“For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.”

A simple, plain read of these 3-short verses, drawn from 1 Timothy 2:9-15, will naturally cause a great many within and without our Faith community to draw wrong conclusions about women serving in teaching and preaching roles in the Body of Messiah. For without proper understanding of the passages’ context to the whole book of 1 Timothy and the rest of Paul’s writings; without a clear understanding of Ephesian religious and cultural practices; and without a firm grasp of the Koine Greek from which the text is derived, all one has to draw upon in order to understand what Paul is trying to get across to Timothy is the English words and their meaning as printed on the pages of our Bible.

In this 15th installment of our Paul and Hebrew Roots Series, we conclude our examination of Paul’s attitude towards women of Faith, especially his attitude towards women of Faith filling leadership roles in the Body of Messiah. Today, we will conduct a thorough examination of 1 Timothy 2:13-15 and upon completing that examination, present the most contextually accurate and reasonable interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 possible.

 This is “Paul’s Bold Stand Against Anti-Torah Teachings in the Ephesian Church—Part 15 of the Paul and Hebrew Roots Series.”

Rehashing Part-14

In our previous installment to this series—Part-14—I introduced to you a rather different understanding of 1 Timothy 2:11 and 12. It reads as follows:

“Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence” (KJV).

In that post, we examined these two key verses from research that was conducted by researchers Donna Howell, Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt and Richard and Catherine Kroeger. In our building upon the foundational work of these researchers, we were then able to develop what I believe to be the best, most accurate understanding or interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:11 and 12 that I’ve ever come across in all my years of studying the writings of Paul. Their understanding and interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:11 and 12 is contextually, culturally, historically and linguistically sound. And the ultimate model or understanding that comes out of their research—that is, what Paul was actually addressing in his letter to Timothy–to me makes the most sense; especially from an internal consistency perspective (however that actually plays out in any one believer’s mind).

We concluded that Jewish Gnosticism, myths and tales had somehow overtaken some, if not most of the house fellowships/churches/congregations in Ephesus. The spreading of these heretical false teachings had set the Messianic Community in Ephesus in somewhat of a doctrinal and spiritual tizzy. Thus, Paul dispatched the young evangelist Timothy to not only put an abrupt stop to the heretical teachings of the Gnostics and of the meddlesome women believed to have been spreading this trash (1 Tim. 1:3), but to also correct the brethren and their false doctrine with Truth, love and faith (1 Tim. 1:5).

Of most concern for Paul, were the meddlesome women or woman who was going door-to-door or house-to-house spreading their heretical myths, fables and tales; no doubt focusing on the members and or owners of Ephesian assembly homes (1 Tim. 5:13). And it is this contextual basis and linkage to the purveyors, or perpetrators of this Jewish Gnosticism to Paul’s order that Timothy see to it that the Ephesian assembly women (or woman who was behind the spreading of false doctrine house-to-house) be afforded the opportunity to learn the Truth of Torah and the Gospel; as well as to put an abrupt end to their (ie., the meddlesome women) or her (the unnamed woman’s or wife’s) teaching (1 Tim. 2:11 and 12).

So our understanding of 1 Timothy 2:11 and 12 changes from that of a universal or normative prohibition against women teaching and preaching in the Body and Assemblies of Messiah, to that of a restrictive, localized prohibition against the Ephesian assembly women or the unnamed woman teaching and spreading their trash in the Body and Assemblies of Messiah.

We therefore concluded that our updated understanding of 1 Timothy 2:11 and 12 had nothing whatsoever to do with the centuries old, misinterpreted, erroneous doctrine and tradition that is drawn from our focus-passage, that prohibits women from teaching and preaching in the Body and Assemblies of Messiah. And our present understanding of our focus passage is a clear example of the importance of employing proper, hermeneutical principles and tools when studying and reading Paul’s writings and teachings. Otherwise, the reader is forced to adopt misinformed and baseless conclusions of what they believe Paul was saying to his readers; which in turn is based upon the reader’s culture, overall level of scriptural understanding and education, and the state of their heart.

We also expressed the importance of allowing the Holy Spirit to do its part in revealing corrected Truth to us; as we seek and search out Truth in some of Paul’s most difficult writings (2 Pet. 3:15 & 16).

For Adam was formed first…

This then leads us to today’s final discussion of our focus passage of 1 Timothy 2:9-15; in particular to the remaining verses of our focus passage—verses 13 through 15. The passage reads as follows:

“For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety” (KJV).

Now, this is another one of those “what you talk’n ‘bout Paul sections of Paul’s more difficult to understand writings. Recall back in chapter 2, verses 1 through 8 of 1 Timothy, Paul instructed Timothy to get the men of every Ephesian Assembly to engage in corporate/public prayer for all people; engaging in such prayer that was devoid of anger and argument. And this admonishment that Timothy causes the men of the Ephesian assemblies to engage in corporate prayer on behalf of all people, everywhere, occurs at a place in the letter immediately after Paul charges certain individuals to stop teaching false doctrine in the Ephesian assemblies. Thus we concluded in Parts 10 and 11 of this series, that Paul’s instruction that the men of the assemblies engage in corporate prayer was essentially the first line of attack against the Jewish Gnosticism that had begun to take hold in the assemblies.

Then in verse 9, out of nowhere mind you, Paul abruptly breaks into a discussion of proper and appropriate womens’ attire, appearance and deportment, and then on to womens’ education and the alleged prohibition against women teaching and usurping authority over men. And we found that without employing proper hermeneutic techniques and contextual criticism, there is no logical way to explain or understand Paul’s abrupt indictment against women in the so-called church, except one accepts that Paul was doing an about-face or a reversal in his views on women in leadership roles in the Body and Assemblies of Messiah. There simply is no other way to understand and explain this section.

But we, through a careful examination of 1 Timothy—ie., using context—and certain well researched extra-biblical resources that tackled Ephesian culture, religion, language, and history—that Paul in no way prohibited women from teaching and preaching in the Body and Assemblies of Messiah. In fact, Paul insisted that women learn Torah and the Gospel the proper way. And that nagging verse where Paul declares he “suffers not a woman to teach but to remain silent and not usurp authority over the man” appears to be a refutation against or an indictment against the women or the unnamed woman who were spreading their heretical Gnostic dribble throughout the Ephesian assemblies. Thus, Paul’s obvious support for women of faith leaders remains firmly intact.

An Unexpected Addition to the Narrative 

Then we come to verses 13 through 15, and we find another abrupt, inexplicable teaching by Paul that essentially summarizes the creation story. And it’s not just the inexplicable insertion of the Torah story of creation that’s problematic here, but it’s the suggestive misogynistic points that Paul, on the surface, appears to be driving home to Timothy. Again, on the surface, these suggestive misogynistic points, absence contextual and sound extra-biblical hermeneutic resources, are confusing:

(1) That Eve was deceived, transgressed the commandment of YHVH, and man innocently becomes the victim of Eve’s deception;

And (2) that women are through childbearing as opposed to a trusting faith in the atoning sacrifice of Yahoshua haMashiyach. Indeed, another “What you talk’n ‘bout Paul set of hard to understand Pauline verses.

All Is Not Lost—There is a Reason For Paul’s Adam and Eve Statements

Nevertheless, what we will find out, just as we discovered with verse nine’s inexplicable, abrupt discussion of womens’ apparel and deportment, there is a reason why Paul wrote what he did regarding the creation story. In fact, based upon all that we’ve been talking about regarding the spread of Jewish Gnosticism in and through the Ephesian assemblies in Paul’s day, you’ve probably already figured out (1) why Paul wrote what he did regarding Adam and Eve, and (2) what Paul likely meant in these confusing and troubling three verses.

For the time being, however, we’re going to examine verses 13 through 15 in context with verses 9 through 12, as well as put our entire focus passage all together into an easy to understanding format that will hopefully expel the many error-ridden doctrines and teachings regarding women of Faith in the Body and Assemblies of Messiah.

Logical and Accurate Transitioning From Women Education and Teaching to the Creation Order

Now, we’ve come to understand that Paul wanted the Ephesian women or the unnamed woman (the scenario which I tend to favor) to give up her heretical, no-doubt Gnostic-based teaching in the Ephesian assemblies; sit down; shut up; dress appropriately; and learn (verses 9-12). But then we come upon another one of Paul’s abrupt, inexplicable instructions, without much in the way of a warning or transition verse, phrase or word. However, when we consider all that we’ve discussed regarding the Artemis/Diana cult in everyday Ephesian secular and religious society; the spreading of heretical Jewish Gnostic teachings, twisted Torah tales, Jewish myths and such, all of which was heavily infringing on the Ephesian assemblies as evidenced by the existence of various clues scattered throughout 1 Timothy, it actually becomes quite easy to determine the reason for Paul’s seeming inexplicable mention of the creation order, the fall of man and his discussion about women’s salvation being based on childbearing.

So what we will find as we examine these three, otherwise hard to understand verses, is that if we (1) understand—at least somewhat–the false doctrine that certain of these Ephesian assembly women (or the unnamed woman) were putting out there—again, conceivably house-to-house; and (2) if we take the bold step of accepting the single, unnamed female Gnostic teacher being the primary focus of Paul’s instruction regarding truth-based Torah education, teaching and preaching in the Ephesian assemblies, then we will find that these three verses (ie., verses 13 through 15) make perfect sense. And the fake news that for centuries put forth the false doctrine, dare I say, the ridiculous misogynistic narrative that 1 Timothy is somehow this amazing church administrative manual that, oh by the way, prohibits women from preaching, leading corporate prayer and teaching in the Body and Assemblies of Messiah because Eve was created after Adam and Eve transgressed the commandment of God, which led to the fall of man, well that prohibition story crumbles under the weight of Spirit-led Truth. Instead of silencing women, we find under the light of Truth, that women are forever free to exercise their God-given talents and callings in the Body and Assemblies of Messiah. Furthermore, through a true understanding of 1 Timothy, we stand to gain a greater appreciation of the damage that false, inaccurate teachings can impose on a congregation and or the Body of Messiah. And thus the current leaders and teachings of the Body of Messiah are responsible for rightly dividing the Word of Truth (cf. 2 Tim. 2:15), using proper hermeneutical principles and giving ear to the Ruach haKodesh (ie., the Holy Spirit).

So let’s revisit Gnosticism one last time so as to set the table, if you will, for our contextual break down of 1 Timothy 2:13-15.  

Gnostic Ideas of Origin

As a whole, first through third-century Gnosticism was terribly inconsistent. In fact, Irenaeus (2nd century A.D. Greek church bishop and theologian) remarked that “no two Gnostics could be found who agreed on an issue.” Celsus (a 2nd century A.D. Greek philosopher and early Christian opponent), as revealed through Irenaeus’ writings, agreed, suggesting that the various Gnostic sects could not come to any sort of agreement in their teaching (Irenaeus Against Heresies 1.11.1; 1.9.5, and Celsus Against Origen 5.62). Thus their teachings appeared to be fluid; absent of any clear-cut boundaries. It has been noted that a story told twice in the same Gnostic-based document could be rendered altogether differently in that same document; even to the point of the two renderings of the story being outright contradictory.

In addition, it could be accurately concluded that there were a variety of Gnostic sects popping up throughout the Roman Empire in the early centuries of the so-called Church.

Now, interestingly enough, the creation story appears to be one of the most obvious links that tie 1st-century Gnosticism to Judaism, Torah and the True Faith once delivered. Taking advantage of this critical link, the Gnostics in most cases, twisted the creation story such that it was at times completely at odds with Torah’s revelation of the creation. Invariably, Gnostic teachings of the creation often featured a supreme being who was far higher than YHVH—the God of the Old Testament.

Revisiting the Mysterious Greek Term Authentein

Looking back to Part-14 of this series, recall that we examined in detail, the mysterious Greek term “authentein.” This mysterious term (mysterious because it is not used anywhere else in the whole of scripture) was used by the Apostle in his refutation of the false teaching activities of the unnamed Ephesian assembly woman or women. Paul’s refutation of the woman is framed as a “usurping of authority” or “authenteo” over the man, with the solution to that unauthorized usurpation being the woman or women taking on a state of “hesuchia” or respectful quiet and learning in the Ephesian assemblies.

Well, interestingly enough, in certain Gnostic literature, the so-called Gnostic supreme being is referred to as “Authentia,” or in English, the “Author.” And at times, Authentia is identified as female (eg., Artemis/Diana).

And the discussion doesn’t end there. In many portrayals of the creation story, the Gnostics portray Eve as the giver of life; specifically, the originator or the giver of life to none other than Adam. Furthermore, Eve is portrayed as the originator, or the “gnosis” (ie., of knowledge and enlightenment) of humankind. Thus, Eve is viewed as pre-existing Adam.

(Are you starting to see where this is all going as it relates to verse 13 of our focus passage?)

According to Richard and Christine Kroeger in their book “I Suffer Not a Women:”

Richard and Catherine Kroeger meticulously examine in their book the various Gnostic and mythological influences adversely affecting the Ephesian Assemblies.

“The Gnostics maintained that the beneficent serpent, through the instrumentality of Eve, undid the deceit perpetrated on Adam. Satan brought news of a spiritual world far higher than the material one, and of spiritual realities far grander than those provided to Adam by Ialdabaoth (the name of their creator)” (ibn; pg. 122). 

The Adam and Eve Story in 1 Timothy 2

We discussed in previous installments to this series that the first-century A.D. Gnosticism that Paul and Timothy were up against, appears to be the handiwork of “heterodox Diaspora Jews” (Kroegers; pg. 148). Now, we know this to have a basis of Truth because of the works and accounts passed down to us by some of the so-called Church Fathers, who wrote extensively in opposition to Gnostic teachings and beliefs (eg., Iranaeus’ “Against Heresies,” c. 180 A.D.).

As well as we now have the rather dubious benefit of a treasure trove of archaeologically recovered Gnostic writings known as the Nag Hammadi Library of Gnostic writings.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the Nag Hammadi Gnostic writings, it is a collection of some 13-ancient books or codices, containing some of the so-called “Gnostic Gospels” (eg., The Apocalypse of Adam; The Apocryphon of James; The Gospel of Thomas; and so many more). This library was supposedly recovered in upper Egypt in 1945. Interestingly enough, scholars knew of these books before the 1945 discovery, but feared they were forever lost as a result of them being destroyed in the first-couple centuries of the so-called Orthodox Church for obvious reasons.

According to “The Gnostic Society Library” (The Gnostic Gospels Website), “The discovery and translation of the Nag Hammadi library, initially completed in the 1970’s, has provided impetus to a major re-evaluation of early Christian history and the nature of Gnosticism.”

So it is through these and other discovered writings that we now have a greater appreciation for the likely situation on the ground in the Ephesian assemblies of Paul’s day.

I’ve actually read portions of some of these writings and I have to say that I was appalled at the content—the twisting of Truth—the presumption and hubris of the writers. Indeed, these are as Paul described, teachings of demons (1 Tim. 4:1).

The Mixing of Truth with False Teachings

Nevertheless, I love what the Kroegers wrote regarding first-century heterodox Diaspora Jewish Gnosticism:

“Everything in the society (ie., Ephesus) invited a blending of the religious culture” (ibn; 148).

And we know that the diaspora Jews were not immune to this religious tendency.

Case in point: Paul’s first missionary journey to Ephesus where we get our first peek at the Diaspora Jewish Gnosticism that was prevalent in Ephesus at the time: 

Acts 19:1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Sha’ul completed his travels through the inland country and arrived at Ephesus…both Jews and Greeks, living in the province of Asia heard the message about the Lord.
11 God did extraordinary miracles through Sha’ul.
12 For instance, handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were brought to sick people; they would recover from their ailments; and the evil spirits would leave them.
13 Then some of the Jewish exorcists who traveled from place to place tried to make use of the name of the Lord Yeshua in connection with people who had evil spirits. They would say, “I exorcise you by the Yeshua that Sha’ul is proclaiming!”
14 One time, seven sons of a Jewish cohen gadol named Skeva were doing this;
15 and the evil spirit answered them. It said, “Yeshua I know. And Sha’ul I recognize. But you? Who are you?”
16 Then the man with the evil spirit fell upon them, overpowered them and gave them such a beating that they ran from the house, naked and bleeding.
17 When all this became known to the residents of Ephesus, fear fell on all of them, Jews and Greeks alike; and the name of the Lord Yeshua came to be held in high regard.
18 Many of those who had earlier made professions of faith now came and admitted publicly their evil deeds;
19 and a considerable number of those who had engaged in occult practices threw their scrolls in a pile and burned them in public. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, it came to fifty thousand drachmas. (Act 19:1-19 CJB)

So we have available to us today, undeniable biblical and extra-biblical support for the existence of Jewish-Gnosticism in first-century Ephesus. In particular, we have a number of clues scattered throughout 1st and 2nd Timothy, as well as in Titus, that point to an infiltration of Gnosticism (eg., 1 Tim. 6:20 & 21), tales and myths (ie., 1 Tim. 1:4; 2 Tim. 4:4; Tit. 1:14) into the Ephesian assemblies of Messiah; again, conceivably by women or an unnamed woman who was spreading this heretical teachings throughout the assemblies.

This Pauline passage is quite revealing as it relates to the scourge of Jewish Gnosticism in the Cretan assemblies:

10 For there are many, especially from the Circumcision faction, who are rebellious, who delude people’s minds with their worthless and misleading talk.
11 They must be silenced; because they are upsetting entire households by teaching what they have no business teaching, and doing it for the sake of dishonest gain.
12 Even one of the Cretans’ own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons”-
13 and it’s true! For this reason, you must be severe when you rebuke those who have followed this false teaching, so that they will come to be sound in their trust
14 and no longer pay attention to Judaistic myths or to the commands of people who reject the truth.
(Tit 1:10-14 CJB)

Thus, a refutation against Jewish Gnosticism seems to be the basis or purpose upon which these three pastorals were written. In a very general sense, these letters contain discussions about false teachings and how false teachers were to be dealt with. In other words, 1st and 2nd Timothy, along with Titus serve as an antidote to “heterodoxy” (Kroegers; pg. 42). And just for the record, heterodoxy has to do with any teachings or doctrines that differ with orthodoxy—ie., with Torah and the Gospel that Yahoshua Messiah taught.

First Timothy, then, is a response to congregational turmoil; an assembly threatened to be overrun by heretical teaching and doctrine; an assembly fraught with “bitter disputes over matters of faith and practice” (Kroegers; pg. 43). Paul had departed Ephesus, leaving Timothy behind with instructions to “stop certain people from teaching a different doctrine and embroiling themselves in myths” (1 Tim. 1:3,4).

Thus, at the risk of getting too ahead of myself here today, 1 Timothy 2:13-15 serve as a refutation against the Gnostic notion that Eve was a spiritual mediator with some amount of superior knowledge such that she was sent by the supreme being—possibly Authentia—the Author—not enough information to definitively say—as possibly an “instructor of life to rouse Adam from his sleep” (Kroegers; pg. 124). Paul strongly repudiates the idea that the wise serpent, instead of beguiling or deceiving Eve, actually passed his vast wisdom on to Eve. Consequently, we find in 1 Timothy 2:15, Paul re-establishes the Truth of Torah to Timothy; that Eve was not only created after Adam, but that she was deceived and she too transgressed the commandments of YHVH.

Eve (aka Havah) did not bring enlightenment to Adam, or for that matter, mankind. Instead, her transgression, along with Adam’s, resulted in darkness and alienation from YHVH. Not her alone, but Adam alongside her as well. For we find Paul saying in verse 14 of 1 Timothy 2, that Adam was not deceived. Now, some might take exception to Paul’s statement here. But when you really think about it, it’s quite reasonable to rationalize that the commandment to not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was given directly to Adam by the Creator:

“Adonai, God, gave the person (Adam) this order: ‘You may freely eat from every tree in the garden, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You are not to eat from it…” (Gen. 2:16; CJB).

So the prohibition against eating the forbidden fruit was given to Adam, whose duty it was to teach Eve the Creator’s commandments—His Torah if you will. However, it would appear that Havah’s training or understanding or commitment to the understanding of Father’s commandment not to eat of the forbidden fruit, did not firmly take hold within her. Thus, she bought into the nechesh’s (ie., the serpent’s) lie and the twisting of Father’s command.

And what about Adam? Wasn’t he deceived? Well, Genesis 3:6 clearly documents that Adam was right there with Havah (aka Eve) at the time she was being deceived by the nechesh (aka serpent). Clearly, the nechesh’s deceptive work was directed exclusively at Eve, not Adam. Thus, Adam would not have been deceived, but he ate of the forbidden fruit in rebellion to Abba’s Torah—Abba’s commandment, knowing full-well what he was doing at the time he transgressed the commandment. He himself, instead of repenting for his transgression, stated that he simply chose to eat of the forbidden fruit because Havah gave it to him. Thus, Adam willfully transgressed YHVH’s command for whatever reason. Eve, on the other hand, revealed that she ate of the forbidden fruit because she was “tricked” by the nechesh (aka, the serpent) (Gen. 3:12 & 13; CJB). 

Considerations of Childbearing—1 Timothy 2:15

So let’s quickly tie together what we know so far in our examination of our focus passage.

In 1 Timothy 2:13 & 14, Paul once and for all sets the record straight as it relates to the facts of the Creation order; the fall of humankind, and the understanding that man transgressed the commandment of His Creator as opposed to reaping the grand benefits associated with the gifting of gnosis or knowledge from the serpent and or Eve.

Now, we have two ways of looking at this “setting the record” straight by Paul:

1. Orthodox, conventional wisdom would contend that Paul, in verses 13 and 14, provided his apprentice Timothy a reason for his prohibition against women teaching and preaching in the Body and Assemblies of Messiah. In other words, Timothy, my son, the reason I will not tolerate women teaching and or preaching in the Church is because Eve was created after Adam and that she single-handedly ignited the fire that brought about the “fall of man.” Hands down: this is the most widely accepted explanation for these two verses. The problem with this understanding is that it is contextually out of place—there is no reason whatsoever that Paul would bring up the Creation order and the fall of man to substantiate or support his prohibition against women teaching and preaching in the assemblies of Messiah, especially when we know from previous parts of this series, that Paul revered a great many female teachers, preachers, prophets, congregation leaders, and at least one apostle of the Body of Messiah. Nor is it sufficient to postulate that all the female leaders of Paul’s evangelistic team were exceptions to Paul’s teaching and preaching prohibition. For Paul to make such a universal, normative prohibition against women preaching and teaching in the assemblies and Body of Messiah not only makes no spiritual or commonsense, it would be Apostolic suicide on Paul’s part. The assemblies he oversaw would no doubt call him on his flip-flopping on his new, contradictory doctrine, as well as they would have serious concerns about other areas of the Faith he would no doubt later flip-flop on. In other words, Paul would not be trusted by the very people he instructed to imitate him as he imitated Messiah (1 Cor. 11:1). Again, at the time Paul wrote 1 Timothy, not many years had passed since Priscilla taught, preached and oversaw the Ephesian assemblies. So it’s a fair bet a good many Ephesian assembly members still recalled her time in office there.

2. Contextually, culturally, historically, and linguistically, these two verses are clearly a refutation (ie., a setting the record straight, if you will) of the heretical, false Torah teachings that we’ve identified as Jewish Gnosticism. And clearly, the one heretical, false teaching that stood out the most in Paul’s mind is the false teaching that Eve (ie., Havah) was created before Adam, and that Eve did not transgress God’s commandments, but instead, she brought enlightenment to Adam, and by default, all of mankind. Havah, thus, became somewhat of a mediator between God and man. And thus we have it; just a few verses prior to our focus passage, Paul leaving yet another clue of that which he was having to deal with; that being an erroneous understanding that there was more than one God and one mediator:

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men; the man Christ Jesus…” (1 Timothy 2:5; ESV; KJV).

Now can you see what I mean by my statement that Paul leaves numerous clues strewn throughout his letter that when factored into the vise of Holy Spirit revelation, context, history, culture, language and geography, reveal the true intent and meaning of his writings?

The other thing that I slightly touched upon in a previous installment to this series, but failed to give much in the way of attention to, is this whole underbelly of the “matron goddess,” which appears to be part and parcel of some early Gnostic beliefs and teachings. And this matron goddess belief and teaching ties in quite well with Paul’s insertion of the Adam and Eve story in verses 13 and 14.

It appears that Ephesus’ matron goddess was known by many names throughout the Roman Empire: the Great Mother of the gods; the Mountain Mother; Ma; Bellona; Cybele; Demeter; and Artemis. She was worshiped as “the mother of all gods and of men and the mistress of animals.” And it was firmly believed that from her came all life. When one died, he or she would be gathered once again to her womb. Furthermore, the matron goddess was believed to have stood guard over the tombs of her devotees (Kroegers; pg. 50).

So we have Jewish Gnosticism, which we know to have existed in first-century Ephesus, a city well known for her devotion and pagan beliefs in a matron goddess—the mother goddess Artemis—spreading anti-Torah teachings and rhetoric that denied Torah’s stated order of Creation and the truth of the fall of man. Can there be any coincidence that Paul would simply choose to put women teachers and preachers on a spiritual “time out” just because he felt like it at the time. Eh, it’s a good bet that it’s not at all a coincidence, but a clear and precise refutation of spiritual wrongdoing in the Ephesian assemblies by certain women or an unnamed, no doubt married woman; possibly going from assembly to assembly, plying her pagan, heretical doctrinal wears. 

Childbearing and the Salvation of the Woman

So with all that’s been said about verses 13 and 14, it’s time to bring this passage to a proper conclusion, and see if we can explain and properly interpret verse 15 of our focus passage.

The first thing Paul hits us with is a rather confusing and provocative statement that women or the unnamed woman will be saved through childbearing…the key term childbearing (Greek of “technogonia”) being what I want to touch on here for just a few moments.

As with other areas of our focus passage, there are some inherent problems with this verse:

(1) What does childbearing have to do with Paul’s instruction that the Ephesian assembly women or the unnamed woman be afforded the opportunity to properly learn Truth and to abstain from teaching and spreading their Gnostic trash throughout the city’s assemblies? Again, another “out of nowhere” statement/instruction from Paul.

(2) Why would Paul bring up childbearing as the basis upon which the women or the woman would be saved? This statement on its own merits is extremely contradictory and any semblance of internal consistency is ruined just on the merits of this verse alone. For Paul himself wrote to the Messianic Assemblies in Ephesus the following regarding salvation:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8; KJV).

And even in his follow-up letter to Timothy, Paul affirms the same doctrine:

“Who (ie., our Heavenly Father) hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began…” (2 Tim. 1:10; KJV).

And we find that Paul wasn’t the only one to recognize that salvation is a gift of God—Abba’s abundant grace that is shed upon us—and is based upon Faith:

“Through His (ie., our Heavenly Father) faithfulness, you are guarded by god’s power so that you can receive the salvation He is ready to reveal in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:5; CEB).

So, once again, “What you talk’n ‘bout Paul?” Is salvation had through Faith in the sacrifice of Messiah or is it through childbearing?

The one good thing to be had, as it relates to this tricky verse, is that both problems can be easily resolved together—ie., in unison. For when we factor in the single, unnamed woman scenario into our focus passage, then our understanding of this verse is made easier.

But before we do that, let’s quickly look at:

Gnostic Views of Procreation

Richard and Catherine Kroeger point out in their book the following regarding Gnostic thinking as it relates to procreation:

“To procreate children is to scatter the divine particles still further and to entomb more human spirits in the flesh” (ibn; pg. 174).

Clearly, certain Gnostic groups were vehemently opposed to childbearing (Stephen Benko, “The Libertine Ghnostic Sect of the Phibionites According to Epiphanius,” Vigiliae Christianae 21, 2 (1967); 103-19).

One group (ie., the Phibionites) urged their followers to renounce the procreation of children during intercourse. Sadly enough, certain extra-biblical literary evidence suggests that groups such as the infamous Phibionites forced abortions upon their female members, in the event a couple were to become pregnant. And to make matters worse, the aborted child would be eaten by members of the group for purposes of assimilating the child’s soul-particles.

This is diametrically opposite of that which Torah commanded: that humans be fruitful and multiple. In fact, Paul made the family a highlight of his ministry. Secondly, Torah forbid murder.

Folks, this disgusting account should, if anything, help us better appreciate the enormity of Paul’s and Timothy’s war against Gnosticism in the Ephesian assemblies. Indeed, Gnosticism was, and in many cases, still remains a significant threat to the Faith once delivered. A significant threat, yes, but not an existential one. For Master Yahoshua clearly asserted that the gates of hell—ie., the forces of evil—would not prevail against his sacred assembly (Mat. 16:18). 

So you may be asking, what does any of this have to do with the issue of childbearing that Paul brings up in verse 15? Well, actually a great deal. If in fact these Gnostic women or the unnamed Gnostic woman was spreading anti-marriage; anti-procreation’ anti-Torah; anti-Gospel teachings throughout the Ephesian home fellowships, then the pieces to our puzzle finally start to fit into their proper places and an amazing picture starts to emerge.

Paul left us a clear clue that indeed such anti-marriage and anti-childbearing teachings were making their way throughout the Ephesian assemblies. I refer you to 1 Timothy 4:1-3:

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared (ala Hymenaeus and Alexander—the Faith shipwreckers), who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth” (ESV).

Indeed, it seems pretty clear to me that Paul truly believed that he and the Body of Messiah were living out the “latter times;” and Gnosticism seems to be the teachings of demons Paul was alluding to in this passage. Furthermore, the fact that Paul attempts to impress upon Timothy the importance of women marrying, especially the younger ones, supports, in my mind, the likelihood that Paul is directly addressing the importance of marriage and childbearing amongst the couples of the assemblies. In fact, Paul instructed Timothy not to enroll the younger widows into a program that provided for the material needs of the assemblies’ widows. Instead, those younger widows would be encouraged to re-marry and serve the Body of Messiah domestically and deny the “adversary occasion for slander:”

“But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry…So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander” (1 Tim. 5:11-14; ESV).

In a sense we see Paul here touching on the commandment given to Adam and Eve in Torah, to be fruitful and multiply. Indeed, Paul here was being overtly anti-Gnostic in his statement. He was refuting the heretical anti-marriage, anti-childbearing teachings that the Ephesian women or the unnamed woman was spreading to the various house assemblies. I guess one could say Paul was throwing these heretical teachings right back in the false teachers’ faces.

Nevertheless, Paul had compassion for the deceived women or woman. He wanted nothing more than the woman to be brought to Truth and in to a Godly life. He wrote:

“But she will be delivered through childbearing, if she continues in faith and love and holiness with self-control” (1 Timothy 2:15; NET).

In other words, if this unnamed female Gnostic, anti-Torah teacher were to simply give up and stop spreading doctrines of demons; sit down; shut up and learn Truth; raise a family—assuming she continued in the Faith and lived a holy and Godly life–she would be redeemed.

An Alternate Interpretation

A rather prevalent interpretation of verse 15 that is widely accepted by many Pauline and New Testament Bible scholars is that Paul is actually referring Timothy back to Genesis 3:15 which reads as follows:

“And I (YHVH) will put enmity between thee (ie., the serpent) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel” (KJV).

This well known and often referenced passage of the Creation story is believed by most to be a prophetic reference to Mashiyach. This verse has been dubbed the “protevangelium” by modern-day scholars. The protevangelium supposes that this pronouncement against the serpent—ie., the nechesh—is the earliest Messianic prophecy in scripture. For it allegorically tells of Havah’s ultimate offspring, Yahoshua HaMashiyach—the “seed of the woman”—who delivers a crippling blow to the seed of the woman—Mashiyach—who in turn delivers a fatal and ultimate blow to the serpent—the nechesh—whereby hasatan will be cast into the Lake of Fire for all eternity.

Now, some of course reject the allegorical Messianic prophetical interpretation of Genesis 3:15, choosing instead to interpret the passage as a literal struggle against humans and snakes throughout history. I don’t necessarily ascribe to this interpretation; especially given the information that is emerging of late regarding the serpent of Genesis being not so much a “snake,” but a fallen angel with a flaming, serpent-like appearance. (We will not get into this issue in this post.)

If we reject my scenario whereby verse 15 is an admonishment for the unnamed Gnostic woman or women to settle down and redeem herself through learning and marriage and childbearing, then the “protevangelium” scenario seems to be the only reasonable interpretation for this verse. There is really no other reason for Paul to have mentioned a woman being saved through childbearing. 

Putting Our Focus Passage into Proper Light

So in closing—let’s put this whole focus passage of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 into an easy to understand interpretative light. I would offer the following interpretation of the passage—actually beginning with verse 1 of chapter 2:

Having handed Hymenaeus and Alexander over to hasatan for their making a shipwreck of their faith through outright blasphemy of YHVH and Torah, the first thing I want to happen in our efforts to get the Ephesian assemblies back on spiritual track, is for the men of the assemblies to engage in corporate prayer. In every assembly, I’m calling all the men to engage in requests, prayers, petitions and thanksgiving on behalf of all people. And those public prayers are to be devoid of argument and anger, so that we of the True Faith once delivered may live peaceful, Godly and dignified lives.

And I want the women of the assemblies to also engage in corporate prayer just like their male counterparts. In so doing, however, I need the women of the assemblies to dress appropriately and present themselves in a Godly manner. They cannot engage in corporate prayer activities in such a way that they draw inappropriate attention unto themselves. The women of the assemblies should not behave as the pagan Ephesian women do. Instead, they should behave in a Godly manner.

This married woman, however, who is going from assembly to assembly spreading doctrines of demons, should be given the opportunity to learn Truth. She should engage in the learning of Torah, as any other Ephesian assembly man and woman, in a reverent, respectful and engaging manner.

But I absolutely will not allow any teaching that puts women or makes women the originator—the architect of man. This woman who is going throughout the assemblies teaching this trash must be made to sit and learn the Truth with respect for her teachers.

Besides, contrary to this woman’s heretical teaching that Eve was the originator of Adam or that she was the mediator between God and man, or that some mother goddess created all things, Adam preceded Eve (aka Havah) in the creative order. Additionally, also for the record, Eve did not bring light and knowledge to Adam or to mankind. She was beguiled—fooled by the nechesh (aka, the serpent) and she, along with her husband, transgressed YHVH’s Torah—His commandment.

Here’s the deal regarding this woman—despite this heretical teaching that men and women should not marry nor procreate, which is anti-Torah teaching, this woman would be best served to stop spreading her doctrine of demons, learn Torah—learn Truth, and raise a family. If she does this, she is redeemable and will be saved as a result of her Faith, her godly behavior, her set-apartness, and her strict adherence to Truth.

Conclusion

Friends, this concludes this portion of our Paul and Hebrew Roots Series that has dealt specifically with Paul’s attitudes towards women of Faith fulfilling leadership roles in the Body of Messiah.

I pray that this series has been a blessing to you. And if anything, my prayer is that any woman who may have listened to this series, be encouraged to embrace and exercise the teaching, preaching, prophesying, and leading gifts and callings that rest upon you. The Body of Messiah needs your unique callings and giftings; for the time is short and the fields are beckoning workers to work the harvest while it is still day.

Now, this in no way says that women should wrest all control from men and assume every leadership position in the Body and Assembly of Messiah. We men must continue to do our part. As Godly men, we are compelled to love and provide for our wives and our families; lead in the work of the Gospel as the Spirit directs; and fully support our wives in whatever ministry the Holy Spirit bestows upon them.

The other thing I hope comes from this series is that it will cause you to conduct your own studies on the topics we’ve discussed and allow the Holy Spirit to speak directly to you as a result of your personal studies.