Nobody’s Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament
Overview
Some Christians think Paul’s reference to “saved through childbearing” in 1 Timothy 2:15 means that women are slated primarily for delivering and raising children. Alternate readings, however, sometimes fail to build on the best historical and textual evidence.
Sandra Glahn thinks that we have misunderstood Paul by misunderstanding the context to which he wrote. A key to reading and applying 1 Timothy, Glahn argues, lies in getting to know a mysterious figure who haunts the letter: the goddess Artemis.
Based on groundbreaking research and new data about Artemis of the Ephesians, Nobody’s Mother demonstrates how better background information supports faithful interpretation. Combining spiritual autobiography with scholarly exploration, Glahn takes readers on a journey to ancient Ephesus and across early church history. Unveiling the cult of Artemis and how early Christians related to it can give us a clearer sense of the type of radical, countercultural fellowship the New Testament writers intended Christ’s church to be.
This book is for those who want to avoid sacrificing a high view of Scripture while working to reconcile conflicting models of God’s view of women. Through the unexpected channel of Paul’s advice to Timothy—and the surprising help of an ancient Greek myth—Nobody’s Mother lays a biblical foundation for men and women serving side by side in the church.
- Based on groundbreaking research and new data about Artemis of the Ephesians
- Lays a biblical foundation for men and women serving side by side in the church
- Introduction
- 1. Why Take a Fresh Look?
- 2. Ephesus: The City’s Story in Stone and Scripture
- 3. Artemis in the Literary Sources
- 4. Artemis in the Epigraphic Sources
- 5. Artemis in Architecture and Art
- 6. Saved Through Childbearing
- Monographs on Ephesus and Pauls Letters to Timothy
In this masterful literary, epigraphic, architectural, and exegetical study, Sandra Glahn brings the significance of Artemis worship to bear in the interpretation of being ‘saved through childbearing’ (1 Tim 2:15). This text is critically linked to the seemingly transcultural prohibition of women teaching men (1 Tim 2:12). However, anyone seeking to be faithful to Scripture should remember that these texts were first God's Word to others before they were God’s Word to us. By understanding who Artemis of the Ephesians was and how this likely influenced these texts, Glahn exposes the context of 1 Timothy to apply these words more accurately today. This book is a game changer.
—Christa L. McKirland, theology lecturer at Carey Baptist College and executive director of Logia International
- Title: Nobody’s Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament
- Author: Sandra L. Glahn
- Publisher: IVP Academic
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Pages: 190
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Artemis (Greek deity) › Cult--Turkey--Ephesus (Extinct city); Bible › Feminist criticism; Bible. N.T. Ephesians › Criticism, interpretation, etc; Childlessness in the Bible; Motherhood › Religious aspects--Christianity; Women in the Bible
- ISBNs: 9781514005934, 9781514005927, 151400593X, 1514005921
- Resource ID: LLS:NBDYSMTHRNT
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-09-22T19:52:06Z
Reviews
6 ratings
Matt DeVore
11/9/2023
Sharity Wade
10/18/2023
This was a fascinating read! I've followed Dr. Glahn for a few years having been interested in her work on Artemis, so I was excited to finally have a whole book. Dr. Glahn's deep dive into Artemis of the Ephesians provides much-needed context for better understanding Paul's writings in the New Testament. I was impressed with the amount and quality of the sources she cites that give evidence for who Artemis was thought to be - not the fertility goddess as many believe. Dr. Glahn's writing style is easy to follow making this scholarly work accessible to anyone interested in learning more about the culture at the time of the New Testament.Kelley Mathews
10/14/2023
Scholars who discuss women, 1 Timothy, Ephesians, and NT backgrounds in general will want—and need—this resource in the library. Glahn examines a wide range of original sources, including literature, inscriptions, art, and epigraphs, some of them recently brought to public awareness, in order to help us understand the world of first-century Ephesus. And when we understand the original audience and culture, we can understand Paul better. Anyone offering exegesis of 1 Timothy 2 without mentioning Artemis will not have done his homework.Griffith, Sarah K.
10/14/2023
This booked was instrumental in helping me heal from 1st Timothy being used against me by heavy handed leadership. After reading it I better understand what was motivating 1st century women in Ephesus and Paul's reasoning for writing the things he did in Ephesians, and 1&2 Timothy. If you are a woman who has had a difficult time finding your place in Christianity because of the well sold "Paul divides labor up by gender" song and dance, or if you are a man who delivers that song and dance, this book is for you.Allcott, Jennifer A.
10/7/2023
There’s a saying that “The Bible is not written TO us, but it is written FOR us.” As we are about two millennia removed from the original writings of the New Testament, we need to understand the context and culture of the original author and audience to fully understand the intended meaning. Nobody’s Mother is a resource to help us do precisely that. Dr. Glahn has extensively researched Artemis of the Ephesians and her significant influence on culture and society at the time of the writings of the New Testament. She shares this research in Nobody’s Mother to give us insight into the Ephesian culture, which is relevant to understand portions of Acts, Ephesians, and 1&2 Timothy, particularly the challenging and controversial passage about “being saved through childbearing” in 1 Timothy 2 that is a key passage the women’s role in ministry debate. Nobody’s Mother is a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to understand the Bible in its original context, especially surrounding 1 Timothy 2, as well as anyone interested in Ancient Greek/Roman cultures. While an academic work, it is readable and approachable can help us more accurately interpret the New Testament.
Shena Ashcraft
10/4/2023
Good scholarship leads to better practice. Dr. Sandra Glahn brings strong scholarship and a gentle, persuasive voice to the conversation surrounding 1 Timothy (and to other biblical texts set in first-century Ephesus). The work of Nobody’s Mother helps explain the tension between what we read in 1 Timothy and how Timothy himself would have received Paul’s words. With better context, we can rightly consider Paul’s instructions for today.
Ryan Riley
9/21/2023
Nobody's Mother explores some of Paul's more difficult statements in 1 Timothy 2 related to women, specifically "saved through childbearing" (1 Timothy 2:15). However, the majority of the book builds up the historic background and context of 1st century Rome and Ephesus, the city in which Paul's recipient Timothy was ministering. This background is presented in a very engaging and revealing way that kept me turning pages and excited to learn what was coming up in each successive chapter. The final chapter brings everything together and delivers the payoff remarkably well. I was delighted with the insights Dr. Glahn pulled in from Paul's other writings, especially those written from or to Ephesus, as well as the comparison with 1 Peter. I enjoyed the thoroughness of the research and the carefully considered delivery of the conclusions. I think Nobody's Mother is and will continue to be an important volume for understanding the role of women in the Church, as well as better understanding Paul's style of writing, the importance of Ephesus in the New Testament, and the larger role, often forgotten by most Westerners, of established cult practices that Christianity was displacing.
