Глава II

On the rules for public worship (1–15). 1 Timothy 2:1. So, first of all, I ask you to make prayers, petitions, supplications, thanksgivings for all people, In the first chapter, the apostle made it his duty to Timothy, as a good soldier of Christ, to spread the sound teaching of the gospel. But it is not Timothy alone who is obliged to take care of the establishment of the Gospel, but the entire Christian community. Throughout her life she must make ways for the spread of the Gospel, and above all she must have this in mind when performing public worship. That here we are talking specifically about public worship is evident from the fact that only men are represented as participants or performers of the worship service here (1 Tim. 2:8.) Thus, the second chapter has a close connection with the instructions contained in the first chapter and therefore the apostle begins his speech with the expression: “therefore - First of all” - i.e., of all the exhortations with which the apostle wants to address Timothy, he considers it necessary in the first place issue an admonition for the proper performance of public prayers. “Prayers” - (δεήσεις) is a request in general. “Petitions” (προσευχάς) - any prayer, both petitionary and grateful, even a vow. “Prayers” (έντεύξεις) – a request for a specific occasion. “Thanksgivings” (ευχαριστίας) are prayers of thanksgiving, as opposed to all prayers designated by the three previous expressions. To clarify the meaning of all these names, let us take into account the Lord's Prayer. The whole of it can be called “prayer oyu” (προσευχή), but it contains individual petitions (δεήσεις). As soon as these petitions are addressed to individual objects, an intercession is obtained (έντεύξεις - inaccurately in Russian: “prayer e”). “Thanksgiving” is, for example, a doxology found at the end of the Lord’s Prayer. 1 Timothy 2:2. for kings and for all those in authority, so that we may lead a quiet and serene life in all godliness and purity, “So that we may lead a quiet life”... This is not the purpose of prayer - the prayer is performed, in fact, for the salvation of kings and leaders, this is precisely its direct goal - but the result, the fruit of such a prayer. But in any case, the apostle does not forbid Christians to keep in mind, when performing the said prayer, such a favorable result for themselves. And the fifth commandment requires honoring parents, among other things, and in view of the fact that this will benefit the one who honors him: “may it be good for you” (cf. 1 Peter 3:9). "In all godliness and purity." Christians must not only achieve a quiet, calm life, but also strive to ensure that their life is pious and worthy of their high title (purity is in dignity, with dignity - σεμνότης). 1 Timothy 2:3. for this is good and pleasing to God our Savior, “This” – that is, such prayers for all people. “Good” - (καλόν), that is, excellent from a moral point of view and generally excellent (cf. 1 Tim. 1:8, 3:1, 7, 13, etc.). 1 Timothy 2:4. Who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. “We were saved” - not only in the future life, but also here on earth, having accepted the gospel teaching (cf. 2 Tim 1:9). “Truth” - the saving, true teaching offered to people by the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 2:5. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, From the fact that God is one, it follows that He is the savior for all people (cf. Rom. 3:29 et seq.). In the same way, there is one mediator between God and people - “the man Christ Jesus,” and this again confirms the idea of ​​​​the need to pray for the salvation of all people. The power of expression here undoubtedly lies in the word "man". If the mediator is a person, then his ministry obviously concerns all people who are close to him by human nature. It is clear that this place cannot serve as any evidence in favor of the idea that the apostle considered Christ only a man. In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul says that he is an apostle, chosen not by men or through man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father (Gal. 1:1). If we were to understand this passage in a literal, limited sense, then we would have to draw the conclusion from it that Christ was not a man at all... Then, the apostle in his pastoral letters clearly says that Christ was not only a man, but also God. So he attributes pre-existence to Christ (1 Tim. 3:16), calls Him “our great God and savior to them” (Titus 2:13). 1 Timothy 2:6. who gave himself as a ransom for all. This was the testimony at the time, Even more motivating us to pray for all people is the fact that Christ gave Himself as a ransom for all people (cf. Matthew 20:28), namely, according to the interpretation of St. John Chrysostom, He gave Himself up to death for all people. “This was the testimony in its time.” Not all even Jews found predictions about the Messiah in the prophecies, but the pagans knew nothing about these predictions. Therefore, it was timely that it was revealed or witnessed that Christ is the savior of all mankind, who brought redemption for all people. 1 Timothy 2:7. for whom I was appointed a preacher and an apostle - I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie - a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. Paul himself was called to preach this great truth. To assure his readers of this, the apostle swears (cf. Rom. 9:1). He swears that God really sent him to preach about universal salvation; this oath was necessary in view of the fact that some continued to think that salvation would be given only to Jews or proselytes. "In faith and truth." These words refer to the expression "teacher of the Gentiles" and show the nature of Paul's activity as a teacher of the Gentiles. He acted as a faithful and true servant of Christ. Thus, the own activity of the Apostle Paul, who preached about salvation to all people, gives the Ephesian Christians an incentive to pray for all people, without exception. 1 Timothy 2:8. So I wish that men would say prayers in every place, raising clean hands without anger or doubt; The apostle proved the need to pray for all people. He now begins to give instructions regarding the order of prayer in public worship. “Therefore,” that is, due to the fact that he, Paul, is the leader and teacher of the believers, as he said in 1 Timothy 2:7. “I desire” is more correct: I want (βούλομαι), I express my will decisively (cf. the difference between θέλω “I desire” and βούλομαι “I want” in Matthew 1:19). “In every place” - that is, in all places where Christians gather for public worship. “They said prayers” - as can be seen from the whole train of thought, prayers on behalf of the entire Church. “Men” – i.e. men. The apostle forbade women to actively participate in public worship (1 Cor 14:34). "Raising Clean Hands." Raising hands during prayer was a custom not only among Jews, but also among pagans. “Clean hands” is a symbol of the purity of human actions and actions in general. "No anger." – It was natural for Christians of that time to sometimes harbor angry irritation against the Jews and pagans who persecuted them. “Doubts” - both in relation to the success of prayer and in relation to people who might seem to those praying and not worthy of prayer. 1 Timothy 2:9. so that women, too, in decent attire, with modesty and chastity, adorn themselves not with braided hair, not with gold, not with pearls, not with costly clothing, 1 Timothy 2:10. but by good deeds, as is fitting for wives devoting themselves to piety. The Apostle wants women, both when praying, to be present in decent attire, and always in their lives to adorn themselves not with braided hair (cf. 1 Peter 3:3-6), but with good deeds, with modesty and chastity, characteristic primarily of the female sex. By “good deeds” we mean good deeds in general and, in particular, charity. 1 Timothy 2:11. Let the wife study in silence, with all submission; 1 Timothy 2:12. But I do not allow a wife to teach, nor to rule over her husband, but to be in silence. These instructions repeat almost the same thoughts expressed by the apostle in 1 Cor. 14:34 et seq. “To rule over a man” (αύθεντειανδρός), that is, to take the place of a man in a liturgical assembly. 1 Timothy 2:13. For Adam was created first, and then Eve; 1 Timothy 2:14. and it was not Adam who was deceived; but the wife, deceived, fell into crime; Why a woman should not become taller than a man - the apostle explains this by pointing to two facts from the history of mankind. Adam, as created before the wife, was naturally her teacher and leader: so now the man must be the leader of the woman. Then, the Bible reports that the woman was deceived by the beliefs of the serpent - it is not said about Adam that he was deceived. This means that a woman by nature is very weak-willed, susceptible to deception, and therefore, of course, it is not appropriate for her to act as a leader of a man. If in the last to Rom. (Rom. 5:12) the husband is called the primary culprit of sin, this is explained by the fact that the husband was in the eyes of the apostle the main defendant for everything that happened as the head of the family. 1 Timothy 2:15. however, he will be saved through childbearing if he continues in faith and love and in holiness with chastity. According to the apostle, the possibility of salvation for a woman lies in “bearing children,” and not in her impulses toward church teaching. One might think that here the apostle is hinting at the suffering that accompanies the birth of children to women and which constitutes, as it were, a punishment for her sin and reminds her of the need for repentance and self-improvement. But the next expression: “if he continues” also contains the thought of improvement and, therefore, in the previous expression “for the sake of childbearing” there is some other thought. It is therefore more natural to believe that the apostle here is pointing out to a woman that she can find salvation or happiness in family life, giving birth and raising children, and she must always maintain purity, faith and Christian love. You might be interested in: