The Issue of “Authority” in 1 Tim 2:12

Introduction

Considerable debate has raged over the last twenty years over the meaning of a single Greek word in 1 Tim 2:12 and its application to the role of women in the church (authenteō, “authority”). A selection of versions is given in the table below:

English Bible Translations of authenteō
Version Translation
KJV But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
RSV I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent.
GNB I do not allow them to teach or to have authority over men; they must keep quiet.
NIV I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.
CEV They should be silent and not be allowed to teach or to tell men what to do.
NASB But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.
NLT I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly.
NET But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man. She must remain quiet.

The Greek word in question, translated in various ways (represented in bold type) is used by Paul in the present infinitive active form authentein. The precise meaning of this word in this particular context is of importance in understanding exactly what Paul was forbidding to women.

The difficulty involved in understanding the word is complicated by two factors. The first is that the lexical history of this word is long and complex. W. Liefeld, an egalitarian writer,[1] describes briefly the word’s problematically broad semantic range:

A perplexing issue for all is the meaning of authentein. Over the course of its history this verb and its associated noun have had a wide semantic range, including some bizarre meanings, such as committing suicide, murdering one’s parents, and being sexually aggressive. Some studies have been marred by a selective and improper use of the evidence.[2]

The issue is compounded by the fact that this word is found only once in the New Testament, and is not common in immediately proximate Greek literature. Nevertheless, English Bible translations over the years have been generally in agreement when rendering the word.

Given the substantial agreement among these representative translations (from archaic to modern, formal equivalence to paraphrase), the average Bible student would wonder why such a disagreement exists over this word within the scholarly world. In fact, the meaning of the word was not seriously disputed until 1979, when C. Kroeger asserted the meaning “to engage in fertility practices”.[3] Although the claim was rejected by scholars, debate over the meaning of the word had been opened, and Christians affirming an egalitarian view of the role of women in the church continued to contest the meaning of the word authenteō.

Lexicons

Reference to a Bible dictionary or lexicon is a standard method of determining word meaning. On this subject readers should note the importance of the lexicons listed below, as lexical tools used commonly in our community (such as Thayer’s, Strong’s, Young’s, and Vine’s), are little respected by modern scholarship, and are considered inadequate for serious study and citation with regard to word meanings.

Abbreviation[4] Lexicon
Abbott-Smith G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. (3rd ed; Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1937). A student lexicon with useful correlation of the NT, LXX and the Hebrew.
ANLEX T. Friberg, B. Friberg, and N. F. Miller, eds., Analytical lexicon of the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2003). This student lexicon provides the reflex forms of the Greek alongside a simplified analysis of meanings.
BDAG F. W. Danker, ed., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature, (3rd ed.; Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000). This standard technical lexicon includes extensive references to extra-Biblical usage.
GELS J. Lust, E. Eynikel, and K. Hauspie, eds., A Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint. (2 vols; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2003). This standard technical lexicon is the principal lexicon for the LXX.
Lampe G. W. H. Lampe, A Patristic Greek Lexicon. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968). This standard technical lexicon has a focus on the Greek Fathers.
L&N J. P. Louw and E. A. Nida, eds., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: based on Semantic Domains, (2 vols; 2nd ed.; New York: United Bible Societies, 1990). This lexicon is aimed at translators working in the field.
LS H. G. Liddell and R. Scott A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed.; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996). This standard technical lexicon mainly indexes words appearing in the non-Biblical Greek literature, between approximately 600 BC and 600 AD. The focus is on classical and attic forms.
Moulton & Milligan G. Milligan & J. H. Moulton, Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1997). A standard technical lexicon that has an emphasis in Greek papyri.

Differing in scope, depth, and presentation, the above are some of the Greek lexicons in English recognized and used in the scholarly literature. The aim of lexicons is to document usage and consensus opinion.

Dictionaries

The difference between a lexicon and a dictionary can be roughly characterized in terms of the amount of explanation that is given surrounding a word. Dictionaries may begin with a linguistic focus but they extend into domain of theological interpretation. Often a dictionary will be concerned with concepts rather than lexemes. Consequently, there are many lexicons which have dictionary characteristics; by the same token, there are dictionaries which have lexicon characteristics.

The field is narrower in the area of New Testament dictionaries, with one work constantly cited and used as a matter of course in research (TDNT). The prominence of this work is such that it should not be compared to other dictionaries which have yet to become established (EDNT, TLNT) or shorter works (not listed) which are aimed at a popular market, seminary students and clergy.

Abbreviation Dictionary
TDNT G. F. Kittel, ed., (1964-c1976). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (10 vols; trans. G. W. Bromiley; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965-1976). This is the main dictionary cited in scholarship.
EDNT G. Schneider and H. Balz, eds., Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990). Shorter reference dictionary which attempts to update TDNT and serve as a supplement.
TLNT C. Spicq, Theological Lexicon of the New Testament (trans. J. D. Ernest; 3 vols; Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994). A popular theological dictionary aimed at clergy rather than scholars.

Of the lexicons and dictionaries listed above, the following definitions of authenteō are given and cited here with the usual abbreviations of sources kept in place (though not explained[5]):

Lexicon Definition
ANLEX ‘αuθεντέω strictly, of one who acts on his own authority; hence have control over, domineer, lord it over (1T 2.12).’
BDAG ‘αuθεντέω (s. αuθέντης; Philod., Rhet. II p. 133, 14 Sudh.; Jo. Lydus, Mag. 3, 42; Moeris p. 54; cp. Phryn. 120 Lob.; Hesychius; Thom. Mag. p. 18, 8; schol. in Aeschyl., Eum. 42; BGU 1208, 38 [27 b.c.]; s. Lampe s.v.) to assume a stance of independent authority, give orders to, dictate to w. gen. of pers. (Ptolem., Apotel. 3, 14, 10 Boll-B.; Cat. Cod. Astr. VIII/1 p. 177, 7; B-D-F §177) avndro.j, w. διδάσκειν, 1 Ti 2:12 (practically = ‘tell a man what to do’ [Jerusalem Bible]; Mich. Glykas [XII a.d.] 270, 10 ai` gunai/kej αuθεντοuσι τ. ανδρον. According to Diod S 1, 27, 2 there was a well-documented law in Egypt: kurieu,eiν th.n gunai/ka, avndro.j, cp. Soph., OC 337–41; GKnight III, NTS 30, ’84, 143–57; LWilshire, ibid. 34, ’88, 120–34).—DELG s.v. auvqe,nthj. M-M.’
EDNT ‘αuθεντέω authenteō rule (vb.)* 1 Tim 2:12: women should not rule over men (gen.). cf. G. W. Knight, “Αuθεντέω in Reference to Women in 1 Tim. 2,12,” NTS 30 (1984) 143-57.’
GELS[6] ‘αuθέντης,-ου+ N1M 0-0-0-0-1=1 Wis 12,6 Murderer Cf. LARCHER 1985, 710’

Louw/

Nida

 ‘37.21 ‘αuθεντέω: to control in a domineering manner—‘to control, to domineer.’ gunaiki. ouvk evpitre,pw … auvqentei/n avndro,j ‘I do not allow women … to dominate men’ 1 Tm 2.12. ‘To control in a domineering manner’ is often expressed idiomatically, for example, ‘to shout orders at,’ ‘to act like a chief toward,’ or ‘to bark at.’
LS authenteō, A. to have full power or authority over, tinos I Ep.Ti.2.12; pros tina BGU1208.37[7] (i B. C.): c. inf., Lyd.Mag.3.42. 2. commit a murder, Sch.A.Eu.42.’

It will be noted that 30 years of dispute over the meaning of authenteō has had little to no effect on the scholarly consensus. Within the lexical community there is no controversy over the lexical range of this word, and none of the standard lexicons have accepted the novel definitions suggested by egalitarians such as Kroeger. Nevertheless, the debate over its precise meaning in 1 Tim 2:12 has resulted in a refinement of scholarly understanding of the word and its usage in Greek literature.

Studies

The following key studies of authenteō have been undertaken over the last 30 years. Such studies typically involve comprehensive searches of the largest available databases of Greek literature, Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (TLG),[8] and the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri.[9] These databases enable researchers to study the word in context, as it is used in a wide range of documents over a long period of time.

(1) G. W. Knight III’s (1984) study is the modern starting point for research into the meaning of authenteō. He studied all uses known to him, but the TLG database was not complete at the time. His conclusion was that it meant “have authority”.[10] [My emphasis]

(2) L. Wilshire (1988) modified Knight’s position using the TLG database. He agrees that that authenteō means “exercise authority” and not “domineer” in 1 Tim 2:12. His study focuses on the papyri evidence and the use of the early church fathers.[11] [My emphasis]

(3) C. and R. Kroeger (1992) in a study of the religious background of Ephesus proposed the innovative rendering of authentein as “to represent herself as originator of man”.[12] [My emphasis]

(4) A. Perriman’s (1993) study concludes,

While it would be hazardous to speculate on the exact course of the term’s semantic evolution, this sense of ‘acting authoritatively’ must at least be considered as an available and significant nuance alongside those of ‘perpetrating a crime’ and ‘having authority’. In fact, to introduce the idea of ‘authority’ into the definition at all may be misleading if it is taken to mean a derived or ordained authority: it is ‘authorship’, not ‘authority’, that is at the heart of the meaning of auvqente,w.[13] [My emphasis]

(5) H. S. Baldwin (1995)[14] studied 85 occurrences of authenteō and proposed a range of possible meanings for 1 Tim 2:12 of “control”, “dominate”, “assume authority over”, or perhaps “flout the authority of”.

(6) A. Wolters’ (2000) study concludes,

With respect to the meaning of auvqente,w in 1 Tim. 2.12, my investigation leads to two further conclusions. First, the verb auvqente,w should not be interpreted in the light of auvqe,nthj ‘murderer’, or the muddled definitions of it given in the Atticistic lexica. Instead, it should be understood, like all the other Hellenistic derivatives of auvqe,nthj, in the light of the meaning which that word had in the living Greek of the day, namely ‘master’.

Secondly, there seems to be no basis for the claim that auvqente,w in 1 Tim. 2.12 has a pejorative connotation, as in ‘usurp authority’ or ‘domineer’. Although it is possible to identify isolated cases of a pejorative use for both auvqente,w and auvqenti,a, these are not found before the fourth century AD.135 Overwhelmingly, the authority to which auvqe,nthj ‘master’ and all its derivatives refer is a positive or neutral concept.[15]

Papyri

Attention has been particularly focused on two early papyri using the word authenteō:[16]

I [Trypho] considered that Antilochos having thrown out the goods and subcontracted to his advantage counting with that termination of purchase and this not having altered the dispute in any particular. So exercising my authority on him (the man who hired the boat) that he pay fully to Calatytis the boatman to his fare in the hour, to which he [Antilochos?] yielded.[17] [My emphasis]

Of Protogenos and Isidoros being bookkeepers of Leonides and being in charge of the memorandum and written-testimony of the clerk Leonides. Through the not-yet transmitted-items books done is at the risk of those bookkeepers having authority and he was in charge of his own portion, through-he himself Leonides being-present of one of those having authority bookkeepers.[18] [My emphasis]

These two papyri are significant not only because they are proximate to Paul’s own usage of authenteō, but because they both use authenteō with a sense which is in agreement with the recent studies by Baldwin and Wolters. The Tebtunis papyrus in particular indicates a usage which cannot mean ‘usurp authority’ or ‘domineer’, nor can it have any negative connotation (bookkeepers are supposed to have authority over their accounts, and it makes no sense to speak of them ‘dominating’ accounting records).

Syntactical Studies

The lexical data was later supplemented by a large scale contextual study of the passage by A. Köstenbereger in 1995,[19] which argued that the syntactical construction ouk didaskein oude authentein (‘not teach nor have/exercise authority’) requires that both didaskein and authentein have a positive sense. Köstenbereger examined fifty two examples of the same ouk…oude (‘not… nor’), construction in the New Testament, as well as forty eight extra-biblical examples covering the third century B.C. to the third century A.D. His conclusion was that the syntactical construction has two patterns. Either both activities referred to must be positive (the first pattern), or both activities must be negative (the second pattern). Köstenbereger summarises his research in a review the work of L. L. Belleville as follows:

The forty-eight syntactical parallels to 1 Tim 2:12 in extrabiblical literature (as well as the one exact parallel in the NT, Acts 21:21) identified in this study all feature the construction “negated finite verb + infinitive + oude + infinitive” and in every instance yield the pattern positive/positive or negative/negative. This yields the conclusion that 1 Tim 2:12 is to be rendered either: “I do not permit a woman to teach [error] or to usurp a man’s authority” or: “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have (or exercise) authority over a man,” the latter being preferred owing to the positive connotation of didaskein elsewhere in the Pastorals.[20] [My emphasis]

Grudem summarized Köstenbereger’s own analysis in this way:

Some examples of pattern 1 are Matthew 6:28 (they neither labor nor spin); Matthew 13:13 (they neither hear nor understand, but both hearing and understanding are viewed as desirable activities); Luke 12:24 (they neither sow nor harvest); or Acts 4:18 (neither speak nor teach). These activities are all viewed positively in their contexts. Examples of pattern 2, where both activities are viewed negatively, are Matthew 6:20 (neither break in nor steal); John 14:27 (neither be troubled nor afraid); Philippians 2:16 (neither run in vain nor labor in vain), and Hebrews 13:5 (neither leave nor forsake).[21]

Köstenbereger concluded that teaching has a positive meaning in such passages as 1 Tim 4:11; 6:2, and 2 Tim 2:2. The force of the ouk… oude construction would therefore mean that authenteō likewise has a positive meaning, and does not refer to domineering but the positive exercise of authority.

Reception of Köstenbereger’s study by the scholarly community was overwhelmingly positive. The majority of both complementarian and egalitarian scholars agreed, many considering that the contextual meaning of authenteō in 1 Timothy 2:12 has been conclusively determined by Köstenbereger. Köstenbereger lists the following endorsements:[22]

Peter O’Brien, in a review published in Australia, concurred with the findings of this study, as did Helge Stadelmann in an extensive review that appeared in the German Jahrbuch für evangelikale Theologie. Both reviewers accepted the results of the present study as valid. [My emphasis]

Another egalitarian, Craig Keener, in a review that appeared in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, says that while (in his view) the principle is not clear in all instances cited in the present study, “the pattern seems to hold in general, and this is what matters most.” Keener concurs that the contention of the present essay is “probably correct that ‘have authority’ should be read as coordinate with ‘teach’ rather than as subordinate (‘teach in a domineering way’).” [My emphasis]

Following my identification of the pattern as from specific to general, Mounce concludes that “Paul does not want women to be in positions of authority in the church; teaching is one way in which authority is exercised in the church.” [My emphasis]

Köstenbereger notes other egalitarians who agree with his syntactical analysis, but there is no need to duplicate the tenor of the quotations we have just offered.

Conclusion

Thirty years have passed since the first egalitarian challenge to the meaning of authenteō. Throughout that time considerable lexical study of the word has been undertaken, and scholarly understanding of the word has been refined. However, the consensus over its lexical range has not been overturned. None of the standard lexicons have adopted the new meanings suggested by egalitarians. Meanings in the lexicons attributed to Paul’s usage in 1 Tim 2:12 include either a negative sense of domineering or a more positive sense of exercising authority’, though the most recent studies incorporating textual evidence not previously available to some of these lexicons (such as the studies of Baldwin and Wolter), substantiate the more positive sense.

Significantly, Kostenberger’s syntactical study has received wide acceptance from both complementarian and egalitarian scholars, substantiating the case for a positive sense of authenteō in 1 Tim 2:12, whilst the egalitarian interpretation of authenteō as having a negative sense such as ‘domineer’, has been rejected by the majority of egalitarian and complementarian scholars. Standard modern Bible translations typically continue to render the word in its positive sense of having or exercising authority, which remains the most attested meaning in context.

[1] The debate about the role of women in the church is between complementarians and egalitarians.

[2] W. Liefeld, “Women and the Nature of Ministry” JETS 30 (1987): 49-61 (51).

[3] See the 2005 report from the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Commission on Theology and Church Relations, “Authentein: Response to a Request from the Atlantic District on the word ‘authentein’ (to have authority over) as used in 1 Tim. 2:12”, 1-18 (3-4), available online at www.lcms.org [cited 7/9/2009].

[4] Where possible, abbreviations follow the standard set out in The SBL Handbook of Style (ed. P. H. Alexander, et. al.; Peabody: Hendrickson, 1999).

[5] The point of the table is not to identify the sources for readers (except in one case), but to represent the range of meanings for authenteō.

[6] Note that the definition here is very short, and contains only one sense, as this word is only used once in the LXX and only with this meaning; this usage was obsolete by the 1st century A.D.

[7] The reference ‘BGU1208.37’ (1c. A.D.) cited as an example of the use of the word with the meaning ‘to have full power or authority over’ (which is cited as the meaning of the word in 1 Timothy 2:12), refers to line 37 of papyrus 1208 in volume 4 of the Aegyptische Urkunden aus den Königlichen (later Staatlichen) Museen zu Berlin, Griechische Urkunden (4 vols; Berlin: Weidmann, 1895-1912), abbreviated as BGU. This is the standard collection of papyri and volumes are periodically added under the publishing arm of Walter de Gruyter. The papyrus is dated to 27/26 B.C.; it is from Herakleopolite in Egypt, and the relevant line speaks of a man who ‘exercised authority’ over another to have him pay a ferryman.

[8] A very large database of Greek literature from approximately 850 B.C. to 1500 A.D.; it is online at www.tlg.uci.edu [Cited 9/9/09]. Public access is granted only to a small selection of the texts.

[9] A database of around 500 Greek papyri; it is online at www.papyri.info [cited 9/9/09].

[10] G. W. Knight III, “ἈΥΘΕΝΤΕΩ in Reference to Women in 1 Timothy 2:12” NTS 30 (1984): 143-57.

[11] L. E. Wilshire, “The TLG Computer and Further Reference to ΑΥΘΕΝΤΕΩ in 1 Timothy 2:12” NTS 34 (1988): 120-34 (131).

[12] R. C. Kroeger and C. C. Kroeger, I Suffer Not a Woman: Rethinking 1 Timothy 2:11-15 in the Light of Ancient Evidence (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992), 103, 189.

[13] A. Perriman, “What Eve did, What Women shouldn’t do: The Meaning of AUQENTEW in 1 Timothy 2:12” Tyndale Bulletin 44 (1993): 129-142 (138). Available online at www.tyndalehouse.org [cited 9/9/09].

[14] A. J. Köstenberger, T. R. Schreiner and H. S. Baldwin, eds., Women in the Church: An Analysis and Application of 1 Timothy 2:9-15, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1995).

[15] A. Wolters, “A Semantic Study of auvqe,nthj and its Derivatives” Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (2006): 44-65 (54). Available online at www.cbmw.org [cited 9.9.09].

[16] Translation by Bro. Steven Cox.

[17] Papyrus BGU 1208 (c.27 BC).

[18] Papyrus Tebtunis 15 (c.100 AD).

[19] A. J. Köstenberger and T. R. Schreiner, eds., Women in the Church: An Analysis and Application of 1 Timothy 2:9-15, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1995).

[20] A. J. Köstenberger, “‘Teaching and Usurping Authority: 1 Timothy 2:11-15’ (Ch 12) by Linda L. Belleville”, Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (2005): 43-54 (44-45).

[21] W. Grudem, Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth (Sisters: Multnomah Publishers, 2004), 315. Available as a PDF at www.efbt100.com [cited 9/9/09].

[22] Köstenberger, “’Teaching and Usurping Authority: 1 Timothy 2:11-15’ (Ch 12) by Linda L. Belleville”, 47-48.