The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (240 page)

5:19 two or three witnesses:
Judicial criteria in a Jewish court of law (Deut 19:15).
See note on 2 Cor 13:1
. 
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5:22 Do not be hasty:
Timothy is told to screen candidates for pastoral ministry before ordaining them by the sacramental imposition of hands. Otherwise, the hurried promotion of immature or poorly formed believers might have ruinous consequences (3:6).
See note on 1 Tim 4:14
. 
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5:23 your frequent ailments:
Timothy's fragile health was a concern to Paul. He is advised to consume wine in moderation and so benefit from its medicinal properties. Wine can sometimes offset the uncomfortable effects of drinking impure water.
See note on Eph 5:18
. 
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6:1 slavery:
The conversion of slaves and their masters in the early Church raised questions of how these relationships should be handled by believers (Col 3:22-4:1). Paul insists that slaves must honor their masters and that masters must respect their slaves, lest Christians acquire a reputation for being either insubordinate or inhumane. Without approving the institution of slavery as such, he is stressing that every station in life provides opportunities to serve the Lord.
See note on Eph 6:5
. 
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6:3-10
Paul resumes his criticism of false teachers wreaking havoc in Ephesus (1:3-11). He contends that the driving force behind their novelties is pride, an infatuation with controversy, and a distorted view of leadership. Not only that, but they exact a price for their preaching in order to accumulate wealth for themselves (6:10; Tit 1:11). 
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6:7 nothing into the world:
Recalls similar statements in Job 1:21 and Eccles 5:15. 
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6:10 the love of money:
Paul reproves, not the wealthy, but lovers of wealth. So dangerous is the allurement of riches that he warns in the strongest possible terms against piling it up for ourselves. Unless we become "poor in spirit" (Mt 5:3), the downward pull of money and material possessions will eventually lead to destruction (Lk 12:15-21). • What evils are caused by wealth! There are frauds, robberies, miseries, enmities, contentions, battles. Take away the love of money, and you put an end to war, conflict, enmity, strife, and contention (St. John Chrysostom,
Homilies on 1 Timothy
17). 
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6:12 the good confession:
Probably Timothy's profession of faith enunciated at his Baptism. Paul is urging him to live out his baptismal promises to the full (CCC 2145). 
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6:13 before Pontius Pilate:
Refers to Jesus' testimony to the truth at his trial before the governor (Mk 15:1-2; Jn 18:3337). 
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6:14 the appearing:
The visible manifestation of Christ at his Second Coming (1 Thess 4:16; Tit 2:13). 
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6:15 King of kings . . . Lord of lords:
A reference to God's superiority over every earthly ruler (Ps 136:2-3; Dan 2:47; 2 Mac 13:4). These titles are applied directly to Christ in Rev 17:14 and 19:16. 
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6:20 O Timothy, guard:
The faith that Timothy holds and teaches is a sacred trust given to him for safekeeping (2 Tim 1:14; 2:2; Jude 3). The duty to preserve it intact is all the more important in places such as Ephesus, where counterfeit doctrines are vying for the hearts and minds of local believers (1 Tim 1:3-7) (CCC 84). • What is entrusted to you is not what you have discovered. It is what you have received, not what you have thought up for yourself. It is a matter, not of ingenuity, but of doctrine; not of personal opinion, but of public tradition. You are not the author, but the guardian. So preserve inviolate and undamaged the trust of the Catholic faith (St. Vincent of Lérins,
The Commonitory
22).
falsely called knowledge:
The perverted teachings of the Ephesian troublemakers. Interpreters have often taken this to mean that the false teachers are Gnostics, i.e., proponents of a second-century religious system that viewed the possession of "secret knowledge" as a pathway to salvation. This verse alone cannot support the conclusion, but
see note on 1 Tim 4:3
. 
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6:21 Grace be with you:
Since the best Greek manuscripts have "you" in the plural, many have reasoned that the letter, while primarily sent to Timothy, was also intended to be read before the Ephesian congregation. 
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INTRODUCTION TO

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). «

OUTLINE OF THE SECOND LETTER OF SAINT PAUL TO TIMOTHY

1. Opening Address (
1:1-2
)

2. Perseverance in Suffering (
1:3-2:13
)

   A. Thanksgiving (
1:3-5
)

   B. Admonitions for Timothy (
1:6-14
)

   C. Update on Paul (
1:15-18
)

   D. Personal Endurance (
2:1-13
)

3. Perseverance in Sound Doctrine (
2:14-4:8
)

   A. Responsible Preaching (
2:14-26
)

   B. Times of Distress (
3:1-9
)

   C. Following Paul and Scripture (
3:10-17
)

   D. The Mission of an Evangelist (
4:1-8
)

4. Conclusion (
4:9-22
)

   A. Final Instructions and Warnings (
4:9-18
)

   B. Greetings and Benediction (
4:19-22
)

THE SECOND LETTER OF SAINT PAUL TO

Chapters

1
2
3
4

Salutation

1
 
Paul, an apostle
of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus,

2
 To
Timothy
, my beloved child:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Thanksgiving and Encouragement

3
 I thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience, as did my fathers, when I remember you constantly in my prayers.
⁴
As I remember
your tears
, I long night and day to see you, that I may be filled with joy.
⁵
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in
your grandmother
Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you.
⁶
For this reason I remind you to
rekindle the gift
of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands;
⁷
for God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a
spirit of power
and love and self-control.

8
 Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me
his prisoner
, but take your share of suffering for the gospel in the power of God,
⁹
who saved us and called us with
a holy calling
, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his own purpose and the grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago,
¹⁰
and now has manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
¹¹
For this gospel I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher,
¹²
and therefore I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know
whom I have believed
, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.
^a
13
Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus;
¹⁴
guard the truth
that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.