Does The Bible Forbid Women from Teaching Men?

A Few Thoughts to Consider

What do you do with Scripture passages that are hard to interpret?

Among the more challenging passages in the Bible, 1 Timothy 2 ranks near the top. Paul writes to Timothy to offer guidance as he oversees the church in Ephesus. Evidence suggests that Ephesus was one of the ancient cities where the heresy of Gnosticism had gained a foothold. Gnosticism was an early heretical movement that emphasized secret knowledge (gnosis) for salvation. It often rejected the material world as evil and distorted core Christian teachings about creation, Jesus’ nature, and redemption.

Paul Kauffman writes, “In its attempt to further its nonsensical teachings, Gnosticism taught that rather than Eve being made from the rib of Adam, it taught that Eve was made first and then gave birth to Adam—a total reversal of the Genesis account.”[1] Some scholars suggest that the Ephesian church was heavily influenced by this new false teaching, which is why Paul opened his letter with a word of warning. It’s in this context we arrive at 1 Timothy 2:8-15, where Paul writes:

⁸ Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument. ⁹ Also, the women are to dress themselves in modest clothing, with decency and good sense, not with elaborate hairstyles, gold, pearls, or expensive apparel, ¹⁰ but with good works, as is proper for women who profess to worship God. ¹¹ A woman is to learn quietly with full submission. ¹² I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet. 

To better understand these verses, it’s important to remember how to interpret challenging passages. An elementary view of Scripture looks at each passage in isolation. A better view looks at a passage within the context of Scripture. But a mature view looks at each passage within the context of Scripture and God’s grand meta-narrative of his kingdom activity.  

A more isolationist interpretation of this passage naturally says that Paul clearly forbids women from wearing jewelry and never wants them to teach a man. But a holistic view of Scripture reveals something different. From the adornment perspective, when we take a step back, we see passages like Ezekiel 16:11-13, where God speaks positively of adorning his people with jewelry, gold, and silver. Also, a bit more digging into the context of 1 Timothy 2 seems to suggest that Paul isn’t forbidding jewelry—he’s speaking against extravagance that attracts attention to oneself and away from Christ.