Thesis (M.A.P.S.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-79).

Thesis (M.A.)--Central Connecticut State University, 1999. / Thesis advisor: Dr Norton Mezvinsky. " ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." Includes bibliographical references (leaves [79-82]).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 107-111).

Thesis (M.A.P.S.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-79).

Thesis (M.A.P.S.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-79).

Bibliography: pages 151-157. / The intention of this thesis is to offer a perspective on the current debate over women's place in Western religious institutions, i.e. the Judaeo-Christian tradition; and to provide a way of thinking about those issues which will lead to a positive, progressive and realistic vision of co-humanity, and a method of achieving it. The thorny battleground of the "women's debate", as it is inaccurately named, was not my original choice of thesis topic. A lifelong commitment to feminist principles has been matched with an equally lengthy wariness regarding society's attitude towards such matters. Also, the understandable obsession of South African religious studies departments, and journals, with the issue of racism has had the inevitable result of trivializing the related issue of sexism as secondary. The narrowness of such thinking has led to strange distortions, including the belief that evil can somehow be 'ranked' and that there can be a 'hierarchy' of oppression. My intentions changed during a search of religious publications and journals while completing a post-graduate assignment. It was abundantly apparent that the scale of the debate on women's place in religion was fast outstripping most other debates. However, it was not an area which had been treated locally with seriousness. It had unfolded into a comprehensive and highly contentious debate in North American and British campuses and religious institutions, and the proliferation of books and articles on the subject by not only theologians but also sociologists, anthropologists and linguists had greatly extended the platform and the level on which the debate was to be fought. It appeared that women working in many fields were laying claim to religion, and were engaging issues which had previously been left to the handful of articulate women working at least nominally within orthodox structures.

This thesis investigates the role of women in the early church as portrayed in 1 Timothy 2:9-15 using the recently-developed method of Rhetorical Analysis. It makes use of a rhetorical approach largely based on the method proposed by Kennedy, supplemented by insights from scholars who have emphasised the argumentative element in rhetoric. This method illustrates how the role of women in the church is decisively determined by the argument in the letter as a whole. A brief survey of classical rhetoric is given. The typical structure of a rhetorical discourse is listed with its component sections. The validity of using rhetorical analysis as a means for interpreting New Testament texts is justified. Textual units are identified from the structure of the text. Rhetorical insights are used to explain how the identified units cohere within the overall structure of the letter and how they relate to one another and interact. The thesis is developed that the section on women and teaching can only be meaningfully investigated in the light of the text as a whole and of the motifs in the letter. The thesis has a special focus on 2:9-15. This section is analysed in more detail than the rest of the text with the exception of 1 Timothy 1. As exordium, the latter provides the introduction to the situation dealt with in the letter, introduces the case, and sets the tone for the rest of the letter. The persuasive power of rhetoric in any situation depends to a large extent on its use of common tradition. The socio-cultural setting of the author is consequently analysed. Finally, the role of women in Graeco-Roman society is analysed in terms of motifs found in 1 Timothy 2:9-15.