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Paul - The Books Of Timothy The First Of Timothy Place Written: Macedonia Writing Completed: c 61-64 C.E. Luke's account of Paul's life in the book of Acts ends with Paul in Rome awaiting the outcome of his appeal to Caesar. Paul is shown as dwelling in his own hired house, preaching the Kingdom of God to all who came to him, and doing so "with the greatest freeness of speech, without hindrance." (Acts 28:30+31) But in his second letter to Timothy, Paul writes: "I am suffering evil to the point of prison bonds as an evildoer," and he speaks of his death as imminent. (2Tim. 2:9; 4:6-8 ) What a change! In the first instance, he was treated as an honourable prisoner, in the second, as a felon. What had happened between the time of Luke's comment on Paul's situation in 61C.E., at the end of two years in Rome, and Paul's own writing of his condition to Timothy, which appears to have been written shortly before his death? The difficulty of fitting the writing of Paul's letters to Timothy and Tutus into the period covered by the book of Acts has led some Bible commentators to the conclusion that Paul was successful in his appeal to Caesar and was released about 61C.E. Says The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible: "The closing verse of The Acts accords better with this view (that Paul was released after two years' confinement) than with the supposition that the imprisonment which has been described ended in the apostle's condemnation and death. Luke emphasizes the fact that no one hindered his work, thus certainly giving the impression that the end of his activity was not near." It is, then, to the period between his release from his first imprisonment in Rome and his final imprisonment there, or about 61-64C.E. , that the writing of 1Timothy belongs. On his release from prison, Paul evidently resumed his missionary activity in association with Timothy and Titus. Whether Paul ever reached Spain, as some suppose, is not certain. Clement of Rome wrote (c. 95C.E.) that Paul came "to the extreme limit of the West)," which could have included Spain. (The Ante-Nicene Father, Vol. 1, pg.6, "The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians." chap. V.) From where did Paul write his first letter to Timothy? 1Timothy 1:3 indicates that Paul arranged for Timothy to attend to certain congregational matters in Ephesus while he himself went his way to Macedonia. From here, it appears, he wrote the letter back to Timothy in Ephesus. The two letters to Timothy have been accepted from the earliest times as written by Paul and as being part of the inspired Scriptures. The early Christian writers, including Polycarp, Ignatius and Clement of Rome, all agree on this, and the letters are included in the catalogues of the first few centuries as Paul's writings. One authority writes: "There are few New Testament writings which have stronger attestation....Objections to authenticity must therefore be regarded as modern innovations contrary to the strong evidence from the early church." (New Bible Dictionary, second edition, 1986, edited by J.D. Douglas, pg. 1203) Paul wrote this first letter to Timothy to set out clearly certain organizational procedures in the congregation. There was also a need for him to warn Timothy to be on guard against false teachings and to strengthen the brothers to resist such 'false knowledge.' (1Tim. 6:20) The commercial city of Ephesus would also provide the temptations of materialism and "love of money," and so it would be timely to give some advice on this also. (1Tim. 6:10) Timothy certainly had a fine background of experience and training to be used for this work. He was born of a Greek father and a God-fearing Jewish mother. It is not known exactly when timothy had his first contact with Christianity. When Paul visited Lystra on his second missionary tour, likely in late 49C.E. or early 50C.E., Timothy (perhaps in his late teens or early 20's) was already 'well reported on by the brothers in Lystra and Iconium." So Paul arranged for Timothy to travel with Silas and himself. (Acts 6:1-3) Timothy is mentioned by name in 11 of Paul's 14 letters as well as in the book of Acts. Paul always took fatherly interest in him and on several occasions assigned him to visit and serve different congregations - an evidence Timothy had done good work in the missionary field and was qualified to handle weighty responsibilities. (1Tim. 1:2; 5:23; 1Thess. 3:2; Phil. 2:19) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Second Of Timothy Place Written:Rome Writing Completed: c. 65 C.E. Once again Paul was a prisoner in Rome. However, the circumstances of this second imprisonment were much more severe than those of the first. It was approximately 65C.E. A great fire had swept through Rome in July 64C.E., causing extensive damage in 10 of the city's 14 regions. According to the Roman historian Tacitus, Emperor Nero was unable to "banish the sinister belief that the conflagration was the result of an order. Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace.....An immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired. Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle....There arose a feeling of compassion. for it was not as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man's cruelty, that they were being destroyed." (The Complete Works of Tacitus, 1942, edited by Moses Hadas, pg. 380-1) It was likely about the time of this wave of violent persecution that Paul again found himself a prisoner in Rome. This time he was in chains. He did not expect to be released but awaited only final judgement and execution. Visitors were few. Indeed, for anyone to identify himself openly as a Christian was to run the risk of arrest and death by torture. Hence Paul could write appreciatively concerning his visitor from Ephesus: "May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often brought me refreshment, and he did not become ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he happened to be in Rome, he diligently looked for me and found me." (2Tim. 1:16+17) Writing under the shadow of death, Paul styles himself "an apostle of Christ Jesus through God's will according to the promise of the life that is in union with Christ Jesus." (2Thes. 1:1) Paul knew that life in union with Christ waited him. He had preached in many of the chief cities of the known world, from Jerusalem to Rome, and perhaps even as far as Spain. (Romans 15:24, 28 ) He had run the course faithfully to the finish. (2Tim. 4:6-8 ) The letter was probably written about 65C.E., immediately prior to Paul's martyrdom. Timothy was probably still at Ephesus, for Paul had encouraged him to stay there. (1Tim. 1:3) Now, twice Paul urges Timothy to come to him quickly, and he asks him to bring Mark with him, and also the cloak and scrolls that Paul left at Troas. (2Tim. 4:9, 11, 13, 21) Written at so critical a time, this letter contained powerful encouragement for Timothy, and it has continued to provide beneficial encouragement for true Christians in all ages since. The book of Second Timothy is authentic and canonical for the reasons already discussed under First Timothy. It was recognized and used by early writers and commentators, including Polycarp in the 2nd century C.E. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Such bravery shown by the early Christians.....it is extremely hard to imagine.....except for the stories of the persecution of the Bible Students during the holocaust we would have very little 'real' understanding of the strength of faith shown by the early Christians during that devastating period in Christian history. Love Katidid. |
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