Timothy to Hebrews - The Preterist Archive

INTEODUCTION. 11
makes it the duty of Timothy as a teacher of the gospel all the
more faithfully to hold fast the apostolical doctrine, and to make a
conscientious improvement of the gifts bestowed on him (ch. iv).
In ch, V. Timothy is farther instructed how he is to deal with the
particular members of the church, according to the distinctions of
sex, age, and according to other differences (in which from the nature
of the case it cannot he expected that the line of distinction
should be drawn between Timothy's position as representative of
the apostle, and as an evangelist). Finally, in ch. vi., special injunctions
are given him with respect'to slaves, and with respect to
the rich. The transition to this last point is made by a warning addressed
to Timothy as an individual, against the desire to be rich, a
warning which the apostle is induced to give from a regard to the
character and pursuits of the false seducers.
The conclusion stands by itself, vers. 20-21, and contains a
reiterated comprehensive warning against that secret science which
is referred to in other parts of the epistle. For the confirmation and
further expansion of this, see the interpretation.
§
3. The Time and Place of Composition.
The historical circumstances under which the epistle according
to its own statements was written, are the following. The apostle
had gone from Ephesus to Macedonia, and had left Timothy to conduct
the affairs of the Ephesian church until he himself should return,
which he hoped would not be long, but which might possibly
be delayed. The church was already fully organized. It had not
only presbyters and deacons, but also an institution for widows belonging
to the church. Already a ve6(j}vto^ was ineligible to the
office of a bishop, and in general, a Christian test was applied in
the appointment to any office, and to any ecclesiastical distinction,
V. 9, seq. A corrupt tendency to vain speculation, and a false asceticism,
had prominently appeared in the church, which in the
case of some had even led to a complete apostacy from the faith ;
the present already displayed the germ of an error which threatened
the future with danger (iv. 1, seq). Even these circumstances show
that the date of the epistle must belong to the later, nay, I might
say to the latest period of the apostle's history. It will be difficult
to prove that the existence of Christianity for two or three years is
sufficient to explain the qualifications laid down in chap. iii. to be
looked for in the appointment of ecclesiastical office-bearers, the
rules laid down in chap. v. regarding widows, and the experiences
of which we have there an account, as also the warnings pervading
the entire epistle against false teaching and error.
Can this epistle