|| The Orthodox Faith (Dogma) || Family and Youth || Sermons || Bible Study || Devotional || Spirituals || Fasts & Feasts || Coptics || Religious Education || Monasticism || Seasons || Missiology || Ethics || Ecumenical Relations || Church Music || Pentecost || Miscellaneous || Saints || Church History || Pope Shenouda || Patrology || Canon Law || Lent || Pastoral Theology || Father Matta || Bibles || Iconography || Liturgics || Orthodox Biblical topics || Orthodox articles || St Chrysostom ||
INTRODUCTION TO
THE SECOND LETTER OF SAINT PAUL
TO TIMOTHY
Author This letter claims to be authored by the Apostle Paul (1:1), as do the other Pastoral Epistles, 1 Timothy and Titus (1 Tim 1:1; Tit 1:1). Orthodox Christianity accepted this claim from earliest times, and it was not until the nineteenth century that the apostolic authorship of these letters was seriously questioned. This modern surge of skepticism has gained ground ever since and continues to dominate the thinking of many biblical scholars today. Nevertheless, there are still those who insist that Paul himself is the author of all three Pastoral Epistles. Consideration of the internal evidence of these letters, balanced with the external testimony of tradition, supports their Pauline origin with a reasonable degree of certainty. For details, see introduction to 1 Timothy: Author.
Date Fixing a date for 2 Timothy must account for the historical circumstances described in the letter, namely, Paul's imprisonment (1:8) in the metropolis of Rome (1:17), along with his realization that death is imminent (4:6). The NT mentions one Roman imprisonment from A.D. 60 to 62, but it says nothing about what happened to Paul after this two-year detainment (Acts 28:16). Early tradition extends the story by claiming that Paul was released after this first imprisonment but was incarcerated again in Rome a few years later and martyred under Emperor Nero around A.D. 67 (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2, 22). Scholars who accept the historicity of this second incarceration often view it as the context in which 2 Timothy was written, and this is most likely correct. Other defenders of Pauline authorship date 2 Timothy to the time of his first Roman imprisonment as recorded in the Book of Acts, presuming it ended with his execution rather than his release. Scholarship that attributes the letter to an unknown author writing in Paul's name usually dates the letter soon after the apostle's death (the late 60s) or near the end of the first century (in the 80s or 90s).
Purpose Paul writes this letter to encourage his younger colleague Timothy and to summon him to Rome. At this point, Timothy is still in Ephesus, where Paul has stationed him to help reform the local Church (1 Tim 1:3). Since problems once facing this congregation have steadily worsened, the apostle urges Timothy to fulfill his teaching mission with all the zeal and endurance he can muster (2 Tim 2:1-3; 4:2-5). Youthful and reserved by nature, Timothy must now be manly and strong in the grace of God (1:7; 2:1). Paul himself is learning that loyalty is a rare commodity in times of distress. In fact, the earliest persecution of Christians in Rome (beginning in ca. A.D. 64) is so fierce that many of his companions have deserted him outright (1:15; 4:10-11). Abandoned and on trial for his life, the aged apostle wants a trusted companion like Timothy at his side (4:9, 21).
Themes and Characteristics In many ways, 2 Timothy reads like a last will and testament. It is a moving account of how Paul, like a runner crossing the finish line, has reached the end of his apostolic career, with only the crown of martyrdom awaiting him (4:6-8). Young Timothy, instructed by the apostle for more than 15 years, is now asked to take up the mantle of his mentor and continue his ministry of preaching. With death at his doorstep, Paul hurriedly sends a letter filled with fatherly wisdom and warnings to prepare Timothy for the struggles ahead.
Of particular concern for Paul is the transmission of sound doctrine (1:13-14; 4:2-3). The apostle assures Timothy that he will have to contend with new and novel teachings that spread confusion and erode the faith of otherwise strong believers. Timothy's mission is to guard the gospel (1:14) and to continue in earnest the responsible work of an evangelist (2:2; 4:2-3). The Ephesian congregation under Timothy's care has already faced controversies and quarrels (1 Tim 1:3-7), and the spread of falsehood has taken its toll on certain housewives (2 Tim 3:6-7) and others whom Paul mentions by name (2:17-18). So, too, as Christian persecutions begin to intensify and spread more widely in the Empire, Timothy is assured that suffering is inevitable for an outspoken defender of truth (2:3; 3:12). Nevertheless, Paul urges Timothy to find courage in the apostle's own endurance (3:10-14) and in the inspired Scriptures he has known since childhood (3:15-17). The time will come when Timothy, too, must pass the torch to others who will teach and defend the gospel for future generations (2:2).
In all of this, Paul gives a sense of what is most important in Christian ministry. The truth of the gospel was for him a sacred gift entrusted to the apostles and their successors by the Holy Spirit (1: 14). It is therefore not to be tampered with or falsified by those whose ears cannot endure what is contrary to their personal liking (4:3). Paul himself has defended the Lord for years in the face of persecution (3:11) and is now ready to give his life for him who has empowered him to preach the Christian message (4:6, 17). «
|| The Orthodox Faith (Dogma) || Family and Youth || Sermons || Bible Study || Devotional || Spirituals || Fasts & Feasts || Coptics || Religious Education || Monasticism || Seasons || Missiology || Ethics || Ecumenical Relations || Church Music || Pentecost || Miscellaneous || Saints || Church History || Pope Shenouda || Patrology || Canon Law || Lent || Pastoral Theology || Father Matta || Bibles || Iconography || Liturgics || Orthodox Biblical topics || Orthodox articles || St Chrysostom ||
|| Bible Study || Biblical topics || Bibles || Orthodox Bible Study || Coptic Bible Study || King James Version || New King James Version || Scripture Nuggets || Index of the Parables and Metaphors of Jesus || Index of the Miracles of Jesus || Index of Doctrines || Index of Charts || Index of Maps || Index of Topical Essays || Index of Word Studies || Colored Maps || Index of Biblical names Notes || Old Testament activities for Sunday School kids || New Testament activities for Sunday School kids || Bible Illustrations || Bible short notes|| Pope Shenouda || Father Matta || Bishop Mattaous || Fr. Tadros Malaty || Bishop Moussa || Bishop Alexander || Habib Gerguis || Bishop Angealos || Metropolitan Bishoy ||
|| Prayer of the First Hour || Third Hour || Sixth Hour || Ninth Hour || Vespers (Eleventh Hour) || Compline (Twelfth Hour) || The First Watch of the midnight prayers || The Second Watch of the midnight prayers || The Third Watch of the midnight prayers || The Prayer of the Veil || Various Prayers from the Agbia || Synaxarium