Bible (New Testament): English Standard Version

Much as with the relationship between 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 2 Timothy appears to be a follow-up letter to clear up problems that arose after sending the first epistle. Timothy, representing Paul’s authority, had evidently had a harder time with the Ephesian church than they had anticipated, and Paul himself had felt pushback from some of the local figures and false teachers (2 Tim 1:15; 2:17-18; 4:14). Paul’s letter is personal in tone, focusing more on encouraging Timothy than on the organizational concerns that had marked the previous letter: “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God […]” (2 Tim 1:8).

Paul also gives Timothy some directives for how to navigate pastoral ministry while encountering resistance. These include avoiding speculative topics that only encourage dissension and quarrelling, focusing instead on the big issues of The Identity of Jesus and the gospel: “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as I preached in my gospel” (2 Tim 2:8). He also encourages Timothy to ground his teaching in scripture, “[…] the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:15). Finally, he tells Timothy not to be surprised by the fact that his ministry meets resistance along the way. This resistance is to be expected, Paul says, simply because of the way the world is and the nature of the present moment in history. Paul advocates that instead of Timothy becoming discouraged by these challenges, he should take the attitude of a soldier and press on, even in harsh conditions.

Titus, the last of the pastoral epistles, is written to one of Paul’s ministry colleagues by that name. Paul left Titus on the island of Crete with a mandate similar to the one issued for Timothy: to organize the churches there and to ensure that sound doctrinal teaching is presented to the people: “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order” (Titus 1:5). As in 1 Timothy, Paul lays out the qualifications for church officers, in this case detailing the requirements for a presbyteros (“elder”), which appears to be used synonymously with the term episkopos (“overseer”). The qualifications are largely about moral behavior, marking an ideal candidate as one who can live a godly, disciplined life, manage a household well, and hold to the doctrines that had been taught to the church. Similarly, Titus is adjured to practice a lifestyle that is above reproach: “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned […]” (Titus 2:7-8). As with Paul’s instructions to Timothy, he encourages Titus to steer people away from empty quarrels and dissension over trifles because such things tend to divert people’s focus from larger issues. The basic principle enjoined in the epistle is to clearly preach the core message of the gospel and to encourage Christians to be active in doing good works. The implication is that if these two things are being practiced, then the church will be healthy.

Philemon is the shortest of Paul’s epistles, amounting to only 25 verses. Unlike his other letters, which all have to do with the life of a church community, this letter is written with a specifically personal application. Here Paul and Timothy write to Philemon, a wealthy Christian in Colossae, to advise him regarding the issue of Onesimus, an escaped slave. Onesimus had escaped from his enslavement in Philemon’s house and had come all the way to Rome, where he became a valuable assistant to Paul’s ministry labors. The occasion for the letter is that Paul is sending Onesimus back from Rome—perhaps to carry the letters of Ephesians and Colossians, as well as this one—and wants to ensure that Philemon handles the return of his escaped slave in an appropriate way. The normal legal precedent in Roman society would be for the enslaved person to be tortured, if not executed. Paul’s admonition is striking by its contrast. He sends Onesimus back, but stresses that Philemon ought to release him from slavery, treating him no longer as a slave but as a brother in Christ: “[…] no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother […]. So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me” (Phlm 16-17). The epistle of Philemon thus stands as an example of the way that early Christianity pushed back against the Romans’ casual attitude toward slavery. Although the epistle to Philemon does not offer us a view of Philemon’s actions upon receiving the letter, it seems probable that he released Onesimus, or else the letter would likely not have been preserved and passed on. Further, other Christian documents from the end of the first century indicate that a man named Onesimus—likely this same person—had later risen to become the bishop of Ephesus.