What Is “The Childbearing” in 1 Timothy 2:15?

Does this verse talk about having childbearing or childrearing? This paper explores the various possibilities that have been suggested.

This article situates 1 Tim. 2:15 and Paul's words regarding safety during childbearing in the context of high maternal mortality in the first century. Using a technique drawn from modern social demographers, "demographic borrowing," this article establishes the background to this verse as grinding poverty, limited health care, and child marriage as the primary factors leading to the high incidents of maternal mortality in the ancient world. This article also offers fresh lexical evidence from Paul's letters for translating the key word σῴζω as "kept safe," as opposed to "saved."

Presbyterion, 2021

First Timothy 2:13–3:1a is one of the most highly debated passages in the New Testament. Numerous interpretations exist, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. As Paul is clearly referencing creation, many recognize a link to Genesis 2–3, though there is less agreement as to how this affects interpretation. Close comparison indicates that Paul’s choice of words, and possibly his flow of thought, can be helpfully viewed through the interpretive lens of Genesis 2–4.

Tyndale bulletin, 1993

Timothy 2:12, for obvious reasons, has suffered considerable scholarly buffeting in recent years. Carefullexicological investigations have undermined the traditional interpretation of a1)8eV'IEm as 'to have authority over' and brought to light various shades of meaning, without, however, clearly demonstrating their relevance to the passage. Thorough research into the religious environment of Ephesus has also suggested alternative perspectives, but again with doubtful exegetical validity. The argument of this paper is that if closer attention is paid to the structural and figurative character of the passage, a reading emerges which takes into account both the proper sense of avBevrem and the particular circumstances under which Paul's injunction was given.

The Bible Translator, 1988

WOMEN ARE SAVED THROUGH BEARING CHILDREN (l Timothy 2.11-15) The Rev. Dr Krijn van der Jagt is a UBS Translation Consultant who has been based in Cameroon

Scriptura, 2013

Amidst threatening pseudo-practices, 1 Timothy seems to be concerned mainly with the integrity of the Christian gospel within the larger Greco-Roman society. To account for its rich yet complex world view, the intertextual coherence of 1 Tim 1:15-3:1 is investigated-with special reference to gender images from Gen 2-3 in 1 Tim 2:13-15. In an attempt to make sense of the utterances regarding women in 2:8-15, and particularly the explanation in 2:13-15, the essay explores two main sets of arguments. A first view explores the implications of a literal interpretation of 1 Tim 2:13-15. It argues that the author contrasted the thinking of Gen 2-3 by importing a limited selection from it into his letter-a strategy bearing the risk of being incompatible with the theological thrust of both 1 Tim and Gen 1-3. A second view argues that 1 Tim 2:13-15 served as an allegory, and that Adam and Eve, as well as the image of childbearing, functioned metaphorically as motivation for moral behaviour. The essay concludes that 1 Tim 2:8-15 is a context-specific appropriation of the creation story rather than a universal statement on the relationship between women and men. It pleads for a life-giving rhetoric that either uses 1 Timothy's theological thrust as a lens for interpreting 2:8-15 or accepts (some aspects of) it as irretrievably patriarchal and violent, yet allowing it to function as a mirror for ongoing discussions on human dignity and the integrity of creation.

Gender and Second Temple Judaism, 2020

It is against this backdrop that 1 Tim 2:15 stands out all the more starkly. While 1 Tim 2:14 concedes that Eve was indeed "deceived" and is a "transgressor," the next verse counters that "She will be saved through childbearing, if she remains in faith and love and holiness, with self-control" (sōthēsetai de dia tēs teknogonias, ean meinōsin en pistei kai agapē kai agiasmō meta sōphrosunēs). 4 How could this note of positivity have entered 1 Timothy's exegesis of Gen 3:16? In this paper, I argue that the author's interpretation of Gen 3:16 can be understood through the lens of Jewish readings of this verse that understood childbirth-for all women-as a redemptive act. First, I will examine the gendered implications of the Hebrew and Greek texts of Gen 3:16. I will then establish that 1 Timothy demonstrates a reliance on Jewish

A college paper discussing the implications of Paul's admonitions concerning women in ministry.

Paper Presented at the SBL-Seminar "Authority and Influence in Biblical Texts", Buenos Aires, July 23, 2015. Published in Sárospataki Füzetek 19.4 (2015): 59-71.