Введение

Saint Timothy was the favorite disciple of Saint Paul, praised by him with high praise in many places in his Epistles. And he himself sincerely loved Saint Paul as a father, and never left him from the time he was chosen by him and taken with him to his preaching labors. The first time the Apostle Paul, as the book of Acts remembers, met Saint Timothy was on his second Apostolic journey, when, after the Council in Jerusalem, accompanied by Silas, visiting the Churches he had previously founded, he arrived in Lystra of Lycaonia. Here the believing brethren testified about him, both local and the neighboring city of Iconium (Acts 16:2), testifying, of course, not only to his moral kindness, but also to the fullness of the knowledge of the Gospel with zeal to spread it, protect and root it. On this occasion, the Spirit of God showed Saint Paul in him a good helper in the work of evangelism, and he chose him and took him with him. Tradition, however, traces the first meeting of the Apostle Paul with Saint Timothy to the time of his first instillation of faith in Lystra, adding that at the same time the intention was born in him to use it in the work of evangelism. When Saint Paul and Barnabas, expelled from Iconium, ran to the cities of Lycaon and healed a lame man from his mother’s womb in Lystra, then the Lystra people thought that they were gods in the form of men and were about to make a sacrifice to them. When the Apostles convinced them that they were not gods, but messengers of God, sent for this purpose to turn people away from false faith and lead them to the true one - and explained to them what this true faith was - then they abandoned their former wickedness in large numbers and believed in the Gospel (Acts 14). Among them, writes Saint Demetrius of Rostov (St. Demetrius of Rostov. Chetiy-Minea, January 22), “were the grandmother and mother of Saint Timothy, who became a widow after the death of her husband. They were among the first to believe; Saint Timothy also believed with them, as can be concluded from the words of Saint Paul, in which he recalls the beginning of his faith: “receiving the remembrance of the unfeigned faith that is in you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunicia: and I am known, as I am also in you” (2 Tim. 1:5), - that is, that you did not lag behind them. Delighted by their faith, they received the Apostles into their home and gave them peace with all contents. Here the mother betrayed her only child, Saint Timothy, to Saint Paul - as a gift for the miracle that was revealed in their city, and even more so for the lordship of piety they received. Saint Paul accepted him and, seeing the young man good-minded and meek and seeing the grace of God in him, he loved him and decided to take him with him - only not at that time, but after; because he was still young and needed to prepare for the work of the gospel. Leaving him at home for the time being, Saint Paul entrusted him to the wisest believers, so that they could guide him in understanding the Scriptures and accustom him to work in the cause of faith among believers and non-believers. As you can see, this time was not wasted. And Saint Paul, coming here for the second time, several years later, with holy Power, found Saint Timothy both a good scholar of the Divine Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:15), and successful in virtue, and having gained good testimony from all Christians (Acts 16). Even before, of course, he was no stranger to knowledge of the Scriptures, something his pious mother and grandmother could not allow; but now he has learned to read in them the foreshadowing of the Gospel teaching. Probably, even before, he was taught by his God-fearing teachers all kinds of good deeds; but now he was taught to turn his labors of good deeds to another object, namely, to promoting the success of the Gospel. Seeing this, Saint Paul decided to take him with him “into the Apostleship and to make all his labors and paths a constant companion and partner and a faithful co-servant in the Lord.” Having laid this down, Saint Paul also decided to circumcise Timothy, not out of necessity for salvation, but out of necessity for the success of his preaching. An uncircumcised person would not have had free access to the Jews in their homes, much less in synagogues, and even more so with instructions on how to believe and be saved. Since the order in which the preaching was conducted at that time required this, the Apostle decided to circumcise Saint Timothy. On his part, this was a measure of prudence, according to the principle that he always adhered to: “to all” (1 Cor. 9:19-22), and on the part of Saint Timothy, it was an example of complete submission to the teacher, imitation of him and devotion, and the first sacrifice of love for others and zeal for their salvation. Having thus prepared, we went on to the sermon. At first, Saint Timothy is not seen acting; he just watched and learned. I saw the conversion of the Galatians, and perhaps the Colossians, Laodiceans and Hierapolis. I witnessed how the Spirit of God did not allow them to go either to Asia or to Bithynia, but directed them through Troas to Macedonia (Acts 16:6). I observed the success of preaching in Philippi, Thessaloniki and Beria, with the signs and wonders that accompanied it. He probably did something in all these places. But for the first time, evidence about him is found already in the description of affairs in Beria, namely that when Saint Paul was forced to move to Athens, he was left here with Silas, for a while, of course, not without the appointment to continue the work of preaching. Those who accompanied Saint Paul to Athens received an order to Saints Silas and Timothy, so that they would quickly try to unite with him. Saint Timothy probably hurried to him and told him about what the Macedonian brethren were suffering and were embarrassed about. This forced Saint Paul to write the First Epistle to the Thessalonians, to console and admonish them, and to send it with Timothy, giving him the commandment to confirm and comfort them in the faith (1 Thessalonians 3:2). Here Saint Paul already calls him his “brother”, “a servant of God and an assistant to himself in the gospel of Christ”: which, of course, was not a word of endearment, but the truth of the matter. Saint Timothy returned with Silas and found Saint Paul in Corinth, where he had moved from Athens (Acts 18:5). After this, during St. Paul’s one-and-a-half-year stay in Corinth, during his journey to Jerusalem for the feast, his stay in Antioch, his second visit to the Asia Minor Churches in Cilicia, Lycaonia, Phrygia and Galatia, and his almost three-year stay in Ephesus, Saint Timothy is not mentioned. But he, of course, was with him all this time; for this is why he was taken, to be with him - he was with him and acted with him, according to his instructions and guidance. He is remembered towards the end of Saint Paul’s stay in Ephesus. The Apostle Paul heard about some troubles in the Church of Corinth and decided to visit them; but since something still needed to be done in Ephesus, he sent Saint Timothy there first, so that he could settle matters there at his own discretion. While Saint Timothy was moving to Corinth through Macedonia, messengers from the Corinthian Church came to Saint Paul with a Letter. Having definitely learned what the disorder there was, Saint Paul wrote the First Epistle to the Corinthians and sent it with Saint Titus. In this Epistle he remembers that he sent to them “Timothy, a beloved and faithful child in the Lord,” so that he would remind them of the ways of the Lord (1 Cor. 4:17); and then he adds: “When Timothy comes to you, see that he is with you without fear: for he does the work of God, just as I did” (1 Cor. 16:10). Following this, an uprising of unbelievers in Ephesus forced Saint Paul to leave this city ahead of schedule, and he headed to Corinth through Macedonia. He moved there slowly; for he needed to see Titus before arriving in Corinth in order to find out how the Epistle was received and what it produced among the believers. Not waiting for him in Troas, he moved to Macedonia and here he met Titus. He immediately found Saint Timothy, who did not have time to go to Corinth. Having learned from Titus how things were going in Corinth, Saint Paul writes a Second Epistle to them, in which, in the inscription, he includes Saint Timothy along with him. The epistle was sent again with Saint Titus, and Saint Timothy went there with Saint Paul, after him. For there we see him during the writing from there by Saint Paul of the Epistle to the Romans, to which he writes a kiss and from Timothy, his “assistant” (Rom. 16:21). And on the way back from there, after a three-month stay there, we see Saint Timothy with Saint Paul, among his other companions (Acts 20:4). Saint Paul was on his way to Jerusalem. On this journey he was in Philippi, in Troas, in Miletus, Rhodes, in Tire and Caesarea and in many other coastal cities, where there were believers, probably disciples of St. Paul. In Jerusalem, Saint Paul, on the occasion of the uprising of the Jews, was taken by the authorities and remained in bonds for two years in Caesarea; from where, nevertheless, as a prisoner, he was sent to Rome, where he remained in prison for two years. During all this time, Saint Timothy was remembered only in Troas and Rome. But there is no doubt that he was inseparably with Saint Paul: such was his purpose. That he was in Rome is evident from the inscriptions in the Epistles written by Saint Paul from Rome to Colossae, Philemon and the Philippians, where Saint Paul includes Saint Timothy with him. In his Epistle to the Philippians, St. Paul writes that he intends to send St. Timothy to them as soon as he learns of his release. This promise was probably fulfilled; and when Saint Paul himself sailed from Rome to Asia Minor, as he promised Philemon, through Crete, Saint Timothy, one might believe, headed to Macedonia, so that, after being in Philippi, he would unite again with Saint Paul, which probably happened in Nicopolis of Cilicia, where Saint Paul spent the winter. Having seen him, he let him know how things were going in Macedonia and how desirable and necessary his presence there was. Having spent the winter in Nicopolis, in the spring Saint Paul headed to Macedonia through Ephesus. Due to the above and perhaps other circumstances, it was impossible for him to stay in Ephesus for a long time. Why, seeing that something there required correction by an authoritative hand and that an authoritative hand was needed to maintain proper order among believers, he ordained Saint Timothy as a bishop, according to prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the priesthood (1 Tim. 1:18; 1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6), and left him there, while he himself went to Macedonia, boarding a ship in Miletus (where he left Trophimus because of his illness), so that through Troas (where he left a phelonion and, perhaps, books with Carp) to arrive in Philippi. From here he wrote the First Epistle to Saint Timothy, giving him instructions about the salvation of his flock and inspiring him to work on this important matter. The Apostle expressed in this Epistle his intention to soon return to Ephesus, probably visiting the Macedonian and Achaian Churches. But circumstances were such that he was unable to do this. Tradition says that in Corinth he met Saint Peter (Eusebius of Caesarea. Church history. 2, 25) and went with him to the West. Saint Peter went straight to Rome, and Saint Paul first to Spain, and then to Rome, where both of them fell into prison and were crowned with martyrdom. From these bonds, Saint Paul wrote the Second Epistle to Saint Timothy about the same thing he wrote about before, inviting him to hasten to Rome to him, abandoned by everyone, and giving him some other instructions. There is no doubt that this desire of the Divine teacher was hastily fulfilled by his beloved and loving disciple. After the martyrdom of Saint Paul, Saint Timothy returned to Ephesus and ruled the Church there until his death, also martyrdom, using the leadership of Saint John the Theologian, who lived here and led the shepherds of all the Asian Churches. During the imprisonment of Saint John the Theologian in Patmos, the work of the leadership of all Churches was corrected by Saint Timothy, writes Saint Demetrius of Rostov. His martyrdom (according to Patriarch Photius (of Constantinople)) was as follows: some kind of holiday was celebrated by the pagan Ephesians, on which men and wives, dressed up and putting on masks, walked through the streets of the city with idols and mortars in their hands, with riotous songs and shouts, robberly attacking those who met and killing them. Saint Timothy came across them and, perhaps, taking the opportunity, he extended a word of exhortation to them, but they not only did not listen to him, but also attacked him and beat him almost to death. When the crowd passed, leaving St. Timothy in his place, the faithful Christians came up and, finding him still breathing, lifted him up and carried him out into the air; or there was a dwelling - he or another of the faithful. Here he soon died and was buried in a place called the Holy Relics. Artemy the Martyr was transferred from Ephesus to Constantinople, under Constantius, and laid in the Church of the Holy Apostles, together with the Evangelist Luke and the Apostle Andrew the First-Called. In some villages we have a pagan custom: to walk on summer nights on certain days with shouts, songs and also with a plow - in order to drive away cow death (death of livestock). At this time, do not come across anyone; they will kill, considering the cow they meet to have been transformed by death. Something similar could have happened among the pagan Ephesians. 2) About the letters to St. Timothy After what has been said in the general introduction to the Pastoral Epistles and in the outline of the course of the life of St. Timothy, very little remains to be said about the Epistles of St. Paul to him. a) About the place and time of their writing. Let's repeat what has already been said. The First Epistle was written from Macedonia, probably from Philippi, where Saint Paul promised to arrive and where, therefore, he had the urge to stay longer. The time of its writing is between the first and second bonds, like the Epistle to Titus. If the Apostle received freedom from his first bonds in the years 62–63, then, having assigned him to stay in Crete and in the Churches of Asia Minor and to spend the winter in Nikopol for a year and a half or two, we will have 64–65 years. – The Second Epistle was written from Rome, when Saint Paul was in prison and awaiting the end of his martyrdom (2 Tim. 4:6). This martyrdom, which occurred in the years 67–68, determines the time of writing this Epistle. b) Reasons and motivations for writing them. Saint Timothy was almost never separated from Saint Paul from the time he was taken by him, and if sometimes he was sent on some business, it was always under the close supervision and guidance of Saint Paul. Now he is left as an independent actor, and throughout the entire breadth of church government, and most importantly, he is left alone. Fatherly disposed toward him, Saint Paul saw how sorrowful the soul of Saint Timothy must be and how, with such feelings, it was difficult for him to conduct affairs that required full attention and effort, not weakened by sorrowful feelings. Why, a little later after separation from him, he writes a Letter to him, which, even if it did not contain anything special, would be both consolation and inspiration for him, testifying to how his spiritual father remembers him and thinks about him. But the Epistle in its content is not colloquial, but represents a rather detailed instruction on how Saint Timothy, as a shepherd, should act in various parts of good shepherding - which instruction freed him from guessing whether to do this or that, strengthened him in the management of orders without hesitation, hesitation and without fear of doing something wrong, and thus inspired him to do things approved by his conscience and the conviction of their undoubted appropriateness. - How much consolation there is in this and how much benefit to good shepherding! To this we can add the following: leaving Saint Timothy as the ruler of the Church, Saint Paul, of course, told him a lot on this subject; but he might not have had time or had the time to say everything. Continuing his journey to Macedonia, he, always busy with the organization of the Churches, changed his mind, of course, what was presented to Saint Timothy and what was said to him for guidance. This could reveal to him what was left unsaid and what was said that needed to be explained and confirmed. He could have made these additions when he returned, as he hoped; but, as he had already learned through many experiences, he did not always have to conduct his affairs as he had planned. Often the course of circumstances, or special instructions from above, directed his steps in a completely different way than he expected. Having this in mind, he could not help but think that his return to Ephesus could be slowed down or even not take place at all. This assumption strongly compelled him to sit down and write to Saint Timothy, which he considered necessary to supplement or clarify and more accurately define in his pastoral activities. The content of the Messages confirms this tangibly. What has been said goes more to the First Epistle, which does not indicate any particular circumstance that could be considered a reason for writing the Epistle. As for the Second Epistle, the Apostle was forced to write it by the need to have with him Saint Timothy and some things he left along the way, in the hope of a quick return. Everyone left me, he writes. Hurry to me and grab such and such things on the way. Maybe this is what was meant to be written. Then they would have in this Second Epistle a message similar to the Epistle to Philemon of the same Apostle or the Epistle of St. John to Gaius and a certain lady. But since the Apostle was in chains and his fate was in the hands of a man from whom death could be expected every minute, Saint Paul considered it appropriate to add to the Epistle something else about good shepherding. Since this is the most important subject, it was discussed in front - and went at some length, so that it constituted the main subject of the Epistle, and what forced me to write appeared in the form of a postscript or afterword. The content of both Epistles is the same: instructions to the shepherd about good shepherding: “let him know how to live in the house of God” (1 Tim. 3:15), how to live and act in the Church of God, which is the house of God. The difference between them is that, while the First Epistle concerns the more practical side of pastoral ministry or various aspects and parts of the activity of shepherds, the Second describes the spirit and character of this ministry and activity in general, comprehensive terms. Upon interpretation, this will become clear by itself. The division of these Epistles, like all others, is the same: between the preface and afterword the main subject of the Epistle, or its main content, is stated. These divisions will be significant during interpretation. Let us only note that the afterword of the Second Epistle, as indicated, indicates the reason and motivation for writing it; and the First Epistle has almost no afterword, as well as almost no circumstantial information. Thus, we clearly confirm that the reason and motivation for writing it was the desire to give detailed instructions on matters of pastoral activity. You might be interested in: