Getting the Whole Picture: A Missing Piece of the Women in Office Puzzle

Our denomination, the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) has long wrestled with women’s roles in the church. In the 1990s, Synod acknowledged that both sides of what is generally called complementarian and egalitarian views can honor Scripture’s teachings on women in the church and society, without reaching a definitive conclusion. For a historical overview, see Women in Ecclesiastical Office | Christian Reformed Church.

Since Synod’s decision in 1995, especially in the last 10-20 years with the internet, it is much easier to access resources to research the context of the letters to Timothy, as well as study the Greek far more in depth. Amazing websites like TLG – Thesaurus Linguae Graecae help find where rare Greek words are used in other Greek literature for context, and can be searched using specific date parameters, such as 500 BC to 500 AD. 

As we use these resources to rediscover and find missing pieces like the pagan influence, beliefs and practices, that help reveal a more complete picture of the cultural & spiritual milieu in Ephesus, we can reconsider what Paul wrote about women in the church—testing everything against Scripture, as the Bereans did. What emerges as we take another look at 1st Timothy especially, is not prohibition and restriction of women, but a beautiful synergy between men and women, especially couples, sharing ministry together, honoring each other’s callings and gifts, working together in truth, unity and love for the sake of the gospel and the Kingdom amidst a world of spiritual confusion. God’s heart for His family, brothers and sisters in the Lord, to serve His Kingdom together shines through.

Significant pieces of this puzzle have been lost for centuries—much like Hecataeus of Miletus’ Genealogiai (see PART 1). Starting in the 1980s and 1990s, scholars like Dr. Clinton Arnold began rediscovering some of these lost elements, though they were initially dismissed by scholars as farfetched and were not easily accessible.

One such significant piece is the powerful pagan influence in Ephesus. This came to my attention through an article on Artemis of Ephesus. This opened a door to deeper research into her influence on the broader cultural context of Paul’s letters to Timothy. What emerged was not just one goddess, but an entire pantheon fueling a toxic syncretic cocktail of error and false teachings: pagan worship, mystery cults, Jewish speculation, proto-Gnostic ideas, amidst the disrupting arrival of Christianity. This chaotic religious stew created a spiritually turbulent environment that Paul and Timothy confronted head-on with truth!

PAGAN INFLUENCE AND SYNCRETISM IN EPHESUS
Ephesus was a religious epicenter, home to over 50 gods and goddesses. Artemis of the Ephesians dominated as the city’s chief patroness. Her massive temple one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Blending Anatolian mother-goddess traditions (like Cybele) with Greek elements, she was revered for fertility, protection in childbirth, and abundance. The Acts 19 riot ("Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!") erupted when Paul’s preaching threatened her cult’s economic and cultural influence because many of her followers became followers of the Way instead.

But Artemis was not alone. The pantheon included Hecate (witchcraft and magic), Dionysus (ecstatic pleasure rites), Aphrodite (eros love), Isis (mystery initiations and salvation), and others. Syncretism blurred boundaries—people picked their personal favorite deities, altars overlapped in homes, and practices like magic spells ("Ephesian letters") and astrology permeated daily life as women went door to door selling spells, amulets, votives, etc.

Paul’s Awareness of the Pagan Landscape
Paul’s ministry took him through cities with pagan temples: Athena and Zeus in Athens, Aphrodite and Poseidon in Corinth, Jupiter/Juno/Minerva in Rome. Idolatry wasn’t abstract; it was a spiritual battle against “principalities and powers” (Ephesians 6:12). Paul was deeply distressed and troubled in his spirit at all the idols in Athens (Acts 17:16). He was very aware of the pagan landscape in the cities where he ministered.When Paul spoke at the Areopagus in Athens, he shared that as he was passing through, considering the objects of their worship, he found an altar with the inscription “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD”. His rhetorical skills of persuasion were amazing!

Even though Paul never names these deities directly in his letters to Timothy, he was well aware of them. In Acts 14, crowds in Lystra hailed Barnabas as Zeus and Paul as Hermes. The ship carrying Paul to Rome bore the figurehead of Castor and Pollux (twin sons of Zeus, sailor-protectors). Even personal names in the NT—Apollos (from Apollo), Artemas (from Artemis), Epaphroditus (from Aphrodite), Hermas (from Hermes), Dionysius (from Dionysus)—reflect the pervasive cultural influence.

Paul’s sweeping reference to “myths and endless genealogies” (1 Timothy 1:4) encompassed this entire pantheon and more. To the original hearers in that context, it was as obvious as saying “sports teams” today; no need to list them. 

These pagan cults are the cultural backdrop for Paul’s ministry. He frequently addressed idolatry, the spiritual powers behind pagan worship, and false teachings while proclaiming the One True God.

The Proto-Gnostic Layer
Ephesus was also open to emerging proto-Gnostic ideas—a syncretic blend of Jewish speculation (angel genealogies, endless myths), Hellenistic dualism (matter evil/spirit good), mystery cult secrecy, asceticism, astrology, and magic/sorcery. Paul explicitly warns against “what is falsely called knowledge” (gnōsis, 1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid irreverent, empty chatter and the opposing arguments of so-called "knowledge,"), targeting this mix of false teachings and doctrines of demons.

Ephesus: A Religious and Commercial Hub
As the capital of Roman Asia, Ephesus boasted a population estimated at 50,000–200,000+ (one of the empire’s largest cities after Rome and Alexandria). Its advanced infrastructure—marble streets, aqueducts, elite terrace homes, schools, libraries—supported a thriving economy driven by trade and pilgrimage. Tens of thousands traveled annually to the Temple of Artemis, especially during festivals like Artemision (March–April), for processions, sacrifices, and spectacles. The 25,000-seat Great Theatre hosted crowds, including the riot over threats to their goddess. Merchants, traders, travelers, and pilgrims created a cosmopolitan environment where religion intertwined with power, wealth, and daily life. Amidst this hot mess of competing cults, secret rites, false knowledge, and economic ties to idolatry, Christianity arrived as a radical monotheistic disruption. Converts burned magic scrolls worth $5M-$10M in today’s value (Acts 19:19), rejected idols, and faced backlash—yet the gospel spread as many converted to the Way, significant enough to impact the economy associated with the pagan cults, especially Artemis.

Conclusion
Ephesus was much more than a city with the famous temple of Artemis of the Ephesians; it was a spiritual battlefield where demonic influence through dozens of pagan cults, mystery religions, Jewish speculative genealogy, and proto-Gnostic distortions created confusion, compromise, and false teaching. This is the backdrop for Paul’s letters to Timothy, as they address this chaos head-on: guarding the truth against myths, genealogies, teachers without understanding, ascetic extremes, doctrines of demons, counterfeit “knowledge.” His instructions—including on teaching, and responsibilities for believers—respond to specific corrections in this turbulent context, not with a universal hierarchy of authority and leadership over others, but through universal principles of serving.

Please share your thoughts, insights, questions. If you are already familiar with this context of Ephesus, please share how you learned about it and how it impacted you.

Look forward to Part 3! 1 Timothy gives us Paul’s pastoral heart to correct and protect the growing church from the “syncretic toxic cocktail” of false beliefs that was infiltrating the church through some of the new believers, including a very specific woman in 2:11-12, that were a harmful influence bringing in some of their old beliefs and practices. I'll discuss this further in the next post in this series.