Kristen

Craig, my understanding is that the way the verse is set up, the way the structure works in the Greek, is that it could either be read “I do not permit a woman to teach and I do not permit a woman to authentein a man” OR it could be read “I do not permit a woman to teach-authentein a man.” “Teach-authentein” would, in that case, mean something along the lines of “teach in such a way as to authentein a man.”
The one thing that the Greek syntax does NOT support is “I do not permit a woman to teach a man or to authentein a man.” Either both verbs take the object, or only “authentein” does.
So it is not that the women (or woman; I do think that is a very viable reading) are being told not to teach men (or “a man”). They are either being told not to teach in such a way as to authentein a man, or they are being told not to teach at all. I don’t think it makes sense to say that even an uneducated woman cannot teach at all– 1 Cor 14 says that ANYONE can have “a teaching.” If Paul had meant “they cannot teach at all as long as they’re teaching false doctrine,” I think he would have said that. Therefore, I think the reading is the second ,”I do not permit a woman to teach in such a way as to authentein a man.”

As for the “they” and “she” pronouns, I believe it is possible to read the passage in terms of “she” being Eve (as representative of all womankind, and therefore able to be referred to in a form of present tense) and “they” being the offspring of her childbearing; ie, her Christian daughters in the church whom Paul is talking about. That is, the sin of Eve is reversed (“she” is “saved”) for women if “they” (Eve’s daughters) continue in faith, etc.
I am not saying this is a better reading than Cheryl’s. I have found, though, that presenting Cheryl’s reading in certain circles often results in frank incredulity and even mockery. This alternate reading at least presents another possibility for those who refuse to accept that “a woman” could mean one individual, and who therefore cling to their complementarian interpretation.