Providentia for the Widows of 1 Timothy 5:3-16

Abstract

B. W. Winter It was not only in Acts 6:1-5 that providing for the widows caused problems for the newly established Christian ἐκκλησία. Similar problems were encountered in another congregation where they were 'a disruptive force', to cite the observation of S. Humphries on 1 Timothy 5:3-16. 1 Sorting out widows was not only a pastoral headache in the early church, it has also proved to be an exegetical one for modern commentators. 2 Discussion of this passage has not been directed towards the important issue of the legal stipulations and social conventions surrounding widows and their support in the Graeco-Roman world. 3 This article seeks to clarify certain puzzling aspects of I Timothy 5:3-16 within that legal and social context. 4 1. Legal Providentia The dowry which always accompanied a woman to her marriage constituted an important legal aspect of marriage. Greek marriage contracts specified the nature and value of the dowry and continued to do so in the Roman period. 'The only legal obligation that the groom acquired toward the wife upon ___________________________ 1 S. London, Tyndale Press 1954) 73 refers to the Greek legal requirements of children to support their parents in Athens, but none make mention of the issue of the dowry for which legal stipulations existed concerning widows. See n.6 4 I am grateful to J.A. Crook, Emeritus Professor of Ancient History, Cambridge University for the suggestion that the solution to some issues in this passage alight well rest in Graeco-Roman law. The support of the Tyndale House Council, the Witness Foundation and the Jubilee Foundation is acknowledged for the research on this paper. 84 TYNDALE BULLETIN 39 (1988) receipt of the dowry was her maintenance'. 5 In the event of her husband's death the laws governing that dowry were clearly defined. 6 A widow was cared for by the person in charge of that dowry. Two options were open to her. If she had children, she could remain in her deceased husband's home. There she would be maintained by the new κύριος of the household, possibly her son. She could also return to her parents taking her dowry back to her family. 7