Go on then, show us how the most quoted man in Christianity was not a sexist prick...
This makes me think that what I'm going to say next will be wasted.
Context is important, but you can only play that card so far: Paul's Epistles were accepted into the canon over many other writings. Apparently the church leaders believed that they would remain relevant despite the fact that they were addressed to specific churches at specific times. If we're discounting unsavory passages like this, then it's time to review the selection of the canon as a whole. There's a lot more where that came from.
(I already posted a response this morning, but apparently it didn't register. I'm tired so I apologise if this post is unsatisfactory.)
I have no inention of removing 1st Timothy or even just the second chapter of 1 TIM. as unsavory, infact I find it to be entirely truthful.
The first thing we should note about the letter is whom paul is writting to. The letter is adressed to a young new preacher named Timothy at the church in Ephesus. The church in Ephesus was "acting out" for lack of a better turn, and Timothy didn't know how to correct the situation. So paul writes a letter on how to handle the function of the Church, how the members should act, what the leaders and servants should look like and a host of other information.
Now that we have a little info about the Church and Timothy we can move forward to the matter at hand chapter two of Paul's letter. Paul starts off this part of the letter telling Timothy to pray for every one, then he specificly mention praying for kings and leaders, he moves from that note to how God wishes all to be savedand how he is a part of that as God has appointed him(Paul) to be the an Apostle to the gentiles. With that closed we move close to verse 14 that Shai mentions.
Before Paul mentions anything he makes a statement about self controll and that is the focus of the rest of the chapter. He states that women should wear respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair or gold or silver but instead with good works. Then paul mention that women are to learn submissively, then about women not having teaching authority over men, the he recaps the fall of man and follows up on how a women is redeemed through child bearing.
think of it this way, do you remember that one kid in class whom the teacher could never get to shut up, the kid who was constantly a disruption, that is who Paul is talking about and what Paul is talking about not forcing women into the back row and keeping them silent(you'll note Paul doesn't use the term silent but instead quiet).
as for the teaching and position of leadership, this ties in with the fall of man to, just a women is redeemed through Child bearing man is redeemed through his labor, if the women takes over the mans labor then she is taking away his redemption. Which is unfair to the man whom can not give birth to a child to redeem himself like a women.
I hope this is coherent I feel like it may not be.