The Letters to Timothy and Titus

Philip H. Towner

• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Year: 2006
• Print ISBN: 9780802825131
• eBook ISBN: 9781467423663
• Subtopic: Biblical Criticism & Interpretation

The most accessible, most broadly pitched full-length commentary on Timothy and Titus, this NICNT volume explores Paul's three letters to Timothy and Titus within their historical, religious, and cultural settings.
In his introduction, Towner sets out the rationale for his historical approach, questions certain assumptions of recent critical scholarship, and establishes the uniqueness and individuality of each letter. Significantly, Towner's work displays unprecedented interaction with four recent major commentaries on these Pauline letters. Centered on an outstanding translation of the Greek text and including thorough footnotes, bibliographical citations, and indexes, Towner's commentary on Timothy and Titus is sure to become a standard reference for busy pastors, students, and scholars.

Notes

1. See the discussion in D. Guthrie, New Testament Introduction (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1970), 584; in reference to P. Anton, Exegetische Abhandlung der Pastoral-briefe Pauli an Timotheus und Titum (ed. J. A. Maier; 1753–1755); cf. R. F. Collins, Letters That Paul Did Not Write: The Epistle to the Hebrews and the Pauline Pseudepigrapha (Good News Studies 28; Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1988), 88.

2. This is the implication to be derived from Irenaeus, on which see below: A. Reception and Canonicity.

3. Cf. the excellent model in Johnson, 13–99, 135–54, 319–30. Conversely, the three-volume work of Oberlinner, though perfect in format for introducing the letters as discrete writings—with an individual volume allowed for treatment of each letter—nevertheless treats introductory matters as global matters at the front of the first volume.

4. In view of the full discussions in e.g. Johnson, 20–26; Marshall, 2–8, no attempt is made here to reproduce exhaustively the early evidence.

5. Polycarp, Letter to the Philippians, 4.1 (referring to 1 Tim 6:7, 10); cf. 5.2 (=1 Tim 3:8–13), on which see W. R. Schoedel, Polycarp, Martyrdom of Polycarp, Fragments of Papias (The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 5; Camden, NJ: Nelson, 1965), 4–5; D. A. Hagner, DLNTD, 86.

6. See 1 Clement 2.7; 60.4; 61.2 (which texts employ language reminiscent of Titus 3:1; 1 Tim 2:7; 1 Tim 1:17, respectively). For the possibility that Ignatius and the author of the Epistle of Barnabas also knew the letter to Timothy and Titus, see The New Testament in the Apostolic Fathers (by the Oxford Society of Historical Theology; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905), 37–40. But cf. Johnson, 20, n. 16.

7. Against Heresies, 1.pref. (citing 1 Tim 1:4); see also 4.16.3 (citing 1:9); 5.17.1 (citing 2:5); 3.1.1 (citing 3:15); 1.23.4 and 2.14.7 (citing 6:20).

8. Stromateis 1.1 (citing 1 Tim 5:21); 1.9 (citing 6:3–5); etc.; 4.7 (citing 2 Tim 1:7–8); 1.10 (citing 2:14); etc.; Exhortation 1 (citing Titus 2:11–13; 3:3–5).

9. See the discussion in F. F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1988), 176.

10. On which, see Bruce, Canon, 158–69; and for a second-century date, see E. Ferguson, “Canon Muratori: Date and Provenance,” in Studia Patristica 17 (ed. E. A. Livingstone; New York: Pergamon, 1982), 677–78.

11. Tertullian, Against Marcion 5.21. See discussion in B. M. Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development and Significance (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1987), 159; Marshall, 7–8.

12. E.g. Johnson, Paul’s Delegates, 24.

13. E.g. Bruce, Canon, 131, 138.

14. E.g. H. Y. Gamble, The New Testament Canon: Its Making and Meaning (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985), 42; L. M. McDonald, The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon (Rev. and Expanded ed.; Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson, 1995), 157, 141. For the view that Polycarp wrote these letters against Marcion (which is extremely unlikely in view of the evidence that Polycarp actually cited 1 Timothy), see Hans von Campenhausen, “Polykarp von Smyrna und die Pastoralbriefe,” in idem., Aus der Frühzeit des Christentums (Tübingen: Mohr [Siebeck], 1964), 197–252; H. Koester, History and Literature of Early Christianity, Volume Two: Introduction to the New Testament (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1982), 297–308.

15. Cf. Clement, Stromateis 2.11.

16. See Johnson, 22–26.

17. Cf. discussion in Johnson, 25. There is much to be learned from the reception and use of these letters in subsequent periods of church history, which until the nineteenth century fairly uniformly regarded them as Pauline and authoritative. Johnson, 26–42, shows how approaches to them developed, with refinements in method (and the expected idiosyncrasies too), as their status as canonical Scripture continued to be affirmed.

18. See J. D. Quinn, “P⁴⁶—the Pauline Canon?,” CBQ 36 (1974), 379–85; Johnson, 17–18; cf. Jeremias, 4. For the various negative views, see J. Duff, “P⁴⁶ and the Pastorals: A Misleading Consensus?,” NTS 44 (1998), 578–90.

19. Duff, “P⁴⁶ and the Pastorals.”

20. See further Marshall, 6–7; Cf. N. A. Dahl, “The Particularity of the Pauline Epistles as a Problem in the Ancient Church,” Neotestamentica et Patristica, NovTSup 7 (Leiden: Brill, 1962), 261–71.

21. See esp. J. K. Elliott, The Greek Text of the Epistles to Timothy and Titus (Studies and Documents XXXVI; Salt Lake City, UT: University of Utah Press, 1968); B. M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (rev. ed.; New York: UBS, 1975), 639–56; Marshall; Johnson; L. T. Johnson, Letters to Paul’s Delegates: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus (Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International, 1996); Mounce.

22. For an introduction to the methodology and witnesses to the Greek NT text, see B. M. Metzger, The Text of the New Testament (2nd ed.; New York: Oxford University Press, 1...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Editor’s Preface
• Author’s Preface
• Abbreviations
• Bibliography
• Introduction
• The First Letter to Timothy
• The Second Letter to Timothy
• The Letter to Titus
• Notes
• Index of Subjects
• Index of Authors
• Index of Scripture References
• Index of Early Extrabiblical Literature
• Index of Key Greek Words