The Titus 2 Women and Other Great Champions
This is an excerpt from my book, “A Woman of Substance.” You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mary-Salamon/author/B07JBN3997?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1714501571&sr=8-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
Women were productive, influential, and witnesses for Christ during the Apostle Paul's time. God called women to serve him along with men. Cultures that hinder women in the marketplace, education, and government do not understand the freedom that has been given to women in Christ. As more light comes to these nations through missionaries, more women will rise in their positions and authority in different spheres of influence in their cultures.
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The Proverbs 31 woman lived in the Persian period, and the Titus 2 woman lived in the Roman Empire at the forming of the early church, so I will state again exactly what I stated in the last chapter. It’s imperative to understand the context and setting of our favorite and most beloved scriptures, especially if we are referring to them for instruction and training. The Bible was written thousands of years ago. The culture from one book to another is entirely different and drastic in change. To bring truth and light to the passage, we need to understand the audience and the writer’s perspective to place scripture in the cultural background in which it was written.
Let’s look at Titus 2. The women here are the counterparts of the Proverbs 31 woman.
Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, so that the word of God may not be reviled.
Titus 2:3-5 ESV
According to Marg Mowczko:
As with every Bible text, we should read these verses with an understanding of the context of the surrounding passage. Titus 2 follows on from Titus 1:10-16 where Paul describes bad behaviors and ascetic ideas (regarding purity and defilement) in the church at Crete. The instructions to the young women were, at least in part, a countermeasure to Jewish myths and man-made rules that encouraged asceticism (Titus 1:14-15). From other verses in the New Testament and from early church documents, we know that some Christians were renouncing sex and marriage and were not having children (e.g., 1 Corinthians. 7:1-17; 1 Timothy 2:15; 4:3). Some women were staying or becoming, single and independent of husbands and families’ ties. With a narrow view of piety, they were freeing themselves from domestic responsibilities. Paul’s words in Titus 2:4-5 are partly a response to this phenomenon that threatened the reputation of the church.[1][AH1]
Unlike what some people have suggested, Paul was not thinking about women taking on a significant role of spiritual protection or guardianship of the household when he wrote Titus 2:5, though pagan Greco-Roman women did play a part in household religious observances. Rather, Paul wanted the young women to comply with the usual moral standards of the typical Roman matron. Paul’s reason for this compliance was that he did not want the behavior of the young women to cause controversy and unease in broader society, which might lead to the gospel being given a bad name and dishonored by pagan neighbors. Note the last phrase of Titus 2:5: “That the word of God may not be reviled.” [AH2]
Was it also important that the young wives of Crete be busy at home? If the alternative was being lazy and idle (cf. Titus 1:12-13), or being single and relying on church support (cf. 1 Timothy 5:9-15), then yes, they should be busy at home.[2]
In 1 Timothy 5:14, Paul uses another word that has a similar meaning to oikourgos. He uses the infinitive of the verb oikodespoteō. The etymology of this word suggests the meaning “to be a house master/mistress” (oikos = house + despotēs = master or lord). LSJ [AH3] gives the meaning of oikodespoteō as “to be master of a house or head of a family.” It cites 1 Timothy
So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.
1 Timothy 5:14 (ESV)
The implication of this word is that the young widows who are being addressed in 1 Timothy 5:14 are relatively wealthy. And, not unlike Titus 2:5, the activity in view is being in charge of the domestic management of a household.
A conservative estimate is that one-third of the population of the Roman Empire were slaves, and the young wives and widows whom Paul was referring to in Titus 2:5 and 1 Timothy 5:14 would have had domestic slaves for the more unpleasant, tedious, and difficult domestic duties. Paul was not speaking about scrubbing floors or washing clothes when he used the words oikourgos or oikodespoteō; he was speaking about the management of the home, which would have included the management of slaves and home-based industries such as spinning and weaving that were traditionally undertaken by Roman matrons.
Paul was not addressing female slaves or poor women in Titus 2:5 or 1 Timothy 5:14, even though these women were equal members of the church. Most slave women and poor women did not have the luxury of staying home and managing their own homes—presuming they had their own homes—as per the instructions in 1 Timothy 5:14. They were too busy working for others. Poor women might live in a one-room unit that didn’t need “keeping” or managing, and slave women would often live in their master’s home.[3]
In this historical background, we see the similarities to the management of a household as in Proverbs 31.
1 Timothy 5:10 lists good works and having a reputation for good works: “if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work” (ESV).
Women who were blessed with their own households were asked to love and train up their children and show hospitality by opening their doors to the saints and caring for the afflicted.
According to Vine’s Complete Expository[AH4] Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, an afflicted person is “those that suffer affliction, and are troubled and have reference to sufferings due to the pressure of circumstances, or the antagonism of persons.” The afflicted, in this instance, could have been the poor, the persecuted, or those who found themselves in various trials and tribulations.
When women opened their homes, the feet of the saints needed to be washed, and that was no small task. The culture of washing feet was an everyday necessity in the early church since walking was the transportation and was done in open-toed sandals on roads that were riddled with mud and the dung of different types of animals.
Walking in sandals on the filthy roads of Israel in the first century made it imperative that feet be washed before a communal meal, especially since people reclined at a low table and feet were on display. A wealthy host would have slaves wash the feet of guests. At the home of a host with no slaves, guests would wash their own feet. A woman managing her home would probably have servants helping her with this task. This was part of hospitality and preparation for mealtimes.
A Titus 2 woman was devoted to every good work. What kind of work? Domestic work includes cooking, gardening, weaving and sewing, soapmaking, and farming and overseeing livestock. The wonderful thing about New Testament women was that Christ set them free to serve and love Him. We see many examples of women doing all sorts of activities inside and outside the home just as the Proverbs 31 woman. They were productive and capable women with a new vision and calling to the world. The gospel of Jesus Christ brought salvation to all human beings. According to scripture, both males and females serve Christ, and we see this all over the New Testament. Women did everything.
Lydia
Lydia was a wealthy businesswoman. She was engaged in the lucrative trade of dealing with purple cloth exactly like the Proverbs 31 woman. This same purple dye was rare, and the dyed cloth was very expensive. Only the most elite and the richest people wore purple clothes, so the cloth was a symbol of power and prestige (cf. Judges. 8:26; Esther 8:15; Proverbs 31:22; Luke 16:19).
According to Mowezko:
Lydia’s wealth is also indicated by the fact that she seems to have been the owner and mistress of her own home. Acts 16:15—which begins with, “When she and her household (ho oikos autēs) were baptized”—makes it clear that it was her household. Furthermore, Lydia uses her own initiative and doesn’t consult a male relative when she offers the missionaries hospitality. There is no mention of a husband or a father in her story. This is unusual as women in Bible times were often identified by their relationship to a man: a father, a husband, an adult son, or even a brother. It is likely Lydia had no surviving adult male relatives. She was probably widowed or perhaps divorced. Divorce was easy under Roman law and it was common, and in most cases, it did not result in any sense of scandal or stigma.
Whatever her marital status, Lydia’s home was relatively spacious. It was large enough to accommodate Paul and his fellow missionaries (who included Silas, Timothy, and perhaps Luke and others) as well as her own household. Her home was also large enough to hold church meetings. It was in Lydia’s home that the church at Philippi first gathered (cf. Acts 16:40).
Mowczko continues:
Paul and his party may have spent several weeks staying with Lydia (cf. Luke 10:5-7). During that time, she would have received (directly and indirectly) a theological and pastoral education from the apostle so that she was equipped to care for the church when Paul moved on to bring the gospel to other Macedonian cities…
On the practical side, Lydia’s experience of running a large household and of running a business would have been useful in managing and caring for a congregation…
If Lydia didn’t lead the fledgling church in Philippi, who did? Another member of her household? The unnamed jailer mentioned in Acts 16:22ff? Or a member of his household? Lydia is the only Philippian convert who is named in Acts, and we know that the Philippian church met in her home. So, she is the most likely person to have led and cared for the first congregation at Philippi.[4]
Lydia is a New Testament counterpart to the Proverbs 31 woman. She is wealthy, dealing and trading with the exact textiles of purple cloth that the Proverbs 31 woman bought and sold. She runs a large household, but most of all, it seems she led the church at Philippi under the Apostle Paul’s leadership. Lydia was strong, generous, and productive. She was a woman of virtue and honor with great leadership skills. And Lydia wasn’t the only productive, powerful woman in the New Testament.
Priscilla
A woman named Priscilla stands out in Paul’s writings. Priscilla was a teacher of the Word and a tentmaker with her husband (ref. Acts 18:3). Priscilla and her husband, Aquila, were loyal friends and ministry partners of Paul. Their relationship with Paul was so deep that Priscilla and Aquila traveled side by side with him on many occasions.
When Paul, Priscilla, and Aquila first came together, they spent many months ministering and working together as a team. Priscilla and Aquila also had a church in their home. Priscilla’s life was productive in numerous ways. She was in business with her husband, crafting tents for the community. She taught, and her teaching was on the level of teaching other apostles and leaders the truths of the Gospel. She helped her husband instruct the Apollos, who at the time was well-known for his preaching and teaching. Priscilla also led a church in her home. That was a huge responsibility that included all kinds of tasks and hospitality. Called a co-laborer in Christ with the Apostle Paul, she is mentioned first in Paul’s list of twenty-eight Roman Christians to be greeted in the last chapter of Romans. She was bold and courageous. She risked her life for the Apostle Paul and all the churches of the Gentiles and was well-known and beloved by the church. Her good works, passion, and giftings made room for her to minister for Christ and have a good standing in the community. Priscilla was another New Testament Proverbs 31 woman.
Phoebe
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.
Romans 16:1-2 (ESV)
Paul speaks of Phoebe and describes her as both a diakonos and a prostatis.
Blue Letter Bible defines diakonos: “dee-ak’-on-os; probably from an obsolete διάκω diákō (to run on errands; compare G1377); an attendant, i.e. (genitive case) a waiter (at table or in other menial duties); especially, a Christian teacher and pastor (technically, a deacon or deaconess): —deacon, minister, servant.”
Blue Letter Bible defines prostatis as “a woman set over others, a female guardian, protectress, patroness, caring for the affairs of others and aiding them with her resources.”
The scriptures above describe Phoebe as a Roman patron. That was no small title. Patrons and patronesses were wealthy and influential in their regions. Paul’s words of recommendation for Phoebe resonate with her high standing in the community. Unfortunately, due to gender bias in the scripture, Phoebe’s titles are slanted in the KJV of the Bible.
Paul never uses the word diakon for ordinary servants. He used the term diakonos for “Christian ministers.” These diakonoi include Paul himself (Romans 15:25; 1 Corinthians 3:5; Ephesians 3:7; Colossians. 1:23, etc.), Timothy (1 Timothy 4:6), Epaphras (Colossians 1:7), Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21-22; Colossians 4:7-9), Apollos (1 Corinthians 3:5), and even Jesus Christ (Romans 15:8). And he called Phoebe a diakonos in Romans 16:1-2. Phoebe was a diakonos, or deacon, of the church at Cenchreae.
According to Robin Gallaher Branch in her article for the Biblical Archaeology Society, the three titles given to Phoebe have been watered down in translations. “Paul describes Phoebe via three accolades, nouns translated in the King James Version (KJV) as ‘sister,’ ‘servant,’ and ‘succorer.’”
She continues: “Paul’s appositives show Phoebe probably led the Cenchrean congregation that probably met in her home (Finger 1988:5). She served as a minister like Paul (Ephesians 3:7), Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21), Epaphras (Colossians 1:7), and Timothy (1 Timothy 4:6). She freely gave of her wealth to finance and spread the new faith.”
According to Gallaher Branch,
Jewish insights aid in understanding diakonos in Phoebe’s day. The Complete Jewish Bible calls Phoebe “the shammash of the congregation at Cenchreae.” A shammash “directs and leads public worship.”
Since diakonos also designates Jesus and Paul but calls them “ministers” (Romans 15:8, 16 KJV), it seems odd that when associated with Phoebe, it becomes “servant” and “deacon.”
A proper reading indicates Phoebe was a minister to the whole church at Cenchrea and not one who served in an office limited only to women (Schussler Fiorenza 1986:425)...
Developing the idea of shammash, leader/minister, Paul adds prostatis, a word targeting Phoebe’s wealth and the Roman custom of patronage.
Since prostatis appears only in Romans 16:2, it is called a hapax legomenon.
The Septuagint (the third-century B.C.E. Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible), however, uses prostatis several times and always in the context of leadership, responsibility, and finances. Consider these examples:
· Jaziz, a man over flocks (1 Chronicles 27:31)
· Assorted rulers who gave freewill offerings (1 Chronicles 29:6)
· Solomon’s various officers (2 Chronicles 8:10)
· The high priest’s officer (2 Chronicles 24:11).
No doubt Paul’s Roman audience knew the word’s force.
As applied to Phoebe, prostatis carries the ideas of protecting the weak, shielding people from suffering, and “fighting the battles of the oppressed” (Deen 1955:231).
The nuance, “helper,” may have started around the ninth century. By then, ecclesiastical authority was male-centered, and recognizing a woman as a leader may have been difficult.[5]
There are teachings today and Bible study groups that focus on biblical womanhood. I have always felt that these studies are eschewed [AH5] in many ways. There is a giant box that surrounds these teachings, and if you follow them, you are allowed to do only certain tasks according to the dictates of the authors and leaders of these studies. Women in the church are still put in boxes under the religious teachings of men. It’s a sad commentary in the twenty-first century. Phoebe was a woman of substance, leadership, business, and community. The Apostle Paul highly esteemed her, and she was esteemed as a co-laborer with the Apostle Paul. Phoebe is another example of a woman who crossed over into business and ministry. She led men. She helped men. Let that sink in. Phoebe taught men.
For many years, the eyes of the religious Pharisees have studied scripture with slanted lenses. Many male leaders cannot see the strength and the skill of women leaders in the church. They don’t want to see it. If they did, they would have to share the work of the ministry with more than half of their church members.
Today’s Christian woman’s vision should be encouraged and blessed by these New Testament examples of women. There are no limits to what can be accomplished through you in Christ. You can do all things in Christ who strengthens you, whether ministry, business, marriage, or family.
All things have been given to you. Release your hands to be filled.
[1] Marg Mowczko, “‘Workers at Home’ or ‘Keepers at Home’ in Titus 2:5?” Marg Mowczko (blog), September 23, 2014, https://margmowczko.com/workers-at-home-or-keepers-at-home-in-titus-25/.
[2] Mowczko, “Workers.”
[4] Marg Mowczko, “Lydia of Thyatira: The Founding Member of the Philippian Church,” Marg Mowczko (blog), November 30, 2017, https://margmowczko.com/lydia-of-thyatira-philippi/#_ftn24.
[5] Robin Gallaher Branch, “Who Was Phoebe?” Biblical Archaeology Society, May 13, 2023, https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/who-was-phoebe/
[AH1]I couldn't find this quote anywhere on the web page you cite. Am I missing something?
[AH2]Changed to match the version you quoted earlier.
[AH3]What is LSJ?
[AH4]Cite source.
[AH5]Did you mean shunned? Or perhaps a different word?