359 1 TI MOTHY 3:2

Timothy's responsibility
18 Ti mothy, my so n, th ese ar e the instructions that I a m giving yo u: I a sk yo u
to re me m ber the wo rds once spoke n over you by the prophets," and taking th em 4:14+
19 to heart to figh t lik e a good soldier ' with faith and a good co nscience for your 2 Tm 4:7

weapons , So me pe ople have put con scien ce aside and wrecked their faith in
20 consequence . ·1 me an men like Hy me naeus and Alexander, whor- ~ have handed 2 Tm 2:17 :
4:14

1 TIMOTHY over to Satan to teach them not to be blasphemous.

Liturgical prayer
I Co 5:5 +

THE FIRST L ETTER

I 2My adv ice is" that, first of all, the re should be prayers offered for everyone
-petit ions, intercessions and tha nksgiving-·and especially for kings and
Ba 1:11
¥~A3:I -H
others in authority, b so that we may be able to live religious and reverent lives
FROM PAUL TO T I M OT H Y 1 in peace a nd quiet. -To do thi s is righ t, and will please God our sa viour: -he 1: 1+
5 wants eve ryo ne to be sa ved ' and rea ch full knowledge of the truth . • For there i;g~:2J+
is o nly one God, an d there is o nly o ne mediator between God and mankind, JZg'8,3J~
Address himself a man , C hrist Jesus, - who sacrificed himself as a ransom for the m a ll. tgt,28p
R m I :) 7 He is the evidence o f this, sen t at the appoi nted time," and ·1 have been named bit~:15
P h 3:20
T t 1:3
Ac /6: / 1 From Pau l, a pos tle of C hrist Jes us appo inted by the co mma nd" of God our
sa viour" a nd of C hrist Jes us our hop e, -to T imothy, true chil d of m ine in the
I
a herald a nd apo stle of it and-I am telling the truth and no lie-a teacher of
the fai th an d the truth to the pa ga ns .
~~5l26
~ J~h I J
fai th; wishi ng you grace, mercy a nd peace from G od th e Fat her a nd from C hrist
Jesus our Lo rd . In ever y place, th en , I want th e men to lift their han ds up re verently Ga 2:7
in prayer , with no anger or ar gu me nt.
Suppress the false teachers
Women in the assembly
As I as ked yo u whe n I was lea vin g for Macedo nia, plea se sta y a t Ephesus, to
insist that certa in peo ple sto p teac hing stra nge doctrines -a nd ta king noti ce of Similarly, I direct that wo me n a re to wear suitable clothes a nd to be dressed I P 3:2-4
r:'~
4 :7 ; 6:4.2 0
2 'I'm 2: 14. myt hs a nd endless genca log ies ;- th ese t hings are on ly likely to ra ise irre leva nt qu ietly a nd modestly, without braided hair or gold and jewellery or expensive Is 3:16f ~ f-

16. 23: 4:4

1' t 1: 14 ; ~ :9 d oub ts instead of furt hering the design s of God" whi ch a re revea led in fai th . 10 clothes; their ado rn ment is -to do the sort of good works that are pr oper for
T he o nly purpose o f this instru ction is that there should be love, co m ing o ut 11 women who profess to be relig ious . • During instruction, a wo ma n should be I Co 14:34-
IF
'/ of a pur e heart , a clear co nscience a nd a sincere faith. •T here are so me peopl e 6
12 quiet and respectful. ·1 am not giving permission for a woman to teach or to Gn3:/6
35
f-
;::
(I wh o have go ne o ff the st ra ight course a nd ta ken a road that lead s to emp ty 13 tell a ma n wha t to do . A wo man ought not to speak, ·because Adam was sr 25:24
1 Go 11:3.
speculat ion; - t hey clai m to be doctors o f the Law but th ey under st and neither 7 14 formed first and Eve aft er wards, -and it was not Adam who was led as tray but Gn8-2:/8 12
.2 Jf:
the arg umen ts th ey a re using nor the o pin ions they a re up holding. 15 the woman wh o was led astray a nd fell into sin .• Nevertheless, she will be saved 3:12-13
::.
j by ch ild bea ring,' provided she lives a modest life and is co nstant in fa ith and :r:
n T he purpo se of the La w love a nd h oliness. I C o 13:13 +
n.

Rm 7:7 ,
12f + We know, of course, th at the Law ' is good , bu t o nly provided it is tr eat ed 8 The elder-in-charge 1'1 1:6-9
G a 5:23 like a ny law,! • in th e understa nd ing tha t law s are not fram ed for people wh o 9 OJ
UJ
1:15+
R m 1:29 1-
are good ." O n the co ntrary , th ey ar e for cri m ina ls and revo lutionaries, for the
irreligiou s a nd the wicked , for the sacrilegio us a nd the irreverent ; th ey ar e fo r 3 Here is a say ing that you can rely on : To wa nt to be a presid ing elder " is to
want to do a noble wor k. -T hat is wh y the pr esident mu st hav e an impecca ble 2 Tm 2:24
J:

peop le who kill their father s or mo the rs a nd for murder ers, - fo r th ose wh o ar e 10 1 a. Var. 'the pro mise'. pa rt played by the 'prop hets' when the college of elders
Rv IS: 13 b . Paul har dly ever uses the title 'saviour' in his laid their hands on his head, Ac 13: 1-3 : 11:27 + .
imm o ral with wo me n o r with boy s o r with men, for lia rs a nd for perjurer s- an d ,~
II
6:3
T t 1:9,1 3
1" / :/ 4
2 C o 4:4
for eve rything else tha t is contrary to the sou nd tea chin g" - that goes with the I I
Good News of th e glo ry o f th e blessed God, th e gos pel tha t was ent ru sted to me.
oth er letters, En 5:23 ; Ph 3:20, but in the Pastor al 2 a . ' My ad vice is' : var. 'Ad vise' .
Letter s he makes use of it both when referri ng to the b. Ne ro was empe ror when this was written: the
Fa ther, I Tm 2:3 : 4:10 : Tt 1:3 ; 2:10 : 3:4, and when end of the verse probab ly reflec ts Pa ul's apprehensions
.
1 T h 2:4 referring to Chris t, 2 Tm 1: 10 : Tt 1:4 : 3:6. ab out wha t the future would brin g. On Pau l's po litical
Tt 1:3: 2: lJ c. Ge nealogies of O.T. patriar chs and heroes con- loya lty, er, R m 13:1-7.
Paul on his own calling str ucted by Jewish writers in the same style as those in n.
IjI the Book of Jubf/ees.
c. T his is a state ment with enormous theolog ical
implic ations, and it provides the correct interpretation ~
I th an k C hr ist Jes us our Lo rd, who has given me stre ngth, and who j udged 12 d . ve r. (V u lg.) ' the build ing-up of God's house' . of some passa ges in the letter to the Chr istians at Rome .
II Ac 8:3 ·"
me faith ful eno ugh to ca ll me into hi s service ' even thoug h I used to be
a blasph em er and did all I co uld to inju re a nd discredi t th e faith . Mercy, ho wever,
13 e. The ' Law of Moses'.
r. Lit. ' Now the Law is good if anyone uses it law-
fully', I.e. without asking it to be more than Jt claims
cf. Rm 9:18,21.
d . C f 6: 13. By his willinaness 10 die for t he whole
human race Chr ist showed the human ra ce that God
A c 3:1 7 + to be. wanted everybody to be saved . He was the Fat her 's
was shown me , beca use unt il I beca me a believer I had been ac ting in igno rance;
I n 16:2 g, Seen as a penal code, the aim of the Law is to ' witness' all th ro ugh his life, but never so supremely as ";'Z
1 C o 15: 10 and the grace of our Lo rd filled me with faith a nd with the love that is in Christ 14 make pro vision not for the righte ous, bu t for offenders , at the mome nt of his execution . (The Greek wor d for "I '
.1:/ : 4:9 by thr eateni ng, acc using an d punishing them.
Mt 9:13p Jes us . • Here is a sayi ng tha t you can rely on: a nd nob ody sh oul d do ubt : that 15 'w itness' is the same as for ' martyr t.)
Tt 3:H h. One characteristic of the Pastoral Letters is this e. It Is not clear whether Pau l is implying that
2 P 3: 15 C h rist Jesu s ca me into th e wo rld to save sinne rs. I myself am the greatest of them; insistenc e on 'sound doctrine ', cr. 6:3 ; 2 Tm 1:13; women ar e saved by the 'o ne-body' relationship with
/ Co / 5:9 4:3; Tt 1:9, 13: 2:1.8. their ma rr lase par tners or whether childbearing itself, as
a nd if mercy has bee n shown to me, it is because Jes us C hrist mea nt to ma ke
.2 Th 3:7 +
me the grea test evidence o f h is inex haustible patience fo r all the other peo ple
16
I, Lit. 'faithf ul ls the word (or 'sayjng')': this is one the medi ation of life and the brin ging up of children, .,,
of the character istic phrases of the Pastoral Letters, constitutes a vocation. He may Quite eas ily have been
6: 16 cr. 3:1; 4:9: 2 Tm 2: 11: Tt 3:8.
T b lJ:6 who wo u ld lat e r have to tru st in him to come to ete rnal life.• To the eternal 17 thinking specifically of the 'false teachers' who
Ps 145: lJ I. Lit. ' incorruptible' or 'im per ishab le' ; var, (Vulg.) condemned ma rr iage, 4:3.
Rm 16:27 + K ing , the un dying, ' invisib le a nd onl y God , be honour a nd glory for ever a nd ' ~ ·, ; :"'\ o r t a l ' . 3 a . T he word 'epl scopos' Coverseer' , ' supervisor' or
Co l 1:15 ever. A men. ' president") ha s not yet acquired the same meaning as
k, Here and in 4: 14 Pau l reminds Timothy of the 'bishop', cr. T I I :5f+ .
"Itr~'
 3:3 1 TIMOTH Y ]60 ]6/ 1 TI MO TH Y 5:1 4
3:12 character. He must not have been married mor e than once, an d he must be 1 Co 16:11
Tt 2:6 + 12 Do not let people disr egard you becau se you ar e young, but be an exa mple Ga 5:22
temperate, discreet and cou rteou s, hospitable and a good tea cher; - not a heavy 2 Th 3:7+
3 to all the believers in the way you speak and behave, and in you r love, your faith
drinker, nor ho t-tempered, but kind an d peaceabl e. He must no t be a lover' of 13 and you r puri ty. • Ma ke use of the time unt il I arrive by read ing to the people,
Tt 2:7-8.15
6:11
Ga 5:22 +
3:12 mon ey. • He mus t be a ma n who manages his own fami ly well and brings his 4 14 preaching and teach ing. •You have in you a spiritual gift which was given to 1:18+
chi ldren up to obey him and be well-behaved: - how.can any man who does not 5 you when the prophets spoke and the body of elders laid their hands on YOU; d Mt 9: 18;
19:13
1 C o 1:2 + understan d how to ma nage his own family have responsibility for the ch urch 15 do not let it lie unused.• Think ha rd about all this, and put it into practice, and Lk4:40
A c 6:6; 8:17:
of G od? • He should not be a new convert, in case pri de might turn h is head 6 16 everyone will be able to see how you are ad vancing. -Take great care ab out what 9-12; 19:6 :
28:8
and then he might be con demn ed as the devil was condemned. • It is also 7 you do and what you teach ; always do thi s, and in this way you will save both 2 Tm 1:6 ;
2:2
1 Co 5:12+ necessary th at people out side the Churc h shoul d speak well of him , so that he Heb 6:2
yourself and those who listen to you.
never gets a bad repu tation an d falls int o the devil 's tra p.
Pastoral practice
Ac 6:1-6 Deacons
In the same way, deacons must be respectab le men whose word can be 8
1 5 Do no t speak ha rshly to a man older tha n yoursel f, but ad vise him as you
would your own fath er ; trea t the younger men as brothers -and older women
Lv 19:32
Tt 2:2

1 P 5:2 trusted, moderate in the amou nt of wine th ey d rink an d with no sq ual id greed
Rm 16:25 + for money.• They must be conscientious believe rs in the mystery of the faith.
They are to be examined first , an d on ly admitted to serve as deacons if ther e 10
is nothing against them . -I n the sam e way, the wome n I> must be respectable, 11
3:2,4 not gossips but sober and quite reliable. •Deaco ns must not have been married
12
mo re than once, and must be men who manage thei r chi ldren and familie s
well.· T hose of the m who ca rry o ut the ir duties well as deacons will earn a 13
high standing for themselves an d be rewar ded with great assur ance in their
work for the faith in Chr ist Jesus.
as yon would your mo ther. Always treat you ng women with.propriety, as if they
were sisters.
Widows
3
4 Be considerate to widows; I mean those who are truly widows ." •If a widow
has children or gra ndc hildren, they are " to learn first of all to do their duty to
their own families and repay their debt to their parents , becau se thi s is what
pleases G od . • But a woman who is really widowed and left without an ybody
can give herself up to God and con secrate all her da ys and nights to petit ions Lk 2:37

6 and prayer. -T he one who thinks only of pleasure is already dead while she Rv 3:1
The Church and the mystery of the spiritual life 7 is still alive: •remind them of all this, too , so that their lives may be blam eless.
At the momen t of writing to you, I am hoping tha t I may be with you soo n; 14 8 Anyo ne who doe s not loo k after his own rela tion s, especially if th ey are living
Tt 1:7 bu t in case I shoul d be delaye d, I wanted you to know how people o ught to behave 15 with him, has rejected the faith and is worse than an unbel iever.
J Co 1:2 +
Eo 2:20 + in God 's family-s-that is, in the Church of the living Go d, which upholds the 9 Enrolment as a widow is permissible onl y for a woman at least sixty years
Heb 3:6 truth and keeps it safe . •Without any do ubt, the mystery of our religion is very
Rm 16:25-1- 16 10 old who has ha d onl y one hu sband . •She mu st be a woman known for her good I-
deep indeed: wor ks and for the way in which she has brought up her children, shown hospi- >=
tality to strangers and was hed the sain ts' feet, ' helped people who are in tro ub le In 13:14
In 1:14 He" was made visible in the flesh, A c 9:13 +
Rm 1:3-4 11 and been active in all kinds of good work . •Do no t accept youn g wido ws becaus e
attested by the Spi rit, 1 Co 7:8 :;
In 16: 10 if their na tural desires get stronger th an th eir dedication to Christ, they want :r:
Eo 3:10 seen by ang els, o,
1 P 1:12
12 to marry again, -and then people con demn them for being unfaithful to the ir
proclaimed to the pagans,
13 or iginal pr omise ." -Besides, the y learn how to be idle and go roun d from ho use
believed in by the world,
Mk 16:19 to house ; and then, not merely idle, they learn to be gossips and medd lers in m
Ac 1:2. 11 take n up in glory." w
ot her people's affairs, and to chatter when they would be better keeping quiet. :r:
False teachers 14 I think it is best for young widows to ma rry aga in' an d have children and a home
MI24:23-24
The Spi rit has explicitly sai d that du ring the last times" there will be so me
Ac 20:29 -30
2 Tm 3: 1;
4:3
Tt 1:10
4 who will desert the faith an d choose to listen to deceitful spirits and doc tr ines
th at co me fro m the devils; -and the cause of this is the lies told by hypocrites 2
b. This instr uction is probably int ende d for the
deaconesses, cf. R m 16:1. rather than for the wives of
dea con s.
'imposit ion of ha nds' can be the rite for tr ansmitting
grace or a ch ar -i sm , Heb 6:2, or it can be th e gesture
used when blessing , Mt 19:15, o r curing, M t 9:18p ;
c. H e, i.e. C hrist: many a utho rit ies re.s. Vul g.)
M k 6:5; 7:32; 8:23-2 5 : 16:18; Lk4:40; 13:13: A c 9:12.
~
Heb 1:1-2
2 P 2:1 : 3:3 re ad 'It', t.e. the ' mystery' , cf. Co l 2:3 -t- . Pau l is quot ing
17 ; 28:8, or imparting the Holy Spir it to the newly
1 I n 2: 18: whose consciences are bra nded as tho ugh with a red -hot iron :" -t hey will say 3
part of an ear ly Ch rist ia n hymn, cf. 6:15-16: 2 Tm 2:11·
bap tised , Ac 1:5 + . It can also be th e rite for conse -
4:1
Col 2:16 -23 marriage is for bidde n, and lay dow n rules a bout a bstai ning from foods which 13; Ph 2:6-11. A lso cr. Eo 1:3-14 ; 5:14; Col 1:15-20 . cra ting a person for a particular public fu ncti o n, Ac 6:6;
o,
2:4 d.'a ttes ted (lit. ' justified' ) by the Sp irit': the ho liness
13:3. as in this passage a nd 5:22 +; 2 T m I:6. Since the
G n 9:3 God created to be accepted with th ank sgiving by all wh o believe an d who know and divinity of C hrist wer e pro ved by the fact tha t heday on wh ich he received the imposition of hands . ~
Gn 1:31 + the truth. ' •Every thi ng G od has crea ted is good, and no food is to be rejected , ros e in glory, cf. R m 1:4+ . 'T aken up in glory ' , i.e. a t
I Co 1O:25r. Timothy has had a perma nent charism Carace-stn ')
30 r th e ascension. th at consecrates him to his ministry. F or the part played
Mt15:Jlf provided grace is said for it: -the word of God an d th e pra yer ma ke it holy. 4 a . On the crisis that will characteri se th e 'las t by th e 'pr o phets' , cf. I T m 1:18.
Rm 14:14.20
If you put all this to the brothers, you will be a good serva nt of Christ Jesus and times' cr.2 Th 2:3-12; 2 Tm 3:1; 4:3-4 ; 2 P 3:3 ; Jude 18.
5 a . T hree cat esor tes of widows are m entioned her e:
2 T m 2:15 Also cf Mt 24:6fp : Ac 20:29-30. As. eschat ologtcally, those who do not need assistance from the C hurch sinc e
show that you ha ve really digested the teachi ng of the faith and the good doc tr ine the 'Jast tim es' hav e already beg un, Rm 3:26 +, we are th ey have relations to loo k after them , v, 4 : t hose who
~z

J 1:4+
which you have always followed.• Have nothing to do with godless myths an d
old wives' tales . Train yourself spiritua lly. ·-Physical exerc ises are useful eno ugh ,
a lrea dy Hving In this final epoch of cr isis, cf. 1 Co 7:26;

b, Lit . 'Havin g bee n m arked with a red -h ot

are ' true wid ows' because th ey hav e no one to loo k
Ep 5:6 ; 6:13 ; Jm 5:3; 1 3n 2:18 ; 4:1 .3 ; 2 3n 7; Mt 26:41.
aft er th em, and whom the Church is obliged to help,
"I "

vv. 3-5, 16 ; an d those who (whether help ed by the

I but the useful ness of spirituality is unlimited , since it holds out the reward of
1:15 +
life here and now and of the future life as well' ; -t hat is a saying that you can
rely on and nobody should doubt it. • J mean that the point of all our toiling and
1:1+
battli ng is t hat we have put our tru st in the living God a nd he is the saviour of
the whole human race but particularly of all believers. •T his is what you a re to
enforce in your teac hing.
bra nding iron on thelr own co nscience' , I.e, branded Church o r not) ar e call ed by th e Church to fu lfil cer tain
li ke runaway slav es. officia l funct ions . Widow s in this third ca tegory ha ve
10
c. Th e rejection of marriage was to be o ne -of th e
hallmarks of G nos ticism: dietary reg ulat ions were more
to satisfy Quite severe regulations. vv. 9~1 5 .
b . v ee. (Vu lg.) 'sh e is' .
..,
specifically Jewish . c . T he no rmal co ur tesy th en shown t o guests.
d. Li t. 'f or setting aside (their) first fai th ' , i.e. their
11 vow or promise to co nsec rate the mse lves to God .
d. Lit . 'a spiritual gift given by means of prophecy e . Ma de wiser by experience, Paul modifies what
with imp osition of hands by the body of elde rs '. The he had said , 1 Co 7:8,40 .
11,
,I'
 5:1 5 1 TIMOTH Y 3 62 3 63 T IM O T H Y 6 :2 1
T I 2:E
to look afte r, and not give the enemy any chance! to raise a scandal about them; 14 the duty -of doin g all that you have been to ld , with no faults or failures , unt il
2 T m4: 1.8
th ere are a lready so me who have left us to follow Sat an. -If a C hristian woma n I~ the Appearing! of our Lo rd Jesus Christ , He b 9:28
has widowed relat ives, she should support them and not mak e the Church bear
the expense but ena ble it to suppo rt those who are genuinely widow s. 15 who at the due time will be revea led
by God, the blessed and only Ruler of all,
Tt 1:5 + Dl lO:17
The elders the King of kings and th e Lord of lords, 2 M 13:4
Ps 136:3
Th e elders who do thei r work well while they ar e in charge are to be given 17
16 who alone is immortal, R v 17:14
1 In 1:5 +
1 Th 5:12 +
double cons iderat ion," especia lly those who are assi duous in preaching an d whose ho me is in inaccessible light ,
Ex 33:20+
D1 25:4
teaching. -As scriptur e says: You must not muzzle un ox when it is treading out 18
whom no man has seen and no ma n is able to see: In 1:17- 18 +
Lk 10:7
I C 0 9:9
the corn; an d agai n: The work er deserves his pay ." -Ne ver acce pt any acc usation 19
to him be honour and everlast ing po wer. Ame n. 1:17
3 In 8
D r 19:J 5
M' 18:16 br ought against an elder unless it is supported by two or three witnesses. • If any 20
2 Col3 :1 Rich Christians
of them ar e at fault , reprimand them publicl y, as a warning to th e rest. • Before 21
G od, and befor e Jesus C hrist and the angels he has chosen, I put it to you as a 17 Warn th ose who are rich in th is world 's good s that they are not to loo k dow n
L k 12:17-21
du ty to keep these ru les impartially and never to be influenced by favo ur itism . on other people ; and not to set their hopes on money, which is untrustworthy, Jm 1: 10

Do not be to o quick to lay hands on any man,' and never make yourself an 22
but on G od" who, out of his riches , gives us all that we need for our happi ness.
accomplice in anybody else's sin; keep yourself pure. 18 Te ll the m that they are to do good, and be rich in good work s, to be generous
M ,6: 20
Si 31:28
You should give up d rinking only water and have a little wine for t he sake 23
19 and willing to share- · this is the way they can save up a good ca pital sum for Ph 4 :17

of yo ur digestion and the frequent bouts of illness that you have. the future if they wa nt to make sure of the o nly life that is real.
T he faults of some peo ple are obvious long before anyon e makes any 24
Final warning and conclusion
complaint abo ut them, while ot hers have fau lts that are not discovered until 1:4+
Mt 5:16
afte rwards . -I n the same way, the good t hat people do can be obvious; but even 25
20 My dea r T imo th y, tak e great care of all that has been ent rusted to you." Have 2Tm 1:12.
14: 2:2 :
Mt 1O:26p
when it is not , it ca nnot be hidden for ever. no thing to do with th e poin tless philosophical discussions and antagonistic 3:14
Tt 2:1
21 beliefs of the 'knowledge' which is not knowledge at all; •by adopting this , some
Slaves have gone right away from the faith . Gr ace be with you.'
Rm2:2H :
6: 151
I Co 7:21 -
22
Ep 6:5-8
6 All slaves 'under the yoke' must have unqualified respect for their ma sters,
so that the name of G od and our teaching are not bro ught into disre pute .
Slaves whose masters are believers are not to thi nk any the less of th em beca use
I

C o l 3:22-25
T12:6 L
9-10 they are brot hers ; on the contrary, they sho uld serve t hem all the better,
since those who have the benefit of their serv ices are believers and dear to l=
G od."

T he true teacher and the false teache r ::;;

J:
n,
T his is what you are to teach them to believe and persuade them to do.
1: 10 + Anyone who teaches anything different , and does not keep to the sound teac hing
which is that of ou r Lord Jes us Christ, the doctrine which is in acco rda nce with co
.tl·~ 1:4 + tr ue religion, -is simply igno rant and must be full of self-conceit-with a craze w
J:
for questionin g everythi ng and arguing a bout words. All that can come of th is
fl Rm 1:29 -1
is jealousy, contention, abuse and wicked mistrust of one another ; -and une ndi ng
disputes by peop le who are neith er rational nor informed and imagine th at
religion is a way of maki ng a profit. -Religion, of cou rse, does bring 6 ~
Tb 4 :21
J b 1:2 1 larg e profits, but o nly to those who are co ntent with what they have. •We bro ught
0 0 5:14
Ps 49 : J7 nothing into the world, and we ca n take nothing out of it ; -but as long as we 8
have food and clothing, let us be content with that. •Peop le who lon g to be rich n,
~
ar e a prey to temptati on ; they get trapped into all sor ts of foo lish b an d dange rous r. Li t. 'so as to give no oc casion for reviling to the great examp le of how a follower of Christ should
one who opposes' ; this co uld refer to Satan, but Paul pr oclaim his faith, whether at his bapt ism or when faced
ambit ion s wh ich even tually plunge them into ruin and destructi o n. •'The love 10
[I M 16 :24
Ttl :11 of mon ey is the root of all evils" and there are so me who, pu rsuin g it, have
may t-e refer rin g to un fr iendly, ant i-Christ ian
nei ghbours.
g. Lit . ' let th em be deem ed wo r thy of being paid
wit h pers ecu tion .

wandered away fro m the faith, and so given thei r souls any num ber of fatal f , T he word 'epipha ny' t'aooeertna', used in
do uble honou r' (or 'd oubly paid').
woun ds. h. Var . 'his keep' , cf. M t 10:10 . 2 Th 2:8 with refere nce to the Grea t Rebe l) is adopted '? Z
"I .
I. I.e. to co nfer a func tion in the Churc h, cr. 4:14 + . in t he Pa stora l Letters in preference to ' parousia'
2 Tm 4:1 ('Co ming ' , 1 Co 15:23 -t- ) , or 'apocalypse' Crevea tina',
Timothy 's vocation recalle d Some writers have considered this a reference to a
gestu re ma de when absolving sinners. 1 Co 1 : 7 4· ) ~ as the techn ical term here ; 2 Tm 4:1, 8 :
2 T rn 2:22 6 a . Or 'a nd dear brothers' . Tt 2:13 ; Heb 9:28, both fo r the manifest at ion of Christ
But, as a man dedicated to God, you must avo id all th at. You must aim to I I
I Co 13:13 --- b, ' trapped' , var. (V ulg .) 'trap ped by the devil in in his eschatological tr iumph , and a lso , 2 T m 1:10;
G a 5:22 ; be saintly and religiou s, filled with faith an d love, patient and gentle . • Fight the 12 their own temptations'. 'f oolish '; Vu lg , ' useless' , cf. Tt 2:11: 3:4, for his man ifesta tion in the results of ::>
-,
Tt2: 2 c. A contemporary pr overb . his ac tion as sav io ur.
2 Tm 4:7 goo d fight of the faith and win fo r yourself the eternal life to which you were
d . Whe n had T imothy 'spoken u p fo r the tr uth'? g . Var. (Yu lg.) 'the living G od ' .
called when yo u made your profession and spo ke up for the truth« in front of Perh ap s at his bap tism, or poss ibly when he was conse- h. Th e faith tha t has been entr usted to him: this is
man y witnesses. • Now , before G od the source of all life and before Jesus C hr ist, 13 crated to the minist ry. one of the main the mes of the Pastora l Letters.
2:6 " e . Whe n he declared hi mself to be the messianic L ' you', plura l ; var . (Vul g.) 'yOU' singu la r. Add .
I n 13;36-37 wh o spoke up as a witne ss for the truth in fron t of Po ntius Pilate,' I put to you King and the revealer of Truth, Jn 18:36-37 . T his is the (Vuh;:.)' Amen'.
iii
It'