In Chapter 2, was Paul writing ex cathedra about the role of women in the church?  Or do we have, rather, some professional tips to one of his bishops about how to deal with disorder in his church – “What I do, Timothy, is not to let the women be teachers of the men…. And I tell them not to speak in church…..” Paul does not speak here as one with authority – compare “in the presence of God I charge you” in Chapter 6.

In Chapter 5, Paul has some complicated instructions about how to treat widows.  Commentators have surmised that there was some kind of formal arrangement, whereby those on the “Widows’ List” were financially supported by the church.  Paul thinks such payments should be restricted to the older, respected, widows in the church, and not made to young widowed women on the lookout for replacement husbands.

Again, there are instructions about the qualifications for elders , and in Chapter 6, instructions to slaves to carry out their duties responsibly.

Finally, Paul warns against the temptation of pursuing esoteric “knowledge” – gnosis – which may damage the faith.

 

We returned to I Timothy on Easter Day, April 12, for a closer look.

Chapter 1: Paul and Timothy

Paul's opponents teach the (Jewish) law, and are also obsessed with "myths and genaologies". This corresponds with no organized group that we know of, and may have been peculiar to Ephesus.

We were puzzled by Paul's reference to "slavetraders" (Ch 1:10 NIV) in his list of evil people whom the law exists to regulate. As we saw with the letter to Philemon, Paul seemed to have no particular objection to slavery as an institution. the word -- andrapodistes -- does not occur elsewhere in the NT, and seems to mean something like "menstealers". John cited the case of those in the US Civil War who captured ex-slaves to return them to slavery, and suggested the rendering "kidnappers".

Did Paul excommunicate Hymnenaeus and Alexander, and how can "delivering them to satan" teach them not to blaspheme? We shall meet Hymenaeus, at least, again in II Timothy.

 

Chapter 2: Worship and Order

Paul calls for prayers for those in authority, which seems to indicate that the letter was written either before the Neronian persecutions or much later.

We read Paul's strictures against particularly flamboyant female dress, and noted that some commentators have suggested this was to avoid the customs of some mystery cults, such as that of Cybele, who used distinctive headdress.

How can women be saved "by chidbirth"? Ronal Knox suggested that the reference was to the curse on Womanhood, which was redeemed by the bearing of the Christ Child by the archtypal Woman, the Virgin Mary.

Chapter 3: Discipline

The technical term in verse 1 - episkopos -- is translated as "bishop" in the KJV, and "overseer" in NIV. "Overseer" appeals to those who see I Timothy as written in an early stage of church development, and "bishop" to those who see the letter as written in the Second Century,when church organization had reached a more formal stage.

Cerainly the writer's emphasis on the married state of church officials contrasts with Paul's early letters, where marriage is seen as irrelevant in view of the imminence of the Second Coming.

We spent most of the class looking at arguments for detecting pseudepigraphy, in particular whether some of Paul’s letters were written by another author. Indicators of pseudepigraphy may be: 1. Change of vocabulary (e.g. Ephesians uses 116 words not found in the “un-disputed” letters) 2. Change in theology – e.g. {in Romans Paul attacks the idea that the resurrection has already come – in Colossians he assumes that it has) 3. Expressions change of meaning , e.g. Paul’s use of apparently Gnostic terminology in Colossians. 4. Discrepancies with Acts – e.g. Timothy’s movements as recounted in I Timothy compare with Acts 5. Anachronism – 1 Timothy seems to assume a fixed structure of bishops and deacons, which did not occur until later 6. Change of style All of these can be challenged. One counter argument is that the experts at the Council of Nicea, speaking the same language, and much closer in culture to the 1st century church, had no difficulty on approving the letters of Paul as authentic.   more »