Abstract
The present study agrees that the theological motive of the Pastor's instructions to Christian women (1 Tim 2:9–12, 15b) may be inferred from his midrash on Eve's biblical story (1 Tim 2:13–15a; cf. Gen 1–4). In recalling the salient moments of Eve's story, concluding with her childbirth as symbolic of a restored relationship with God (2:15a; cf. Gen 4:1–2; 1:27–28), the Pastor illustrates God's interest in saving women qua women to underwrite the choices a Christian woman makes about her public practices: her modesty proffers a persuasive defense of the gospel for those who think its claims lack cultural or personal purchase. This article concludes with a "hermeneutical postscript" that proposes a reading of this passage as Scripture and, so, formative of today's Christian faith.
