TAMING TEXTS OF TERROR: READING (AGAINST) THE GENDER GRAIN OF 1 TIMOTHY

Do texts have ideological grain, and if so, can we read against this grain? Thisquestion lies at the heart of this article. Even those biblical scholars frominterpretative traditions that have emphasized the liberatory character of the Biblehave had to admit that there are some biblical texts that are oppressive. 1 Timothy2:8-15 is one such text. Using a case study from the field of oral history, the articleexamines the effects of 1 Timothy 2:8-15 on the leadership of women in a particularlocal church in Malawi. The article then goes on to examine how this text sustainsits patriarchal ideological grain so many centuries after it was written. The articleconcludes by analyzing a number of attempts to tame this text of terror, andreflecting on the public role of the socially engaged biblical scholar.