First Epistle to Timothy

Introduction

The First Epistle to Timothy is one of the three Pastoral Epistles, originally attributed to Saint Paul and part of the New Testament. Timothy occupied a position of considerable influence and authority in Ephesus (modern day Turkey), and was reportedly much loved by Paul, who was his mentor.

In this letter, Timothy is carefully instructed by Paul on how to carry out his duties, such as conducting various forms of worship, the organization of the church, dealing with false teachings, the treatment of women in the church, the encouragement of members not to lose their faith, and the various responsibilities of bishops and deacons.

While biblical literalists hold to the traditional view that Paul is the author of 1 Timothy, a more modern view is that the letter as it now stands was not written by Paul, but many years after his death to help the emerging Catholic church solidfy its power and authority.

Timothy in history and tradition

Whom ever the real author is, it is nonetheless true that the relationship between Paul and Timothy is one of mentorship. Timothy is first mentioned in Acts 16:1. His mother Eunice, a Jew, and his grandmother, Lois, are mentioned in 2 Tim. 1:5. His father was a Greek. Timothy first met Paul during Paul's second visit to Lystra (2 Timothy 3:11; 2 Timothy 16:2), where it seems he was converted during Paul's first visit there. Paul, having been impressed by his "own son in the faith," made Timothy his companion (Acts 16:3), and main mentor in Christian leadership. Once he was ordained (1 Tim 4:14) Paul and Timothy did missionary journeys together, in Phrygia, Galatia, Mysia, Troa, Philippi, Berea (Acts 17:14) Athens, Thessalonica (Acts 17:15; 1 Thessalonians 3:2) as well as Corinth, Macedonia, Ephesus and greater Asia. Timothy was also noted for coming to Paul’s aid when Paul was put into prison (Philippians 1:1, 2 Timothy 4:13).

It is note worthy that despite not being required to be circumcised, because of a ruling by the Jerusalem council (see Acts 15), Timothy decided to be circumcised by Paul, according to Acts 16:3. Since Timothy had a Jewish mother (his father was Greek), he was Jewish under Jewish law (Halakha). In Acts 16:3 Paul says that he circumcised Timohty "because of the Jews in those places" (referring to the various places that Timothy & Paul were ministering). Paul's motivation is probably best expressed in 1 Cor 9:20 and 1 Cor. 9:23 where Paul writes: "To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews; to those under the law I became as one under the law—though not being myself under the law—that I might win those under the law. ... I did it all for the sake of the gospel".

Timothy is praised by Paul for his knowledge of the scriptures. According to a later tradition, Paul ordained Timothy as Bishop of Ephesus in the year 65, where he served for 15 years. He died trying to halt a pagan procession of idols, ceremonies and songs when angry pagans beat and dragged him through the streets and then stoned him to death.

In Eastern Christianity, Timothy [(Greek language]: Τιμόθεος; Timótheos which means "honoring God") is known as a 1st century Christian bishop who died about AD 80. Saint Timotheos, as he is called, is venerated as a saint and martyr by the Eastern Orthodox Church, and one of the Seventy Disciples by the Greek Orthodox Church.

Authorship and date

In the early days of Christianity, the author of 1 Timothy was considered to be Paul. Paul’s name, as the author, is cited in the text and for that reason—plus its theological orthodoxy—the early church fathers counted this letter along with the other 13 canonical Pauline Epistles as "undisputed".

However, many modern scholars, beginning in the nineteenth century, have concluded that Paul could not have been the author. There are several reasons. More than one third of the letter's vocabulary does not appear in any of the other Pauline epistles and more than one fifth of the vocabulary does not appear anywhere else in the New Testament. However, two thirds of this non-Pauline vocabulary was indeed used by other second century Christian writers. Also, such terms as "elders," "deacons," and "overseer" (bishop) refer to a church structure not yet in place during the lifetime of Paul.

New Testament scholar Richard Heard states: "The evidence of teaching as of style and vocabulary is strongly against Paul’s authorship, nor are these arguments seriously weakened by any supposition that the epistles were written late in Paul’s lifetime and to meet a new type of situation."

Scholar Robert Grant, meanwhile, notes parallels to the early church father Polycarp of Smyrna and suggests that he, rather than Paul, might be the author of 1 Timothy . I. Howard Marshall also believes that Polycarp wrote 1 Timothy, placing its composition some time in the first half of the second century CE.. This would place the date for the epistle sometime around 140 C.E.

Scholars who accept the epistle's authenticity believe it was most likely written toward the end of Paul's ministry, c. 62-67 C.E.

Purpose

The traditional view upholds Paul as the author of 1 Timothy, and that Paul wrote this particular letter to encourage Timothy to take on his own ministry. Now that Timothy is pastoring the Ephesus Church, Paul wants to encourage him to continue his good works and take over from Paul, who had started the church at Ephesus. (Acts 19:10; 20:31). It is apparent that Paul is pleased that Timothy, his former student and travel companion, who has risen up in the ranks of church leadership.

Some modern scholars have argued that the real purpose of 1 Timothy was to help the emerging Catholic church deal with many challenges to its authority and core beliefs, including the authority of bishops within the church. These scholars argue that apostle Paul did not write 1 Timothy.

Key themes

There a several key themes in I Timothy:

False Teachings

The false teaching referred to in Paul's letter is referred to as "other teaching" (1:3) “godless myths and old-wives tales” (1 Timothy 4:7), "meaningless talk" (1:6) "blasphemous teaching" (6:3), and "myths and endless genealogies," (which is not defined) (1 Timothy 1:4). The false teaching is thought of as certain ascetic practices, including abstinence from marriage and certain foods. The teachers of these false teachings were “teachers of the Law” (1 Timothy 1:7), that advocated adoption of Jewish dietary laws, which had a tendency to provoke arguments and dissension in the church (1 Timothy 1:3; 6:3-5). Paul gives to Timothy a warning not to let heresy and false doctrine take hold.

The Proper Role For Women

Paul also instructs Timothy about Christian women. He encourages women not to preoccupied with external beauty, such as braded hair, gold, pearls, or costly attire, but to be more conerned with internal qualities such as good deeds (I Timothy 8-10). He wants women to dress moderately, to learn in quietness and submission, not to teach or have authority over men (1 Cor. 8:11-12).

The Treatment of Other Church Members

The treatment of widows, elders, masters, youth, and church members are spelled out. Timothy is instructed on the principles pertaining to his relationship with the older members of the community (1 Tim 5:1-2) and with the presbyters (church leaders)(1 Timothy 5, 17-22). Rules are given for aid to widows (1 Tim 5:3-8 & 1 Tim 5:9-16) and the relationship between slaves and masters (1 Tim 6:1-2), the obligations of the wealthier members of the community (1 Tim 6:17-19). This letter also reminds Timothy of the prophetic character of his office (1 Tim 1:12-20) and encourages him to exercise it correctly (1 Tim 4:6-16).

Money is the Root of All Evil

The 'love of money as a root of all evil' verse (1 Timothy 6:10) is in direct response to the prevalent conflict in the early church over false doctrine and teachers. Paul is warning Timothy to guard against Christian leaders whose desire for money had influenced sound church doctrine. Paul argues against these teachers and their "false doctrines", "who are conceited", "have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels," and "who think that godliness is a means to financial gain" (6:3-5). These false teachers were trying to profit from their heretical teachings, which lead people away from the church. The desiring to get rich caused many church leaders and members to fall into temptation (6:9),leading Paul to conclude that the "love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" (6:10). The money problem Paul is speaking about started with 'Christian' teachers, and their desire for profit.

Paul saw firsthand how the desire of money influenced teachers and led to dangerous false doctrines. He also wrote about this in 2 Corinthians 11:7. Paul boasts that he preaches "free of charge" (11:7) and is "not a burden to anyone" (11:9).

Treatment of Widows

1 Timothy states that the Church must take care of widows if they have no family and are over 60 years old, provided someone has attested to her good deeds (1 Timothy 5:9-10).

Taking Care of One's Family

Men are instructed to take care of their relatives, especially their own family members (1 Timothy 5:8).

Key Words & Phrases

Key words and phrases in this book include; “fight the good fight” (1 Timothy 6.12), “this is a faithful saying” (1 Timothy 1:15,2:11), ” "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Timothy 6:10) "let no one despise your youth” 1 Timothy 4:12), "trust not in worldly riches" (1 Timothy 6:17-11), "for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus". (1 Timothy 2:5).

The Last Years of Timothy's Life

According to a later tradition, Timothy tried to halt a pagan procession of idols, ceremonies and songs. In response to his preaching of the Gospel, the pagans beat him, dragged him through the streets and stoned him to death. In the 4th century, his relics were transferred to the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople

Significance

If one accepts the traditional view that 1 Timothy was written by Paul, then this letter lays a foundation for various doctrines and practices dealing with the ordaining of elders and other church leaders (1 Timothy 3:1-7, 1 Cor. 3:8-13), the treatment of women, a warning against the teaching of false doctrines, and the doctrine not to let the desire for money corrupt church leaders. In essence,1 Timothy has became a leadership manual for church organization and administration as well as a manual on Church doctrine, Church leadership, and Church administration.

If once accepts the more dominant view that 1 Timothy was not written by Paul, then it must be interpreted within a different context. Some have argued that it was written to help the emerging Catholic church deal with teachings that it considered inimical to its own interests and to help the emrging church set up a hierarchial structure.

Paul's view on the role of women in the church has also become a hotly debated issue, especially if 1 Timothy was written by someone other than Paul. No matter who wrote it, it has been used by the Catholic church to prohibt women priests and for women assuming the roles of Presbyter, Elder, and Deacon. Many Protestant churches, however,now embrace the ordination of women.

External links

• First Timothy texts and resources
• http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/1timothy.html

Preceded by: 2 Thessalonians

Books of the Bible

Succeeded by: 2 Timothy

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

• First Epistle to Timothy  ^history

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• History of "First Epistle to Timothy"

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See also

• Timotheus

External links

• Apostle Timothy at Orthodoxwiki
• [http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/bible/1timothy/intro.htm/Timothy
• [http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/bible/index.htm

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

• First Epistle to Timothy  ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

• History of "First Epistle to Timothy"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.

• [http://www.jesuswalk.com/ephesians/0_intro.htm Introduction to Paul's Letter to the Ephesians
• http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/1timothy.html