Глава I

Inscription and greeting (1–2). Timothy as a herald and defender of saving truth against false teachers (3–20). 1 Timothy 1:1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ our hope, 1 Timothy 1:2. To Timothy, a true son in the faith: grace, mercy, peace from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. “Paul, Apostle” - Timothy, of course, personally was quite confident in Paul’s divine calling to apostolic service, and if the apostle in his greeting speaks so thoroughly about his calling, then he probably means not Timothy, but his Ephesian flock. Ephesian Christians must be confirmed in the thought that Paul was called by God Himself and therefore all his orders that follow are binding for all believers in Christ. In particular, it was necessary to recall Paul’s divine calling in view of the appearance of heterodox teachers in Ephesus, who, of course, humiliated Paul in the eyes of the Ephesians. "Our Savior". God is called the one who gives salvation to people (cf. Ps. 23:5; Isa. 45:15; Luke 1:47; 1 Tim. 2:4 and other places), while Christ is called the Savior (Eph. 5:23; Luke 2:11, etc.), as the mediator and accomplisher of our salvation. "Our Hope". Christ is called “our hope” not in the sense that He is the foundation, mediator or guarantor of our salvation, but in the fact that He is the very object of our hope (cf. Col. 1:27; Titus 2:13). In Christ and with Christ we have been given salvation, here on earth it is still only an object of faith and only with the second coming of Christ will it be fully realized (Rom. 8:24 et seq.). This is what the apostle calls Christ in view of the fact that the Ephesian monastic teachers painted before the eyes of the Ephesian Christians some other “hopes” for salvation, for example, they pointed to the possibility of salvation through the exact fulfillment of the provisions of the law. "To the true son in faith." The Apostle calls Timothy “a son in the faith” because he revived him into a new life, proclaiming to him the teachings of Christ. Ap calls “true”. Timothy as completely similar in everything to his spiritual parent - Paul: in him Paul recognizes the traits of his character (cf. Phil. 2:20-22). “Grace...Peace” – see Rom 1:7. Here, to the usual combination of his greetings “grace and peace,” the apostle also adds the expression “mercy” (έλεος). For this expression, see Gal 6:16. 1 Timothy 1:3. When I departed for Macedonia, I asked you to remain in Ephesus and warn some that they should not teach otherwise. The epistle begins with a subordinate clause: “as I asked you...” (καύώς παρεκάλεσά σε). The main sentence that should have stood here is missing, but it can be replenished, and this whole verse will then take the following form: “as I asked you, when I myself was leaving for Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus (as a particularly important point) and exhort some, so that they don’t teach otherwise, stay there.” Timothy was obviously very burdened by his stay in Ephesus, and the apostle therefore first of all wants to instill in him the strength of spirit to remain in such a responsible position. "Departing for Macedonia." Here we mean the journey made by the Apostle Paul through Greece and Macedonia in the interval between his first and second bonds (for details about this journey as something that actually took place, see Polyansky. 3-40). “Exhort” – more precisely: give a strict command (ποραγγείλης). “They didn’t teach otherwise.” This expression (έτεροδιδασκαλειν) does not necessarily mean that “some” taught unnecessary things. They could teach, but not what was especially important for Christians to know, or they could teach differently from the way the Apostle taught, that is, as can be seen from 1 Timothy 6:3, they probably took payment for their lessons, which the Apostle Paul never did. Therefore, it would be better to call these people not “false teachers” (ordinary translation), but teachers of other faiths. 1 Timothy 1:4. and did not engage in fables and endless genealogies, which produce more controversy than God’s edification in faith. "Fables and genealogies." Some interpreters see here an indication of the beginnings of Gnosticism (“genealogies” of the so-called aeons), but one cannot agree with this opinion. In the last To Titus, the apostle (Titus 1:14) directly calls these fables “Jewish and” and so on. and here most likely he means various fabulous stories circulating among the Jews, which later formed the content of the Jewish Haggada. "Genealogies" were also probably borrowed from Judaism, which was generally very interested in the genealogical tables of its great people. The apostle calls genealogies “endless” in the sense that you will never reach the end of them, but will go further and further into the region of antiquity. "Disputes". Here we do not mean objective investigations of the matter, but rather, imbued with a subjective mood, challenging all generally accepted truths, which are not at all necessary for church society. “God’s edification” - that is, creation (οίκοδομίαν) by God through the ministers of the church restored by Him. According to some codes, you need to read here: God's stewardship (οίκοδομίαν), but the meaning of the place from such a change of expression almost does not change. The Apostle undoubtedly wants to say that “the community of believers is created and confirmed in the faith by Christian unanimity... On the contrary, research and disputes produced by every teaching contrary to the Gospel serve to upset those who hear (2 Tim. 2:14) and violate the unity of the church.” (Polyansky p. 231 and 232). 1 Timothy 1:5. The purpose of exhortation is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and unfeigned faith, “The purpose of exhortation.” By “exhortation” (παραγγελία) here we obviously mean Christian moral teaching, which outlines the rules of life for a Christian. This moral teaching has as its goal to establish in the heart of a Christian love for God and neighbors, which can only grow from a completely pure heart, and not from any unclean motives, which, obviously, were not alien to other teachers. the heart has at its foundation a good conscience (Acts 24:14, 16; 1 Cor 4:4), which knows no guilt either before God or before people, and such a conscience arises from faith, which is not only confessed with the lips, but is true in its inner essence. Thus, here faith is the fundamental basis of both a good conscience and purity of heart. 1 Timothy 1:6. from which some retreated into idle talk, “From what we retreated,” that is, without setting ourselves precisely the above-mentioned goal - achieving love based on purity of heart, good conscience and unfeigned faith. But whoever forgets about this does not achieve the goal. The dissident teachers obviously did not pay attention to a thorough religious and moral renewal - otherwise they would not have strayed from the right path of serving the truth. 1 Timothy 1:7. desiring to be teachers of the law, but not understanding either what they are talking about or what they are affirming. "Desiring to be teachers of the law." The false teachers obviously explained the written Jewish law - the Torah. This matter seems to the apostle to be more important than engaging in fables and genealogies. The very fables and genealogies apparently served these people only as a means to arouse more attention in their listeners to their explanation of the Torah. “Without understanding” - that is, without knowing the very essence of the law and not understanding well what they present as the true interpretation. 1 Timothy 1:8. And we know that the law is good if someone uses it lawfully, “And we know,” that is, all Christians know. “The law is good” – see Rom 7:12–14. “Lawfully” - that is, in accordance with the very essence of the law. Wed. Rom 3:27–28 and especially Rom 3:31. 1 Timothy 1:9. knowing that the law is not made for the righteous, but for the wicked and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the depraved and defiled, for those who insult father and mother, for murderers, 1 Timothy 1:10. for fornicators, homosexuals, predators, [slanderers, bestialists,] liars, perjurers, and for everything that is contrary to sound doctrine, 1 Timothy 1:11. according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which has been entrusted to me. A good teacher will then use the law according to its purpose when he recognizes that the law in general is not intended for the “righteous,” that is, for a person who is good, honest and pleasing to God, but for people of a completely different direction. The Apostle here means not only the law of Moses, but also every state law established by known authorities (Rom. 13: 1 et seq.). Listing the sinners for whom the law is needed, the apostle divides them into four groups: a) sinners who do not recognize either divine or human laws (“lawless and rebellious”), b) those who do not pay due respect to God and boldly violate His commandments (“ungodly and sinners”), c) those who do not recognize anything sacred and desecrate what is dedicated to God (“depraved and defiled" - more precisely: desecrators - βέβηλοι), d) fathers - and matricides (according to the Russian translation inaccurately: “offenders”), “murderers... man-predators”, i.e. kidnapping people for sale into slavery (άνδραποδισταϊς). The apostle here, in counting sins, follows the order of the commandments. If "the wicked and the desecrating" violate the first four commandments, which require respect for God and the divine, then parricides violate the fifth, murderers - the sixth, fornicators - the seventh, predators - the eighth, and liars - the ninth. The apostle does not consider it necessary to mention the tenth commandment, as prohibiting a more subtle type of sin - sinful desire, but perhaps he also means it in the words: “and for everything that is contrary to sound teaching,” by which he means true apostolic teaching, which, as completely healthy, will produce good fruits in its listeners. “According to the glorious gospel”... These words represent the conclusion to verse 9: that the law is not made for the righteous - this was said in the glorious gospel of God Himself, which the Apostle Paul was commissioned to proclaim. "Blessed God". God is called here “blessed” in order to make it clear to readers that, being in union with God, they also receive bliss, which consists of complete peace, the absence of any fear. The teachers of the law could not promise them such bliss, who first of all emphasized in their minds their constant responsibility before the law, which could not bring peace to their hearts. 1 Timothy 1:12. I thank him who gave me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, for he recognized me as faithful and appointed me to serve, 1 Timothy 1:13. me, who was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and an offender, but was shown mercy because I acted this way out of ignorance, in unbelief; 1 Timothy 1:14. and the grace of our Lord [Jesus Christ] was revealed to me abundantly through faith and love in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 1:15. This is a true saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. 1 Timothy 1:16. But for this reason I received mercy, so that Jesus Christ in me first would show all long-suffering, as an example to those who will believe in Him for eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:17. To the King of the ages, the incorruptible, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. The apostle is so filled with conviction of the truth of the teaching he proclaims that he remembers his call to apostolic service with nothing other than a feeling of deepest gratitude. Only grace, that is, the love of God, could turn him, a former persecutor of Christians, into a faithful preacher of the Gospel of Christ. He himself was powerless to do anything for his revival - God gave him this power. "With faith and love in Christ." Both faith and love awoke in Paul precisely as the result of the powerful action of divine grace. “Of which I am the first” - cf. 1 Corinthians 15:9. “To the incorruptible King of the ages” (i.e., unchangeable)... The Apostle calls God this way in order to show that our thought should strive only towards God and that teachings about other things and objects as existing in time cannot have primary significance... The very first greatest object of knowledge is God (in Polyansky p. 283). 1 Timothy 1:18. I am teaching you, my son Timothy, in accordance with the prophecies that were about you, such a testament that you will fight in accordance with them, like a good warrior, 1 Timothy 1:19. having faith and a good conscience, which some rejected and suffered shipwreck in faith; Here the apostle exhorts Timothy to have that good faith which the Apostle Paul always preached. As a motive for such firmness in faith, the apostle points to the “prophecies” that were made about Timothy. Obviously, the apostle here has in mind the speeches of inspired members of the Church in Lystra, who predicted to the apostle that Timothy would provide many services to the Church, and advised Paul to take him as his assistant. The Apostle Paul acted as the Listrian prophets advised him (cf. 1 Tim. 4:14). “So that you fight according to them.” Timothy must act as a fighter for the true faith, in the light of the prophecies that were about him. "Having faith and a good conscience." Both faith and a good conscience appear as the armor of the Christian shepherd (cf. Eph. 6:16; 1 Thess. 5:8). Conscience and faith have one source (1 Cor 2:5). Our conscience is cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ (Heb. 9:14), and therefore without faith it cannot be clean. In the same way, true faith reveals its strength in conscience” (Polyansky p. 291). 1 Timothy 1:20. such are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I handed over to Satan so that they would learn not to blaspheme. Further, the apostle points to some who rejected a good conscience, despised its voice and therefore became lost and began to live in various errors. The apostle sets up Hymenaeus and Alexander as examples of such people. These two were probably more wicked than others like them. Who these Alexander and Hymenaeus were and what their “blasphemy” consisted of is unknown. Apparently, the Ephesian teachers spared these people, and Paul therefore himself subjected them to punishment. “Delivered to Satan” - see the explanation in the explanation. 1 Cor.5:5. You might be interested in: