1 Timothy 1-2
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 1
Salutation[a]
Address. 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior[b] and Christ Jesus our hope, 2 to Timothy, my loyal child in the faith: grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Timothy, Champion of the Truth[c]
On Holding Fast to Sound Doctrine. When I was setting out for Macedonia,[d] I urged you to stay on in Ephesus to instruct certain people that they are not to teach erroneous doctrines 4 and not to concern themselves with myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies and do not produce godly edification in faith.5 The aim of this instruction is love that derives from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. 6 Some people have departed from these and turned to empty speculation, 7 desiring to be teachers of the Law; but they understand neither the words they are using nor the matters about which they make such confident assertions.
Purpose of the Law. 8 We are well aware that the Law is good, provided that one uses it properly, 9 recognizing that laws are not designed for the upright. They are for the lawless and insubordinate, for the godless and sinful, for the unholy and irreligious; they are for those who slay their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 for those who are fornicators, sodomites,[e] slave traders, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching 11 that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which has been entrusted to me.
12 Called To Preach the Gospel. I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord who has given me strength, because he judged me trustworthy and appointed me to his service, 13 even though in the past I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man. However, I have been treated with mercy because I had acted out of ignorance and unbelief. 14 As a result, the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and the love that are in Christ Jesus.
15 This saying can be trusted and merits complete acceptance:[f] Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I myself am the greatest of these. 16 But for that very reason I was treated mercifully, so that in me Jesus Christ might exhibit his inexhaustible patience, making me an example for those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God,[g] be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
18 Never Falsify the Gospel. To you, Timothy, my child, I am giving these instructions in accordance with those prophecies once made about you,[h] so that by following them you may fight the good fight 19 with faith and a good conscience. Some people have spurned their conscience and destroyed their faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus[i] and Alexander whom I have handed over to Satan so that they may learn not to blaspheme.
Qualities of Public Worship and Church Leaders[j]
Chapter 2
Prayer for Those in Authority.[k] 1 I urge then, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, 2 for kings and for all those who hold positions of authority, so that we may be able to lead a tranquil and quiet life with all possible devotion and dignity. 3 To do so is right and acceptable to God our Savior, 4 who desires everyone to be saved and to come to full knowledge of the truth.
5 [l]For there is one God,
and there is one mediator between God and man,
Christ Jesus, himself a man,
6 who gave himself as a ransom for all.
This was the testimony he offered at the appointed time. 7 And I was made a herald and an apostle of it (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Positions at Public Worship.[m] 8 I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up their hands reverently in prayer without anger or argument. 9 I also ask that the women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing. They should be adorned not with braided hair or with gold or pearls or expensive clothes,[n] 10 but with good works, as is fitting for women who profess their reverence for God.
11 Women are to learn in silence with complete submission. 12 I do not allow a woman to teach or to hold authority over a man. She should keep silent. 13 For Adam was formed first, and Eve afterward. 14 Furthermore, Adam was not deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and fell into sin. 15 However, women will be saved through the bearing of children, provided that they continue to persevere in faith, love, and holiness, marked by modesty.
Footnotes
- 1 Timothy 1:1 The majority of Paul’s Letters were sent to Churches, but four were addressed to individuals: Timothy (two Letters), Titus, and Philemon. Titus and Timothy were not apostles but evangelists (see 2 Tim 4:5). Timothy (whose father was Greek and his mother a Jewish Christian) had been converted by Paul’s preaching (see Acts 16:1-3) and so was Paul’s “loyal child in the faith.”
- 1 Timothy 1:1 Savior: this title, given to both the Father and Jesus, is characteristic of the later Letters of Paul, perhaps in reaction to the pagan environment in which the gods were “saviors” and the emperor was worshiped as a god. Jesus our hope is one of Paul’s finest descriptions.
- 1 Timothy 1:3 In writing to the Colossians, Paul had already denounced the infatuation with hazardous theories that characterized some Christians of Jewish origins in the region of Ephesus. Once again, fanciful theologies, hollow ideas, and obscure mythologies are being given free rein in Ephesus. Some converts from Judaism—who are familiar with the new Greek mythological currents as well as the play of Biblical genealogies—give themselves up to speculations without end or purpose, and they abandon the essence of faith and love.
3
They claim to be teachers of the Law, but they preach nonsense. Hence, they must be reminded that the Law is primarily a discipline of life rather than an object of speculation (see Rom 7:12-16; Gal 3:19); above all, the importance of a sane doctrine that fixes one’s thoughts and guides one’s life must be inculcated in them. In the midst of an anarchic agitation, Christians must always come back to the profound meaning of the Gospel, exemplified by Paul’s life and vocation. - 1 Timothy 1:3 When I was setting out for Macedonia: an event not mentioned in Acts; hence, it probably occurred after Acts 28 between Paul’s first and second Roman imprisonment. He had founded the Church at Ephesus on the Third Missionary Journey some eight years earlier (see Acts 19:1—20:1).
- 1 Timothy 1:10 Sodomites: adult males who have relations with boy prostitutes. The latter are also known as catamites after the Latin name (Catamitus) of Ganymede, the cupbearer of the gods in Greek mythology. See also Rom 1:26f and 1 Cor 6:9. Slave traders: literally, “dealers in men,” who included slaves but also men destined to be thrown into the arena or to serve unmentionable vices.
- 1 Timothy 1:15 This saying can be trusted and merits complete acceptance: a formula that corresponds to the Aramaic expression in the Gospels: “Amen, I say to you.” It is found only in the Pastoral Letters—here and in four other places: 1 Tim 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim 2:11; Tit 3:8. (In the first, third, and fourth of these it is abbreviated.)
- 1 Timothy 1:17 Immortal, invisible, the only God: here again Paul gives the true God titles used in pagan worship; see vv. 1 and 11.
- 1 Timothy 1:18 Prophecies . . . about you: Timothy received his investiture as an apostle in the presence of prophets, that is, charismatic individuals who had the gift of guiding the faithful along their way to God or of calling men to the missionary apostolate (see 1 Cor 12:28-29; Acts 13:1-3; Eph 3:5).
Fight the good fight: the Christian life is one long struggle against (1) Satan (see 2 Cor 2:11; Eph 6:11-12); (2) the flesh (see Rom 7:23; Gal 5:17; 1 Pet 2:11); (3) the world (see Jn 16:33; 1 Jn 5:4f); and (4) death (see 1 Cor 15:26; Heb 2:14f). Christians are called upon to be filled with faith and to use the armaments of faith (see Eph 6:14-18), and to be vigilant (see 1 Pet 5:8). Through Christ, they will attain the final victory with its eternal rewards (see Rom 16:20; 2 Tim 4:8; Rev 2:17; 3:5; 21:7). - 1 Timothy 1:20 Hymenaeus: see 2 Tim 2:17f. Alexander: possibly the same person as in 2 Tim 4:14. Handed over to Satan: these individuals were probably excluded from the community and abandoned “to Satan.” This excommunication was inflicted for the purpose of correcting them and making them come to their senses as they rediscovered their desire for salvation and the Gospel (see 1 Cor 5:5).
- 1 Timothy 2:1 This section instructs Timothy about the public worship of the community and lists some qualifications that bishops and deacons must possess. In the process, it bestows on the Church two time-hallowed titles: “the Church of the living God” and “the pillar and bulwark of the truth.”
It then concludes by stressing the universality of Jesus’ role in his Resurrection visitation to angels as well as humans and in his enthronement as Lord of the Church. Hence, the belief in Christ’s Paschal Mystery is shown to be one of the basic aspects of the faith of the Church. - 1 Timothy 2:1 Nero was in power, and Paul perhaps had a presentiment of a dark future for Christians. He therefore urges them to include all human beings in their intercession. Liturgical prayer must be universal prayer, for it is carried along by a conviction: God has sent his Son to bear witness that the Father wills the salvation of the whole world. It is the mission of Paul and ultimately of the Church to make this truth well known.
- 1 Timothy 2:5 This text was probably part of a very early creed. Some scholars regard it as a Christian version of the Jewish shema: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord, our God, is Lord alone . . .” (Deut 6:4f). The Letter to the Hebrews gives a lengthy development of this central affirmation of the Christian faith.
- 1 Timothy 2:8 First of all, Paul describes the attitude of prayer, stressing that it must arise from a heart filled with love (see Mt 6:14; Mk 11:25). Then he issues recommendations for different groups and states of life. In keeping with the custom of the time, women were excluded from official roles in worship (see 1 Cor 14:34-35).
We see a teaching already in existence concerning style of dress, a teaching that has often been renewed in the Church: Christians should endeavor to be rather than to appear. The New Testament several times recognizes the value of virginity (see 1 Cor 7:8, 25); but here, in opposition to heretics who forbade marriage (1 Tim 4:3), Paul emphasizes the point that the vocation of women is to give life. - 1 Timothy 2:9 This verse does not place a total ban on wearing jewelry or expensive clothes or braiding one’s hair. These things are singled out here because in the society of Paul’s day they were signs of unconscionable extravagance and self-importance.
