Decorum and Deeds in 1 Timothy 2:9–10 in Light of Ephesiaca by Xenophon of Ephesus

This article presents a fresh reading of 1 Timothy 2:9–10 with the aid of a scantly referenced ancient source, Ephesiaca, by Xenophon of Ephesus. This reading results from my doctoral research and forthcoming PhD dissertation. It pertains to the symposium theme because an understanding of the instructions regarding decorum and deeds serves as a basis for discussion of and formation of a Christian view of wealth and possessions. To accomplish this aim I will introduce Ephesiaca, follow Vernon Robbins’s five-step socio-rhetorical methodology, and offer conclusions. In all, my argument has seven parts.

First, I broadly sketch the reception and dating of Ephesiaca in scholarship. Second, in analyzing the social and cultural texture I explore the Sitz im Leben of the rich in Ephesus in the first century CE by using ancient sources that precede 1 Timothy and Ephesiaca. Third, in dealing with the inner texture of 1 Timothy 2:9–10, I present the text, a translation, and review scholarship and interpretive issues. Fourth, related to intertexture I present the lexical overlap between 1 Timothy and Ephesiaca and the findings that emerge. Fifth, linked to ideological texture, I examine the implications of the findings for understanding rich women in Ephesus in the first century CE. Sixth, in dealing with sacred texture, I compare insights that have surfaced in 1 Timothy 2:9–10 to related NT texts. Seventh, in concluding, I offer a fresh reading of 1 Timothy 2:9–10 in light of Ephesiaca as a basis for biblical interpretation and modern application