Interpretation of the 1st Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to Timothy

Pastoral Epistles and their meaning Authenticity of the Pastoral Epistles Persons to whom pastoral letters were written Contents of Pastoral Epistles When were the Pastoral Epistles written? Literature on the Pastoral Epistles The two epistles of the Apostle Paul to Timothy and the epistle to Titus are called pastoral epistles because they contain instructions from the Apostle Paul to his two above-mentioned disciples about what church pastors should be like and what their activities in the Church should consist of. These instructions were intended by the Apostle Paul not only for Timothy and Titus, but also for pastors of all subsequent times. The Church of Christ has always drawn from these epistles rules and guidelines for streamlining the pastoral activities of its ministers, and has considered these epistles as a desktop guide for pastors. These messages are especially important in the sense that they give a very definite idea that the Church of Christ consists of two elements - the shepherds who govern the life of the Church, and the flock who follow the shepherds. From here we have every reason to conclude that the hierarchical structure of the Church is not something added that appeared in the Church in the second century or even later, as some sectarians think, but existed in it from the beginning of its life. Protestant theologians have long begun to express doubts about the authenticity of the pastoral epistles, which, of course, with their content refuted the idea created in Protestantism about the later origin of the church hierarchy. In particular, doubt about the authenticity of these messages was expressed sharply by the famous Baur in his work: “the so-called pastoral letters of the Apostle Paul” (1835). According to Baur, the heresy refuted in the Pastoral Epistles is 2nd century Gnosticism, and the ecclesiastical order depicted in them is also 2nd century ecclesiastical order. Baur’s views were substantiated and revealed by Holtzman in his essay: “Pastoral Epistles” (1880). According to Holtzman, the pastoral letters appeared in the middle of the second century, when the Church, on the one hand, was torn apart by the struggle of various false teachings, and on the other, persecuted by the Roman pagan government. Among the Christians of that time, a strong need was felt for unquestioned church authority, for a strong church unifying power, and in response to such a request, letters appeared written in the name of Paul and asserting the authority of pastors in the Church as leaders of church society. Thus, according to Holtzman, Timothy and Titus are fictitious persons, and Paul could not be the author of the pastoral epistles, because he did not fight against the false knowledge that is refuted in the pastoral epistles, and did not implement those principles that are established in the said epistles. The same assumption about the later origin of the pastoral epistles and with the same justifications is expressed in the coming 20th century (see, for example, the interpretation of the pastoral epistles of Franz Köhler in the “Scriptures of the New Testament”, edited by I. Weiss, 1908). But all the objections to the authenticity of the pastoral epistles do not stand up to scrutiny. So, first of all, critics and especially Jülicher incorrectly point out that in the pastoral epistles the circumstances of church life and its structure itself are depicted as completely different than in the authentic epistles of the Apostle Paul (and such criticism considers the epistles to Rom., Cor. and Gal.) and in the book. Acts. If, according to 1 Cor. 12–14, the religious needs of the church are satisfied by charismatic teachers, and in the pastoral epistles - by certain persons appointed by the Apostle, then this cannot serve as a basis for recognizing the pastoral epistles as inauthentic, because such persons appointed by the Apostles are also mentioned in the book. Acts (Acts 14:23). Then, in the pastoral epistles, the names “bishop” and “presbyter” are still used in the same meaning (in places), just as these two terms are used in the same meaning in the book. Acts (Acts 14:23, 20:17 cf. Acts 20:28) and in the last. to Philip. (Phil.1:1). It is not at all surprising that in the pastoral epistles the institution of widows and deaconesses is completely established, which supposedly could not have been the case in the days of Paul. As can be concluded from the epistles to Timothy, Christianity in Ephesus was established early - before the writing of the epistles to Timothy, it existed in the Ephesian community for more than ten years. Couldn’t various questions about deaconesses have arisen in such a period of time in the Ephesian Church, which the Apostle solves in his letter (first) to Timothy? In the same way, the Apostle Paul could use some special rites of initiation to sacred positions in Ephesus, which, according to negative criticism, could only be done in the second century. Negative criticism acts no less frivolously when it declares that the false teachings refuted in the pastoral epistles are of later origin, that this is nothing more than the well-known “gnosis” of the second century. The fact is that in the Pastoral Epistles the term “gnosis” is never used as a technical term to designate the well-known heresy of Gnosticism. If Paul here refutes “knowledge,” then he understands by it the same human knowledge that goes beyond its limits, which he means in his other epistles (for example, in the epistles to Cor. and Colossians). In the pastoral epistles, “gnosis” is not given its most characteristic feature - the division between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. It is also important to note the fact that in the Pastoral Epistles the “myths” and “genealogies” that the Apostle has in mind are called “Jewish and” (Titus 1:14). This indicates that the gnosis denounced by the Apostle Paul is not similar to the pagan gnosis of the second century. Finally, the false teachers mentioned in the Pastoral Epistles still belonged to the church, with the exception of Hymenaeus and Alexander, and the Gnostic sects of the 2nd century had already separated from the church and were thought of as its enemies. One can say with decisiveness: the false teachers denounced in the pastoral epistles combined Jewish legalism and observance of traditions, interpreted the Law of Moses in a rabbinical manner, thought to extract special secrets from the Torah, at the same time humiliating the teaching of the grace of Christ that saves all people. They also paid special attention to the difference between pure and unclean foods and sought to strengthen the meaning of asceticism. But at the same time, selfishness was not alien to them. They also point out that the language of the pastoral epistles is very different from the language of Paul's other epistles. But, firstly, the differences in language between one and the other are not so many that it is noticeable, and, secondly, why couldn’t the Apostle Paul slightly change the way he expressed his thoughts in his later epistles? A similar change in language is observed in some great writers - for example. Luther, Klopstock, Schiller, Goethe. The Apostle Paul, too, at the end of his life had to become closely acquainted with the Latin language (during his imprisonment in Caesarea and Rome), and this should have influenced his Greek speech, since his maternal, native and unforgettable language was Hebrew, not Greek: the latter, as he had studied already in his youth, could easily undergo changes under the pressure of a new language - Latin. In general, all the objections of negative criticism against the authenticity of the pastoral epistles are extremely unfounded. As for the historical evidence about the origin of the said messages from the Apostle Paul, they are quite sufficient. So already Polycarp, in his letter to the Philippians, reveals familiarity with the first letter to Timothy (1 Tim. 4:1 and 1 Tim. 6:10 and 1 Tim. 6:7 and other places). There are repetitions of expressions in the pastoral epistles of Barnabas, Clement, Hegesippus, Irenaeus and other ancient fathers and teachers of the Church. It seems strange that the famous heretic Marcion (2nd century) did not mention these messages in his canon of New Testament books. But this circumstance should not especially confuse us: Marcion in this case could be guided by the consideration that the pastoral epistles were written to individuals, and not to entire churches (he mentioned the epistle to Philemon, perhaps because it was attached to some other epistle, for example, to the Epistle to the Colossians). Timofey. From the book It is known from Acts that Paul, accompanied by Silas, during his second missionary journey, i.e., around the year 52, took as his disciple a resident of Lystra, young Timothy, who probably converted to Christianity during Paul’s first coming to this city. Paul calls him “the beloved and faithful son of the Lord” (1 Cor 4:17), his “true son in the faith” (1 Tim 1:2). It is obvious that then, upon joining the ranks of Paul’s companions, Timothy was baptized and made a “good confession of his faith” before witnesses (1 Timothy 6:12). From 2 Tim (2 Tim 1:5) we learn the name of Timothy's mother - Eunice and the name of his grandmother - Lois, who were both good Christian Israelis. Eunice, and perhaps Lois, converted to Christianity during the first journey of the Apostle Paul through Galatia. Timothy, who was under the influence of his mother - his father was a Greek - also, obviously, at this time, accepted the true faith, probably excited by the teachings and miracles of the Apostle. As a Greek, it was not difficult for him to renounce his attachment to the Law of Moses, in which he was raised by his mother and grandmother, and Paul found in him a suitable helper for himself in everything. However, in order not to seduce the Jews living in that country, he circumcised Timothy. After this, Timothy in Lystra was entrusted with the preaching ministry, with prayers and the laying on of hands by church elders and, above all, of course, the Apostle Paul himself. And local Christian prophets foreshadowed Timothy's success in his ministry. After this, Timothy went to Europe with Paul and Silas. In Troas, Luke joined this preaching circle. In Greece, Timothy rendered many services to the Apostle Paul in his relations with the churches of Thessalonica and Corinth, to which the Apostle sent Timothy, as a person who enjoyed special trust there. No matter how difficult it was to calm the restless Corinthians, Timothy achieved this and received approval from Paul (1 Cor. 16:10 et seq.). Timothy was thus with Paul until the year 58, as can be seen from the notes of the Apostle's epistles that appeared before this year, and then for many years he disappears from our sight. Then we find mentions of Timothy in the letters to the Colossians and Philippians, written by Paul from Rome (the first bonds). Paul wants to send Timothy, who is with him, to Philippi, so that his faithful disciple will bring him the most accurate information about the state of the Philippian church, so dear to Paul (Phil. 2:19 et seq.). From the Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb. 13:23) it is clear that Timothy was also imprisoned, but then received freedom. It is unknown to what time this conclusion dates back. From the 1st last. Timothy shows that he was in Ephesus at the time of writing this epistle. Church tradition says that Timothy was a bishop in Ephesus (Eusebius Church. Ist. CX 1, 4, 5), that he spent a long time in communion with the Apostle John and under the emperor Nerva, during the proconsulate of Peregrinus (97) on January 22, he suffered martyrdom. In 356, his remains were transferred to Constantinople. Titus. The book of Acts says nothing about this colleague of the Apostle Paul. We find the first mention of him in the letter to the Galatians (Gal. 2:1, 3) and then the next one in 2 Cor. (2 Cor. 2:13, 7:6, 13 et seq.; 2 Cor. 8:6, 23, 12:18). As can be seen from the last. to the Galatians, Paul took Titus with him from Antioch to the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem - traces. Titus had previously been called by the Apostle to cooperate. He was a Greek, and at the council, adherents of the Mosaic Law forced him to accept circumcision, but the Apostle Paul in this case did not give in to such demands, because he did not want to give pagan Christians any reason to think that the acceptance of the Mosaic Law was inevitable for them. For several years after the council, Titus was constantly with Paul as his assistant in the work of preaching. Paul sent him to Corinth to get acquainted with the mood of the Corinthian Christians (2 Cor 12:17-18), and Titus undoubtedly contributed a lot to the calm of the Corinthians with his speeches. And the second letter to the Corinthians was commissioned to be taken to Corinth by Titus. Then we find mention of Titus only in the epistle written to him. Church tradition reports that Titus was a bishop on Fr. Crete and died in the city of Gortyn, having previously suffered for the confession of Christ (August 25). Its head is located in Venice, in the Cathedral of St. Brand. Not all Pastoral Epistles follow a strictly logical arrangement, but 1 Timothy certainly does. It is after a short introduction (1 Tim. 1:1-2), that the Apostle in the first part of his letter introduces Timothy as a trustee over the church of Ephesus in its entirety (1 Tim. 1:3-4:5) - first 1) as a preacher and defender of saving truth in the struggle against false teachers who excommunicate many members of the church from the unity of the faith (1 Tim. 1:3-20), then 2) as maintaining order in church life (1 Tim. 2:1-3), and most closely a) in worship (1 Tim. 2:1-15) and b) in church dispensation: Timothy must elect completely worthy people to be bishops, deacons and deaconesses (1 Tim. 3:1-13) and 3) finally, as a guardian of saving truth against false teachers who are about to appear ( 1 Timothy 3:14, 4:5): The church is pictured here as the pillar and ground of the truth. The second main part contains admonitions to Timothy regarding his personal behavior, which should be such that the Church sees in him a good servant of Christ (1 Tim. 4: 6–16). The third main part finally portrays Timothy before us as a counselor and shepherd for the Ephesian church community (1 Tim. 5:1-6, 10), namely, a) for old men and women (1 Tim. 5:1-2), b) for widows (1 Tim. 5:3-16), c) for ministers of the Church (1 Tim. 5:17-20). In all these cases, Timothy is obliged to exercise due diligence and not be afraid to resort to strict measures. Further, after d) a conclusion to the admonitions made, which relates more to Timothy himself (1 Tim. 5:21-23), there follows, preceded by an indication of the difference between sins and good deeds, e) an admonition for Timothy to teach slaves how they should behave in relation to their masters (1 Tim. 5:24, 6:2), f) an admonition not to strive for enrichment, related to and to Timothy himself (1 Tim. 6:3–16) and, finally, g) instructions on how to exhort the rich (1 Tim. 6:17–19). The conclusion of the letter contains an instruction to Timothy to keep in purity the treasure of true teaching entrusted to him and a wish for peace for the entire Ephesian Church. In the letter to Titus the arrangement of thoughts is much simpler than in the first letter to Timothy. The epistle is divided into two parts with an introduction (Titus 1:1–4) and a conclusion (Titus 3:12–15). In the first part, the Apostle inspires Titus to appoint as presbyters and bishops such people who would be able to fight for the well-being of the Church against the Judaizing false teachers (Titus 1:5-15), and then in the second part the Apostle first shows Titus how he should apply the requirements of “sound doctrine” to various ages, sexes and conditions (Titus 2:1-10), as well as to all people ( Titus 2:11–14). Then, in the second section of the second part, the Apostle (Titus 3:1-11) instills through Titus the entire Cretan church community how it should behave in relation to non-Christians among whom it lives, in particular in relation to the pagan authorities (Titus 3:1-2), and the principle basis for this and not other behavior of believers in relation to non-Christians is indicated (Tit. 3:3-7) and on the other hand, it is recommended that Titus himself refrain from participating in empty arguments with false teachers and devote more time to teaching his flock (Titus 3:8–11). The conclusion (Titus 3:12–15) contains personal messages and greetings from the Apostle. – Thus, in the first part, Titus appears before them as a hierarch, ordaining the primates of the Church who are fully suitable for church service, and in the second, as a teacher of practically sound Christianity, a completely correct Christian life. The second letter to Timothy is especially rich in personal remarks, which in total make up one fifth of the letter (2 Tim. 1:15-18, 4:9-21, 3:10, 11). It can be said to represent the swan song of the Apostle, going to meet death and the heavenly glorification connected with it. The main theme of the first part of the letter is the idea of ​​the need for Timothy to endure suffering together with Christ and Paul and the faithful witnesses (2 Tim. 1:3, 2:14a). The second part paints before us the image of Timothy as a teacher of Christians. In particular, in the first part, Timothy is called upon to maintain trust in the Apostle and hope in his own strength while performing the ministry entrusted to him (2 Tim. 1:3-7), not to be ashamed of the testimony of Christ and take the example of his teacher Paul (2 Tim. 1:8-12), to preserve the beautiful treasure entrusted to him (2 Tim. 1:13-14), to beware of the bad example of Figel and Hermogenes ( 2 Timothy 1:15) and imitate the courageous sufferer Onesiphorus (2 Timothy 1:16–18) and, finally, convey the saving truth to faithful disciples who would be able to teach it to others, without particularly caring about earthly things, suffering with Christ in order to be glorified with Him, like other Christian believers (2 Timothy 2:2–14). Then, in the second part, the Apostle teaches Timothy how he should behave towards the false teachers of his time; he should not enter into petty arguments with them, but speak on the very essence of the issue and, moreover, quietly, calmly (2 Tim. 2:14-26). Further, the Apostle speaks about the false teachers who have come forward: in disputes with those, Timothy should have as his main guide the Holy Scripture, which he studied from infancy (2 Tim. 3:1-17). Finally, the Apostle calls on Timothy to remember the second coming of the Lord as the coming of the Judge of the world and the upcoming departure from this life of the Apostle himself (2 Tim. 4:1–8). The message consists of an invitation addressed to Timothy to quickly come to Paul - before the onset of winter - and various messages and instructions (2 Tim. 4:9-22). Taking into account the fact that the events mentioned in the pastoral epistles cannot in any way be attributed to the time covered by the book of the Acts of the Apostles, which ends with the depiction of the Apostle Paul’s stay in bonds in Rome (the first bonds), and also paying attention to the data regarding the lives of the Apostle Paul, Timothy and Titus, available in the epistles to the Philippians and Philemon, as well as the evidence of church tradition, it is necessary to assume that that the pastoral letters were written after the release of the Apostle Paul from his first bonds. The second epistle to Timothy was undoubtedly written shortly before the martyrdom of the Apostle Paul, and both other pastoral epistles preceded him. The origin of these messages can be presented in this form. Two years of the first Roman imprisonment of the Apostle Paul were ending. He intended first of all, upon his release, to visit the churches he founded in the east (spring of 63). In all likelihood, the Apostle fulfilled his intention, and during the Roman fire (July 18–24, 64) and the persecution of Roman Christians that began after it, Paul was no longer in Rome. He was in a hurry to visit the eastern churches and passing through Fr. Crete left Titus as bishop there. At this time, he wrote the first letter to Timothy in Ephesus, and then soon a letter to Titus on Fr. Crete. The second letter to Timothy, as can be seen from the fact that the circumstances of the Apostle had changed greatly - he was again in bonds in Rome and awaiting death - was written shortly before the death of the Apostle in Rome (at the end of the 67th year). It is not possible to more accurately determine the time of origin of the pastoral letters. From the patristic interpretations of the pastoral epistles, the following are known: Ephraim the Syrian (translated from Armenian into Latin in 1893), John Chrysostom's 18 conversations, Theodore of Mopsuet, Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Ambrosiastes, Blessed. Jerome (on the last to Titus). Among the newest Western interpretations, the following deserve attention: B. Weiss (in Meyer's Commentary 1903), Belser (Catholic 1907), Ramsay (in English 1909) and Wohlenberg (in Zahn's Commentary 2nd ed. 1911). There are few Russian works on the pastoral epistles. These are: A. Klitina. The authenticity of the messages of St. Apostle Paul to Timothy and Titus. Critical-isagogical experience. Kyiv 1887 – P. Polyansky. 1st Epistle of St. Apostle Paul to Timothy. Experience of historical and exegetical research. Sergiev Posad 1897. - Bishop Feofan. Interpretation of the Pastoral Epistles of St. Apostle Paul. – Pastoral Epistle or – dogmatic and moral reflections on the second letter of the Apostle Paul to Timothy (translated from French). Kyiv 1874. – Trinity. Epistles of St. Apostle Paul to Timothy and Titus. Kazan 1884. You might be interested in: