τούτων

Summary

τούτων ("of these") in the Manning papyrus — the phrase "ton toutōn authentounta" — raises a critical ambiguity: does authenteō govern persons ("ruling over these people") or matters ("asserting authority regarding these things")? This grammatical question matters because the Manning papyrus is one of only a handful of pre-Constantine uses of authenteō, and whether it describes interpersonal authority or transactional assertion shapes the word's semantic profile for reading 1 Timothy 2:12.

Bartlett/Williams (article 340) follow Manning's own translation: "exercised/asserted authority toward" — suggesting a transactional, situational assertion of control rather than ongoing positional authority. Wolters and Winger read it as supporting a positive "exercise authority" meaning. The pronoun toutōn is a small but significant grammatical detail in this high-stakes lexical debate. See also: authenteō, authentountos.