QUIET

The Greek noun hesuchia does not signify absolute silence, i.e., absence of sound, but that which is tranquil, causing no disturbance. When Paul addressed an unruly mob, and they perceived that he spoke in Hebrew, they "were the more quiet" (Acts 22:2). One might say they "idled down" as suggested by the verbal tense. They became more disposed to listen. In 1 Timothy 2:11-12, Paul admonishes that woman is to "learn in quietness." Moreover, she is not to "exercise authority" over man; rather, she is to possess a "quiet" spirit (cf. 1 Pet. 3:4, where the adjective hesuchios, "quiet," is coupled with "meek"). Several points must be made concerning this term. (a) This does not prohibit a woman speaking, in an appropriate manner, in a church service or elsewhere. (b) The instruction is not restricted to a church meeting. (c) It has to do with a woman's recognition of her relationship to man, whom God has appointed as her "head" (cf. 1 Cor. 11:3). (d) Paul's requirements are grounded in principles that extend back to the creation. They are not, therefore, culturally conditioned, and thus obsolete today.