We are working through 1 Timothy and Paul’s corrections of pagan influences (false teachings and practices) that are infiltrating the Way due to the many new believers converting from paganism but have not yet left some of their old beliefs behind. There's lots of confusion here!
We are wrestling with Paul’s use of an unusual word, authentein, that has caused confusion since within a few decades after he included it in his letter to Timothy. The previous post presented what the authente word family meant pre-Paul with a predominance of a forceful, violent action that harms others, most often murder. Now we will take a closer look at how this crucial word and related cognates are used post Paul.
When we look at the post Paul list (see list posted in my comment below), in the first 100-200 years after Paul, there is a mix of different meanings from various astrological, gnostic and Christian sources. Clement of Alexander (150-212 AD) uses both meanings of murder and supreme authority in his writings. Chrysostom (347-407 AD) has both positive and negative meanings with his 100+ uses. It depends on the context!
There is so much written on this rare word and women in the Church, again ironic for a word family used less than 500 times from 600BC to 1500+ AD. Mike Winger alone has hours and hours of video, which is refuted with pages and pages of responses, let alone input from numerous others such as George Knight 3, Albert Wolters, Andreas Kostenberger, Marg Mowscko and other both comp and egal scholars and theologians weighing in (Preston Sprinkle’s new book From Genesis to Junia was added to the volumes of insights on March 3, 2026).
For now, I will highlight four fascinating post Paul writers/sources that used some form of authentes, including one “golden mouth” preacher quite prolifically compared to everyone else. These four and others will be included and expanded on in the next post “The Shift” as well.
FIRST: Hermas, a Christian, and brother to Bishop/Pope Pius 1 of Rome who opposed emerging Gnosticism, wrote The Shepherd of Hermas based on visions he had (140-155AD). The Shepherd of Hermas: A Window into Early Christian Faith and Practice - History of Christianity
Hermas’ writing was pretty popular and widely read with the early church, as well as considered scripture for a time, by some of the early Church Fathers such as Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen.
The reason it came to my attention is this Greek source is listed by some as one of the uses of the authente family. I almost dismissed it because somewhere it was noted that the authente meant builder of a tower, & seemed like a strange outlier for this rare word that very few scholars & theologians even acknowledge. What I discovered is it is an allegory of Jesus Christ and the Church!
So, knowing nothing about this author/source, other than authente is used one time in some ancient text called the Shepherd of Hermas, I did some reading and research. For now, I will simply share that Hermas uses authente to refer to Jesus as Author/ Builder/ Inspector/ Lord/ Master/Owner /Son of God of an allegorical tower symbolizing His Church.
I will share more later in this series!
SECOND: Irenaeus of Lyons (130-202 AD), a church father, wrote Against Heresies around 180 AD, specifically using authente when writing about early gnostics Cerinthus (student of Simon Magus / the Sorcerer, active around 50-100AD, the Apostle John had a run in with Cerinthus at a bath house in Ephesus per Polycarp, John’s student, and written down by Irenaeus - John and Cerinthus – NASSCAL) and Saturninus (student of proto gnostic Menander, and gnostic teacher roughly 100-120AD). There is no written usage by Cerinthus or Saturninus, but Irenaeus (via Polycarp) uses authente to indicate how both Cerinthus and Saturninus were referring to their gnostic divine being as the ultimate supreme deity (See chapters 23, 24, 26 *Irenaeus of Lyons Against the Heresies Book I.pdf ).
Irenaeus was part of the same anti gnostic religious milieu in Rome with Pope Pius and Hermas during the rise of gnostics such as Valentinus and Marcion. Irenaeus, in Against Heresies, refers to these men along with Cerinthus and Saturninus. He also directly quotes from the Shepherd of Hermas as scriptural (which was listed in an early Muratorian fragment along with other NT books, but was later dismissed as non-canonical). Against Heresies was a powerful and influential anti gnostic attack on the harmful elitist, secret, hidden teachings, dangerous distortions, passed on privately (supposedly from the apostles) that threatened church unity, sound doctrine and the goodness of creation, compared to the accessible and public teachings of the Church.
THIRD: Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD), a Church father and philosopher, another person and sources that I knew nothing about, but amazed at what I discovered. Clement admits he was involved in pagan philosophy and practices before converting to Christianity, uses authente words five times in his Stromatas (miscellaneous writings dating 193-194 AD) that have both positive and negative uses. Clement’s students include Origen and Hippolytus.
Stay tuned for the next part of this series to learn how the pre-Paul (murder) and post-Paul (Divine omnipotent authority) meanings indicating overlapping meanings for this word in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
FOURTH: Chrysostom (347-407), Church Father, one of the greatest pulpit orators the church has known, who has by far the most uses of the “authente” family. Dr. Leland Wilshire mentioned the TLG data bank (in 1988) had 124 citations plus 24 uses in spurious works attributed to Chrysostom. The TLG Computer - Women in the Church p 127
I ran the root word “authent” through the free version of TLG - Home, and found that there are over 120 uses of authente (along with various cognates) attributed specifically to Chrysostom. I have been working through the TLG list. Most often, Chrysostom is referring positively to God, Jesus Christ, or Holy Spirit as Absolute, Sovereign, Supreme Lord and Master.
Chrysostom also includes negative uses. One such use I found especially interesting is in his letter to Pope Innocent when Chrysostom is being deposed (403 AD) as archbishop in Constantinople. He referrs to leaders abusing their power to kick him out. And, spoiler: was reinstated the next day because of the peoples’ response!
Context matters! Timing matters!
Lots more on Chrysostom, etal coming up next as these pieces are put together: PART 6, GETTING THE WHOLE PICTURE: THE SHIFT
Comments
For those interested: Here is an extensive but not exhaustive list of post Paul uses. I researched most of them but not all of them. I encourage you to do your own research. If you find anything insightful and interesting, please share it in the comments to help us learn together. Your thoughts and questions are appreciated!
AUTHENTEO/AUTHENTES MEANING /POST PAUL/ AUTHOR; GENRE; SOURCE
AUTHENTEIN TBD /61-63AD/ Apostle Paul/I Timothy 2:12
rulership of one planet over another, superior… /??50 BC-/ 100 +AD??/ Methodus Mystica/ Astrological/toxic cocktail syncretism (date is uncertain) Hermeticism - New World Encyclopedia
absolute sovereignty above all things /50- 100 AD/ Cerinthus/early Gnostic in Ephesus; per Irenaeus' Against Heresies (180 AD)
– “perpetrator of crime” /75-80AD/ Flavius Josephus; Jewish Wars (BJ. 1.582.1)
– “perpetrator of slaughter” /75-80AD/ Flavius Josephys; Jewish Wars (BJ.2.240.5)
masters, leaders re the moon /80-120 AD/ Dorotheus of Sidon/Astrological; Carmen Astrologicum
Supreme deity, absolute sovereignty /100-120 AD/ Saturninus, Syrian Gnostic; Per Irenaeus Against Heresies (180AD)
Master /Lord of tower (church) allegory referring to Jesus /140-155AD/ Hermas, Christian, brother to Bishop Pius 1; Shepherd of Hermas (some erroneously dated this earlier as 40-60AD)
– “perpetrator of evil” /150-165 AD/ Appian of Alexander/historian; Mithrades 90.1
– “murderer” x 2 times /150-165 AD/ Appian of Alexander/historian; History of Rome (BC.1.7.61.7; 1.13.115.17)
– “slayer”150-165 AD/ Appian of Alexander/historian; History of Rome (BC. 3.2.16.13)
– “slayer of oneself” /150-165 AD/ Appian of Alexander/historian; History of Rome (BC. 4.17.134.40)
authoritative/dominates (BAGD) re Saturn /150-170 AD/ Ptolemy/Astronomy, mathematician; Tetrabiblos III 13.338
dominance/mastery re astrology 150-170 AD/ Ptolemy/Astronomy, mathematician; Tetrabiblos 3.14.10
supervisory authority re planets /150-175 AD/ Vettius Valens/astrology; Anthology
see Cerinthus and Saturninus /180 AD/ Irenaeus (Church Father; Against Heresies (180AD) citing early gnostics
murder through using others /100-200 AD/ Harpocration/Grammarian re Lysias /orator (445-380 BC); Lexicon
perpetrates the murder /100-200 AD/ Harpocration/Grammarian re Lysias /orator (445-380 BC); Suda
independent jurisdiction, self- determination /100-200 AD/ Moeris Atticista Lexicon Atticum/Grammarian
supreme authority, highest source /100-300 AD/ Poimandres (Astrological Hermetic Gnostic text); Corpus Hermeticum
CLEMENT USED BOTH MEANINGS:
(angels) are murderers/perpetrators of violent acts /190-200 AD/ Clement of Alexandria/ Chr theologian/ philosopher/ Stromata 2.8.38.5-6
mutual authority between husband and wife per 1 Cor 7:4 /190-200 AD/ Clement of Alexandria/ Chr theologian/ philosopher/ Stromata 3.18.106.2-3
self-murderer (authentes) and suicide (autophoneus) /190-200 AD/ Clement of Alexandria/ Chr theologian/ philosopher/ Stromata 4.4.16.3-4
(Scriptures) omnipotent authority 190-200 AD/ Clement of Alexandria/ Chr theologian/ philosopher/ Stromata 4.1.2.2-4
Rightful sovereign authority/power/mastery of the Lord /190-200 AD/ Clement of Alexandria/ Chr theologian/philosopher/Paedagogus 2.3.36.1-4
awareness of authenteo but no use in 1 Tim 2 /185-254 AD/ Origen
– “one who murders by his own hand” /100-200AD/ Phrynichus Arabius/Grammarian, rhetorician
lord/master over slave (w inhumane cruelty added as descriptor) /217-235 AD/ Hippolytus of Rome
supreme authority /200-300 AD/ Pseudo Clement
Divine power/sovereignty of God/Christ /296-373 AD/ Athanasius of Alexandria
exercise of improper power/(doctrinal/eccl.) supreme authority /296-373 AD/ Athanasius of Alexandria
murder /317-388 AD/ Themistius/Statesman, rhetorician, philosopher
dealing with murder /300-400AD/ Sopater Atheniensis/Rhetorician
destroyer of the Phocians /315-386 AD/ Himerius/Sophist
Absolute, Divine, Equal, Sovereign, Supreme /380-407 AD/ John Chrysostom (120+ uses); Authente family referring to Jesus Christ 60+, God & Holy Spirit 10+)
delegated limited servant level authority /380-407 AD/ John Chrysostom (120+ uses); Homiliies on satan
Authority of God's Divine truth, Scripture, law /380-407 AD/ John Chrysostom (120+ uses); Homilies in general
Bold, forceful rebuke to confront sin /380-407 AD/ John Chrysostom (120+ uses); Homilies re Apostle Paul
encouraged a pastoral, gentler, restrained, tempered response/authority instead of authentes /380-407 AD/ John Chrysostom (120+ uses); Homilies re Apostle Paul, Peter, Andrew, Timothy, elders, leaders
deacon/leaders abusing authority/power /380-407 AD/ John Chrysostom (120+ uses); letter to Pope Innocent re trial by eccl leaders
Eve influenced and taught man badly once, so now restricted and submits to prevent error /380-407 AD/ John Chrysostom (120+ uses); Gen 3/ I Tim 2-14 re Adam & Eve
neither believing husband or wife are to authentei over each other, prohibited for both /380-407 AD/ John Chrysostom (120+ uses); Homilies on 1 Timothy & Colossians re husband and wife relationships
ok to teach husband if a non- believer /380-407 AD/ John Chrysostom (120+ uses); Homilies on 1 Timothy
avoid authentein, esp w unbelievers; serve instead of authentias /380-407 AD/ John Chrysostom (120+ uses); Homilies on Colossians & 1 Timothy; re family of God & Episkope
prohibited action of women (elderly widows) cannot teach men /380-407 AD/ John Chrysostom (120-150 uses); Homilies on 1 Timothy 5 and 2:12 re widows
autonomous freedom making sinful choices /380-407 AD/ John Chrysostom (120-150 uses); Homilies on 1 Timothy 5:6 re young widows
arrogant, demanding authentias compared to Paul's gentler approach /380-407 AD/ John Chrysostom (120-150 uses); Homilies re exploitive & false teachers
Trinitarian / ecclesial context … /350-379 AD/ Basil the Great
…for supreme authority/sovereignty /350-390 AD/ Gregory of Nazianzus
Not proficient in Greek, consulted w Jerome & lexicons to help him /354-430 AD/ Augustine of Hippo (Latin > didn’t know much Greek)
dominates /490-570 AD/ Joannes Philoponus/ Philosophical writer
cause murders through agency of others /445-380 BC/10th cent AD/ Lysias/Orator via Suda/Byzantine Lexicon
ANCIENT TRANSLATIONS:
dominari /150-> 250AD/ Old Latin/ Vetus Latina (series of independent versions)
dominari in virum /382-405 AD/ Jerome/Latin Vulgate
be authoritative over w a sense of a negative domineering /300-400 AD/ Syriac Peshitta
to be lord, or to lord it over/be master over /170-300AD/ Coptic
rule over or have dominion over /300-500 AD/ Ethiopic
to dominate or have mastery over /600-900AD/ Arabic
to dominate or rule over /400-414 AD/ Mesrop Mashtots, etc
have power over to rule/domineer /350-383 AD/ Ulfilas
domineer/lord over /400-500 AD/ Georgian
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