1 Tim 2.11-15

Saved through Childbearing in 1 Timothy 2:11-15

Salvation through Childbearing in 1 Timothy 2:11-15

Few verses have generated as much anguish and controversy for interpreters of the Pastoral Epistles as 1 Timothy 2:15 which says--Yet she will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, and love, and holiness with temperance. Scholars have used terms like puzzle, mystery, and enigma to describe what appears to be an entirely non-Pauline statement. It is not necessary for us to review past scholarly attempts to make sense of this verse. That has already been done time and again. Instead I would like to propose a new approach to this verse and its immediate context. It is my hope that others will agree that we have finally come upon a solution to the problem of 1 Timothy 2:15. The key is a new understanding of the term teknogonia which we usually translate as childbearing. In the past scholars have treated this term as a reference to the literal act of women bearing children. This was a misreading. Actually, the term childbearing is a metaphor for virtues-bearing. In the world of Paul it was believed that the human soul gave birth to virtues and vices like women gave birth to children. In other words, the virtues or vices themselves are the children. This is an idea that we see numerous times in the writings of Plato and Philo. We also see variations of this idea in Greek mythology and Gnostic literature. In the Pauline Epistles the term fruitbearing is used to express the same idea of the soul bearing virtues or vices. In the case of 1 Timothy 2:15 women shall be saved by giving birth to the virtues faith, love, holiness, and temperance. Men are also saved this same way. The idea of men giving birth to virtues or vices occurs numerous times in the writings of Plato and Philo. The author of 1 Timothy shares this metaphorical understanding of childbearing with the rest of his literary environment. In this way we more easily see how the idea of salvation through childbearing coheres with the typical Pauline idea of salvation through faith. Those who are interested in a more comprehensive and detailed presentation of this argument should read my article SAVED THROUGH CHILDBEARING: VIRTUES AS CHILDREN IN 1 TIMOTHY 2:11-15 in the JOURNAL OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE 123/4 (WINTER 2004): 703-735.

Kenneth L. Waters, Sr.