1 Timothy 2:8-15
8 “Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. 9 I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.”
I want women to dress modestly: Paul is responding to the teaching and belief systems surrounding the goddess Artemis which taught women to behave in manners that were indecent for Christians. Apparently, these followers of Artemis were not dressing modestly as part of the female liberation taught by the cult. Therefore, Paul is not speaking universal truths about how women ought to dress or act. Instead, Paul is encouraging Timothy and the church to behave in a way that sets themselves apart from the cult of Artemis. This would allow for the Christian church to stand out as different from the Gentile religions. Paul is esteeming women and encouraging them to live in light of their righteousness in Christ.
Learn in quietness: The followers of Artemis were apparently disrupting the early church services. To combat this, Paul encourages women to be quiet and learn instead of causing a disruption. Similarly, these women were apparently exercising authority over men. Paul, therefore, encourages women to not exercise authority over men in this specific context. Otherwise, this would be in direct contradiction with the passages in the New Testament that speak of women teaching and prophesying in the early church.
Adam was formed first: The Artemis cult taught that Eve was created first and then Adam. The cult also taught that Adam was deceived first, and that Adam never had an issue in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, women were viewed as smarter than men and more capable of leading society.
Saved through childbearing: The cult of Artemis also taught that women ought not have children. This is why Paul reminds the women of the special place they have in bringing children into the world. This is a position held only by females. Therefore, women ought to be esteemed according to this reality.
