Craig

I would love to know, as we all would, exactly what was going on in Ephesus – what Paul meant by authentein and what he was prohibiting.
Your proposal seems possible to me, but I do not know enough about the Ephesian situation to know if they had “classes” for instruction outside of the normal church gatherings in which only men had been authorized to teach. Was Ephesus different to Rome (Rom 16) and Corinth (1 Cor 11-14) where it would be difficult to imagine there were no women teachers? What about Priscilla?
At this stage I feel comfortable with the idea that authentein was something that was bad for either a woman or a man to do, and that a particular woman (or perhaps women) was combining teaching with whatever authentein is, and doing this from a deceived position.
If you are looking for alternatives to the particular woman view that Cheryl teaches
1 If it was some sort of domineering behaviour, I can imagine that some women could do this just toward the men.
2 If it had some sort of sexual meaning I can imagine that some women could do this just toward the men.
3 If it was “shouldering in and taking over a man’s class”, I need to think some more about that one, and “learn in quietness and full submission” 🙂 before I can properly envisage that as what Paul might be saying.
Whatever the behaviour was, it seems to be contrasted with learning in quietness and full submission.
Thanks again Kristen for the interaction.