The life and work of St. Paul

748
APPENDIX.
nothing beyond the varying expression of truths which complement but do not contradict
each other. Some, indeed, of the alleged discrepancies are too shadowy to grasp.
If Christianity be described as "the doctrine," and as "sound doctrine"; l if the word
" "
faith has acquired a more objective significance, so as sometimes almost to imply a
body of truths as opposed to heresy; 2 if the name "Saviour" rare in St. Paul be
applied to God, and not to Christ 3 " "
; if Palingenesia (regeneration) occurs only in the
Epistle to Titus 4
; these are peculiarities of language, not differences of theology. There
is a dominant practical tendency in these Epistles; so there is, we reply, in all St. Paul's
Epistles. The value and blessedness of good works is incessantly insisted 5 on ; is this, then,
to be stigmatised as "utilitarianism and religious eudsemonism," and a decided pietistic
attenuation of the Pauline doctrine ? Are they not, then, insisted on even in the Epistles
to the Romans and Galatians, though there he is developing a theory, and here he is
professedly occupied with moral instructions? Will any one attempt to prove that
St. Paul, either in these Epistles or elsewhere, held any other view of good works than
this that they are profitless to obtain salvation, but are morally indispensable ? 8 De
Wette's further objection, that St. Paul here makes an apology for the Law (1 Tim. L 8),
and his attempt to draw a subtle distinction between the universalism of these Epistles
and of the other Pauline writings, deserve no serious refutation. St. Paul's method
and object are here wholly unlike those of his Epistles to Churches composed of heterogeneous
and often of hostile elements ; but it may be asserted, beyond all fear of contradiction,
that, bearing in mind the non- theoretical treatment of the points on which
he here i
touches, and the fact that he is writing to friends and disciples already absolutely
convinced of the main truths of his theology, there is not one word in these Epistles
which either contradicts or seriously differs from the fundamental ideas of St. Paul.
Even Baur candid, with all his hypercritical prejudices only sees in them " a certain
something of the specific Pauline doctrine with a dominant practical tendency," an
"applying of the contents of Christian doctrine to the various circumstances of practical
life. "7
: (4) It is not, however, on the above grounds that the Pastoral Epistles have been
most seriously attacked. The considerations which we have here seen to be untenable
are really due to after-thoughts ; and the assaults on the genuineness of the Epistles
have mainly risen from the belief that they are "tendency-writings," meant to serve the
twofold object of magnifying ecclesiastical organisation and of covertly attacking a
Gnosticism which was not prevalent till long after the Apostle's time. The two subjects
are by no means disconnected. The Gnostics, it is said as the first heretics properly
so called gave occasion for the episcopal constitution of the Church ; and if there were
no such heretics at that time, then these ecclesiastical arrangements will be devoid of any
historical occasion or connexion 1 I have sought the strongest and fullest statements of
these objections, and shall try to express the reasons why they appear to me to be most
absolutely groundless. I quite freely admit that there are some remarkable peculiarities
in these Epistles ; I do not deny that they suggest some difficulties of which we can give
no adequate explanation ; I cannot go so far as to say that the objections brought against
them are "not adequate even to raise a doubt on the subject of their "
authenticity ; but
for these very reasons I can say, with all the deeper sincerity, that, whatever minor
i 1 Tim. 1. 10 ; vi. 1.
1 Tim. L 19 ; li. 7 ; iiL 9 ; iv. 16 ; yi. 10, 21. Pfleiderer, Paulinism, ii. 201
8 Pfleiderer says that In Tit. ii. 13 Christ is called " our great God and Saviour," and that " this
goes beyond all the previous Christology of St. Paul." But there can be no doubt that the phrase is
applied to God in this place, as also in 1 Tim. i. 1 ; li. 3 ; iv. 10 ; Tit. i. 3 ; ii. 10. The anarthrousness
of 2o>ri)p is no valid grammatical objection. Tit. iii. 6.
*
Baur, Paid. ii. 106 ; De Welte, PastordUtr. 117, c. ; Pfleiderer, Paulinism, 210 ; Beuss, La
Epitres, ii. 314. Bom. ii. 610 ; xiii. 3 ; GaL v. 6, &c. ; Eph. ii. 810, &c.
i Paul. ii. 107. It is the view of some hostile critics that the Asiatic Epistles (Eph. and Col.)
are Pauline with mi-Pauline Interpolations ; and the Pastoral Epistles un-1'uuliue, yet containing
Pauline matter.