Getting the Whole Picture: The Pre-Paul Use of Authente

Part of this series about Getting the Whole Picture includes going through the problems Paul and Timothy are correcting in the Church of Ephesus. We are working through 1 Timothy and some of the false teachings and pagan practices that seem to be infiltrating the Way due to the many new believers converting from paganism but have not left all their old beliefs behind. Lots of confusion going on. If you have been following along, you can see that we are taking a deeper look at what is probably one of the most contentious and controversial verses in the Bible, to see if Paul intended to limit all women everywhere from teaching men and forbidding having any authority over men for all time, and if that was not the intent, what did he intend.

I am going to expand on the section from Part 1 titled Kin Murder, Sacrifice, and Violence.

As we go more in depth into this verse, particularly focusing on the word authentein (verb) & related word family, I am going to present a case to show authente, etc. was overwhelmingly harmful and negative until after Paul, and how these words shifted to a more neutral and positive meaning after the time of Paul, with a few exceptions pre-Paul. The history of authente cognates is presented over several posts: Pre Paul uses, Post Paul uses, and The Shift.

For me personally in this journey, discovering that the Greek word translated as “authority” was only used this one time in the NT, was the second significant piece after becoming aware of what a big deal Artemis was in Ephesus! It was stunning news to me that limiting women from serving on council or as pastors in many churches was heavily based on a very rare word Paul used, that instead of the “clear” and “plain” meaning of “authority” in the translations we use, it actually had a violent and controversial history that has been extensively and intensely debated! The irony that so much ink has been spilled on a word that was used so rarely does not escape me!

Historical Problem: Translations and interpretations of the prohibition here have a long, long history of influence in the controversy of women in leadership in the Church over the ages. This includes centuries of confusion and traditions starting around the time of Paul, and especially over the next several centuries as the early church grew, specifically with the word authentein and its meaning. How we understand this word based on historical evidence in its context impacts how we live out this verse now.

Translation Problem: The word authentein in this verse is really a key linchpin that this entire debate heavily hinges on. Paul deliberately uses this very rare word, that is part of a family of words with a predominantly negative historical understanding with few exceptions until after 100 AD, as part of correcting a specific woman that Timothy is ministering with in Ephesus. What did authentein “clearly” mean then to Timothy (and anyone in the Church of Ephesus at that time) that Paul chose to use authentein instead of the far more common “exousia”? And what does it universally mean for us now?

1 Timothy 2:12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; she is to remain quiet.   Strong's Greek: 831. αὐθεντέω (authenteó) -- To have authority, to exercise authority, to dominate

In Part 1, I shared a bit on how Paul uses rare Greek words, and specifically share on authentein in the section on Kin Murder, Sacrifice, and Violence. I shared a brief history of how authentein has morphed over the ages from violent, horrific murders, especially of kin, to Jerome’s “dominare” implying a negative domineering, lording it over authority but not violent, to Erasmus’ “usurp authority” making authority neutral but negative if illegitimate, to modern English neutral & positive translations of “assume authority”, “exercise authority” and just “authority”. So, over the ages authentein completely lost its violent and negative connotation. Most of this happened after Paul! Before Paul it was common knowledge, not common usage, but common knowledge, that it had a very negative connotation for the most part! 

According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, here is part of the entry: 

a. according to earlier usage, one who with his own hand kills either others or himself.

b. in later Greek writings one who does a thing himself the author" (τῆς πράξεως, Polybius 23, 14, 2, etc.); one who acts on his own authority, autocratic, equivalent to αὐτοκράτωρ an absolute master; cf. Lobeck ad Phryn., p. 120 (also as above; cf. Winers Grammar, § 2, 1 c.)); to govern one, exercise dominion over one: τινς, 1 Timothy 2:12.

Paul was a brilliant rhetorical debater and very educated and well read, who used words very specifically that he knew his audience would be familiar with when he used them. He would sometimes throw in words from Classic Greek instead of Koine Greek if it helped to make a particular point to persuade others. This was his Tarsus “no mean city” debate speech training paired with his amazing mind under the inspiration of Holy Spirit! 

Since a. doesn’t have any references, I get to fill in that part. The next post will be expanding on the “later Greek writings…” per b.

When Paul used authentein, there were at least three commonly known contexts for the “authente” family at that time, that he could have been referring to based on his studies and life experiences, and all three had to do with murder, specifically kin murder.

1. The Greek Septuagint, the Greek translation of the OT, written 100-300 years before Paul, includes Wisdom of Solomon 12:6 where authentas is used for the murderous parents sacrificing their children in a context of idolatry and witchcraft that parallels the pagan cults in Ephesus. Paul knew the Septuagint and cites, quotes, alludes to it well over 100 times! There seems to be a strong parallel between Romans 1 & 2 specifically to Wisdom of Solomon 12-14 (though some disagree) which indicates he was fairly familiar with this book. James Barr (Beyond Fundamentalism, Philadelphia: Westminster, 1984, p44) writes that Wisdom of Solomon “very likely exercised more influence than some portions of the now canonical Old Testament did”. Timothy and other original hearers who were familiar with the Septuagint would have probably recognized the context of authentein, similar to when Jesus refers to “house of prayer” and “den of thieves” and everyone was reminded of not only Isaiah 56:7, but also Jeremiah 7:11, or when he shares about the Good shepherd compared to harmful shepherds in John 10, he is also referring to the shepherds in Ezekiel 34.  The Wisdom of Solomon 12 GNT ; Paul Starts Romans Quoting Wisdom of Solomon | Deutero Project ; Paul's Use of Canonical and Noncanonical Wisdom Literature in Romans and the Corinthian Letters p170-178, 205-209

2. The homicide court at Areopagus in Athens where Paul gave a speech (Acts 17). The Greek word for murderers on trial here was authentes, especially kin murderers. The homicide court was outside, under the sky, so that people would not have to be under the same roof as the authentes. Antiphon (480-411 BC), a Greek orator, in his speech #5, On the Murder of Herodes, warned to not be found under the same roof with the murderer/authentes. The Trial That Saved Athens: Orestes at the Areopagus ; Antiphon, On the murder of Herodes, section 11 ; Perseus Search Results re Aeropagus in ancient literature

3. The Classic Tragedies. Eumenides, a tragedy/play by Aeschylus written around 450 BC and became a well- known play, especially in Athens where the setting is staged at the Areopagus where authentes, specifically a kin murderer was tried. Here authentes is used in line 212 Aeschylus, Eumenides, line 178  (also note the matricides/murder of mothers in line 210 similar to Paul in 1 Tim 1:9)

TLG TLG - Home can attest to about 10 uses of authenteo/authentes in these classical plays, written between 500 and 400 BC. The Ephesians would have been familiar with the popular Eumenides and probably others as well, because they were a major hub for travelers and these ideas and performances organically spread among the metropolises. The citizens of Ephesus were all over the latest and greatest entertainment and ideas and loved their Great Theatre. Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD) specifically refers to these classical plays in his writings. I will share more on that in the post Paul uses!

The idea that Paul is alluding to some sort of murder, or some harmful action has been dismissed by at least one scholar who states “that the odious idea of murder is not integral to the basic meaning of the word...”   https://womeninthechurch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/George-Knight-%CE%B1%CF%85%CE%B8%CE%B5%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%89.pdf p 154

Although Paul’s use could have been a shock to Timothy and whoever else heard it, it was also most likely quite clear to Timothy what authentein meant. Timothy’s father was Greek (Acts 16:1,3) and he grew up in Lystra Topical Bible: Lystra: Timothy a Resident of, so he was educated in and knew the Greek culture along with the Jewish culture and teachings (Septuagint) on his mother’s side.

Paul had already used at least 2 shocking words, patraloas and metroloas, in this letter referring to kin murder. It was commonly known that these were considered some of the most serious crimes anyone could commit because Plato included “felonious assault with intent to kill one’s parents” in his laws. Scroll down in the Strong’s links to the topical lexicon for additional information on how murdering family, especially parents, was viewed at that time.

We'll continue to explore this more in future installments!