and Crete Timothy’s task was “to direct, organize, and supervise the work of the churches and to help repel and reject certain errorists whose e orts were threatening to corrupt that work He had been temporarily left behind to carry on the work which Paul would if he were there himself” (D Edmond Hiebert, First Timothy, p 10) Fortunately, the doctrines and applications of the epistles are una ected by questions about the men’s official title Philemon was addressed to others besides the man Philemon (see Philem 1) The rite of circumcision in this case was to keep open the door of witness to unbelieving Jews who would learn that Timothy was half Gentile (Acts 16:3) Homer A Kent, The Pastoral Epistles, p 19 Sometimes a trait can only be implied from a Scripture passage James Stalker sees in this description of the church at Corinth a picture of the average church of Paul’s missionary journeys The Life of St Paul, p 108 Some hold that Paul wrote from Corinth in Greece Read Paul’s earlier prediction of this in Acts 20:28-30 One writer has pointed out this symmetrical structure of Timothy, centered on the three hymns of the epistle: Charge (1:3-16); Hymn (1:17); Charge (1:18-20) Charge (2:1—3:15); Hymn (3:16); Charge (4:1—6:2c) Charge (6:2d-15a); Hymn (6:156-16); Charge (6:17-21) (See Wilbur B Wallis, “I Timothy,” in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, pp 1368-70.) 10 The two-o ce organization of the New Testament church gradually merged into this three-o ce arrangement in the centuries that followed: (1) pastor (as preacher-teacher-shepherd); (2) elders (assisting the pastor especially in spiritual matters); (3) deacons (assisting the pastor especially in physical matters, such as the nances of the church) The thing to note here is that the tasks that needed to be done were always present; the titles given to those who performed the tasks varied from church to church and from century to century 11 Some classify the widows of 5:9-10 as a distinct group, in which case the number of groups is five 12 The last phrase of 6:5 introduces the paragraphs 6:6-10: “who think that godliness is a means to nancial gain” (NIV) 13 Outline from W Graham Scroggie, Know Your Bible, 1:245 14 In one verse (1 Tim 2:10) another Greek word translated “godliness” appears: theo (God) sebeia (reverence) 15 W Graham Scroggie, Know Your Bible, 2:243 Scroggie suggests that these sayings may point to “certain Logia current in the early Churches, or the use of liturgical forms.” 16 Quoted by W Graham Scroggie Know Your Bible, 2:251 17 Merrill C Tenney, ed., The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, p 857 18 Troas may have been the place of Paul’s arrest 19 On the view that Timothy may have got to visit Paul, see Frank J Goodwin, A Harmony of the Life of St Paul, p 191 20 H.C.G Moule, The Second Epistle to Timothy, p 14 21 A metaphor is an implied comparison between two different things 22 Homer A Kent, The Pastoral Epistles, p .. .the church at Corinth a picture of the average church of Paul’s missionary journeys The Life of St Paul, p 108 Some hold that Paul wrote from Corinth in Greece... (assisting the pastor especially in spiritual matters); (3) deacons (assisting the pastor especially in physical matters, such as the nances of the church) The thing to note here is that the tasks... Troas may have been the place of Paul’s arrest 19 On the view that Timothy may have got to visit Paul, see Frank J Goodwin, A Harmony of the Life of St Paul, p 191 20 H.C.G Moule, The Second Epistle