Timothy to Hebrews - The Preterist Archive

First Timothy V. 25. 145
22 is explained of restoration to the fellowship of the church, and
in reference to this, ver. 24 is understood of the moral judgment
pronounced by the church ; for, apart from every other consideration,
it is not true that everything good as well as bad comes to
light in this judgment, nor can it be seen what end the sentiment
was designed to serve, as it contains neither a direction as to the
right procedure, nor an admonition to caution. Hence also De
Wette, instead of referring maaoX. to ek Kpioiv—as that to which it
is opposed, namely, -npoay. elg Kpioiv, shews he ought to do—takes
it quite indefinitely :
" there are some whose sins are known afterwards
when they have passed over their (longer or shorter) way."*
What way then ? According to the preceding, it can only be the
way to the Kplaig. And how can InaKoX., if it is not referred to tbe
KpLoiCj signify : they are afterwards known, seeing that, on the contrary,
from its being opposed to npodrjXoi, it can only mean : they
are hid ? And the whole of ver. 25 is superfluous on the supposition
that it refers to the laying on of hands, ver. 22, in whatever
sense this is taken. If vers, 24 and 25 accordingly can be understood
only of the Divine judgment, it may be asked in what connexion
does tbis stand with what precedes ? The reasons for referring
vers. 24 and 25 exclusively to ver. 22, lay hands suddenly, etc., fall
to the ground when it is understood, that it is neither the trial for
the election of presbyters, nor the moral judgment of the church,
of which they speak. The words are to be referred, then, rather to
Timothy himself, of whom the apostle has been led to speak. He
has been admonished to keep himself from the sins of others as well
as from his own sins. This admonition is then explained and enforced
in vers. 24 and 25, in which it said, that there are not merely
open but also hidden sins, as well as open and hidden good works ;
but the one class as well as the other is made manifest in the light
of the judgment, only, that the one class go before as loud witnesses,
the other as silent ones follow. Ver. 23 is indeed inserted between ;
but I do not venture to guess here at any more strict connexion ; it
could only be in this, that the apostle perceives even something impure
beneath that ascetical vSpoTTo-elv, which was practised by Timothy.
Schleiermacher, who justly dissents from Theodoret with his
elra rov nepl rrig ;:^eipoTOi'iaf dvaXaii[3dveL Xoyov on ver. 24, seq., and
refers ver. 24, seq., strictly to ver, 23, explains the sentiment thus :
the writer aims at consoling Timothy under his delicate health, by
holding up before him the consideration, that all good works are not
equally manifest through the rewards which they bring, but still
that they cannot always remain hid. But wherefore then ver. 24 ?
And not a word is here said of reward. And indeed the critical
authorship is but too apparent in the entire explanation. Olshausen
finds in ver. 24, seq., the idea : that nothing in the man can be al-
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