Page 474 - Demo

The Second Letter to Timothy is an a ectionate address to a young bishop still new to his ministry.
1:5 Timothy’s faith has been handed on to him by his mother and grandmother, who were obviously well known to Paul. Who handed on the faith to you? A parent or relative? Or a faith- lled pastor like Paul or Timothy?
1:13 “Take as your norm.... In the Nicene Creed, we profess our faith in “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. We take as our norm the words of the Apostles in the Scriptures and in the unbroken tradition they handed on.
Paul threatened by Jews in Jerusalem, by Gustave Doré (1866).
 TIMOTHY 
I. ADDRESS
1Greeting.*
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of Goda for the promise
*2
of life in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my dear child: grace, mercy, and
peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thanksgiving. 3b I am grateful to God, whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,* as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day. 4* I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears, so that I may be lled with joy, 5as I recall your sincere faith that rst lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and that I am con dent lives also in you.c
II. EXHORTATIONS TO TIMOTHY
The Gifts Timothy Has Received. 6For this reason, I remind you to stir into ame the gift of God* that you have through the imposition of my hands.d 7For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.e 8So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,* nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.f
9* He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,g 10but now made manifest through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,h 11* for which I was appointed preacher and apostlei and teacher. 12* On this account I am su ering these things; but I am not ashamed,j for I know him in whom I have believed and am con dent that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day. 13Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.k 14Guard this rich trust with the help of the holy Spirit that dwells within us.l
Paul’s Su ering. 15* m You know that everyone in Asia deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16* May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorusn because he often gave me new heart and was not ashamed of my chains. 17But when he came to Rome, he promptly searched for me and found me. 18May the Lord grant him to nd mercy from the Lord* on that day. And you know very well the services he rendered in Ephesus.o
* [1:1–2] For the formula of address and greeting, see note on Rom 1:1–7.
* [1:1] The promise of life in Christ Jesus: that God grants through union
with Christ in faith and love; cf. Col 3:4; 1 Tm 4:8.
* [1:3] As my ancestors did: this emphasizes the continuity of Judaism
and Christianity; for a similar view, see Rom 9:3–5; Phil 3:4–6.
* [1:4–5] Purportedly written from prison in Rome (2 Tm 1:8, 17; 4:6–8) shortly before the writer’s death, the letter recalls the earlier sorrowful parting from Timothy, commending him for his faith and expressing the
longing to see him again.
* [1:6] The gift of God: the grace resulting from the conferral of an
ecclesiastical o ce. The imposition of my hands: see note on 1 Tm 4:14.
* [1:8] Do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord: i.e., of
preaching and su ering for the sake of the gospel.
* [1:9–10] Redemption from sin and the call to holiness of life are not won
by personal deeds but are freely and graciously bestowed according to
God’s eternal plan; cf. Eph 1:4.
* [1:11] Teacher: the overwhelming majority of manuscripts and Fathers
read “teacher of the nations,” undoubtedly a harmonization with 1 Tm 2:7.
* [1:12] He is able to guard. . .until that day: the intervening words can also be translated “what I have entrusted to him” (i.e., the fruit of his ministry) as well as “what has been entrusted to me” (i.e., the faith). The same di cult term occurs in 2 Tm 1:14, where it is modi ed by the adjective “rich” and used without a possessive.
* [1:15] Keen disappointment is expressed, here and later (2 Tm 4:16), that the Christians of the province of Asia, especially Phygelus and Hermogenes, should have abandoned the writer and done nothing to defend his case in court.
* [1:16–18] The family of Onesiphorus because he. . .of my chains: Onesiphorus seems to have died before this letter was written. His family is mentioned twice (here and in 2 Tm 4:19), though it was Onesiphorus himself who was helpful to Paul in prison and rendered much service to the community of Ephesus. Because the apostle complains of abandonment by all in Asia during his second imprisonment and trial, the assistance of Onesiphorus seems to have been given to Paul during his rst Roman imprisonment (A.D. 61–63).
* [1:18] Lord. . .Lord: the rst “Lord” here seems to refer to Christ, the second “Lord” to the Father.
462
a. [1:1] 1 Tm 4:8.
b. [1:3] 1 Tm 3:9 / Phil 3:5.
c. [1:5] 1 Tm 1:5 / Acts 16:1.
d. [1:6] 1 Tm 4:14; 5:22 / Acts 6:6; 8:17.
e. [1:7] Rom 5:5; 8:15; 1 Cor 2:4.
f. [1:8] 2:3, 15; Rom 1:16.
g. [1:9] Eph 2:8–9; Ti 3:5 / Eph 1:4; Ti 1:2. h. [1:10] Rom 16:26; 1 Pt 1:20 / 1 Tm 6:14 /
Phil 3:20; Ti 1:4; 2:13; 2 Pt 1:11 /
1 Cor 15:54–55; Heb 2:14 / 1 Cor 15:53–54. i. [1:11] 1 Tm 2:7.
j. [1:12] 1 Pt 4:16 / 1 Tm 1:10–11.
k. [1:13] 1 Tm 1:14.
l. [1:14] 1 Tm 6:20 / Rom 8:11. m. [1:15] 4:16.
n. [1:16] 4:19.
o. [1:18] Jude 21.