First letter to Timothy

Guard the deposit

The first letter to Timothy forms with the second letter to Timothy and with the one of Titus a group of letters called “pastoral”, due to the fact that one of their main themes is Church organization and its ministries. The differences in vocabulary, a more refined Greek language compared to the other Pauline letters, the presence of a well-defined «deposit» of the Faith to guard against the heresies (see 1Tim 6,20; 2Tim 1,12.14) together with a community that is already structured with specific ministries make some scholars think that they are late writings (beginning of II century AD) by one of Paul’s disciples. To save the similarities with the other Pauline texts, those scholars suggest an origin of the pastoral letters from some short notes that the apostle actually sent, then collected and ordered by that final editor. The recipient Christian communities are Ephesus for 1 and 2Timothy (see 1Tim 1,3; 2Tim 4,12.19: you can compare them with 2Tim 1,16-18 for «Onesiphorus» and with Acts 18,24-26 for «Prisca and Aquila») and Crete for Titus (see Titus 1,5).



Timothy is a young Christian, son of a Hebrew mother and a Greek father, whom Paul probably converted during his first missionary journey (see Acts 14 and the preaching in Lystra) and took with him as mission partner from the second one (see Acts 16,1-3). The apostle decides to have him circumcised even if Timothy passed to the new Faith, a quite surprising fact compared to what we read in the last posts; maybe he does so to confirm his belonging to the Hebrew people (which was traditionally passed down by the mother), preventing any possible criticism by the Jews to whom they would announce the Gospel together. Timothy’s collaboration with Paul is broad and it is mentioned in many of his letters; in particular he becomes the head of the Ephesian community. The conferment of his “charisma”, the spiritual gift that qualifies him for the ministry, happens by the laying on of the hands of Paul and «of the presbyters [the elders]» (see 2Tim 1,6; 1Tim 4,14).
Let us see more in detail some of the Church ministries that are reported in the first letter to Timothy. «The bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching; not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money; one who rules his own house well, having children in subjection with all reverence; (but if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the Church of God?) not a new convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the snare of the devil. Deacons, in the same way, must be reverent, not double-tongued, not devoted to a lot of wine, not greedy for money; holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. Let them also first be tested; then let them serve if they are blameless. Women in the same way must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For those who have served well gain for themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus» (1Tim 3,2-13). “Bishops” (“epískopoi”: a word used in the Greek culture to mean officers with supervision tasks) are literally the community “overseers”, wise and morally unblemished Christians who lead it and watch over it in Paul’s absence; that role, in the first Church, perfectly overlaps the one of “elders” or “presbyters” (present in the Hebrew society since Moses’ times: see e.g. Exod 17,5): in Acts 20,17.28 the two words are interchangeable. The fact that «the bishop» must not be «a new convert», but instead «good at teaching» and that «he must have good testimony from those who are outside» (the non-Christians: to prevent any criticism on the new Faith that was spreading) underlines his position of great responsibility and visibility in the Church. “Deacon” means instead “servant”: among the “services” given by that person we can suppose charity to the poor ones of the Church and evangelization (compare Acts 6,1-6 with the requirements we have just presented: deacons must not be «double-tongued», or dishonest due to money greediness). Both ministers can be married, but «husbands of one wife»: that clarification maybe refers to the polygamous practices that at the time were permitted among the Jews and to the Gentiles’ concubinage, or to the prohibition of a second marriage after the first wife died. In both interpretations we find the inner intention to choose persons with a balanced affectivity, capable of temperance in a society where passions are unruly, and whose family is a virtuous model. In the verses about deacons are cited even «women»: it means that this ministry was accessible to them (do you remember Phoebe of Cenchreae?). In today’s Church instead bishop, priest (presbyter) and deacon are the three Holy Orders: the bishop leads a local Church (diocese), helped by the other two ministers, subordinate to him. The priest celebrates the Eucharist and the other sacraments in the parish, apart from Confirmation and Holy Orders; the deacon can only celebrate Baptism and Matrimony, with preaching and charity to the poor people. We have to wait until the end of the I century AD (see the letters of the Father of the Church Ignatius of Antioch) to start finding a situation that is like today’s one, with the community direction commended to only one bishop. From the IV century AD the Western Church began the way that lead to the norm to have only bachelor presbyters and bishops (see Paul VI, Sacerdotalis caelibatus, n. 36); permanent diaconate (not only a stage before priesthood) and feminine diaconate got lost along the centuries (see International Theological Commission, From the Diakonia of Christ to the Diakonia of the Apostles, chapter III): only the first of the two was resumed by the second Vatican Council (chapter V). The matter of feminine bishops and presbyters was always out of question in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches (see Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, declaration Inter insigniores, chapter 1).
I leave to your personal reading the minister of the Christian «widows» (1Tim 5,3-16), which is not present in today’s Church; I conclude with one Paul’s exhortation that is very current even in our society: if Christians want a better politics, that permits the spread of the Gospel of salvation, they must pray for their governors. «I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings, be made for all men: for kings and all who are in high places; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; who desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth» (1Tim 2,1-4).
In the next post we will examine the second letter to Timothy and the one of Titus.