"Women are to be quiet and submissive"...Part 2

As I take a little time with 1 Timothy 2: 11-15, and try and understand the reasoning and logic behind this passage of Sacred Scripture, there are a few more things I have learned in reference to why Saint Paul might have wrote this....

 One thing to keep in mind, Saint Paul himself had announced Christ Jesus and the need for Him in our individual lives...and this got him into some serious trouble in the city of Ephesus.
 You see, because of the people in Ephesus being receptive to the message Paul proclaimed, it caused the sales of "trinkets" to the goddess Diana (as mentioned in Part 1) to lose demand and sales, the result being the vendors who sold these items...totally blamed Paul and as a result, Saint Paul suffered physical harm because of it.

 Another thing to take note of is the fact Gnosticism among the Jewish people was already being spread throughout Ephesus and the surrounding area. Gnosticism was kind of like a "New Age" message of its day.
 The Gnostics would blend a little of everything: Scriptures, Jewish traditions, the myths of the Greek and Roman gods, and add their own beliefs to steer others from following the true Messiah...that being Christ Jesus.

 Examples of the Gnosticism teachings that Paul and Timothy most likely ran into was the guidance of "Spirit Guides". This was not the Holy Spirit, rather past descendants like grandmothers, great aunts, etc. and called upon them to guide them through the journey of life.
 Another popular and growing belief at the time of Paul and Timothy was concerning "Eve" herself....you know who I mean right?...like in Adam and Eve.
 Some Gnostics went as far in teachings as to declare Eve the "Illuminator of all Mankind", because she was the first to receive the knowledge of good and evil from the Serpent. Rather than looking at the Serpent as the Evil One, they looked upon him as a type of Savior who opened the mind of man himself. Because Eve received this "instruction" and not Adam, Gnostic teachings considered Eve the "Mother of the Human Race".
 In fact, some Gnostic stories went as far as to declare Adam the son of Eve, and not her husband...which reflected the idea Eve could have offspring without any male involvement.

 So, in a day when the status of a woman was "lower than that of a male", Ephesus brought some refreshing thoughts and ideals in the liberation of women. As for men, we have always been the same it seems.... as long as we are getting sex...use us, blame us, accuse us, or even degrade us....as long as we are still getting it...right? (lol)

 As Paul wrote this passage of Scripture to Timothy, I personally believe Paul was not saying that women should be quiet and have no part in leadership roles within the early Christian church. I think Saint Paul did not women who had found some respect and admiration through the various false teachings going on in Ephesus....find it's way into true Christian way of thought and life. Christ Jesus certainly liberated women as well as men...and there was no need to "call on Grandma" for direction in life, go have sex with a priestess of Diana to guarantee fertility, or to have any other teachings or myths that supported the rights of women. The Bible is clear....men and women are equal...even if those within the Christian church act like women are not.....

                                         A Gleaning from 1 Timothy 2:11-15  

" I do not want women to simply "take over" and tell others including the men what they are suppose to do. Women are to be respectful, quiet, and study to be attentive to the callings of our God...just like the rest of us.
 For the truth of the matter is this: God did make Adam first, and then from Adam's rib Eve was created. It was Eve who was deceived by the Serpent, Satan, god of the underworld...and it was Adam who purposely disobeyed what God had previously spoke to both of them. Both of them made decisions that were against the will of God.
 However, our very salvation has come to us through the very pain of childbearing...this pain coming as a result of both Adam and Eve's choice to disobey God's Commandment. For this very pain in childbearing has also brought to each of us....the joy of our relationship with the Father being completely healed... by the very Christ-child being born through the very pains of child bearing that women now do bear.
 And now, the same holds true for each one of us today. Both man and woman are to receive Christ Jesus through faith, and we are all to live lives that are respectable, honorable, and to show our love to Him. Our lives are to be governed and in self control to the teachings of the Sacred Scriptures, and we are to adorn ourselves, both men and women with virtues of modesty and humility."


 I don't think Paul thought any less of women, he simply is calling each of us, whether we be man or woman....to respect and uplift one another...giving our attention to the "Christ-child"...Jesus...the very Son of the Living God.