Order in the Church

Order in the Church

Albert Gomez
December 10, 2001

Introduction

The situation that at the beginning the Church faced differs from today's cultural reality. Although the principles found in the Word of God, continually speaks truth to us, even from the pastoral letters' teaching written almost two thousand years ago for specific purposes. Certain passages on these epistles have caused turmoil among believers who were not properly taught, or were conditioned by a misleading interpretation. For instance, in 1Timothy 2:11-12, what we read seems to be attached back in history.

Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence (1 Tim 2:11-12).

Cultural Setting

This Pastoral Epistle was written approximately AD 62, for Timothy's advice in Ephesus (Gr. Ephesos, desirable). Having access from the Aegean Sea. Ephesus became the capital city of the Roman province of Asia. Certainly, this trading port was proud, rich, and busy; consequently, desirable for the pagan world. The Temple of Diana, also known as Artemis, attracted people from different parts of the world. It was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Much of the trade revolved around the cult tourist-worshipers that was eager to carry away talismans and souvenirs. It hence the prosperous guild of the silversmith whose livelihood was the multitude of the shrines and images of the meteoric stone that was said to be Diana's image "fallen from heaven."

The Anatolian deity had been taken over the Greeks under the name of Artemis, the Diana of the Romans. Grotesquely represented with turreted head and many breasts, the goddess and her cult found expression in the famous temple, served like that of Aphrodite at Corinth, by a host priestess courtesans.

Probably, these goddess cults, loaded with sexual immorality so popular in their communities, encouraged an irreverent behavior among believers of the opposite sex, especially the pastors leading the service. Their deities used to be women who were the attraction of tourist-worshipers. But the Gospel had changed a hundred and eighty degrees the formal perspective of life, sex, and marriage. Many women might have been caught at the Corinth or Ephesus congregations arguing and questioning the Word of God, favoring the past position of "spiritual" leadership. Considering that mind-set at that time, let us observe the meaning in the words written by the apostle Paul related with that situation.

Word Study

WOMAN
NT:1135; gune (goo-nay'); probably from the base of NT:1096; a woman specially, a wife; KJV - wife, woman.

The confusion regarding the word gunem being translated “woman” instead of “wife” is primarily related to whether they should speak in a local assembly of believers. Is a woman supposed to be totally silent during a Christian worship service? Paul discusses this in 1 Cor. 14:33–40. His concern in this discussion is not whether a woman should remain totally silent in the worship service and only men should speak, but whether confusion and improper behavior could result from excessive participation by women.

Syn.: themlus (2338), female, woman.
Ant.: anemr (435), male or husband; árreMn or árseMn (730), male.

SILENCE
NT:2271; hesuchia (hay-soo-khee'-ah); feminine of NT:2272; (as noun) stillness, i.e. desistance from bustle or language; KJV - quietness, silence; hJsuciva heMsuchía; gen. heMsuchías, fem. noun from hemsuchos (n.f.), quiet, still. Quietness, tranquility, stillness, referring to a quiet life (2 Thess. 3:12). In the sense of stillness, it means silence (Acts 22:2; 1 Tim. 2:11, 12; Sept.: Job 34:29).

Syn.: galemneM (1055), tranquility; eiremneM (1515), peace, quietness; sigem (4602), silence.

Ant.: thórubos (2351), noise; homilía (3657), talk; tarachem (5016), disturbance; lógos (3056), speech resulting from thought; laliá (2981), talk, saying, speech as the opposite of silence, repetition without necessarily invoking thought; kíneMsis (2796), moving.

LEARN
NT:3129; manthano (man-than'-o); prolongation from a primary verb, another form of which, matheo, is used as an alternate in certain tenses; to learn (in any way): KJV - learn, understand; manqavnw manthánoM; fut. mathemsomai, 2d aor. émathon. To learn (Matt. 9:13; 11:29; 24:32; Mark 13:28; Acts 23:27; Gal. 3:2; 1 Tim. 5:4, 13; 2 Tim. 3:14; Titus 3:14; Heb. 5:8). The aor., to have learned something, to understand it (Phil. 4:11), answers to didáskoM (1321), to teach (John 7:15; Rom. 16:17; 1 Cor. 4:6; 14:31, 35; 1 Tim. 2:11; Rev. 14:3) which denotes instruction concerning the facts and plan of salvation.

Deriv.: amathems (261), unlearned; katamanthánoM (2648), to learn, to understand thoroughly; matheMtems (3101), disciple.

Syn.: eídoM (1492), to consider, know; noéoM (3539), to perceive with the mind; katanoéoM (2657), to perceive clearly; logízomai (3049), to take account of; theoMréoM (2334), to behold; anatheoMréoM (333), to consider carefully; analogízomai (357), to consider; suníeMmi (4920), to put it together, understand; epiginomskoM (1921), to know fully; epístamai (1987), to comprehend.

Ant.: agnoéoM (50), to be ignorant, ignore.

SUBJECTION
NT:5292; hupotage (hoop-ot-ag-ay'); from NT:5293; subordination; KJV – subjection. Noun; hupotage NT:5292, "subjection," occurs in 2 Cor 9:13; Gal 2:5; 1 Tim 2:11; 3:4. (From Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright ©1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

TEACH
NT:1321; didasko (did-as'-ko); a prolonged (causative) form of a primary verb dao (to learn); to teach (in the same broad application): KJV - teach. 15:9; 22:16; Acts 15:35; 18:11; both persons and things, e. g., John 14:26; Rev 2:14,20 didasko NT:1321 is used (a) absolutely, "to give instruction," e. g., Matt 4:23; 9:35; Rom 12:7; 1 Cor 4:17; 1 Tim 2:12; 4:11; (b) transitively, with an object, whether persons, e. g., Matt 5:2; 7:29, and frequently in the Gospels and Acts, or things "taught," e. g., Matt 15:9; 22:16; Acts 15:35; 18:11; both persons and things, e.g., John 14:26; Rev 2:14, 20. (From Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright ©1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

Deriv.: amathems (261), unlearned; katamanthánoM (2648), to learn, to understand thoroughly; matheMtems (3101), disciple.

Ant.: agnoéoM (50), to be ignorant, ignore. Deriv.: amathems (261), unlearned; katamanthánoM (2648), to learn, to understand thoroughly; matheMtems (3101), disciple.

Ant.: agnoéoM (50), to be ignorant, ignore.

PERMIT
NT:2010; epitrepo (ep-ee-trep'-o); from NT:1909 and the base of NT:5157; to turn over (transf PERMIT epitrepo, lit., "to turn to" (epi, "to," trepo, "to turn"), "to entrust," signifies "to permit," Acts 26:1; 1 Cor 14:34; 16:7; 1 Tim 2:12, RV "permit" (KJV," suffer"); Heb 6:3. (From Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright ©1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers), i.e. allow: KJV - give leave (liberty, license), let, permit, suffer.

Deriv.: epitropem (2011), commission; epítropos (2012), steward, manager, agent.

Syn.: éxesti (1832), it is permitted; anéchomai (430), to tolerate; eáoM (1439), to let.

Ant.: koMlúoM (2967), to hinder. , reign; heMgemoneúoÕ- ,PD

AUTHORITY
NT:831; authenteo (ow-then-teh'-o); from a compound of NT:846 and an obsolete hentes (a worker); to act of oneself, i.e. (figuratively) dominate: KJV - usurp authority over; authenteo, from autos, "self," and a lost noun hentes, probably signifying working (Eng., "authentic"), "to exercise authority on one's own account, to domineer over," is used in 1 Tim 2:12, KJV, "to usurp authority," RV, "to have dominion." In the earlier usage of the word it signified one who with his own hand killed either others or himself. Later it came to denote one who acts on his own "authority"; hence, "to exercise authority, dominion."

Syn.: exousiázoM (1850), to exercise the right and power to rule; katexousiázoM (2715), to exercise full authority over; kurieúoM (2961), to lord it over, rule over as lord, and the more intens. katakurieúoM (2634), to lord it over completely; basileúoM (936), to rule, reign; heMgemoneúoM (2230), to act as the ruler, to govern.

Ant.: hupeMretéoM (5256), to serve, be a subordinate; douleúoM (1398), to be a slave to, to serve; diakonéoM (1247), to be an attendant, to minister. (From Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright ©1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)