Abstract
Sandra Glahn wanted to understand the meaning of “saved through childbearing” in 1 Timothy 2:15, and she feels she found the answer while researching the impact of a Greek goddess on Ephesian culture. Glahn is a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and the author of over 20 books that span multiple genres. In Nobody's mother, she employs her expertise in the area of gender and first-century backgrounds to revisit the question of whether Christian women should take on public leadership roles. Ultimately, Glahn claims that Paul's statements about women in 1 Timothy 2 are directed at a local problem involving false teaching and a false goddess. They should not be taken as a ban on female teachers in all places, times, and circumstances.
Written in an academic style, the book explores the influence of Artemis of the Ephesians on first-century culture, looking at evidence from Scripture, stone carvings, literary sources, epigraphic sources, architecture, and art. In the final chapter, Glahn brings this evidence to bear on the interpretation of 1 Timothy 2.
Before turning to the evidence, Glahn begins the book by offering a rationale for reexamining the topic of women in public leadership. She makes a case based on textual and historical analysis and then points to societal changes and advances in archeology and technology.
In Chapter 2, Glahn orients the reader to her research by providing a historical overview of the significance of the city of Ephesus and of Scripture passages that shed light on the religious atmosphere in Ephesus during the time of Paul and Timothy, including Acts 19 account of a riot that involved Artemis. After pausing to reflect on Catherine and Richard Kroeger's discredited claims that the goddess Artemis was connected to fertility, mothering, and prostitution, Glahn uses stone artifacts to connect Artemis and Ephesus at the time of the early Christians.
Chapter 3 explores literary sources to understand better the cult of Artemis and how it may have impacted early Christians. Citing writers in antiquity, Glahn shows that Artemis was thought to be both a healer (able to ease labor pains) and a killer (able to cause a painless death). In addition, the goddess was known as a perpetual virgin—opposed to marriage, immodesty, and intimate relationships but not antimale. Finally, Glahn concludes that Artemis was not associated with mothering, fertility, or prostitution.
In Chapter 4, Glahn cites the prevalence of Artemis in the growing number of available inscriptions as evidence that the goddess was influential and revered in Ephesus. The inscriptions most often relate to the details of everyday life, and in them, women are seen as participants in Artemis’ cult, frequently taking leadership roles. Women are rarely depicted in the context of marriage. Still, details from the inscriptions often emphasize wealth, modesty that indicates social class, and a measure of authority for those with higher status.
Chapter 5 focuses on the temple of Artemis of Ephesus, along with two statues of the goddess’ likeness—one as a classic maiden and the other with “bulbous appendages on Artemis’ chest” that have sometimes been identified as breasts (101). Because the latter has been used to support the idea that Artemis is a goddess of fertility, Glahn deflates this theory before describing links between Artemis’ two likenesses and between the goddess’ birth story and role as a midwife. Based on the evidence amassed so far, Glahn argues that Artemis of Ephesus “had a strong hold on the city of Ephesus” and that “she was deemed one who could deliver a first-century female through the most dangerous of passages: childbirth” (115).
In Chapter 6, Glahn analyzes 1 Timothy 2 in light of the evidence she has gathered. Noting the use of titles for Jesus that are unusual for Paul but that correspond with those ascribed to Artemis, Glahn suggests that Paul is contrasting Jesus as Savior with the Ephesians’ false savior. She connects the Acts 19 riot and Paul's caution regarding false teaching and myths (1 Timothy 1: 3–4) to Artemis’ cult, concluding that Paul should be understood as prohibiting a harmful kind of teaching—and only within the context of a particular time and place. As for women being saved through childbearing, Glahn argues that Paul borrowed a familiar local saying to convey the promise of God's deliverance for women with fledgling faith. In other words, if Ephesian women would trust Christ instead of Artemis, he would deliver them safely through childbirth.
The book's central claim is that the influence of Artemis of the Ephesians at the time Paul wrote to Timothy was such that the apostle's comments on women teaching men and being saved through childbearing can be interpreted in light of the hold Artemis likely had on newly converted Christians in the church at Ephesus. Although this claim will likely spark disagreement among Christians with conflicting views, it is compatible with the basic tenets of Christianity and with common hermeneutical approaches that consider the cultural context of an epistle's original audience. In addition, Glahn frequently demonstrates how “Scripture helps interpret itself” (38). One example of her use of this principle is the connection she makes between Paul's exhortation regarding false teaching and details about Artemis’ cult revealed in Acts 19. Glahn's interpretive approach lends credibility to her claim and nothing in the book conflicts with the beliefs held in common by all Christians.
As for the claim's merit, Glahn is wise to present it as a plausible solution to the interpretive obstacles surrounding the passage in question. Although she uses strong, emphatic language to assert that Paul's ban on women teaching men was not intended to be universal, her statements about why she thinks this is the case are more cautious. That is as it should be. Though the book's argument is clear and cohesive, it does leave room for uncertainty and debate. For instance, although Glahn shows how Paul could have addressed false female and male teachers in 1 Timothy 1:3, this is not irrefutable. Glahn admits that the language is such that he could have discussed only men. The same is true for the idea that Paul borrowed from a local saying when he mentioned being saved through childbearing. It is possible, and perhaps even probable, but not a certainty.
Even though her main claim remains vulnerable to dispute, Glahn's work is successful in terms of debunking Catherine and Richard Kroeger's assertion that Artemis was associated with prostitution, fertility, and motherhood. Glahn's argument demonstrates this substantially, making the book title highly appropriate. Moreover, the evidence that Glahn accumulated throughout her research is compelling—impressive in terms of both quality and quantity. There is the sense that her work is valuable beyond the scope of this book, serving as the foundation for another book or for others to build upon. If Artemis did hold such sway over the Ephesians, one wonders if that is an interpretive clue for other passages. Sprinkled throughout the book are suggestions that this might be the case.
Weaknesses notwithstanding, there is a genuine need for this book—simply because it represents a reasonable and articulated interpretation of 1 Timothy 2 that does not exclude women from public ministry roles. An explanation like the one Glahn offers is complex. As a woman in ministry, I have wanted to reconcile 1 Timothy 2 with other passages that depict women in leadership, and this book represents a way to do that. I am uncertain whether I agree with Glahn's whole argument, but I am relieved that it exists. For this reason, and because the book is academically rigorous while remaining readable, I recommend it to women in Christian leadership roles and the men who support them. I would also urge those who oppose the idea of women in ministry to consider giving the topic “a fresh look,” as Glahn would say (17).