By Rachel Nesse – Associate Pastor – Leawood
Is it wrong for women to wear pearls? What about gold jewelry? In the Apostle Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he seems to say women ought not to wear either one.
The letter to Timothy also instructs women to avoid elaborate hairstyles and expensive clothes. Paul writes, “I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes…” (1 Timothy 2:9).
If we read this passage at face value, it may stop us in our tracks, wondering why God’s word is policing women’s jewelry, hairstyles and the price point of their clothing! And what does modesty really mean? Who defines it, how should we dress, and, really, what do the no-pearls rules from 2,000 years ago have to do with us?
We believe that Paul’s instructions to young pastor Timothy’s church have eternal significance as the word of God. But something is happening in this text that, as modern readers, we are missing. We cannot flatly read this passage and apply it in a one-to-one way to our 21st century life. Or—we can—but I’d be sad to ditch my grandma’s heirloom pearls.
There’s a context behind the text that modern readers can easily miss.
Scripture is written for us but it is not written to us. The Bible was written from the perspective of ancient marginalized Middle Eastern people, oriented to a radically different cultural context from our own. Therefore, in order to correctly grasp the original meaning and intent of the biblical text, we must respect the historic background of the Bible as ancient literature. In reading the Bible contextually, we must avoid one primary mistake and must be aware of what common assumptions informed the ancient text.
One Common Mistake to Avoid
When we forget to interpret the Bible as contextualized literature, we can mistakenly appropriate cultural norms as moral imperatives. For example, headcoverings, Nazirite vows, slavery, and patriarchy fit in the category of cultural norms. We might name these social conventions as “biblical” in the sense that they appear in the Bible, but we cannot define them as moral or “biblical” mandates. They, rather, simply represent cultural artifacts from biblical times. They color the water the biblical authors swam in.
One of my seminary professors, with decades of faithful study in the Scriptures, was asked what lesson he wished he would have understood earlier about his study of the Bible. He shared a surprising answer. He told students he wished he would have asked more often: what does this passage not mean?
This question allows us the space to reflect both on what assumptions we bring to the biblical text and also what cultural norms are represented there that simply cannot be translated into another culture. For example, Paul’s command for women to avoid pearls and gold references a historic-cultural norm that we cannot directly apply in our culture. The passage does not mean that my gold earrings are sinful.
Yet, even though we cannot copy and paste this command to apply our culture today, the underlying moral principle of the passage certainly applies.
But how do we find the underlying moral principle?
In order to find the underlying meaning of the pearls and gold passage, we need to know some cultural background. First, Paul was writing to Timothy who was stationed at a church in Ephesus. The ancient city of Ephesus boasted one of the most impressive ports of the ancient world. As a port, the Ephesian people would have had access to one of the greatest marketplaces of luxury goods, such as gold, pearls, opulent clothing, etc.
Pearls in particular were such a significant sign of wealth and status that Julius Caesar enacted laws to forbid low-status citizens below a certain rank from wearing them. Pearls shouted power.
Similarly, Paul’s prohibition on “elaborate hairstyles” points to the intricate braided hairstyles that ancient female aristocrats would flaunt. Often these hairstyles demanded hours of labor from multiple slaves.
Perhaps, then, Paul’s command for modesty references wealth. This is not exactly what we usually think of to define the word modesty—we are thinking about how much skin to cover up! A Christ follower does not flaunt money, socioeconomic status, rank, or power. The cross equalizes the poor and the powerful, the full and the hungry. Don’t boast in your wealth.
That message presents a much more compelling interpretation of Paul’s words than “put your pearls away.”
Common Ancient Assumptions
Some other major ancient assumptions that color the background to the Bible are an honor/shame worldview, the value of kinship and collective group identity, the patronage system, patriarchy and “caste,” purity, and the undeniably intertwined nature of religion and government.
Often, when something in the Bible strikes us as odd, one of these major underlying cultural preconceptions is likely at work in the background.
Learning about the cultural background, political and geographic history, and nuances of the original languages (Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic) behind the scenes of the Scriptures allows the text to come alive and often helps us reach an “aha” moment with passages that seem baffling at first glance.
Yet, books upon books have been written about the list of cultural assumptions I just listed. How are regular Bible readers supposed to be aware of all of the behind-the-scenes of ancient literature? How do I know I’m not blindly missing something in the text?
First, you will miss things. You will miss things as you read Scripture. You will make mistakes in your interpretation and understanding, and that’s okay. We all have blind spots. And we don’t know what we don’t know, especially in the realm of ancient historical context. But our God has grace, forgiveness, and hope for us even when we don’t fully understand him or his word.
Yet, second, community and orthodoxy help us avoid major misinterpretation. Don’t read the Bible or come to major conclusions “alone.” When we do theology in community, whether through a Bible study at church or engaging with scholars through their books or listening to a podcast like the BibleProject, theological guardrails generally go up. Many scholars before us have done excellent, hard work in the text, and their work can help guard us against misinterpretation.
Others can help point out our blind spots, and our pooled resources as the large “C” Church help us stay within the bounds of non-negotiable doctrine, or Christian orthodoxy. Orthodoxy represents the key beliefs that Christians throughout all time hold and agree to as the essentials of the faith, like the Trinity and the resurrection, which are generally shown in the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds.
Last, a little study goes a long way. As we continue in our year-long With God journey through the Bible, you’ll be exposed to methods for reading Scripture in a contextually appropriate way through our podcasts, sermons, recommended resources, and blogs. Other good resources to engage in your personal study of Scripture are listed below.
In the end, next time you are confused or disoriented by a passage of Scripture, remember that there might be an unspoken cultural assumption that lurks behind the text. When you encounter those tough passages, remember to ask questions in community, devote time to study, and approach the text with curiosity.
Helpful Resources:
“What the Bible’s Authors Took for Granted” BibleProject Podcast
“The Bible Wasn’t Written in English” BibleProject Podcast
Honor, Patronage, Kinship, and Purity by David deSilva
