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, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. 1 Timothy 2:9-10
“The local festival of Artemis was in progress, with its procession from the city to the temple nearly a mile away. All the local girls had to march in procession, richly dressed, as well as all the young men of Habrocomes’ age—he was around sixteen, already a member of the Ephebes, and took first place in the procession. There was a great crowd of Ephesians and visitors alike to see the festival… Anthia led the line of girls… Her hair was golden—a little of it plaited, but most hanging loose and blowing in the wind. Her eyes were quick; she had the bright glance of a young girl, and yet the austere look of a virgin. She wore a purple tunic down to the knee, fastened with a girdle and falling loose over her arms, with a fawnskin over it, a quiver attached, and arrows for weapons; she carried javelins and was followed by dogs. Often as they saw her in the sacred enclosure the Ephesians would worship her as Artemis.”
Xenophon of Ephesus in Ephesiaca 1.2.2–7, published as Anthia and Habrocomes, ed. and trans. Jeffrey Henderson (LCL 69; Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2009).
You may wonder why I choose this Scripture and quote from an ancient source for today’s post.
The paper I deliver today at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is entitled, “The Economy of Ephesus in contrast to the Economy of God in 1 Timothy and Ephesians.”
I use ancient sources not widely known, such as Ephesiaca, to demonstrate life in Ephesus. Everything in the economy revolved around service to the goddess, Artemis.
For women, the social and religious rules in the setting expected women to dress and imitate the goddess. That explains why Apostle Paul wants them to use their wealth in different ways.
He wanted them to do good deeds and live generously to demonstrate their worship of God.
If you want a copy of my paper and slide deck, reply and I will share it. Regardless, hear this. God wants us to use any wealth we have to live differently from the world and show our worship of God.
For those who want to read my published doctoral research, see: Wealth in Ancient Ephesus and the First Letter to Timothy. It’s not a popular book but a scholarly NT monograph.
For those of you who like short YouTube videos more than books or papers, check out this video in which I summarize this aspect of my doctoral research. It has been well received with more than 87,000 views.