Knights of Columbus Beaver Valley Chapter Electronic Books

The New Jerusalem Bible with Apocrypha
First Timothy

The letters to Timothy and Titus or 'Pastoral Epistles' form a group, giving advice to disciples of Paul on the pastoral care of his communities. They give a valuable insight into those communities as they move into the second generation of Christians, especially of the structures of the churches and of the qualities needed by Christian ministers. They also show the Church adapting to the hellenistic environment in the last years of the century. The hymns quoted may well be taken from the liturgy. The absence of characteristic Pauline doctrines and a certain timidity of outlook combine with a change of literary style and vocabulary to suggest either that the apostle is old and tired, or that the letters spring from another pen. The historical data are not easy to join together, and certainly do not fit the period in Paul's life known from other sources. It may be, therefore, that these letters were not written by Paul but were simply attributed to him as a great authority-a practice not uncommon at the time.

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Chapter 1

Address

¹Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus appointed by the command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope, ²to Timothy, true child of mine in the faith. Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.

Suppress the false teachers

³When I was setting out for Macedonia I urged you to stay on in Ephesus to instruct certain people not to spread wrong teaching ⁴or to give attention to myths and unending genealogies; these things only foster doubts instead of furthering God's plan which is founded on faith. ⁵The final goal at which this instruction aims is love, issuing from a pure heart, a clear conscience and a sincere faith. ⁶Some people have missed the way to these things and turned to empty speculation, ⁷trying to be teachers of the Law; but they understand neither the words they use nor the matters about which they make such strong assertions.

The purpose of the Law

⁸We are well aware that the Law is good, but only provided it is used legitimately, ⁹on the understanding that laws are not framed for people who are upright. On the contrary, they are for criminals and the insubordinate, for the irreligious and the wicked, for the sacrilegious and the godless; they are for people who kill their fathers or mothers and for murderers, ¹⁰for the promiscuous, homosexuals, kidnappers, for liars and for perjurers-and for everything else that is contrary to the sound teaching ¹¹that accords with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God, the gospel that was entrusted to me.

Paul on his own calling

¹²I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength. By calling me into his service he has judged me trustworthy, ¹³even though I used to be a blasphemer and a persecutor and contemptuous. Mercy, however, was shown me, because while I lacked faith I acted in ignorance; ¹⁴but the grace of our Lord filled me with faith and with the love that is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵Here is a saying that you can rely on and nobody should doubt: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I myself am the greatest of them; ¹⁶and if mercy has been shown to me, it is because Jesus Christ meant to make me the leading example of his inexhaustible patience for all the other people who were later to trust in him for eternal life. ¹⁷To the eternal King, the undying, invisible and only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Timothy's responsibility

¹⁸Timothy, my son, these are the instructions that I am giving you, in accordance with the words once spoken over you by the prophets, so that in their light you may fight like a good soldier ¹⁹with faith and a good conscience for your weapons. Some people have put conscience aside and wrecked their faith in consequence. ²⁰I mean men like Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan so that they may learn not to be blasphemous.

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Chapter 2

Liturgical prayer

²I urge then, first of all that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving should be offered for everyone, ²for kings and others in authority, so that we may be able to live peaceful and quiet lives with all devotion and propriety. ³To do this is right, and acceptable to God our Saviour: ⁴he wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth. ⁵For there is only one God, and there is only one mediator between God and humanity, himself a human being, Christ Jesus, ⁶who offered himself as a ransom for all. This was the witness given at the appointed time, ⁷of which I was appointed herald and apostle and-I am telling the truth and no lie-a teacher of the gentiles in faith and truth. ⁸In every place, then, I want the men to lift their hands up reverently in prayer, with no anger or argument.

Women in the assembly

⁹Similarly, women are to wear suitable clothes and to be dressed quietly and modestly, without braided hair or gold and jewellery or expensive clothes; ¹⁰their adornment is to do the good works that are proper for women who claim to be religious. ¹¹During instruction, a woman should be quiet and respectful. ¹²I give no permission for a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. A woman ought to be quiet, ¹³because Adam was formed first and Eve afterwards, ¹⁴and it was not Adam who was led astray but the woman who was led astray and fell into sin. ¹⁵Nevertheless, she will be saved by child-bearing, provided she lives a sensible life and is constant in faith and love and holiness.

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Chapter 3

The elder-in-charge

³Here is a saying that you can rely on: to want to be a presiding elder is to desire a noble task. ²That is why the presiding elder must have an impeccable character. Husband of one wife, he must be temperate, discreet and courteous, hospitable and a good teacher; ³not a heavy drinker, nor hot-tempered, but gentle and peaceable, not avaricious, ⁴a man who manages his own household well and brings his children up to obey him and be well-behaved: ⁵how can any man who does not understand how to manage his own household take care of the Church of God? ⁶He should not be a new convert, in case pride should turn his head and he incur the same condemnation as the devil. ⁷It is also necessary that he be held in good repute by outsiders, so that he never falls into disrepute and into the devil's trap.

Deacons

⁸Similarly, deacons must be respectable, not double-tongued, moderate in the amount of wine they drink and with no squalid greed for money. ⁹They must hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. ¹⁰They are first to be examined, and admitted to serve as deacons only if there is nothing against them. ¹¹Similarly, women must be respectable, not gossips, but sober and wholly reliable. ¹²Deacons must be husbands of one wife and must be people who manage their children and households well. ¹³Those of them who carry out their duties well as deacons will earn a high standing for themselves and an authoritative voice in matters concerning faith in Christ Jesus.

The Church and the mystery of the spiritual life

¹⁴I write this to you in the hope that I may be able to come to you soon; ¹⁵but in case I should be delayed, I want you to know how people ought to behave in God's household-that is, in the Church of the living God, pillar and support of the truth. ¹⁶Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is very deep indeed: He was made visible in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.

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Chapter 4

False teachers

^4:1The Spirit has explicitly said that during the last times some will desert the faith and pay attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines that come from devils, ²seduced by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are branded as though with a red-hot iron: ³they forbid marriage and prohibit foods which God created to be accepted with thanksgiving by all who believe and who know the truth. ⁴Everything God has created is good, and no food is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanksgiving: ⁵the word of God and prayer make it holy. ⁶If you put all this to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus and show that you have really digested the teaching of the faith and the good doctrine which you have always followed. ⁷Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales. Train yourself for religion. ⁸Physical exercise is useful enough, but the usefulness of religion is unlimited, since it holds out promise both for life here and now and for the life to come; ⁹that is a saying that you can rely on and nobody should doubt it. ¹⁰I mean that the point of all our toiling and battling is that we have put our trust in the living God and he is the Saviour of the whole human race but particularly of all believers. ¹¹This is what you are to instruct and teach. ¹²Let no one disregard you because you are young, but be an example to all the believers in the way you speak and behave, and in your love, your faith and your purity. ¹³Until I arrive, devote yourself to reading to the people, encouraging and teaching. ¹⁴You have in you a spiritual gift which was given to you when the prophets spoke and the body of elders laid their hands on you; do not neglect it. ¹⁵Let this be your care and your occupation, and everyone will be able to see your progress. ¹⁶Be conscientious about what you do and what you teach; persevere in this, and in this way you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.

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Chapter 5

Pastoral practice

⁵Never speak sharply to a man older than yourself, but appeal to him as you would to your own father; treat younger men as brothers, ²older women as mothers and young women as sisters with all propriety.

Widows

³Be considerate to widows-if they really are widowed. ⁴If a widow has children or grandchildren, they are to learn first of all to do their duty to their own families and repay their debt to their parents, because this is what pleases God. ⁵But a woman who is really widowed and left on her own has set her hope on God and perseveres night and day in petitions and prayer. ⁶The one who thinks only of pleasure is already dead while she is still alive: ⁷instruct them in this, too, so that their lives may be blameless. ⁸Anyone who does not look after his own relations, especially if they are living with him, has rejected the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. ⁹Enrolment as a widow is permissible only for a woman at least sixty years old who has had only one husband. ¹⁰She must be a woman known for her good works-whether she has brought up her children, been hospitable to strangers and washed the feet of God's holy people, helped people in hardship or been active in all kinds of good work. ¹¹Do not accept young widows because if their natural desires distract them from Christ, they want to marry again, ¹²and then people condemn them for being unfaithful to their original promise. ¹³Besides, they learn how to be idle and go round from house to house; and then, not merely idle, they learn to be gossips and meddlers in other people's affairs and to say what should remain unsaid. ¹⁴I think it is best for young widows to marry again and have children and a household to look after, and not give the enemy any chance to raise a scandal about them; ¹⁵there are already some who have turned aside to follow Satan. ¹⁶If a woman believer has widowed relatives, she should support them and not make the Church bear the expense but enable it to support those who are really widowed.

The elders

¹⁷Elders who do their work well while they are in charge earn double reward, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. ¹⁸As scripture says: You must not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the corn; ^{*[Dt 25:4 followed by Lk 10:7; Dt 19:15]} and again: The worker deserves his wages. ¹⁹Never accept any accusation brought against an elder unless it is supported by two or three witnesses. ²⁰If anyone is at fault, reprimand him publicly, as a warning to the rest. ²¹Before God, and before Jesus Christ and the angels he has chosen, I charge you to keep these rules impartially and never to be influenced by favouritism. ²²Do not be too quick to lay hands on anyone, and never make yourself an accomplice in anybody else's sin; keep yourself pure. ²³You should give up drinking only water and have a little wine for the sake of your digestion and the frequent bouts of illness that you have. ²⁴The faults of some people are obvious long before they come to the reckoning, while others have faults that are not discovered until later. ²⁵Similarly, the good that people do can be obvious; but even when it is not, it cannot remain hidden.

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Chapter 6

Slaves

⁶All those under the yoke of slavery must have unqualified respect for their masters, so that the name of God and our teaching are not brought into disrepute. ²Those whose masters are believers are not to respect them less because they are brothers; on the contrary, they should serve them all the better, since those who have the benefit of their services are believers and dear to God.

The true teacher and the false teacher
This is what you are to teach and urge.

³Anyone who teaches anything different and does not keep to the sound teaching which is that of our Lord Jesus Christ, the doctrine which is in accordance with true religion, ⁴is proud and has no understanding, but rather a weakness for questioning everything and arguing about words. All that can come of this is jealousy, contention, abuse and evil mistrust; ⁵and unending disputes by people who are depraved in mind and deprived of truth, and imagine that religion is a way of making a profit. ⁶Religion, of course, does bring large profits, but only to those who are content with what they have. ⁷We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it; ⁸but as long as we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that. ⁹People who long to be rich are a prey to trial; they get trapped into all sorts of foolish and harmful ambitions which plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰'The love of money is the root of all evils' and there are some who, pursuing it, have wandered away from the faith and so given their souls any number of fatal wounds.

Timothy's vocation recalled

¹¹But, as someone dedicated to God, avoid all that. You must aim to be upright and religious, filled with faith and love, perseverance and gentleness. ¹²Fight the good fight of faith and win the eternal life to which you were called and for which you made your noble profession of faith before many witnesses. ¹³Now, before God, the source of all life, and before Jesus Christ, who witnessed to his noble profession of faith before Pontius Pilate, I charge you ¹⁴to do all that you have been told, with no faults or failures, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵who at the due time will be revealed by God, the blessed and only Ruler of all, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, ¹⁶who alone is immortal, whose home is in inaccessible light, whom no human being has seen or is able to see: to him be honour and everlasting power. Amen.

Rich Christians

¹⁷Instruct those who are rich in this world's goods that they should not be proud and should set their hopes not on money, which is untrustworthy, but on God who gives us richly all that we need for our happiness. ¹⁸They are to do good and be rich in good works, generous in giving and always ready to share- ¹⁹this is the way they can amass a good capital sum for the future if they want to possess the only life that is real.

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Final warning and conclusion

²⁰My dear Timothy, take great care of all that has been entrusted to you. Turn away from godless philosophical discussions and the contradictions of the 'knowledge' which is not knowledge at all; ²¹by adopting this, some have missed the goal of faith. Grace be with you.

The Beaver Valley Chapter of the Knights of Columbus graciously thanks Duquesne University and Father Sean Hogan, C.S.Sp. for sponsoring our Knights of Columbus Beaver Valley Chapter web page.