1 Timothy

• DatesAbout AD 62–67 if Paul wrote it; about AD 80–100 on the view of many scholars (debated)
• GenrePaul’s Letters
• AuthorshipPaul according to the letter; authorship debated
• TimelineEarly Church
• Key texts1 Timothy 3; 1 Timothy 6
• Read the text1 Timothy in the World English Bible
• Covered in classSession 4

What the sources say, and how sure we are

• The text says

  The letter presents itself as Paul’s instruction to his coworker Timothy, left in Ephesus, about teaching, worship, and church leaders.1 Tim 1:3; 1 Tim 3:1–13

• Outside evidence

  Early writers outside the Bible, including the Roman church leader Clement about AD 96, say Paul went on to the “limits of the west.” Acts does not describe this, so a release from his Roman house arrest and further travel is possible.1 Clement 5:7; Acts 28:30–31

• Debated

  1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, the Pastoral letters, differ from Paul’s other letters in vocabulary and church organization, and refer to events not in Acts. Many scholars attribute them to a follower writing after Paul’s death. Others hold that Paul wrote them, using a secretary, after his release from Rome.Titus 1:5; 2 Tim 4:13