9Let a widow be put on the list if she is not less than sixty years old and has been married only once;c 10she must be well attested for her good works, as one who has brought up children, shown hospitality, washed the saints’ feet, helped the afflicted, and devoted herself to doing good in every way. 11But refuse to put younger widows on the list; for when their sensual desires alienate them from Christ, they want to marry, 12and so they incur condemnation for having violated their first pledge. 13Besides that, they learn to be idle, gadding about from house to house; and they are not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not say. 14So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, and manage their households, so as to give the adversary no occasion to revile us. 15For some have already turned away to follow Satan. 16If any believing womand has relatives who are really widows, let her assist them; let the church not be burdened, so that it can assist those who are real widows.
17Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor,e especially those who labor in preaching and teaching; 18for the scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves to be paid.” 19Never accept any accusation against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 20As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest also may stand in fear. 21In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels, I warn you to keep these instructions without prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality. 22Do not ordainf anyone hastily, and do not participate in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.
23No longer drink only water, but take a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.
24The sins of some people are conspicuous and precede them to judgment, while the sins of others follow them there. 25So also good works are conspicuous; and even when they are not, they cannot remain hidden.
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a Or an elder, or a presbyter
b Gk she
c Gk the wife of one husband
d Other ancient authorities read believing man or woman; others, believing man
e Or compensation
f Gk Do not lay hands on
5.1–6.2 Commonplace advice relating to age groups opens a series of more specific instructions concerning other groups within the congregation: widows (5.3–16), elders (5.17–22), and slaves (6.1–2); see also Titus 2.2–10.
5.3 Honor probably implies financial support; see vv. 16, 17–18; Acts 6.1. Concern for real widows pervades the text (see vv. 5, 16), but see note on 5.9. There is a long tradition of support for widows; see, e.g., Ex 22.22; Deut 24.17–22; Isa 1.17; Acts 6.1–6; 9.36–42.
5.9 It is debated whether the widows on the list are identical with the real widows or constitute a separate group, an office within the church; cf., e.g., the requirements for widows (vv. 9–10) with those for bishops (3.2–4). If it is an office, the women’s duties are difficult to discern in this passage.
5.10 The author wishes to associate the widows with proper female activities. Washed the saints’ feet, a gesture demonstrating humility and hospitality; see Gen 18.4; 1 Sam 25.41; Lk 7.44; Jn 13.1–17.
5.11–12 The pledge the widows took was to Christ. Since they would break it if they were to marry, it was also a pledge to celibacy. The false teachers promoted a similar ideal (4.3).
5.13 Gadding about may be the author’s view of pastoral visits (if “the widows” constitute an office; see note on 5.9).
5.14 Roman marriage laws promoted bearing children (cf. 2.15; 4.3). Domestic roles for women (like managing their households) are also emphasized in 2.15; 5.10; Titus 2.4–5. The adversary, lit. “the one opposed [to us],” probably refers to hostile outsiders; see Introduction.
5.15 Follow Satan, probably following the false teachers (see 4.1).
5.16 The Greek text does not refer to having relatives who are widows, but simply to “having widows.” The author seems to have in mind the situation of a relatively wealthy woman supporting several widows, perhaps in her home (see, e.g., Acts 9.39).
5.17 Elders. See note on 3.1. Double honor. See note on 5.3.
5.18 The Gospels are regarded here as scripture alongside the OT. The first text quoted is Deut 25.4; the second is Lk 10.7.
5.22 Ordain, lit. lay hands on (see text note c). The laying on of hands is a rite that transmits the Spirit and the Spirit’s gifts (see 4.14; 2 Tim 1.6; Acts 8.17; 19.6). Here it may signify ordination (see also Acts 6.6; 13.3) or restitution after repentance.
5.23 Take a little wine reflects the author’s message of moderation. The false teachers insisted on abstinence (4.3).
1 Timothy 6
1Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be blasphemed. 2Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful to them on the ground that they are members of the church;a rather they must serve them all the more, since those who benefit by their service are believers and beloved.b
False Teaching and True Riches
Teach and urge these duties. 3Whoever teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness, 4is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words. From these come envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, 5and wrangling among those who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.c 6Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; 7for we brought nothing into the world, so thatd we can take nothing out of it; 8but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
The Good Fight of Faith
11But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you madee the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
17As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, 19thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.
Personal Instructions and Benediction
20Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the profane chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge; 21by professing it some have missed the mark as regards the faith.
Grace be with you.f
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a Gk are brothers
b Or since they are believers and beloved, who devote themselves to good deeds
c Other ancient authorities add Withdraw yourself from such people
d Other ancient authorities read world—it is certain that
e Gk confessed
f The Greek word for you here is plural; in other ancient authorities it is singular. Other ancient authorities add Amen
6.1–2 This advice on the relati
onship of slaves to masters was a standard piece of early Christian exhortation; see Eph 6.5–9; Col 3.22–4.1; Titus 2.9–10; 1 Pet 2.18–21; cf. 1 Cor 7.21–24.
6.1 Here honor has no financial significance; cf. 5.3, 17. God will be blasphemed when outsiders use the behavior of Christian slaves to defame the church; see note on 3.7.
6.3–16 The final contrast between false (vv. 3–5) and legitimate (vv. 11–15) leadership.
6.3 Sound words. See note on 1.10. Godliness. See note on 2.2.
6.6 The gain from godliness is described in 4.8.
6.9 Ruin and destruction, a reference to eschatological judgment; see 1 Thess 5.3; 2 Thess 1.9.
6.10 The love of money…evil, a common maxim in popular Hellenistic philosophy.
6.11 The title man of God (translated “everyone who belongs to God” in 2 Tim 3.17) appears frequently in the OT to designate someone with a special commission from God; see Deut 33.1; 1 Sam 9.6–10; 1 Kings 17.18; 2 Kings 4.7; Neh 12.24. Here it refers to the ordained church leader.
6.12 The good fight. See note on 1.18. The good confession was made at baptism or, more probably, ordination (see 2 Tim 2.2).
6.13–16 The formal style and language suggest that this section was a liturgical fragment.
6.13 The content of Jesus’ good confession is not stressed; see, e.g., Mt 27.11; Jn 18.33–37.
6.14 Manifestation (Greek epiphaneia), often used in Greco-Roman religions for the appearance of a god or savior, is applied frequently in these Letters to Christ. Here it refers to Jesus’ future coming (also in 2 Tim 4.8; Titus 2.13). A related verb is used to refer to his birth in 3.16; 2 Tim 1.10.
6.17–19 A more negative view of the rich is given in vv. 7–10; see also Lk 12.16–21; Jas 1.10.
6.20–21 The final charge to Timothy.
6.20 What has been entrusted to you, i.e., the apostolic traditions summarized in these Letters; see 1.18; 2 Tim 1.14. Falsely called knowledge (Greek gnosis), a final reference to false teachers; see note on 2.4.
The Second Letter of Paul to TIMOTHY
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THE SECOND LETTER TO TIMOTHY differs in significant ways from both 1 Timothy and Titus. According to the latter two, Paul was a free apostle, but 2 Timothy assumes that he is in prison (1.8; 2.9), probably in Rome (1.16–17; cf. Acts 28.16), abandoned by all but a few of his friends (4.9–16) and facing imminent death (4.6–8). The Letter thus assumes many aspects of a final testament, a thoroughly pseudepigraphical genre in which a dying patriarch exhorts and blesses a faithful child, warning him of problems to come (see, e.g., 3.1–5; 4.1–5; cf. Acts 20.17–35; see also 2 Peter). Concern for church order is thus less important in this Letter than are personal exhortations. In particular, the example of Paul’s faithful endurance in the face of suffering is used to encourage Timothy—and through him all Christians—to similar endurance.
The many personal elements in the Letter (e.g., 1.15–18; 4.10–16) are viewed by some interpreters as authentic fragments of (lost) Pauline letters, but they could equally well have been crafted to lend pathos and concreteness to the Letter’s warnings and exhortations. For a further discussion of the Letter’s authorship, date, and purpose, see the Introduction to 1 Timothy. [JOUETTE M. BASSLER]
2 Timothy 1
Salutation
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
2To Timothy, my beloved child:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thanksgiving and Encouragement
3I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 6For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; 7for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
8Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, 9who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher,a 12and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him.b 13Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
15You are aware that all who are in Asia have turned away from me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain; 17when he arrived in Rome, he eagerlyc searched for me and found me 18—may the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! And you know very well how much service he rendered in Ephesus.
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a Other ancient authorities add of the Gentiles
b Or what has been entrusted to me
c Or promptly
1.1–2 The brief salutation is very similar to that of 1 Timothy.
1.1 The promise of life (see also 1 Tim 4.8) opens a Letter that focuses on Paul’s impending death (see 4.6–8).
1.3–5 Like many of the Pauline Letters, 2 Timothy begins with a statement of gratitude or thanksgiving.
1.3 The reference to Paul’s ancestors suggests the antiquity of the Christian religion. The Romans were suspicious of new cults but held ancient religions in high esteem.
1.5 According to Acts 16.1, Timothy’s mother was a believer; the reference to Lois pushes this matrilineal line of faith back another generation. See also 3.15.
1.6–14 A series of exhortations to strengthen Timothy in the face of afflictions.
1.6 On the gift of God and laying on of…hands, see 1 Tim 4.14. Here the emphasis is on Paul’s personal role in this event.
1.7 Self-discipline, one of the four cardinal virtues of Stoic philosophy. Various forms of the word (translated “decent,” “prudent,” or “temperate”) appear frequently in the exhortations of these Letters; see, e.g., Titus 1.8; 2.5, 6.
1.8 Timothy might be ashamed of the disgrace associated with imprisonment (see 2.9). The author returns several times to this theme (see vv. 12, 16; 2.15). On suffering for the gospel, see 1 Cor 4.9–13; 2 Cor 4.7–12; Phil 1.27–30.
1.9–10 A liturgical fragment conveying a strong sense of election summarizes the gospel (see v. 11).
1.9 That salvation is not according to our works (see also Titus 3.5) resembles Paul’s assertions. Paul, however, speaks of justification, not salvation, and of works of the law, not simply works; see Rom 3.28; Gal 2.16; cf. Eph 2.8–9.
1.10 Appearing. See note on 1 Tim 6.14. Savior. See 1 Tim 1.1. Abolished death, i.e., abolished the power of death. See Rom 8.38–39; 1 Cor 15.54–55.
1.12 That day (see also v. 18), the day of judgment; see 4.8. What I have entrusted to him. The reading in text note b, what has been entrusted to me, is better; see v. 14; 1 Tim 6.20. The reference is to the apostolic teaching, regarded as a deposit that must be guarded against corruption.
1.13 Sound teaching. See 1 Tim 1.10.
1.15–18 Contrasting examples of cowardice and strength.
1.15 Asia, a Roman province in Asia Minor. All…turned away. The motif of abandonment is strong in 2 Timothy; see 4.10, 16. Phygelus and Hermogenes. Opponents and friends are frequent
ly named in this Letter (see 2.17; 4.10–15); these two men are not otherwise known.
1.16 Onesiphorus. See 4.19.
2 Timothy 2
A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus
1You then, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; 2and what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well. 3Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier’s aim is to please the enlisting officer. 5And in the case of an athlete, no one is crowned without competing according to the rules. 6It is the farmer who does the work who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in all things.
8Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel, 9for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. 10Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 11The saying is sure:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
12if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
13if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.
A Worker Approved by God
14Remind them of this, and warn them before Goda that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. 15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth. 16Avoid profane chatter, for it will lead people into more and more impiety, 17and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18who have swerved from the truth by claiming that the resurrection has already taken place. They are upsetting the faith of some. 19But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness.”
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