Page 469 - Demo

 TIMOTHY -
The Mystery of Our Religion.* 14I am writing you about these 15
matters, although I hope to visit you soon. But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.e 16Undeniably great is the mystery of devotion,
Who* was manifested in the esh, vindicated in the spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed to the Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.f
away from the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and demonic instructionsa 2through the hypocrisy of liars with branded consciences. 3They forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.b 4For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected when received with thanksgiving,c 5for it is made holy by the invocation of God in prayer.*
Counsel to Timothy. 6* If you will give these instructions to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teaching you have followed. 7Avoid profane and silly myths. Train yourself for devotion,d 8for, while physical training is of limited value, devotion is valuable in every respect, since it holds a promise of life both for the present and for the future.e 9This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance.f 10For
False Asceticism.
4*
1Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the last times some will turn
The Sermon
on the Mount, by Gustave Doré (1866)
3:1
Paul describes two kinds of leadership—that of bishops, which literally means “overseer,” and that of deacons, which means “servant.” We are not sure of the exact function of these di erent ministers in the early Church. In these early times, the hierarchical Church that we know today was just beginning to emerge, with di erent ministers carrying out di erent tasks and responsibilities.
3:11
The context here suggests that women as well as men served as deacons in the early Church.
CHAPTER 3
e. [3:15] Eph 2:19–22.
f. [3:16] Jn 1:14; Rom 1:3–4.
CHAPTER 4
a. [4:1] 2 Tm 3:1; 4:3; 2 Pt 3:3; Jude 18.
b. [4:3] Gn 9:3; Rom 14:6;
1 Cor 10:30–31.
c. [4:4] Gn 1:31; Acts 10:15.
d. [4:7] 1:4; 2 Tm 2:16; Ti 1:14.
e. [4:8] 6:6.
f. [4:9] 1:15; 2 Tm 2:11; Ti 3:8.
4:4
All the things God has created for food are good, “and nothing to be rejected when received with thanksgiving.” Do we give thanks for the food we eat? “Bless us, O Lord,
and these your gifts,
which we are about to receive from your bounty.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen”. (A traditional grace
before a meal)
* [3:14–16] In case there is some delay in the visit to Timothy at Ephesus planned for the near future, the present letter is being sent on ahead to arm and enlighten him in his task of preserving sound Christian conduct in the Ephesian church. The care he must exercise over this community is required by the profound nature of Christianity. It centers in Christ, appearing in human esh, vindicated by the holy Spirit; the mystery of his person was revealed to the angels, announced to the Gentiles, and accepted by them in faith. He himself was taken up (through his resurrection and ascension) to the divine glory (1 Tm 3:16). This passage apparently includes part of a liturgical hymn used among the Christian communities in and around Ephesus. It consists of three couplets in typical Hebrew balance: esh-spirit (contrast), seen-proclaimed (complementary), world-glory (contrast).
* [3:16] Who: the reference is to Christ, who is himself “the mystery of our devotion.” Some predominantly Western manuscripts read “which,” harmonizing the gender of the pronoun with that of the
Greek word for mystery; many later (eighth/ninth century on), predominantly Byzantine manuscripts read “God,” possibly for theological reasons.
* [4:1–5] Doctrinal deviations from the true Christian message within the church have been prophesied, though the origin of the prophecy is not speci ed (1 Tm 4:1–2); cf. Acts 20:29–30. The letter warns against a false asceticism that prohibits marriage and regards certain foods as forbidden, though they are part of God’s good creation (1 Tm 4:3).
* [4:5] The invocation of God in prayer: literally, “the word of God and petition.” The use of “word of God” without an article in Greek suggests that it refers to the name of God being invoked in blessing rather than to the “word of God” proclaimed to the community.
* [4:6–10] Timothy is urged to be faithful, both in his teaching and in his own life, as he looks only to God for salvation.
* [4:10] Struggle: other manuscripts and patristic witnesses read “su er reproach.”
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