Egalitarian claim 8.1: WOMEN WERE TEACHING FALSE DOCTRINE: Women in Ephesus were teaching false doctrine, and this is the reason Paul prohibits women from teaching in 1 Timothy 2:11–15. But that was a specific command for that particular situation, and therefore it is not universally binding on us today. (280)
Answer 8.1a: The only false teachers named at Ephesus are men, not women. (281)
Answer 8.1b: No clear proof of women teaching false doctrine at Ephesus has been found either inside the Bible or outside the Bible. (282)
Answer 8.1c: Richard and Catherine Kroeger’s claim of a Gnostic heresy that Eve was created before Adam has no persuasive historical basis. (284)
Answer 8.1d: If the fact that some people were teaching false doctrine disqualified everyone of the same gender, then all men would have been disqualified from teaching. (287)
Answer 8.1e: Paul gives the reason for his command, and it is the creation order (1 Timothy 2:13–14), not any false teaching by women. It is precarious to substitute a reason Paul does not give for what he does give. (287)
Answer 8.1f: The argument that no men were ever present with the women fails to consider the actual wording of this text. (287)

Egalitarian claim 8.2: WOMEN NOT EDUCATED: The reference to Eve’s deception in 1 Timothy 2:13 shows that Eve was less educated than Adam, just as the women in Ephesus were less educated than the men. But women today have as much education as men; therefore, 1 Timothy 2:11–15 does not apply to us today. (288)
Answer 8.2a: Many men and many women had basic literacy skills in the first century, and very few men or women had education beyond this. (289)
Answer 8.2b: The Bible never requires advanced degrees for people who teach God’s word or have governing authority in the church. (291)
Answer 8.2c: It simply is not true that no women in the first-century churches were well enough educated to be teachers or rulers in the church, and therefore lack of education cannot be the reason for Paul’s statement. (292)
Answer 8.2d: Lack of education is not the reason Paul gives for restricting teaching and governing roles to men. We should not deny the reason Paul gives and substitute a reason he does not give. (293)
Answer 8.2e: If lack of education were the reason, it would be unfair and inconsistent for Paul not to prohibit teaching by uneducated men. (293)
Answer 8.2f: The phrase, “Adam was formed first, then Eve,” cannot be made to mean that Eve had less education than Adam without doing violence to the text. (293)

Egalitarian claim 8.3: WOMEN NOT DECEIVED TODAY: Women today are not as easily deceived as in the first century; therefore, 1 Timothy 2:12–14 does not apply to us today. (295)
Answer 8.3a: Paul makes no reference to his current culture, but to a characteristic of Eve that he sees as relevant for all women in all cultures. (296)

Egalitarian claim 8.4: RESTRICTED TO HUSBANDS AND WIVES: 1 Timothy 2:11–15 applies only to husbands and wives, meaning essentially, “I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over her husband.” (296)
Answer 8.4a: It is true that the Greek words used here can mean either “man” or “husband” and either “woman” or “wife” according to the context. But all the other New Testament passages where the words mean “husband” or “wife” are different from this passage, because in those passages, the meanings “husband” and “wife” are made very clear from decisive clues in the context. (297)
Answer 8.4b: No decisive clues from the context of 1 Timothy 2 would cause the original Greek readers to think that husbands and wives were meant here, and several clues would make them think of men and women in general. (298)
Answer 8.4c: It is unlikely that Paul would insert instructions about family life in the middle of a context devoted to opposing false teaching and to choosing officers for the whole church (1 Tim. 1–3). (299)

Egalitarian claim 8.5: TEMPORARY COMMAND: Paul’s statement in 1 Timothy 2:12, “I do not permit...” uses a present tense verb that shows it to be a temporary command. It could be translated, “I am not now permitting a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man.” (299)
Answer 8.5a: This argument misunderstands how Paul uses the present tense in commands. (300)
Answer 8.5b: This argument would soon lead people to avoid many of the commands of the New Testament. Here as elsewhere, egalitarians use a process of interpreting Scripture that will quickly nullify the authority of Scripture in the lives of Christians today. (301)

Egalitarian claim 8.6: CREATION APPEALS NOT DECISIVE: Paul’s appeal to creation is not decisive, since appeals to creation can be culturally relative. (302)
Answer 8.6a: Webb fails to realize what the apostle Paul realized, that the Bible nowhere limits us to these activities reported in the pre-Fall narrative. (302)
Answer 8.6b: Webb fails to realize that everything before the Fall is morally good. (303)

Egalitarian claim 8.7: WHY NO PRIMOGENITURE TODAY? People who say 1 Timothy 2:13 is the basis for a transcultural principle should practice primogeniture today. But they don’t, so one cannot base any transcultural principle on 1 Timothy 2:13. (303)
Answer 8.7a: The Bible does not base any other commands on Adam’s creation before Eve, so we have no right to make up additional commands on our own. (303)

Egalitarian claim 8.8: “NOT DOMINEER”: “Not exercise authority” in 1 Timothy 2:12 means “not misuse authority” or “not domineer.” (304)
Egalitarian claim 8.9: “NOT MURDER OR COMMIT VIOLENCE”: “Not exercise authority” in 1 Timothy 2:12 means “not murder” or “not commit violence.” (304)
Egalitarian claim 8.10: “NOT PROCLAIM ONESELF AUTHOR OF A MAN”: “Not exercise authority” in 1 Timothy 2:12 means “not proclaim oneself author of a man,” in accordance with an ancient Gnostic heresy that Eve was created first. (304)
Answer 8.8a (these answers also apply to claims 8.9 and 8.10): The most complete study of this word shows that its meaning is primarily neutral, “to exercise authority over.” (307)
Answer 8.8b: The meaning “to murder” is not supported by the ancient evidence. (309)
Answer 8.8c: The meaning “to instigate violence” is not supported by the ancient evidence. (310)
Answer 8.8d: Richard and Catherine Kroeger’s claim that authenteo means “to proclaim oneself author of a man” (related to a Gnostic heresy that Eve was created first) is not supported by the ancient evidence. (311)
Answer 8.8e: The grammatical structure of the sentence rules out any negative meaning (such as, “to misuse authority, to domineer, or to murder”) and shows that the verb must have a positive meaning (such as “to exercise authority”). (314)
Answer 8.8f: The grammar of 1 Timothy 2:12 shows that two activities are in view, teaching and having authority, not just one activity of “authoritative teaching.” (316)
Answer 8.8g: An extensive study of cognate words now confirms that the meaning of authenteo is primarily positive or neutral. (317)

Egalitarian claim 8.11: GAIN MASTERY: 1 Timothy 2:12 means, “I do not permit a woman to teach in order to gain mastery over a man.” (318)
Answer 8.11a: Belleville has misrepresented her supporting verses and misunderstood Greek grammar. (318)

Egalitarian claim 8.12: UNCOMMON WORD: In 1 Timothy 2:12, Paul does not use the common word for authority (exousia), but uses a relatively uncommon word authenteo. Since the word is rare, its meaning cannot be known with any certainty, and we should not put much weight on this verse. (319)
Answer 8.12a: Paul’s use of a less common word does not mean that the word’s meaning is uncertain or unknown. (320)

Egalitarian claim 8.13: JUST DON’T OFFEND THE CULTURE: Paul’s main point in these restrictions on women teaching and governing was not to give offense to the culture of that time. Today, such activities by women would not give offense to our culture, so the restrictions do not apply. We have to distinguish between the main concern of a writer and the outward form that his command takes. (322)
Answer 8.13a: The activities of teaching and governing the church are not merely a changeable outward form of some deeper principle, but they are the principles themselves because they represent fundamental activities essential to the life of the church. (323)
Answer 8.13b: Not offending the culture is not the reason Paul gives for his commands. (323)
Answer 8.13c: This argument assumes that Paul taught something less than God’s ideal in order to advance the gospel. (323)
Answer 8.13d: Some women had prominent roles in pagan religions in Ephesus. (324)

Egalitarian claim 8.14: PAUL WAS WRONG: Paul made a mistake in 1 Timothy 2 and reverted to his rabbinic background, failing to be consistent with his understanding of redemption in Christ. (325)
Answer 8.14a: This position is inconsistent with belief in the entire Bible as the Word of God, and is not a legitimate evangelical position. (325)

Egalitarian claim 8.15: THE NEW TESTAMENT MISINTERPRETS THE OLD TESTAMENT: In some passages, such as 1 Timothy 2:11–15, we may find that our understanding of the Old Testament is superior to that of a New Testament author. (326)
Answer 8.15a: This procedure denies the absolute authority of Scripture for us today and sets us up as an authority greater than Scripture. (326)
Answer 8.15b: The New Testament’s interpretations of the Old Testament are God’s interpretations of the Old Testament. (327)