The Redeemer in an "irredeemable text" (1 Timothy 2:9-15)

Abstract

In the ongoing debate about the meaning of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 some have branded it an "irredeemable text of terror" while for others it contains "God's eternal design for men and women." In this article it is argued that both these views fail to give due cognisance to the declared intention of the author of this passage. It is demonstrated how, in a strategy of accommodation, the author uses traditional material to further his (and God's) aim to save all people by bringing them to the knowledge of the truth about Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. In the final hermeneusis it is proposed that the legitimate and authoritative application of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 lies in its intended soteriological focus and strategy and not in the endorsement of any social or socio-political agenda.