1 Timothy

Composition

The first book of Timothy is one of three short letters or epistles in the New Testament that have been called the Pastoral Letters since the late eighteenth century. They are also known as the “Letters of Paul to Timothy” and the “Epistles of Saint Paul the Apostle to Timothy.” The letters to Timothy are the fifteenth and sixteenth books of the New Testament.

The epistles are addressed to pastors or leaders of the young Christian Church rather than to congregations, as other New Testament letters are. Authorship has traditionally been assigned to Paul, the apostle and a leader of the church. They are structured as though written by Paul and were said to have been written while Paul was a prisoner in Rome. The first two Pastoral Letters are addressed to a young man named Timothy. His father was said to have been a Gentile, a Greek, while his mother, Eunice, was Jewish. She ensured her son understood the scriptures. Eunice and her mother, Lois, converted to Christianity before Paul’s visit to Lystra, Asia Minor. Timothy then accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys. Timothy served as Paul’s scribe. He was dispensed on missions many times and represented Paul at Corinth and Philippi when the elder man was in prison. The third letter is addressed to another young man, Titus, whose parents likewise had become Christians.

Scholars disagree on the authorship of the Pastoral Letters. The second letter to Timothy is generally attributed to Paul, but the authorship of the others is disputed. Some believe they were written by Paul, while others attribute them to his followers. Evidence against Paul as author includes the style and vocabulary the writer used; it is significantly unlike earlier letters attributed to Paul. The three letters do not include theological ideas he typically used. Some researchers believe a later writer included portions of letters written by Paul in the Pastoral Letters. This source material is believed to be lost. Furthermore, the letters assume the existence of clerical hierarchy in the church that had not been established in Paul’s lifetime. Scholars who view the epistles as written by one or more others in the Pauline tradition, or deutero-Pauline, date them to between 80 and 100 CE.

Christianity emerged within Judaism as a movement in the first century CE. After the death of Jesus, several factions among his followers jostled for dominance. Some believed Jesus’s message was meant only for Jews, so tension arose when some Christians preached to Gentiles. Some early leaders enforced Jewish customs including circumcision and observation of the Sabbath. Paul was raised a Pharisee, a form of Judaism that embraced newer teachings such as resurrection, and persecuted early Christians. He was well acquainted with scripture and had memorized all or much of the Hebrew Bible. Following his conversion, Paul’s mission work primarily was among Gentiles. The Pauline faction did not require Gentiles to convert to Judaism to join the Christian Church and thus was at odds with many leaders, notably James and other disciples of Jesus. His letters, and those epistles attributed to him, offer insight into his mission in the early church, while the Pastoral Letters provide information about his legacy. Attributing the Pastoral Letters to Paul may have been a means of lending them greater authority.

Summary

The author of the First Letter of Paul to Timothy indicates he is writing from Macedonia to Timothy, who is administrator or bishop of the Christian community in Ephesus, a Greek port city in modern-day Turkey. Paul previously visited Ephesus and helped establish the church by winning converts. Timothy here is addressed as Paul’s child of the faith.

The writer reinforces the qualities required of clergy, notably bishops and deacons. Timothy is to lead an unreproachable life and ensure his clergy and congregation do as well. The types of worship practices that are acceptable and unacceptable are described.

The letter addresses false teachings in the city and instructs Timothy to quash it. It offers suggestions for Timothy in his relationship with community elders and presbyters, or bishops. The letter addresses charitable work of the church, including rules for assisting widows.

The letter goes on to discuss the liturgy and how to choose men to serve as bishops and deacons. Bishops (3:1–7) must not practice polygamy, must not drink excessively, and should be welcoming. They should not be greedy or argumentative. Deacons (3:8–11) likewise should not drink or be greedy and should model moral behavior. Furthermore, they also should have one wife, who is honest, sober, and faithful.

The writer dismisses laws that false teachers seek to enforce. The author rejects claims that the faithful should not marry or eat certain foods, notably meats. The author discusses enslaved persons and their enslavers. The letter addresses how the wealthy members of the community are expected to aid others and the church. The writer advises that Timothy not be cowed because he is youthful and inexperienced and should rely upon the grace of God. He should relate to the elder men of the church as to a father and the older women as to a mother, to the younger men and women as brothers and sisters.

The writer goes on to offer thanks that Christ chose him for the ministry and lists his faults before his conversion. He persecuted Christians but was forgiven and chosen to share the message of Jesus. Timothy is instructed to remember Christ’s message in leading the community. The writer expresses hope that he will soon be able to travel to Ephesus to see Timothy.

The letter advises people to rely on the riches God provides rather than material wealth. By living morally and glorifying God, Christians will attain salvation.

Finally, the author commands Timothy to continue his works and protect the Christian community that has been entrusted to his care. The writer offers him blessings. The letter concludes, “Grace be with thee. Amen.”

Themes

The main theme of the First Epistle to Timothy is about sound teaching. It addresses what sound teaching is, how to identify false teaching, and how to deal with those preaching falsehoods. Of particular concern in the early church was Gnosticism, which gained strength with some Jews and Christians in the late first century CE. The Gnostics believed that a lesser divinity created and ruled the world. They taught that Christ was sent by the being, the demiurge, to bring understanding and save the human spirit and that he was neither fully human nor fully divine. The epistle author warns that any who claim Jesus was not human are spreading false teachings. The writer warns that false teachers are full of pride, unlike Christ, who humbled himself by being born human and dying. False teachers are prone to building up conflict and controversies, while false doctrine teaches rebellion. False teachers are not motivated to tell the truth; their interest is in personally profiting in some way. Such gains may be material goods such as money or property but may also be understood as status. Timothy 1 warns believers to watch for such motives as a way to identify false teachers.

Another theme is what makes a good church leader and the responsibilities of leaders. Closely related is the issue of how Christians should conduct themselves. These concerns are about both living a godly life and presenting Christianity to the world in the proper light through moral living. The writer, for example, exhorts women to dress in modest clothing, and not decorate their persons with gold and pearls; instead, godly women are adorned with good works. This is not just an admonition against women, because the text also warns about vanity being one trait of the false teachers and exhorts Timothy to be careful not to choose bishops who are prideful. Vanity and pride are at odds with godliness, which charges Christians to be selfless, charitable, and humble.

First Timothy 6:10 contains a line frequently paraphrased: “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” Money itself is neither good nor evil, but greed of riches controls one’s actions. Greed is the source of temptation and often motivates people to sin or break the law. Love of wealth is at odds with Christian living, because the true wealth is life in God’s grace. The text offers the stark reminder that all come into the world with nothing and will leave the world with nothing, so ultimately material gain does not matter. Understanding this lesson allows Christians to live in contentment.

Bibliography

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Fiore, Benjamin. The Pastoral Epistles: First Timothy, Second Timothy, Titus. Liturgical Press, 2007. Print.

Kroonenberg, P.M. “Stylometry: Authorship of the Pauline Epistles.” Multivariate Humanities: Quantitative Methods in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Springer, 2021. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-69150-9‗6. Accessed 28 Apr. 2022.

Roberts, Daniel Wayne. The Pastoral Epistles and the New Perspective on Paul. Wipf & Stock, 2021. Print.

“Timothy.” US Conference of Catholic Bishops, bible.usccb.org/bible/1timothy/0. Accessed 28 Apr. 2022.

Van Nes, Jermo. “The Pastoral Epistles: Common Themes, Individual Compositions? An Introduction to the Quest for the Origin(s) of the Letters to Timothy and Titus.” Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters, vol. 9, no. 1–2, 2019, pp. 6–29. DOI: 10.5325/jstudpaullett.9.1-2.0006. Accessed 27 Apr. 2022.