Idealized Motherhood: Examples of the Gendered Worldview of the Pastoral Letters

In the Pastoral Letters, the roles and practices of mothering in a domestic household serve as benchmarks for the general instructions on how “one ought to behave in the household of God” (1 Tim 3:15). This article examines several passages in 1–2 Timothy and Titus in which the author employs an idealized and stereotypical view of motherhood in order to persuade female believers to fulfill this socially-appropriate condition and to restrict them from leadership positions in the community.

Education and the Household in the Pastoral Epistles

The article examines the convergence of studies on the Pastoral Epistles, with greater attention to the theme of education as a key to the purpose of the documents. The close association between the household and education is considered in an effort to shed light on the presentations of Timothy and Titus, emerging leadership roles, intergenerational instruction, and constructions of gender.