1-2 Timothy, Titus

97 2 Timothy 1 A Letter from “Father” to “Son” Reading through the Second Letter to Timothy, we encounter an emotion-laden text that depicts a warm, longstanding, and quasi-familial relationship between the older Paul and the younger Timothy. The letter says that it was written by Paul1 during his imprisonment in Rome (2 Tim 1:14-17), and, by reminiscing about Paul’s experiences (1:15-18; 3:10-11; 4:10-14, 16, 19-21), the author suggests that the apostle is nearing the end of his life (1:12; 2:10-11; 4:6-8). Thus, the numerous commands given to Timothy convey the notion that “Paul” is writing one last set of reminders to his approved successor before he dies. This letter falls into the category of “testamentary” literature—writing that expresses a person’s last and best hopes and wishes for his family —which is found in both ancient and modern cultures. From the ancient world we have Jewish apocryphal works like the Testaments of the Three Patriarchs, of Job, and of the Twelve Patriarchs, that were perhaps inspired by the blessings given by Jacob to his sons in Gen 49. The American novel Gilead by Marilynne Robinson2 is written as a letter 1. See my comments on the pseudonymous nature of the Pastorals in the introduction (pp. xlv–xlvii) and in 1 Tim 1 (pp. 1–3). 2. Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004). 98 1–2 Timothy, Titus from an ailing seventy-six-year-old pastor who believes he will not live long enough to pass on his life story and his wisdom to his seven-yearold son. In a powerful letter-memoir, Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates writes an impassioned and challenging letter to his teenage son about America’s long racial history, seeking to answer “the question of how one should live within a black body” within this country.3 Second Timothy exhibits the personal tone and urgent instructions common to this kind of writing. Yet this letter is not simply a private communication between the two men who were known to have worked together for decades. It was written and subsequently included in the New Testament canon because of its usefulness in at least three areas. First, believers have found the letter’s instructions applicable to their own faithful lives; there are several references to “we” and “us” (2 Tim 1:7, 9, 14; 2:11-13) that recognize the presence of a community—more than just the single recipient Timothy. That the author was reaching out beyond Timothy in order to address a broader audience is confirmed by the very last Greek word in the letter, ὑμῶν, a second-person plural “you all” (4:22). Second, the letter’s message authenticates the church supervisory functions of Timothy and all those men who, like him, continued to follow the true teachings and moral customs of Paul. The impassioned pleas of the near-death apostle emphasize his close relationship to Timothy , and through him to all other successors, so that the letter stands as one of the first pieces of explicit evidence that supports the church practice known as apostolic succession. This epistolary authorization of male leaders in the early church resulted in unjust restrictions on women’s leadership roles, prohibitions that continue in many domestic and ecclesiastical arenas today. Finally, this letter appears to be the “last word” of Paul, which makes it a very important document for the many communities founded and written to by that apostle. If we knew the author’s original arrangement of the three Pastoral Letters, we would have some idea as to the order in which he intended for them to be read. However, as Paul’s supposed “last word,” 2 Timothy already carries a great deal of authority as a teaching text. When the author adopted the form of a “last word,” he 3. Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me (New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2015), 12. [3.21.76.0] Project MUSE (2024-04-26 10:38 GMT) 2 Timothy 1 99 ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 1 Paul, an apostle...