1 Timothy 2:12

‘But I do not permit a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness.’

It is quite clear that this does not mean that a woman cannot teach any others the Scriptures, for Paul will specifically cater for older women to teach younger women (Titus 2:4). But it is noticeable that the emphasis there is on the teaching of good Scriptural behaviour, rather than of Christian doctrine. It would appear also that Priscilla (with Paul’s approval) helped her husband Aquila in his private teaching of others, even with so important a man as Apollos, and was possibly even the major player (Acts 18:6), while Paul took it for granted that women would ‘prophesy’ (1 Corinthians 11:5), although we are not told in what kind of meeting. The daughters of Philip the evangelist were prophetesses (Acts 21:9). The thought here must therefore be of authoritative public teaching, especially when authority was being exercised over men.

As the Christian church grew it rightly exercised careful authority over who could teach. Only those duly authorised would normally be allowed to do so, although that could include a recognised travelling prophet who had a letter of introduction. Thus it is probable that Paul’s guidance here has in mind teaching in the main assembly of the church. Moreover we must recognise that many men in those days, as is true in parts of the world today, would have been offended if a woman had preached to them, especially those men who like Paul had been brought up as Pharisees (Pharisees prayed daily, ‘I thank you that you have not made me a woman’). Paul was certainly free of that bias, otherwise he could not have written Galatians 3:28. But many of his compatriots were not. However, while that may have been a factor, we must not lay too much emphasis on it, for it is not the reason that Paul gives.