Titus 2, Gender, and Teaching

Paul instructs Titus on teaching those under his care in Titus Chapter 2. This passage is frequently characterized as instruction for women not to teach men. However, when we look closely, we see that there is instruction about how to teach four gender groupings of people.

Older Men

1 But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound doctrine. 2 Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, prudent, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance. (Titus 2:1-2 NRSV)

Older Women

3 Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or slaves to drink; they are to teach what is good, … (Titus 2:3, NRSV)

Younger Women

… 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, being submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited. (Titus 2:4-5, NRSV)

Younger Men

6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. (Titus 2:6, NRSV)

There are four teacher-to-student relationships:

Teacher: Titus
Student: older men

Teacher: Titus
Student: older women

Teacher: older women
Student: younger women

Teacher: Titus
Student: younger men

Why isn’t Titus to teach the younger women? The reason is that it was socially taboo for a man to teach young women, especially unmarried women. He would have been seen as a womanizer. (According to Kenneth Bailey, it is still true throughout much of the Middle East today.) Therefore, instruction for younger women fell upon older women. There is no prohibition of women teaching men implied at all in this passage. The implied prohibition is on men teaching young women so as not to bring scandal upon the church.

The desire to avoid scandal and licentious behavior is apparent in Titus and that is why I think it is important to revisit the instruction given to younger women.

… 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, being submissive to their husbands, ….

Why? What reason does Paul give? Because Eve was created second to be Adam’s helper? Because women are more easily deceived and need to be under the authority of a man? No!

… so that the word of God may not be discredited.

Conform to the traditional standards but live in mutual submission to one another, just as Paul had instructed the Ephesians. This way, you create less anxiety among those to whom you are to be a witness. Aberrant behavior will blind them to hearing the gospel message, and the word of God will be discredited. Yet, mutual submission undermines the human-created power hierarchies inherent within these relationships and unfolds the mutuality inherent in the New Creation.

So what is the application for today? What is it that would cause scandal and discredit the gospel today? Is it possible that living according to first-century patriarchy is such a scandal?

Whatever the case, there is no prohibition of women teaching men, stated or implied in this passage. The prohibition is on men teaching young women in this cultural context.