Some biblical passages are difficult enough that even seasoned interpreters do not insist that their interpretation is correct. 1 Timothy 2:15, with its comment about women being saved through childbearing, is among these notoriously difficult passages. Nevertheless, this workshop surveys a few good theories about the meaning of 1 Timothy 2:15. More importantly, however, this verse serves as a humbling reminder of the vast cultural and chronological gap between the first and twenty-first centuries. Finally, it will be argued that the prior verse (1 Timothy 2:14) is just as difficult, and interpreters therefore should not demand that 2:14 be the guiding light to chapter two.
 

Workshop Session, 59 mins.
Building Biblical Community: Transforming Sex, Power, and Prejudice
CBE 2011 International Conference, Seattle, Washington, USA

Jeffrey D. Miller is a college professor, and his academic interests include textual criticism and biblical teaching. Miller lives with his wife Dana (who is a children's minister) and two daughters in Tennessee. Their main hobby is hiking in the Appalachian Mountains.