Text in a Whirlwind: A Critique of Four Exegetical Devices at 1 Timothy 2.9-15

Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000. Pp. 400, Cloth, No Price Available, ISBN 1841271217. Andreas J. Köstenberger Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Wake Forest, NC This work was originally a doctoral dissertation submitted in March 1995. Interaction with some later works has been incorporated, though it appears that the major argument of the volume essentially predates 1995. It is the author's thesis that “several contextual, linguistic, grammatical and literary components in 1 Tim. 2.9-15 have universally been either ignored or misunderstood” (p. 18). Three main approaches are catalogued, but each is found to be problematic. First, over against those who believe that Paul prohibits women generally from teaching and taking authority over men in the church, Holmes takes issue with the “circularity” of interpreting the present passage in relation to 1 Cor 11:3-16 (the subject of the author's MA thesis) and 14:34-35; their understanding of 1 Tim 2:13-14; and the denial or minimization of the implications for “total equality” in Gal 3:28. Second, over against feminist interpretations, Holmes contends that the author's primary concern is with unity, not equality, in Christ in light of existing social, racial, and sexual divisions, so that his goals should not be assumed to be identical with those of modem egalitarianism. Third, Holmes objects over against those who seek to limit Paul's instruction to particular women or circumstances that 1 Tim 2:11-12 may have “stricter or broader applications” (p. 21). [Full Review]