Journal: biblical interpretation and 1 tim 2

The braided hair and gold and pearls is most likely a reference toward dressing like a hooker at the time. Or maybe it was just fashion extremes.

Exactly. My point is that people treat the two passages differently without realising that they are. One is explained as being cultural, the other is taken at face value.

It's a problem because of the 2000 year culture gap, and the fact that these things were written in foreign languages.

Here's a quote from one of my commentaries on 1 Tim 2:11 that is interesting:

"Silence" is an unfortunate translation because it gives the impression that believing women were never to open their mouths in the assembly. This is the same word that is translated "peaceable" in 1 Timothy 2:2. Some of the women abused their newfound freedom in Christ and created disturbances in the services by interrupting.
Wiersbe, W. W. 1996, c1989. The Bible exposition commentary. "An exposition of the New Testament comprising the entire 'BE' series"--Jkt. Victor Books: Wheaton, Ill.

So we have hermeneutics.

http://www.probe.org/docs/hermen.html

Here's a quote I think is particularly good:

Luther argued that a proper understanding of what a passage teaches comes from a literal interpretation. This means that the reader must consider the historical context and the grammatical structure of each passage, and strive to maintain contextual consistency. This method was a result of Luther's belief that the Scriptures are clear, in opposition to the medieval church's position that they are so obscure that only the church can uncover their true meaning.

Calvin agreed in principle with Luther. He also placed great importance on the notion that "Scripture interprets Scripture," stressing that the grammar, context, words, and parallel passages found in the text were more important that any meaning we might impose on them. He added that, "it is the first business of an interpreter to let the author say what he does say, instead of attributing to him what we think he ought to say.

Working with the idea that you can use Scripture to interpret Scripture--taking a passage that is easier to understand and using it to cast light on the more difficult passage--we can see that the idea that women should not lead men anywhere isn't biblical.

Acts 18:26
He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.