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The clear consensus of New Testament scholars is that Second Timothy was written towards the middle of the second century. The three "pastoral epistles", Titus, 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy, all address pastoral issues that arose in the Church during the second century, but which were not relevant to the Church at the time of the Apostle Paul.

It was not Paul who wrote this epistle. In Paul's own letters, he says it is better not to be married, but in the pastorals it is required that people (at least church leaders) be married. Paul also argued that performing the 'works of the law' could not contribute to one's right standing before God. It was not the Jewish law that could bring salvation, but the death and resurrection of Jesus. When he talks about 'works', he means doing the things that the Jewish law requires, such as being circumcised, keeping kosher and observing the Sabbath. In the pastorals, the Jewish law is no longer even an issue, and the author speaks of works as 'good works', doing good deeds for other people. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians and other communities, he wrote to the congregation as a whole and as equals, because there were no church leaders in these churches. 2 Timothy, on the other hand, is concerned with explaining to the reader not just the role of deacons, but of bishops, clearly demonstrating that a definite hierarchy had arisen, as we know happened during the second century.

The British scholar A. N. Harrison wrote a study of the pastoral letters in 1921, with numerous statistics about the word usage in these writings. Among other statistics, he found 848 different words used in the pastoral letters, of which 306, or more than one third, do not occur in any of the other Pauline epistles. That is an inordinately high number, especially as about two thirds of these 306 words were used by Christian authors living in the second century. This confirms the conclusion that 2 Timothy was written in the second century. We can not give a particular year for its authorship, but it was certainly written later than 1 Timothy, another second-century epistle written using Paul's name, and it should be dated later in the first half of the second century.

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How many letters did the apostle Paul write and not write?

A:Thirteen epistles are traditionally attributed to St. Paul. The consensus of scholars is that he actually wrote 7 of these: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Philemon, Galatians, Philippians and 1 Thessalonians. He did not write 6 letters attributed to him: Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus, which are termed the pseudo-Pauline epistles, as they were written in Paul's name.


How many books of the Bible did Timothy write?

Timothy didn't write any books of the Bible, honey. The letters to Timothy in the New Testament were actually written by the apostle Paul. So, Timothy may have been a great guy, but he's not the one penning those letters.


What is known about Timothy in the Bible?

A:In 1 Thessalonians 1:1 and 3:2, 2 Corinthians 1:1 and Philemon 1, Paul refers to Timothy as 'our brother', a term of respect for Timothy as a Christian and as a preacher. Paul refers to Timothy as a co-worker and personal messenger in several places in 1 Thessalonians, 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Romans. This is really the only reliable information we have about Timothy from the Bible. Acts of the Apostles expands somewhat on the role of Timothy, saying that his father was a Greek and his mother a Jew, but Acts has been re-evaluated by scholars in recent years and it is uncertain how reliable these reports are.The pseudo-Pauline epistle known as Colossians also refers to Timothy as 'our brother, but 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy refer to Timothy as Paul's 'son' (a departure from Paul's words in his genuine epistles) suggesting a younger man, however since these were not written until some decades after both Paul and Timothy were dead, this description of Timothy is not reliable. The Epistles to Timothy portray Timothy as a newly appointed bishop and 'Paul' reminds him of his duties. By this means, the second-century author was using Paul's supposed precedent to establish the role of bishops when they began to be appointed in the second century. The role of bishop did not exist in the time of Paul and Timothy.The concluding chapter of Hebrews mentions that Timothy was free, but this was an addition to the epistle in order to improve its acceptance as having been written by the apostle Paul. New Testament scholars consider it beyond question that the Epistle to the Hebrews was not really written by Paul, so this comment has no historical basis, nor does the attribution in some Bibles that Timothy helped write Hebrews.A:Timothy in the bible was a very young coworker. of Paul the apostle. Paul wrote two letters to Timothy in the bible. A:Timothy was a young man that Paul came into contact with and fostered during his ministry. They had a relationship with each other that was like father and son, and in fact Paul refers to Timothy as a son in his writings. Paul trained Timothy and taught him how to be a leader in the early Church of Christ at Ephesus. His writings to Timothy were to give him encouragement because he was a younger man and to give him confidence in his ministry with others.


Was Paul in jail when he wrote 1 Timothy?

Philippians 1:1 suggests that Timothy was with Paul as Paul was writing his letter to the Philippian church. Some scholars suggest this letter was written in Rome, but logistically it more plausible that Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea when Philippians was written. This conclusion is drawn from the fact that Paul mentions help being sent from Ephesus, a few days journey from Caesarea, but a very long journey from Rome. It is not clear if Timothy was visiting Paul in Caesarea or if he was a fellow prisoner. Timothy is also later believed to have been with Paul during Paul's trial in Rome. In the Benediction in Hebrews, the author indicates that Timothy was recently freed from an unknown imprisonment and the author is hopeful Timothy will be joining him shortly. Catholic scholars attribute the Benediction in Hebrews as authentic Paul, suggesting Timothy was imprisoned elsewhere while Paul was awaiting trial and was subsequently released. It is likely that Timothy arrived in Rome around the time of Paul's trial and was likely with Paul, either as a caregiver and fellow coworker (Roman prisons did not provide inmates food) or that Timothy himself was imprisoned upon his arrival. Thirty years after Paul's death, Timothy is imprisoned, this time in Ephesus, where he is executed for his rebuke of a Pagan festival honoring the Goddess Diana.


Who was the young pastor to whom Paul wrote two Epistles?

The young pastor to whom Paul wrote two Epistles was Timothy. Paul wrote the First and Second Epistles to Timothy, providing guidance and encouragement in his ministry.

Related Questions

What book of the bible did timothy write?

Timothy did not write any books of the Bible. The Bible Books 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy were letters written TO HIM from the Apostle Paul.


Did Paul write Timothy while in prison?

Traditionally, 2 Timothy has been believed to have been written by Paul while imprisoned in Rome. However, scholars say that both epistles addressed to Timothy are clearly from the second century, and were not written by Paul. Since they were not written by Paul, there is nothing to say they were written from prison.


Did Paul write Second Timothy while in prison for the fourth time?

A:Traditionally, 2 Timothy has been believed to have been written by Paul while imprisoned in Rome. However, scholars say that both Epistles addressed to Timothy are clearly from the second century, and were not written by Paul. Since Second Timothy was not written by Paul, there is nothing to say it was written from prison.


Which two pastors did Paul write letters to?

Timothy (two) and Titus.


Why did Paul write to Timothy?

The clear majority of scholars do not believe that Paul wrote the letters to Timothy that were written in his name. They say that 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy are clearly second century epistles and were therefore written long after his death. A follower used Paul's name to give the epistles the appearance of authenticity, but they were never sent to Timothy. The purpose was to expound a Christian doctrine from a Pauline perspective, giving the author's views the imprimateur of the apostle Paul.


Where was Timothy when Paul wrote Second Timothy?

Scholars are almost unanimous that Paul did not write Second Timothy. The Second Epistle ot Timothy is one of the epistles called the 'Pastorals' and was written early in the second century by one of Paul's followers.Paul and Timothy were both dead long before this epistle was written.


What letters did Paul write about deacons?

Paul describes the qualifications of deacons in 1 Timothy chapter 3.


Where did Paul write the Epistles to Timothy?

The First Epistle to Timothy is traditionally thought to have been written by Paul from Laodicea. The Second Epistle to Timothy is traditionally thought to have been written by Paul from Rome. However, 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy, known (along with Titus) as the Pastorals because of their concern for the pastoral role of bishops in the second-century Church, are almost unanimously regarded by critical scholars as not written by Paul. We do not really know who wrote them, or from whence they were written.


What did Paul write to Timothy?

The two epistles known as 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy are written as if from Paul to Timothy. They contain pastoral advice and instruction for running the church community to which Timothy has been assigned as bishop. However, nearly all New Testament scholars say these epistles were written in Paul's name during the early years of the second century and it was intended that Christians of the second century believe these epistles really came from Paul and really contained his teachings.


How many letters did Apostle Paul write and what were the names of all the letters?

Paul wrote 13 letters in the bible, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians , Collisions Titus, 1 Timothy 2 Timothy, 1 Philemon Philippians , 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians and the book of Hebrews.


How many letters did the apostle Paul write and not write?

A:Thirteen epistles are traditionally attributed to St. Paul. The consensus of scholars is that he actually wrote 7 of these: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Philemon, Galatians, Philippians and 1 Thessalonians. He did not write 6 letters attributed to him: Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus, which are termed the pseudo-Pauline epistles, as they were written in Paul's name.


Why did Paul suffer not a women to teach in the epistles to Timothy?

Scholars are almost unanimous that Paul did not write 1 Timothy or 2 Timothy . These epistles are called the 'Pastorals' because they were written to deal with pastoral issues that had arisen in the second century, including the roles of bishops and of women in the church. Paul himself had seen a subordinate role for women, and these epistles were strengthening and formalising that view.