A Closer Look at Titus 2: 5 ("Domestic") | Biblical Womanhood Series #2

Viggo Pedderson, 1888

 ...to be discreet, chaste, domestic, gentle, obedient to their husbands, so that the word of God be not reviled. Titus 2: 5, Catholic Confraternity Version, emphasis mine

Before I proceed with this series, a few housekeeping (pun sort of intended!) notes:

1.  My intention is to be inclusive of all Christians. To that end, I will be using a variety of Bible translations, both Catholic and non-Catholic. My choice will depend upon which translation offers the best clarity in tandem with my theme. Keep in mind that Catholic Bibles contain 7 Old Testament books (as do Orthodox Christian versions) that are omitted in Protestant Bibles. Rest assured that "apocryphal" verses used from Catholic Bibles are in harmony with the message on these topics found in our shared books. I offer them to further elucidate and strengthen the argument for biblical womanhood. (I do hope that non-Christians will also benefit from this guidance.)

2.  Being that I am Catholic and therefore am not a "Bible only" Christian, I will additionally be offering wisdom from Church Tradition, to include such resources as Catholic catechisms, apostolic letters, writings of the Church Fathers, etc. Again, I assure you that these writings will support and help to interpret the biblical texts. 

3.  My goal is to support all women in their endeavors to be good Christian disciples, wives and mothers. This includes mothers who work outside the home, single mothers, married and unmarried women, full-time homemakers, and wives without children. Guidance will also be given to unmarried, childless women. All women are called to be spiritual mothers. I condemn no one for their choices and circumstances, but rather wish to encourage all women, in whatever their situations, to seek to align their wills and lives to God's design. Some may be offended, and feelings may be hurt, but please believe that I'm here to help, and I care about your happiness.  

So let's take a look at this word, domestic. I chose this particular translation for the notes, as it comes from the St. Joseph Textbook Edition of 1963, which is an excellent study Bible, with references to original sources. This one tells us that in the translation into English rendered as "domestic," variants in the original Greek text give us two words very similar in form, meaning "home worker" and "stayer at home." 

I will add that in my research I've learned there is also the sense in the original Greek of women being the guardians of the home, and this nuance is well reflected in the King James Version as "keepers at home."  Other translations use "homemakers," "busy at home," and "workers at home." 

I have seen the emphasis on guardianship being used to argue that the Bible is not referring to domestic work in Titus, such as housekeeping, but rather to a spiritual care of the home. I would argue that it's all tied together, and the variety of translations make clear that the vocation of a wife and mother is carried out explicitly in the home. Of course, we will look at many other Bible passages that affirm the roles of men and women; but as this admonition to be full-time homemakers is a sticking point even for many Christian women, I thought it wise to rip off the band-aid and get it out of the way. No invisible elephants welcome in the room here! 

Let this serve to encourage, first of all, the full-time wife and mother who is busy at home, for whom the care and guardianship of her home and those in it are her top priorities. You sacrifice much and take a lot of heat for embracing this traditional lifestyle in a modern world dominated by radical feminism. A huge pile of guilt can fall on you for "being able" to stay home with your children, for "not working," for betraying the dogma of women's "liberation." 

But your obedience to God comes first, so please be affirmed in your choice, sacrifice, dedication, and courage. Be a light on the hilltop. Other women need to see your perseverance, conviction, joy, and yes, submission. Whether you have one child or ten, or even if you are a wife with no children, your place really is in the home. The home is your place of power. Have you ever thought of that before? Listen to this:

I desire therefore that the younger widows marry, bear children, rule their households, and give the adversary no occasion for abusing us. For already some have turned aside to Satan.  (1 Timothy 5: 14-15, Catholic Confraternity Version, emphasis mine)

While this passage is contained in St. Paul's directions for the care of widows, obviously the same message applies to non-widows. We see again that the young women are to take great care in their work in the home, which is their overriding purpose, in order to safeguard the word of God. Their physical presence in the home, nurturing husband and children, is necessary to the spiritual guardianship of the home and serves to guard their feminine power. I would argue that when women choose or are forced by circumstances to leave the home for many long hours in the workforce, it disempowers them. It emasculates the husbands as well, which is a topic for the future.

For now, take pride, in the best sense of the word, in your role as homemaker--guardian, ruler, and keeper of your domestic sphere.