip’s role as deacon, then why not translate it the same for Phoebe? What grounds do we have not to allow the belief that Phoebe was serving as a deaconess like Stephen and Phillip?

THE SOCIO-HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Throughout Greco-Roman culture, husbands generally believed that their wives could not learn, and women were typically regarded as easily led astray into foolishness if left to themselves.[13] Consequently, most women in Ephesus did not receive a formal education except for women married to wealthy men. Similarly, in Jewish culture, boys learned to quote the Torah, and women and girls could only listen in synagogues.[14] However, some philosophers accepted women as disciples, but only when it came to public speaking (called “rhetoric”); the boys received training in this.[15]

It was common for single Greek men to be sexually active in early adulthood and then eventually marry. However, the woman he married typically had to be a young virgin who was possibly more than a decade younger than he was.[16] The age difference between husband and wife would further the low expectations of women’s ability to learn, given the man’s greater life experience than his young wife. However, the wife had an essential role in the household, which I will address later.

In this passage, Paul could be passively confronting the treatment of wives by men resulting from these marital realities in his epistle to the Church a few years earlier:[17]

Eph 5:24-28 NIV84 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. (25) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (26) to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, (27) and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. (28) In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

In light of Paul’s overriding concern that the believers’ conduct makes Christ’s message attractive to the unbelieving Gentiles, Paul would see an opportunity to demonstrate the societal benefit of the biblical model. Further on, I will delve much deeper into the importance of the family and the “household codes” in Greco-Roman culture in Ephesus. Next, we will begin our exegetical examination of the specific text, vv. 11-15.

** Thank you for reading this far. Part 5 will begin an exegetical examination of the specific passage. Words mean things, and so we need to understand what the Greek words really meant to the writer and the reader of these epistles. **

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