Louis Berkhof
The First Epistle to TimothyCONTENTSThe first Epistle to Timothy may be divided into four parts: I. Introduction, 1:1-20. The apostle begins by reminding Timothy that he had been left at Ephesus to counteract prevalent heresies, 1-10. He directs the attention of his spiritual son to the Gospel contradicted by these errors, thanks the Lord that he was made a minister of it, and charges Timothy to act in accordance with that Gospel, 11-20. II. General Regulations for Church Life, 2: 1—4: 5. Here we find first of all directions for public intercession and for the behavior of men and women in the meetings of the church, 2:1-15. These are followed by an explicit statement of the qualities that are necessary in bishops and deacons, 3:1-13. The expressed purpose of these directions is, to promote the good order of the church, the pillar and ground of the truth, essentially revealed in Christ, from which the false brethren were departing, 3:14—A: 5. III. Personal Advice to Timothy, 4: 6—6: 2. Here the apostle speaks of Timothys behavior towards the false teachers, 4: 6-11; of the way in which he should regard and discharge his ministerial duties, 12-16; and of the attitude he ought to assume towards the individual members of the church, especially towards the widows, the elders and the slaves, 5: 1—6: 2. IV. Conclusion, 6: 3-21. The apostle now makes another attack on the heretical teachers, 3—10; and exhorts Timothy to be true to his calling and to avoid all erroneous teachings, giving him special directions with respect to the rich, 11-21. CHARACTERISTICS1. This letter is one of the Pastoral Epistles of Paul, which are so called, because they were written to persons engaged in pastoral work and contain many directions for pastoral duties. They were sent, not to churches, but to office-bearers, instructing them how to behave in the house of God. It is evident, however, that, with the possible exception of II Timothy, they were not intended exclusively for the persons to whom they were addressed, but also for the churches in which these labored. Cf. as far as this Epistle is concerned, 4:6, 11; 5:7; 6:17. 2. From the preceding it follows that this letter is not doctrinal but practical. We find no further objective development of the truth here, but clear directions as to its practical application, especially in view of divergent tendencies. The truth developed in previous Epistles is here represented as the “sound doctrine” that must be the standard of life and action, as “the faith” that should be kept, and as “a faithful word worthy of all acceptation.” ‘rhe emphasis clearly falls on the ethical requirements of the truth. 3. The letter emphasizes, as no other Epistle does, the external organization of the church. The apostle feels that the end of his life is fast approaching, and therefore deems it necessary to give more detailed instruction regarding the office-bearers in the church, in order that, when he is gone, his youthful co-laborers and the church itself may know how its affairs should be regulated. Of the office-bearers the apostle mentions the ἐπίσκος and the πρεσβύτεροι, which are evidently identical, the first name indicating their work, and the second emphasizing their age; the διάκονοι, the γυνᾶικες, if 3 :11 refers to deaconesses, which is very probable (so Ellicott, Alford, White in Exp. Gk. Test.) and the χήραι, ch. 5, though it is doubtful, whether these were indeed office-bearers. 4. Regarding the style of the Pastoral Epistles
in general Huther remarks: “In the other Pauline Epistles the
fulness of the apostles thoughts struggle with the expression,
and cause peculiar difficulties in exposition. The thoughts
slide into one another, and are so intertwined in many forms
that not seldom the new thought begins before a correct
expression has been given of the thought that preceded. Of this
confusion there is no example in the Pastoral Epistles. Even in
such passages as come nearest to this confused style, such as
the beginning of the first and second Epistles of Timothy ( THE PERSON TO WHOM THE EPISTLE WAS WRITTENPaul addresses this letter to “Timothy my own
son in the faith,” 1: 2. We find the first mention of Timothy in From The character of Timothy is clearly marked in
Scripture. His readiness to leave his home and to submit to the
rite of circumcision reveal his self-denial and earnestness of
purpose. This is all the more striking, since he was very
affectionate, COMPOSITION1.
Occasion and
Purpose. This letter was occasioned by Paul’s necessary
departure from Ephesus for Macedonia, 1: 3, the apprehension
that he might be absent longer than he at first expected, 3:14,
15, and the painful consciousness that insidkus errors were
threatening the Ephesian church. Since Timothy was acquainted
with these heresies, the apostle refers to them only in general
terms which convey no very definite idea as to their real
character. The persons who propagated them were prominent
members of the church, possibly even office-bearers, 1: 6, 7,
20; 3:1-12; 5:19-25. Their heresy was primarily of a Jewish
character, 1: 7, and probably resulted from an exaggeration of
the demands of the law, a mistaken application of Christian
ideas and a smattering of Oriental speculation. They claimed to
be teachers of the law, 1: 7, laid great stress on myths and
genealogies, 1:4; 4: 7, prided themselves like the rabbis on the
possession of special knowledge, 6: 20, and, perhaps assuming
that matter was evil or at least the seat of evil, they
propagated a false asceticism, prohibiting marriage and
requiring abstenence from certain foods, 4: 3, and taught that
the resurrection was already past, most likely recognizing only
a spiritual resurrection, In connection with the situation described the purpose of Paul was twofold. In the first place he desired to encourage Timothy. This brother, being young and of a timid disposition, needed very much the cheering word of the apostle. And in the second place it was his aim to direct Timothy’s warfare against the false doctrines that were disseminated in the church. Possibly it was also to prevent the havoc which these might work, if they who taught them were allowed in office, that he places such emphasis on the careful choice of office-bearers, and on the necessity of censuring them, should they go wrong. 2. Time and Place. The Epistle shows that Paul had left Ephesus for Macedonia with the intention of returning soon. And it was because he anticipated some delay that he wrote this letter to Timothy. Hence we may be sure that it was written from some place in Macedonia. But the time when the apostle wrote this letter
is not so easily determined. On what occasion did Paul quit
Ephesus for Macedonia, leaving Timothy behind? Not after his
first visit to Ephesus, CANONICAL SIGNIFICANCEThere was not the slightest doubt in the ancient church as to the canonicity of this Epistle. XVe find allusions more or less clear to its language in Clement of Rome, Polycarp, Ilegesippus, Athenagoras and Theophilus. It was contained in the old Latin and Syriac Versions and referred to Paul by the Muratorian Fragment. Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian quote it by name, and Eusebius reckons it among the generally accepted canonical writings. The great abiding value of the Epistle is found in the fact that it teaches the Church of all generations, how one, especially an office-bearer, should behave in the house of God, holding the faith, guarding his precious trust against the inroads of false doctrines, combating the evil that is found in the Lords heritage, and maintaining good order in church life. “It witnesses,” says Lock (Hastings D. B. Art. I Timothy) “that a highly ethical and spiritual conception of religion is consistent with and is safeguarded by careful regulations about worship, ritual and organized ministry. There is no opposition between the outward and the inward, between the spirit and the organized body.”.
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