Translating Women’s Silence: Erasmus’ Translation and Paraphrase of 1Corinthians 14:34–35
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Laura Truzzu
Abstract
This article examines Desiderius Erasmus’ (ca. 1466–1536) translation of 1Cor 14:34–35, with a particular focus on his rendering of the Greek verb σιγάτωσαν in verse 34. Erasmus translated this verb as sileant rather than taceant, thereby diverging from the Vetus Latina and the Vulgate as well as from his own general preference for concordance. Nowhere else in his Novum Testamentum did Erasmus translate σιγᾶν as silere. Instead, he consistently used tacere or its derivative conticere, including in 1Cor 14:28 and 14:30, where he translated σιγάτω as taceat. These verses, however, belonged to the same context as 1Cor 14:34 and in all three of them σιγᾶν was conjugated in the same mood (imperative), tense (present) and voice (active). Given this coherence, the question arises as to why Erasmus uniquely rendered the Greek verb in verse 34 as silere, particularly since this choice influenced the interpretation of the verse. Through Paul, Erasmus now asked the women of Corinth for a different form of silence (sileant) than the one he demanded of the glossolalists in verse 28 (taceant) and the prophets in verse 30 (taceant). Through a contextual analysis of tacere and silere in Erasmus’ Novum Testamentum and a close reading of his Paraphrases, this article argues that Erasmus’ choice of silere in 1Cor 14:34 was both intentional and significant. It was intentional because Erasmus did not use silere and tacere synonymously but rather to convey distinct forms of silence. It was significant because this choice advanced a particular reading of the command to be silent – one that excluded women from participation in public life.
Acknowledgement
This article is based on my MA thesis, with portions of the text resembling or replicating sections from the unpublished thesis. Originally written in Dutch, the article was partially translated with the assistance of AI software, particularly Grammarly, and was proofread by Dr. Timothy Twining. I am grateful for his assistance and insightful comments, which helped improve the quality and clarity of this article. I would also like to thank Prof. Dr. Wim François and Prof. Dr. Reimund Bieringer for their guidance and support throughout my research and writing process.
© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Religious Women and Liturgy in a Fifteenth-Century Portuguese Codex: Gendering the Reception and Profession Ceremonies in the Dominican Convents
- Memory and the Cloister: Mapping the Architecture of Observant Franciscan Identity in Brescia, 1422–1610
- La Babilonyke Meretrice Romaine: Roots and Character of Guillaume Postel’s Anti-Papalism
- Translating Women’s Silence: Erasmus’ Translation and Paraphrase of 1Corinthians 14:34–35
- Maritime Networks: Priests, Mariners, and Their Landing Places in Elizabethan and Early Stuart England
- “The Precious Gifts of Faith, Repentance, and the Feare of God”: Court Confessions and Emotions in Old and New England Witch Trials (ca. 1560–1692)
- Pascal’s Wafer: The Concept of Piety in Blaise Pascal’s Theological Anthropology
- Dossier: Text, Textile, and Theology 1
- Making the Bible a Fashion Accessory in Seventeenth-Century England: Materiality, Market, and the Present-Tense Protestantism of Embroidered Book Covers
- “And I Shall Give to Thee the Crown of Life”: The Utstein Antependium and the Visual Religious Culture in Early Modern Norway (ca. 1680–1700)
- Les ornements liturgiques des Carmes dans les anciens Pays-Bas du XVIIe siècle: un outil au service de leurs thèses
