Resumen de A Modest Apostle: Thecla and the History of Women in the Early Church by Susan E. Hylen (review)
Hylen argues against previous interpreters who have understood 1 Timothy as "a work that seeks to restrict the leadership of women," noting that this perspective assumes that "1) the letter points to celibate groups of women as opponents; 2) the letter presents a consistent set of norms for women's behavior that were strictly enforced; and 3) marriage restricts women's freedom" (70).Hylen rejects the notion that the letter must address a single group of opponents and finds in 1 Timothy an inconsistency-familiar from Greco-Roman sources-whereby women are called upon to be modest (and thus restrained in speech), yet are also depicted as playing leadership roles in the community (according to Hylen's reading of 1 Timothy 3.11-13).Furthermore, Hylen argues that if marriage, as she argued in Chapter Two, is "an avenue toward leadership for women, not a simple roadblock" (69), then it is possible that "the author [of 1 Timothy] validates the most common path for women to accrue honor and social status: they should marry, bear children, and manage their households" (69).
