Timothy to Hebrews - The Preterist Archive

;
172 INTRODUCTION.
§ 3. Thb Place, Time, and other Historical Relations in the
Composition of the Epistle.
It is first clearly established that the apostle wrote this epistle
from Rome (comp. i. 17, tv 'Fcjuxi ; iv. 6-8, 16, seq., passages which describe
a position conceivable only in Rome ; iv. 21, Roman names),
and as a prisoner who, after passing successfully his first judicial defence,
still looks death in the face (iv. 6-8, 18).* The abode of the
receiver of the epistle is indicated by iv. 19, compared with i. 18
(the greeting to the house of Onesiphorus), as Ephesus. To this
points, as De Wette concedes, the mention of the conduct of the
Asiatics i. 15 ; the remark " how he ministered to me in Ephesus,
thou knowest ;" i. 18 ; the similarity of the errors here mentioned to
those assailed in 1 Tim. ;
the request to bring Mark who (Col. iv. 10)
was at Coloss^e ; the commission to bring the articles left in Troas
and most directly the warning against Alexander (iv. 14), and the
greeting to Aquila and Priscilla (iv. 19). At all events, it is beyond
doubt that Timothy is dwelling in Asia Minor, and is expected
thence : iv. 12, 20, are not against the Ephesian residence ;
see the exposition.
The first difficulty is suggested by the date of the epistle. Although
it was undoubtedly written during an imprisonment of the
apostle at Rome, it becomes a question whether it was near the beginning
or the close of the imprisonment mentioned in Acts, or in a
later one. Thus much, however, is certain, that it was not written
contemporaneously with the other epistles which date from the known
Roman imjirisonment, as at the time of their composition Timothy
was with the apostle (Phil. i. 1, ii. 19, 6eq» ; Col. i. 1 ;
Philem. 1),
so Demas (comp. 2 Tim. iv. 10, with Col. iv. 14 ;
Philem. 24), and
Mark (comp. 2 Tim. iv. 11, with Col. iv. 10 ; Philem. 24).
As to the Jirst view, which assigns it to the beginning of the
Roman imprisonment (so Baronius, Pctavius, Lightfoot, Hammond,
Rink, Schrader, Matthies, etc., while to the Epistle to the Ephesians,
in the scantiness of its historical notices, they give a difierent place),
the profound investigations of Wieseler seem to me to have established,
that if written during this imprisonment, it must have been
not before, but after the other e])istles of this period, and after the
period mentioned in the Acts. Wieseler's main proof is drawn from
the apostle's entire situation as indicated by the epistle. He points
to the fact how little the anticipations of death in our epistle accord
with the expectations expressed in the others (Phil. i. 25, ii. 24
* Ocder's aud Bottger's assumption that tho epistlo was wi-itton in C.-csaroa is justly
rejected as contrary to the account L 17, and tho entire situation of the apostle. Comp.
"WioBoler, p. 461.