Timothy to Hebrews - The Preterist Archive

THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY
INTRODUCTION
§ 1. Timothy.
Timothy is named as the receiver of the epistle, i. 2, iii. 14. It
was intended' for him alone, not for the church at the same time, as
this would contradict the definite inscription, the character of the
epistle as an official letter, and its whole import ; on iv. 12 see
the exposition. As to his personal history we learn from the
New Testament that Lycaonia was his native country—whether
Lystra (De Wette) or Derbe (Wieseler) was his birth-place is undetermined—that
his father was a Greek, and his mother a Jewess
who embraced Christianity (Acts xvi. 1-3). His mother's name was
Eunice, his grandmother's Lois (2 Tim. i. 5). From this last passage
compared with iii. 15, we may infer that Timothy had enjoyed
the benefit of a pious education on the side of his mother. Already
at the time of the apostle's second stay in that district, we find him
mentioned as a disciple who had a good report of the brethren (Acts
xvi. 1, 2). After he had been circumcised (Acts xvi. 3), and set
apart with the laying on of hands to the work of an evangelist
(1 Tim. i. 18, iv. 14, vi. 12 ; 2 Tim. i. 6, ii. 2), he joined the apostle
on his journey through Lesser Asia and Macedonia, followed him to
Rome, after having remained behind in Bercea (Acts xvii. 14-16),
was deputed thence by him to Thessalonica, and returned to him
at Corinth (Acts xviii. 5 ; 1 Thess. iii. 6). We find him at a
later period in Ephesus again with the apostle, from whence he was
sent to Macedonia and Corinth (Acts xix. 22*; 1 Cor. iv. 17, xvi. 10,
11). The second epistle to the Corinthians does not expressly say
that he had actually been there. But we find him again with the
apostle in Macedonia (2 Cor. i. 1), and he went with him to Corinth
(Rom. xvi. 21). He was one of the apostle's travelling companions
on his return thence, and he went forward along with several others
from Philippi to Troas (Acts xx. 4, seq). According to Phil. ii.