New Testament Study Helps:
    Paul's Pastoral Letters

Paul's Letters to Timothy and Titus

1. Purpose

If Pauline authorship is accepted the purpose of the three epistles is self evident. In 1 Timothy and Titus the apostle menss to give his two close associates written instructions about methods of procedure in their respective churches for which they are temporarily responsible. It is most natural to suppose that many of these instructions had been given orally at a recent date and that these epistles are somewhat confirmatory in character. In the case of Titus, paul has a specific occasion for writing, to summon Titus to meet him in Nicopolis. No reason is given for this request. At the same time, Titus is to assist Zenas and Apollos on their journey. There is very little in 1 Timothy to enable a reconstruction of a specific occasion for the letter. It seems probable that Paul felt the need to give Timothy not only specific written instructions to guide him in his task of ensuring an orderly organization in the church, but also encouragement and even moral challenge to take a firm hand and be unashamed of the gospel. A quite different situation is found in 2 Timothy, for Paul is now in prison and would appear to be facing the close of his life. He looks back on his accomplished task and looks ahead to his anticipated crown. The epistle is little concerned with ecclesiatical arrangements but concentrates on Timothy and the task which is being committed to him. The apostle is in a reminiscent mood, and for this reason his concluding epistle is the most revealing of the three pastoral epistles. He seems rather uncertain that he will ever see Timothy again although he has summoned him to come as quickly as possible. During the course of the writing he takes the opportunity of warning Timothy again about the false teachers as he had done in the first epistle.

2. Date

Four main periods have been suggested for dating the pastoral epistles.

1. Those who hold that it is possible to fit these epistles into the Acts history would date all of them before ca. 63 AD or whatever date is affixed to the conclusion of the imprisonment mentioned at the end of Acts. Specific dating varies with the form of the theory held, but all such theories would put 2 Timothy at the end of the period in Rome.

2. If the second imprisonment (after that mentioned at the end of Acts) theory is adopted, the dating will depend on the date of Paul's death, for which we have no certain information. It is variously dated ca. 64-67 AD. Sufficient time must clearly be allowed for the numerous journeys to be made, but if Paul arrived in Rome ca 59 AD and was released after 61 AD, the earlier of the two dates (64 AD) would be quite feasible.

3. Under both the fragment and fiction theories (regarding authorship) the setting and the dating of the letters is largely a matter of conjecture. Some prefer a date before the end of the first century on grounds that the situation reflected is before the rise of Gnosticism. A date before the death of Paul is suggested by those who adopt a secretary hypothesis (of authorship).

4. Once we get into the period after 100 AD we are even more in the realms of conjecture. A.T. Hanson argues that a period is needed when persecution is not an imminent threat and he thinks that must place the epistles after the death of Domitian. This would place it about 100-115 AD, a date favored by some advocates of non-Pauline authorship. Those who propose that these epistles were combatting Gnosticism or Marcionism date them much later.

3. Outlines

In progress