περιερχόμεναι τὰς οἰκίας

Summary

περιερχόμεναι τὰς οἰκίας ("going around from house to house") in 1 Timothy 5:13 may be anti-astrological polemic: in ancient astrology, "progressing through the houses" (the twelve astrological oikoi) was a key concept. Combined with argos (the eighth astrological house) and phluaros (doctrinal nonsense), Paul may be describing widows who have become practitioners of astrology — a widespread feature of Ephesian religion — not merely women visiting neighbors.

Article 341 offers an alternative: in ancient astrology, "progressing through the houses" (the twelve astrological oikoi/houses) was a key concept — each house represented a stage of life or destiny. Paul's use of argos (which was also the name of the eighth astrological house), phluaros (talking nonsense, connected to false astrological teaching), and perierchomenai tas oikias (going around the houses) in a single verse may be a deliberate polemic against widows who have become practitioners or promoters of astrology — a widespread feature of Ephesian religious culture. If so, the phrase is not merely about neighborhood visiting but about astrological practice. This "astrological reading" of 1 Tim 5:13 is an egalitarian hermeneutical move that recontextualizes Paul's concern: the problem is not women talking too much but women spreading a specific form of heterodidaskalia. The referent, as article 341 emphasizes, is not the literal astrological house system but Paul's use of anti-astrological language to describe their behavior. See also: argos, phluaros, oikodespoteō, teknogonia.