What Does "Modest Apparel" Mean in I Timothy 2:9?

My entire life, I've heard arguments over the words "modest apparel" in I Timothy 2:9, so I decided to do my own study of them. I started with the Liddell and Scott lexicon entry for katastole (apparel) and followed it through with the entries for katastello, kata, and stello. I compared the various concepts with as much of the context of the examples as I could find, and then cross checked everything with several other lexicons.

I discovered that the word translated "apparel" in I Tim. 2:9 was used in Greek literature to denote conservative clothing that was designed to prevent the arousal of passion. It is the noun form of the verb that is used in Acts 19:35 and again in verse 36 to denote first the forced restraint and then the commanded restraint of the passions of the mob at Ephesus.

I used the same sources to study the word modest, but I included a quick etymology of the English word along with the Greek. According to etymonline, the English word modest has meant "not improper or lewd" since at least the 1590s. And while the Greek word kosmios comes from a derivative of the word kosmos, it's actually a conjugation of the word kosmaridion, which is used frequently in extra-biblical literature as a general reference to clothing. In the New Testament, it seems to have the same sense as the English word modest because of its use in I Tim. 3:2 where it is often translated as "good behavior" - for example, a bishop should not be improper or lewd.

Thus, the original readers of Paul's letter to Timothy would have understood this passage as a command for the women of the church to wear clothing that was not improper or lewd and that was designed to prevent the arousal of the passions of those around them. I know that this conclusion is anathema to modern American culture, but it is the only conclusion I can come to after studying the words that Paul chose to use.

The important thing to point out in regards to this discussion is that God used a specific phraseology regarding women's clothing to teach us that godly women should wear clothes that were DESIGNED to PREVENT the arousal of the passions of those around them.

The next phrase of the verse supports this idea by stating that women should have two specific attitudes when choosing what to wear - shamefacedness and sobriety.

The word translated as "shamefacedness" (aidous) literally means having so much respect for the honor and morals of others that it causes one to blush to offend those morals. And the word translated as "sobriety" (sophrosunes) has a long history in Greek literature as a reference to the moderation of sensual desires.

These words indicate that the godly woman is supposed to dress as if she would be embarrassed to offend the morals of those around her and as if she were actively attempting to suppress sensual desires. This attitude and the result that it produces are rare to find even among Christian women.