Commentary on 1 Timothy

Prologue. Timothy was the son of a believing Jewish woman and a Greek father, because of whom he could not be circumcised as a child. Through his mother’s care he learned the sacred writings, and by applying himself to them he set his life on a good course (Acts 16:1–2). When the apostle wished to take him on, knowing that he would be a fit steward of the gospel truth, he was compelled because of the Jews, who pressed him, to circumcise him, since one born of a Jewish mother ought not to be taken on uncircumcised for the office of teaching, because of the witness of his descent. Him, then, already made a bishop, he instructs by letter how he ought to order the church. Chapter 1.

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, to Timothy, true son in the faith: grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” He shows that he was made an apostle by the command of the Father and the Son, to preach salvation in God the Father and hope in Christ his Son; so that, since no one denies that salvation is in God, no one should doubt that hope is in Christ Jesus, recognizing that he, raised from the dead, has given the example of this hope. He writes to Timothy in this way so that he might be sure of his ordination, because he was chosen to teach by the command of the Father and the Son. He calls him a true son, but in faith, as he says to the Corinthians: “In Christ Jesus,” he says, “I begot you through the gospel” (1 Cor 4:15). This is the true and firm begetting, which knows no setting, knows no diseases and plague, and knows nothing of hunger and thirst, but has learned to need nothing in the kingdom of God; for by God’s gift there will be glorious immortality in the kingdom of God and of Christ, whose grace, mercy, and peace he wishes to remain with him.

“As I asked you to remain at Ephesus when I was going into Macedonia, so that you might charge certain people not to teach otherwise, nor to pay attention to fables and endless genealogies, which provide questions rather than the edification of God which is in faith, so do.” A son ought not to be asked by a father; but out of the affection of love, and to show him a pattern of humility, the bishop entreats his fellow bishop not to allow the Jews to teach the people otherwise than was handed down by the apostle, lest they be charmed by the fables the Jews are accustomed to tell about the descent of their origins, about Abraham, Isaac, and the other patriarchs, and about circumcision and the things afterward handed down by Moses, lest they be entrapped into observing things that had been given in a fleshly way. For what need is there to make mention of generations, which are plainly endless by propagation, and of what was done under each of them and to what extent, rather than to seek salvation by the short way through faith? For from this arise questions, when what, when, how, and why something was done is discussed; and this hinders salvation.

“For the end of the commandment is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned; from which certain people, straying, have turned aside to empty talk, wanting to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor what they affirm.” Since love is the greatest of all, he said that it is the end, that is, the consummation of perfection, of all the commandments, provided it is from a pure heart and a good conscience. For true love cannot have an evil life or a feigned faith, and in these the whole law and the prophets are fulfilled (Matt 7:12). But some of the Jews, ignorant of the mystery of the law and the prophets, because they were handed down to be kept until Christ, went astray, thinking that even after Christ was preached the law of works ought to be kept in new moons, circumcision, and distinctions of foods. Therefore he says they turned aside to empty talk, because they wanted to teach what they did not know.

“But we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, holding this as certain, that the law is not laid down for the righteous but for the unjust and disobedient, the ungodly and sinners, the wicked and profane, parricides and matricides, fornicators, murderers, men who lie with males, kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is opposed to sound teaching, which is according to the gospel of the glory of the blessed God, which has been entrusted to me.” He does not deny that the law given through Moses is good, provided that its sense is known and it is taken in the way it was given. For the one who knows the law, and why it was given, is the one who, once Christ has been preached, abandons it in the part in which it is called the law of works, but uses it with regard to the love of God, asserting and affirming the things said of the Savior in the law and the prophets. For he uses the law lawfully who can distinguish what was given for a time from what is perpetual, and that what belongs to the mystery of Christ ought no longer to be kept for the future, as if one were believed to be coming who has already come. If, then, all things are taken in their places, they are good; if not, they will be bad for one who asserts them perversely, for it is a sin not to expound each thing in its place. Moreover, the righteous have no need of the law, that is, those who have been justified by receiving the remission of sins, so that they no longer live under the law, from which they have been freed by the gift of God through faith in Christ; so that thereafter, keeping the law of nature, which takes in the knowledge of the Creator and urges them not to sin, they may await the day of judgment, in which the righteous who keep the natural law are to be rewarded; for if the human race had held to that law as its guide, the law in writing would not have been given through Moses. But because it was held in contempt, as if it had no authority, it was confirmed by Scripture, so that it might be known that it must be kept, both for the present time and because he who confirmed it will inquire in the future by whom it was neglected and by whom kept. And so he says that the law was given not only because of evil acts and vices of the body, but also because of the faithlessness by which they despised the Creator, so that they might learn to live well and to give thanks to the Creator.

“And I give thanks to him who strengthened me in Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, putting me into the ministry, though I was formerly a blasphemer and persecutor and insolent; but I obtained mercy, because I acted in ignorance, not yet believing. And the grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” Because every unbeliever suffers weakness of mind, bound by fleshly reasoning so as not to believe what is spiritual, he therefore says he gives thanks to Christ, because by the appearance of his majesty he strengthened the feebleness of his mind; for he thought impossible what was preached about the Lord’s power, his twofold birth, his resurrection, and the hope. Being strengthened, he was seen to be such a one as was worthy and able to be a steward of the Lord’s mystery, so that he might confirm as true through the law what before, out of love of the law, he judged incredible, and might rejoice in the persecutions which before he inflicted on believers as if justly, grieving that he had done it, glad that he was suffering. For he had learned so great a hope in him whom before he denied that he rejoiced more in suffering than he had once exulted in persecuting. For he did this not from malice but from error, which can easily be forgiven when one comes to one’s senses. But one who knows that what he denies is true does not do it from error but from ill will, and his wound is incurable; for he is driven by envy to call false what he knows to be true.

“A human saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. But for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Christ Jesus might show all magnanimity and patience, as an example to those who will believe in him for eternal life.” What is so welcome and so delightful as to preach pardon to sinners? For who is without sin, that he should not receive this gift with all thanksgiving, setting God before him as its author and praising him in Christ, who, to wash man from his sins, came down from heaven to earth and took the flesh of sin; mingled himself with earthly things in order to make man heavenly; let himself die in order to snatch him from death and restore him immortal to paradise? Who would not extol without end these benefits which God bestowed on man, the Lord on the servant, the Maker on the creature, so that there should be more in his benefits to humans after he had made them than when he made what did not exist? For abandoned by them, despised, and assailed with insults, he added to his benefits without being asked, so as to be the more pleasing and the more to be preferred in restoring than in making, to show that he is the one who can do all these things. So Christ brought help to man in such a way as not to violate his purity nor lose his power. For he willed to be born a man, holding it as certain that he would in no way be defiled by contact with the flesh; he mingled with human life, knowing that he could not be corrupted by sins; he let himself be killed, well knowing that death could not rule over him but that he would crush it by his power. He did these things, then, to teach that he can do all things. For this humility tends not to his diminishment but to his glory, and not only his but also that of those who believe in him; for it is a dignity to be the servant of one who is mighty. And although many of the Jews, from among those who killed the Lord himself, had certainly believed before the apostle, the apostle nevertheless humbles himself, still grieving over his unbelief, and calls himself the first of all sinners. For since, more than the rest, he steeped himself in the Savior’s mystery, coming nearer to know his magnificence, he accuses himself the more for having recognized so great a good late, and not of his own accord but forestalled by his mercy, so that he might be a witness to the divinity of him whom before he reckoned a dead man. This is his self-accusation, but the praise of the Savior, who as an example to the other believers called his persecutor to grace, so that by his patience and magnanimity toward him he might show the rest that he who was so kind to an enemy would be still more so to those who run to him.

“Now to the King of the ages, immortal and invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” These words belong to the person of God the Father, whom he therefore calls alone immortal and invisible, because all immortality is from him, so that it belongs more truly to him alone; for whoever is immortal has it not from himself but from him. In a like way we read in the gospel, the Lord saying: “No one is good but God alone” (Mark 10:18). And again he says: “A good man brings forth good things from a good treasure” (Matt 12:35). Yet no one is good but God alone, because he is the fountain of goodness, from which the others drink so as to be good. He is also the only invisible God, because he has never been seen by anyone; for he does everything through the Son, whom we therefore say was seen, meaning that he appeared, though otherwise than he is. So he proclaims honor and glory in truth to God the Father, by whose kindness and providence Christ freed sinners from death.

“This command I entrust to you, my son Timothy, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may fight the good fight, having faith and a pure conscience, which some have rejected and made shipwreck concerning the faith; among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.” After recalling what and how great are the benefits of God the Father and of Christ his Son toward sinful humans, whom, when they deserved punishment, he not only pardoned but also justified and adopted as his sons, he shows in what follows in what order he should instruct the people in church discipline, warning holy Timothy, mindful of his election, to fulfill that for which he was predestined. For he was predestined when he was taken on by the apostle for this purpose, to be ordained, judged worthy to become a bishop, so as to fulfill the warfare of the gospel in faith and a pure conscience; for one who teaches faithfully cannot have a bad conscience. For then he gives credibility to his preaching, if he abstains from all things contrary to it; because by the example of good works he stirs many to believe, trusting in the hope of his preaching; for whoever spurns faith is without doubt of a bad conscience. For either he is shown to be a hypocrite or an open blasphemer, as were Hymenaeus and Alexander, who, deserting the faith, were shipwrecked, that is, stripped of the truth, or deprived of life. For what is truth but life? He says that he handed them over to Satan, so that they might be corrected on account of their blasphemy. This handing over is this: the apostle, moved by their blasphemies, pronounced sentence against them; and the devil, who is ready for this purpose, to receive into his power those who are opposed to God, having heard the sentence, seizes them, so that they might understand that they were bound by punishments because they had blasphemed. Hence it is that in the gospel it is said, among other things: “Sin no more, lest something worse befall you” (John 5:14), showing that infirmities are sometimes brought on bodies because of sin. And that they happen with the devil as minister the Lord made plain, saying among many things: “But this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound for eighteen years, ought she not to be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” (Luke 13:16).

“I urge, then, first of all, that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and for all who are placed in high position, so that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and chastity. For this is good and acceptable before God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” This is a church rule, handed down by the teacher of the gentiles, which our priests use, so that they make supplication for all, praying for the kings of this world, that they may hold the nations subject, so that, set in peace, we may serve our God in tranquility of mind and quiet; praying also for those to whom high authority has been entrusted, that they may govern the state in justice and truth, with an abundance of goods supplied, so that, the disturbance of sedition being removed, gladness may follow; for “bread strengthens the heart, and wine gladdens the mind” (Ps 104:15); and petitioning for those who are in various necessities, that, rescued and freed, they may praise God the author of their safety; and also returning thanks for what God’s providence daily provides us for life, so that in all these things God the Father may be praised, “from whom are all things” (1 Cor 8:6), and his Son, “through whom are all things”; so that, everything hostile and inimical to this empire being laid to rest, we may serve God in the disposition of godliness and chastity; for disturbance and captivity preserve neither godliness nor chastity. For how is one godly who is naked? And how chaste where one is not in his own power? So that these may be kept, then, quiet is necessary, so that services pleasing to God may be rendered, who wants all people to be saved and to know the truth. “This,” he says, “is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). If God, who is called almighty, wants all people to be saved, is his will not fulfilled? But in every utterance a sense and a condition lie hidden; hence the apostle Peter says: “All Scripture needs interpretation” (2 Pet 1:20). For God wants all people to be saved, but if they come to him; for he does not so will that the unwilling be saved, but wills them to be saved if they too are willing. For certainly he who gave the law to all excluded no one from salvation. Does not a physician advertise in public for this reason, to show that he wants to save all, provided he is sought out by the sick? For it is not true salvation if it is given to one who is unwilling; nor can one rejoice in salvation received who accepted the medicine against his will, if that can even happen; not to mention that the medicine cannot have its effect unless the sick person applies his mind to it, for this medicine is not bodily but spiritual, and it profits neither the doubtful nor the unwilling. For it is faith that gives salvation, and unless the mind receives it with its whole will, it will not only profit nothing but will even do harm. For the grace of faith has this power: that it pours divine healing into those devoted to it, but in the undevoted it aggravates the disease by which the whole man perishes.

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” He indicates that God and Christ have one will in saving people; hence he declares that God the Father, because all authority is from him, is one, and that there is one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus. For, sent by the Father and made arbiter, he reconciled God and men, re-forming them to the knowledge of him. For since the Father and the Son are one, not in person but in sameness of nature, the Son of God, taking flesh, was born a man, so as to be arbiter between God and men; so that the mediator between God and men was the man Christ Jesus, that is, not without divinity; for man was in God and God in man; and so that he might be mediator from both, and reconcile both, he first did this in himself. For keeping the unity of God, he could not be called mediator between God and men as though there were another God to call man, estranged from God, back into favor; but as a man who did not transgress the law given, he was made arbiter between the one who sinned and the one who knew not how to sin, so that the latter might pardon and the man might thereafter remain in God’s faith.

“Who gave himself as a redemption for all, the testimony to which was given at its own times, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle (I speak the truth, I do not lie), a teacher of the gentiles in faith and truth.” Since man, reconciled to God, was still liable to the death of the underworld, the Savior, to bring his arbitration to its effect so that man could ascend to the God to whom he had been reconciled, let himself die against right, so that, descending to the underworld, he might condemn death for the impiety it had committed against him, taking from it those it held, so that thereafter whoever had his sign could not be held by it. He showed the testimony of this when he rose at its own time; for the destruction of death is the resurrection of the dead. This apostle was sent to preach this hope to the gentiles, so that they might learn from him what hope there was in Christ; for this reason he is called a teacher, to teach faith and truth.

“I want, therefore, men to pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without anger and dispute.” He warns that in prayer the mind ought to be peaceable, so that the prayer may be brought to effect; for hands are holy when the heart is clean. Yet he commands that one should pray in every place in such a way that a suitable place is understood, certainly not an unseemly or filthy place, since the Lord forbids praying in public; rather, he warns of this lest they think that prayer is to be made only in church (Matt 6:5–6).

“Likewise also women in orderly dress, with modesty and chastity, adorning themselves not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, as befits women professing godliness, with good works.” He warns that women ought to pray in humble dress, not in ostentation; for one who wants to be heard ought to bow down, putting away display, in order to call forth God’s mercy. For proud dress neither obtains its request nor makes one believed to be upright. For what prudent person would not shudder at a woman ostentatiously adorned? How much more God the creator, who sees the body he made free bound in metals! For humble dress suits a good profession, so that one may be thought nothing other than what is seen; but she who prefers to be seen with display in the house of God gets what she wants, to appear splendid, certainly not on God’s account but on men’s, and will obtain nothing from God but a stain. For the more splendid she seems to men, the more she is despised by God. (Verses 11–12.) “Let a woman learn in silence with all subjection. For a woman is not permitted to teach, nor to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.” He commands not only that a woman ought to have humble dress, but also that authority is to be denied her and she is to be subject to the man, so that both in dress and in obedience she may be under the power of the man, from whom she takes her origin.

“For Adam was created first, then Eve (Gen 1:27); and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and fell into transgression. But she will be saved through the bearing of children, if she remains in faith and love and holiness with chastity” (Gen 3:6). He ranks the man above the woman because he was created first, so that the woman is inferior because she was created after the man and from the man. He adds something else as well: that the devil did not lead the man astray but the woman, while the man was deceived through the woman; and therefore no boldness is to be allowed her, but she ought to be in humility, because through her death entered the world. “She will be saved,” he says, “through the bearing of children,” provided she remains in faith and love and a pure life. By “children” he means those who are reborn through faith in Christ; for if these persevere in their begetting, the woman will be freed with them, rising from the dead; not that she will be freed by them, but through their begetting. For when those who are destined for eternal life believe, the resurrection from the dead is reached, and she will be saved when they believe and lead a chaste life. For the resurrection is suspended until all who are predestined to salvation believe.

“A human saying: if anyone desires the office of bishop, he desires a good work.” Since a bishop must be of good life, whoever desires the office of bishop therefore desires a good work. For in desiring this he seems to seek a good life, provided he does not turn aside from what is set out in what follows, lest he seem to have done this out of ambition or desire for money. (Verse 2.) “For a bishop must be blameless.” He describes what a bishop ought to be, so that no one should seek the office of bishop unless he is trustworthy and able to abstain from everything contrary, so that he may not be unworthy of his profession. “The husband of one wife.” Although it is not forbidden to have a second wife in number, yet, for one to be worthy of the office of bishop, he ought to spurn even lawful things because of the loftiness of the order itself; for one who desires that see ought to be better than the rest.

“Sober, chaste, orderly, hospitable, apt to teach, not given to wine, not a striker but gentle, not quarrelsome, not harsh, but ruling his own house well, having children in subjection with all chastity.” He says that such a man, who keeps these good things he lists, ought to be made bishop. For these are the marks of episcopal dignity. But if anyone, pursuing the better things, has dedicated both his body and his soul to God so as not to join himself in marriage, he will be all the more worthy. For he set down the lesser so that no one should doubt about the better.

“But if anyone does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?” It is plain that he can become a fit ruler of the people if he has first governed his own house rightly; for “he who is faithful in the least is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10).

“Not a recent convert, lest, puffed up with pride, he fall into the judgment of the devil.” It is true that those new in the faith are apt to be lifted up with pride, especially if they receive an order; for he is inflated by novelty and power, thinking himself worthier than the rest. For seeing honor conferred on him in the first year of his birth, he thinks that he has been called not so much for his own progress as for that of others, as though he were giving a benefit to religion rather than receiving one from it; and lifted up by this, he runs into the devil’s snare. For having found an occasion in his pride, Satan throws him down headlong. And so we read in Solomon: “God resists the proud” (Prov 3:34). Hence too the same apostle says in another letter: “Whoever thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, deceives himself” (Gal 6:3). And the Lord: “Whoever exalts himself,” he says, “will be humbled” (Luke 14:11).

“He must also have a good testimony from those who are outside.” Following the Lord’s meaning, he says that a future bishop must have a good testimony from outsiders; for he who is faithful in the least is faithful also in much, as the Lord says. And: “If you have not been faithful in what is another’s, the mammon, who will give you what is yours?” (Luke 16:11–12). So that there is no doubt that one who is found not at all faithful in worldly matters and human dealings will not be fit in divine matters either; but if he has shown good faith to men, much more will he to God. “Lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.” If a bishop does not keep the fear of God before his eyes but accommodates himself to the times, God abandons him as faithless and a false prophet, and he will appear unsightly and stained to all, because he does otherwise than he preaches, accusing himself by his own words, since he has been assigned to Satan’s flock; for he proves that he preaches the truth when he strives to do it as well. So the one who receives the house of God to rule must be chosen with great care; for if fit stewards of earthly things are sought, how much more of heavenly things!

“Deacons likewise chaste, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not devoted to shameful gain, holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let these also be tested first, and so let them serve without reproach.” He who gives such precepts about choosing deacons, who are plainly the ministers of the priests, what kind of bishops does he want, if not, as he himself says, blameless, having no public business, no shameful and base gains? For he knows that men trade in order to make gains, and do not profess anything other than what they do. And he says these gains are shameful if one devotes oneself to profits under a godly profession; for he is found to be base while he displays himself as pure. Yet after the bishop he placed the ordination of the diaconate. Why, unless because the ordination of bishop and presbyter is one? For each is a priest, but the bishop is first; so that every bishop is a presbyter, but not every presbyter a bishop; for the bishop is the one who is first among the presbyters. Indeed he indicates that Timothy was ordained a presbyter; but because he had no one above him, he was a bishop. Hence he also shows how he is to ordain a bishop; for it was neither right nor permitted that an inferior should ordain a greater; for no one gives what he has not received.

“Women likewise chaste, not given to discord, but sober, faithful in all things.” Because he commands that a bishop be made holy, and equally a deacon, he does not want the people to be unlike either of them; since the Lord says: “Be holy, because I too am holy” (Lev 19:2). And so he wants the women too, who seem inferior, to be without reproach, so that the household of God may be clean. But the Cataphrygians, seizing an occasion for error because he addresses women after the deacons, maintain with vain presumption that they too ought to be ordained deaconesses, although they know that the apostles chose seven deacons. Was no woman found fit then, when we read that there were holy women among the eleven apostles? But, so that the heretics may seem to build up their notion from the words and not the sense of the law, they rely on the apostle’s words against the apostle’s sense; so that, whereas he commands that a woman be silent in church, they on the contrary claim even the authority of ministry in the church.

“Let deacons be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well; for those who have served well gain a good standing for themselves and much confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” What he had said less fully about the ordination of the diaconate he now adds. He shows that they too ought to be husbands of one wife, so that those chosen for the ministry of God are men who have not gone beyond what God established. For God decreed one wife for a man, with whom he is blessed; for no one is blessed with a second. If they have governed their children and their houses well, that is, their slaves or household, they can become worthy of the priesthood and have confidence before God, so as to know that they can obtain what they ask, restraining themselves henceforth from the use of a woman. For in former times levites or priests were allowed to have wives for use because they were free from ministry or priesthood for much of the time (for there was a multitude of priests and a great number of levites, and each served the divine ceremonies at a fixed time according to the institution of David (1 Chr 6:31–32); for he established twenty-four courses of priests to serve by turns; hence Abijah held the eighth course, in whose turn Zechariah performed the priesthood, as is contained in the book of Chronicles (1 Chr 23:4; 24:10)), so that, at the time when it was not their turn to serve at the altar, they looked after their houses; but when the time of ministry approached, having been purified for some days, they went to the temple to offer to God. Now, however, there must be seven deacons and some presbyters, so that there are two in each church, and one bishop in a city; and therefore all ought to abstain from intercourse with a woman, because they must be present in church daily and have no interval in which to be lawfully purified after intercourse, as the ancients did. For the offering must be made every week, even if not daily for travelers, yet at least twice a week for residents; even if there are not lacking sick people to be baptized almost daily. For the ancients were allowed it because for long periods they were not seen in the temple but were private persons. For if he commands lay people to abstain for a time for the sake of prayer, so that they may be free for prayer, how much more levites or priests, who must pray day and night for the people entrusted to them! They ought, then, to be purer than the rest, because they are God’s agents. (Verses 14–15.) “I write these things to you, my son Timothy, hoping to come to you soon; but if I am delayed, so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” As far as his own knowledge went, he expected to see him soon; but because something else often pleases God, whose providence is known to him alone, therefore, he says, in case I am delayed, I write to you, so that you may know how to order the church, which is the house of God; so that, while the whole world is God’s, the church is nevertheless called his house, whose ruler today is Damasus. For the world is in transgression, troubled by various errors; therefore it must be said that the house of God, and the truth, is there where he is feared according to his will. For his servants who profess this concerning him, which he himself deigned to teach, lest his words perhaps be denied to be his, he sealed these things with mighty works which can be done by no one else, so that unbelief, being convicted by them, may perish without excuse. For the foundation of this truth is signs and wonders. (Verse 16.) “And by the confession of all, great is the mystery of this godliness.” He says that none of the faithful fails to marvel at the mystery of the truth preached in the church, which he calls godliness; for to those who acknowledge his magnanimity and clemency he grants eternal and divine gifts, besides the remission of sins, which he bestows here in the present. “Which was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached to the gentiles, believed in this world, taken up in glory.” He says that the mystery of God, which is Christ, was manifested in the flesh, which lay hidden in the spirit. For the Son of God, who was in secret with God, born a man, declared by work and preaching that he was the creator; and this is to be justified in the Spirit: that he who was in the flesh shone forth by works and power as to who he was; then that he appeared to angels, no longer in the form of humility but in power. For he was seen humble in appearance through the flesh only until, death conquered, he rose from the dead and the majesty was seen of him who, born as a man, was not man alone; so that the angels, recognizing the mystery which before lay hidden, manifested in the flesh, bending the knee to him as to God, might give thanks, because they learned the truth, which was preached to the gentiles that they might be freed from error; in which the world makes progress, so as not to be condemned. “It was believed in the world.” For the mystery of God was believed in the world for this reason, that its faithlessness might not be able to deserve pardon for error, as the Lord says of the Jews: “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they will have no excuse for their sin” (John 15:22). “It was taken up in glory.” Because what they despised as weak and unsightly was taken up in glory; for after the cross the Savior, his person and power manifested, openly ascended in glory into heaven, the clouds serving him.

“But the Spirit says plainly that in the last times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, in the hypocrisy of liars who have their conscience seared, forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by the faithful and those who have known the truth; because every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected which is received with thanksgiving. For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” He does not keep silent about the future things the Holy Spirit revealed to him, for the instruction and caution of the churches, so that the churches, forewarned, may be careful not to be entrapped by men of this kind. For what could he have foretold with a plain voice so clear and so open, for avoiding, or rather condemning, the men of this pestilent teaching, than to call their assertion deceitful and a feigned teaching of demons; so that, when the words of this assertion are heard, it might be known that this teaching, which the Holy Spirit had foretold, was composed by the devil, which asserts falsehoods about the incarnation of the Savior, and which is now marked out in the Marcionites (although they have almost died out), in the Patricians, or above all in the Manichees? For these both deny that Christ was born, and forbid marriage, and teach abstinence from foods. He says their conscience is seared, that is, corrupted by pretense; for as a branding iron spoils leather and inflicts a mark, so deceit marks out for perdition the conscience that, by the guile of ill will, knows one thing and professes another. For he denies that these are now changed so as to be saved; for as a brand cannot be changed, so neither can their mind be amended; for nothing is worse than pretense. For these are such as were those Jews who, understanding that Christ worked by the power of God, said that he did these things by Beelzebub. For in order to treat the maker of man badly, though they cannot deny that they were born, they yet forbid marriage and take flesh away from Christ; and to go further in insulting him, they teach abstinence from the things he established for our use, so that by being despised these may seem evil and devised by an evil author. Hence the apostle shows that all things made by God are good, provided they are taken with thanksgiving; for they will be unclean to one who does not praise the Creator in them. For one who takes them in such a way as to treat their author badly cannot profit well by them.

“Setting these things, then, before the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished in the words of faith and of the good teaching which you have followed.” What is so true, what so clear and far-seeing, as that Christian discipline be handed on uncorrupted, so that its fruit may be praised as fertile and firm on the Lord’s threshing floor; that is, that on the day of judgment it may not be judged reprobate and to be burned with fire? This belongs to a good teacher and a fit minister of our Lord Jesus Christ; since he says that he was nourished in the words of faith and of good teaching, which he asserts he followed from infancy. For one who was thoroughly steeped in all the books of the Hebrews, on receiving the faith, became a perfect teacher.

“But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and train yourself for godliness. For bodily training is of little use, but godliness is useful for all things, having the promise of the present life and of that to come.” Profane words are understood as contrary ones; old wives’ fables are certain ravings. These are commonly drawn into contention by the voices of some who make a din, so that a discussion is held as it were on an empty matter whose only effect is vanity. He warns that one should turn away from things that are contrary, and likewise from those that are old wives’ tales, put together with a certain vanity; for there are some who in heat of mind throw themselves into disputes of this kind. But he urges that attention be given to godliness, because it has great profit. For those who devote themselves to mercy, repaying their elderly parents, will not lack God’s help in the present life and will have immortality with glory in the future. He says that bodily training is of little use; for fasting and abstaining from foods, while the authority of the Creator remains, profits little unless godliness is added to it, whose works are helped by the prayers of many toward winning the Lord’s favor. Indeed the gospel word testifies that those who are generous to the brothers and serve them in various ways advance to eternal life, but those who refuse this work go into eternal fire (Matt 25:41). Bodily training is nothing other than bridles for the flesh. If, then, someone, because mercy is a great thing, yet suffers the slipperiness of the flesh, what will become of such a one? Without doubt he will be beaten, because the one ought to have been done and the other not neglected (Luke 11:42). But if he had only bodily training, he will suffer everlasting punishments, as the Lord promised in the gospel (Matt 25:41); for the whole sum of our discipline is in mercy and godliness. Yet the fleshly have one kind of bodily training and the spiritual another: the fleshly nourish their bodies with fattening and feasts, so that with quick motion they advance to perdition; but the spiritual temper their bodies with fasts and abstinence, so that, made sluggish toward desires, they may be worthy of the future resurrection. For the latter chastises the body for the sake of the future hope, while the former pampers it out of despair of the future, caring for it for a time, so that it is moved the more quickly to sin.

“A faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance. For to this end we labor and suffer persecutions, because we hope in the living God, who is the savior of all people, especially of the faithful.” It is plainly worthy and to be accepted to suffer persecutions for the hope that is in God; for in the present life hope is perishable, but in God’s promise it is firm and stable. For he is the salvation of all, because from him and through him all live, as far as the present life is concerned; but as far as the promised salvation is concerned, the faithful. For to those who acknowledge him he has promised that after this life, which ends in death, he will give another, which will flourish in immortality. That is why he says, “especially of the faithful.” (Verses 11–12.) “Command and teach these things. Let no one despise your youth, but be an example of the faithful in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in chastity.” Timothy was young as far as age goes, but in character and conduct old and grave. He admonishes him so that his progress might be in every way an example of good works; so that a grave discipline might be seen as wonderful in a young man, so that his acts excused his age and he was held not as a youth but as an elder; and that older men might blush unless they showed themselves grave in conduct and character after his pattern, while the young might have one of their own age as teacher. A wonderful young man was most holy Timothy, by whose example undisciplined youth is to be restrained and the irreverence of elders punished.

“Until I come, attend to reading, exhortation, and teaching. Do not neglect the grace that is in you, which was given you through prophecy with the laying on of hands of the presbytery.” He wants him to be intent on and devoted to the practice of reading, so that he strives with all care and diligence to exhort and teach. Exhortation is when we stir people to good work with a gentle word; teaching, when we make known to the minds of the hearers what lies hidden. For if the ruler of the people pays no heed to these things, he neglects the grace given him; for he is made leader of the people for this purpose, to bear the care of their salvation by admonishing and teaching, so that his ordination may bear fruit; God certainly appointed him for this, to advance the salvation of his people. Whoever, then, placed in this authority, has been negligent will be held a despiser of God, called least in the kingdom of heaven; for one who does not deign to teach will not be able to do (Matt 5:19). Yet he indicates that grace is given to the one ordained through prophecy and the laying on of hands. Prophecy is that by which one is chosen as a future fit teacher; and the laying on of hands is the mystical words by which the one chosen is confirmed for this work, receiving authority, with his conscience as witness, so that he dares to offer sacrifice to God in the Lord’s stead. (Verses 15–16.) “Meditate on these things, be in them, that your progress may be manifest to all. Attend to yourself and to teaching; persist in them. For by doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” He admonishes him to be a pattern to all not only in good works but also in the practice of teaching. For he indicates that the progress of his practice ought to appear not in teaching only but also in deeds; for a good tree bears good fruit (Matt 12:33); likewise good teaching cannot have bad works; so that when good works are seen, they may be understood to be the fruit of a divine teaching, and the hearers may make progress. For they understand that what is said is true and to be feared when they see it kept with great reverence by the very one who leads. This profits the ruler of the people in two ways: he will receive the reward both of his own good works and of his hearers; just as, if he is negligent, he will have to give account both for himself and for them.

(Verses 1–2.) “Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, young women as sisters, in all chastity.” Out of respect for age he teaches that an older man is to be urged to good work with gentleness, so that he may more readily accept the admonition; for one who is admonished may be afraid of being rebuked later, which is shameful for an elder. For among all nations old age is certainly honored; hence both the synagogue and afterward the church had elders, without whose counsel nothing was done in the church. By what negligence this has fallen into disuse I do not know, unless perhaps by the sloth, or rather the pride, of the teachers, since they alone want to seem to be something. He judges that younger men are to be admonished as brothers with affection and love, so that, seeing that they are admonished out of love, they may more easily correct themselves, since they see that his works do not differ from his preaching. Older women as mothers, so that, seeing themselves taught with gentle speech, they may not take it harshly, because they make progress with honor; for it is harsh for elders to be rebuked by the young. He wants this softened with a certain moderation, so that there is profit both for the one who speaks and for the one who hears. He admonishes that young women are to be taught as sisters, so that they may readily accept the discipline of good conduct. For when she sees that what belongs to a good life is put to her not with command, she consents, showing herself humble to the one who admonishes. For things are usually obtained by gentleness that cannot be by authority; for animals, though they are jealous for their bodies, yet yield to gentleness.

“Honor widows who are truly widows.” He says those widows are to be honored who are widows by choice: who, though they could marry, rejected a second marriage in order to be better and worthy of God, knowing that a marriage is blessed once, imitating most holy Anna, who served God with fasts and supplications night and day, having known the bed of only one husband (Luke 2:36–37).

“But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let her first learn to treat her own house dutifully and to make a return of gratitude to her parents; for this is acceptable before God.” He says a widow must first be proved in this life and conduct, so that only then may she be worthy to be called a widow of the church, who submits to the church’s discipline not for gain so much as for protection. Merits ought to go before, so that the due honor may be seen to be given to her when she comes; for she who has treated her family dutifully and governed her house well has kept God’s law and become worthy of the church’s support.

“For she who is truly a widow and left alone hopes in God and persists in prayers night and day.” A widow who has children or grandchildren is not readily to be admitted to the church’s allowance; for if she has governed her house dutifully and carefully, it is necessary that her own make a return to her, as she did to her relatives; but if, as often happens, impiety has been at work, so that the old woman is despised by her own, whom she treated dutifully, it is right that she be taken up by the church, because she has lived faithfully in the Lord’s law. So the widow who is left alone and despised by her own hopes in God; for seeing that she has support from no side, she is devoted with her whole mind to God, from whom alone she expects help for life and salvation.

“For she who is a widow in pleasures is dead while living.” He indicates that a widow, because she is called a widow, ought to be such as to devote herself to prayers to win the Lord’s favor, serving God night and day, to show that she despised a second marriage for this reason, to apply herself to the Lord’s discipline. For if under the name of widow she gives herself to pleasures or luxury, she must be held dead while living; because it is a kind of imposture to do one thing and profess another, wanting to have not obedience and devotion to God but the honor of a widow; since the profession of the name itself indicates this: that, having spurned a husband, she chose God, to serve him with her whole mind for the sake of the promised life.

“And command these things, that they may be blameless.” He wants a widow to have such care for her actions and character that she cannot be reproached; for, removed from the hope of worldly life and the duty of caring for a body, she has betaken herself to God for this purpose, to lead a commendable life. For when the occasions that commonly open the way to sins are taken away, good conduct can remain unharmed.

“But if anyone does not take care of his own, and especially of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” He says that this widow, who was negligent toward her family in bringing them up in the discipline and correction of the Lord, is not to be honored; because, like the faithless, she has not obeyed the Lord’s law, so that she is held worse. For one who, living under the law and the fear of God, is a despiser must be worse than one who is not subject to the law; for the latter does not know, but the former despises knowingly.

“Let a widow be chosen not less than sixty years old, who has been the wife of one husband, having a testimony in good works: if she has brought up children, if she has received guests, if she has washed the feet of the saints, if she has ministered to those suffering affliction, if she has followed every good work.” He teaches that a widow is to be chosen if she is commended by the prerogative of her past works; for by the Lord’s judgment her name is written in the church’s records, whom her former life declares worthy. For, schooled in divine services and wearing out her life in them, she is to be received into the bosom of the church, to which she long ago vowed herself in lawful services.

“But avoid young widows; for when they have lived in pleasures, they want to marry in Christ.” He forbids young widows to be received into this profession, for trust ought not easily be given to a slippery age; since the examples of some go before, who after their profession, through delight in a life of pleasures, have the name of widowhood but not its works, and, turned to marriage, are drawn to it. For one who thinks he can live a life of pleasures in Christ does not persevere innocent at all; for luxury draws him to its members, so that he is subjected to sin; for pleasures are the doors of sin. For it is not unknown where one tends who loves a soft life.

“Having condemnation, because they have made void their first faith.” He shows what awaits such women, so that they may not readily dare what is hard to fulfill; or, if the mind is given to this devotion, let her keep it to herself for the time being, because she has learned that it is rash to profess what ought not yet be entrusted to youthful age. For one who turns away from what she had rightly done becomes liable to condemnation. For the more praiseworthy it is if she fulfills what is believed to be beyond her strength, so much the more is she to be punished if she dares with rash presumption to impose on herself what she cannot bear; nor ought one to have a claim to pardon who has been found unfaithful from the beginning.

“At the same time they also learn to go about idle, and not only idle but also talkative and busybodies, saying what they should not.” Certain virgins or widows, recommended by their profession (for the name of this state is glorious), are welcome in the houses of the rich; and they make it their business to comply with their wishes, going about and looking for things to bring them that will please them, so that, though idle, they may be rewarded with gifts; and by a bad habit they seek more from tales than from what they work with their hands, so that they go out proud and dressed up, acting against their profession. This usually turns against them even in this life; for what they always think hidden is revealed. For what is “saying what they should not”? For they are close to weddings, sharers in many secrets, flatterers, complainers against the slaves.

“I want, therefore, the younger ones to marry, to bear children, to be mothers of families, to give the adversary no occasion for reproach. For some have already turned aside after Satan.” Since the things he said above about such women are contrary and unlawful and will bring them to death, he therefore gives counsel and commands that what is lawful be done. For it is better to look after one’s own house than to commit adultery in another’s house; and it is much more expedient to marry than, under a good and godly profession, to walk notoriously in evil; and it is more to seek one’s living with one’s hands with modesty than shamelessly to wait idle for others’ goods. For this is how Satan finds an occasion to overturn ill-advised souls: when those professing godly things hunt unjustly; for nothing is so dangerous as when deeds fight against profession. For Satan is not jealous of open evil, because he rejoices in it; but the one he sees deceiving he works to expose as his son, not God’s; which deed does not displease God.

“If any believing man or believing woman has widows, let him provide for them sufficiently, so that the church may not be burdened by their maintenance, so that it may suffice for the true widows.” What wonder if apostolic power could foresee the future? For what he said is evident: that the widows of the faithful now greatly burden the church, even of those who seem rich in the world; because, when these women stop the work of spinning wool on account of old age, they withdraw from them both clothing and food, not entirely, but in part, so that the women, driven by that very want, turn to the church in order to live; whereas they ought not only to give to their own needy but also to feed and clothe other poor women. This is very harmful; for when it is given to these, the rest receive less or nothing, to whom it ought rather to be given, who are worthy to be supported at the church’s expense. And the church is burdened in this way when it is forced to clothe many, though it ought to clothe few; and the people, who could gladly and often minister to a few, are forced to let more go, so that they either grumble or come to their aid more slowly. For though he commands that a widow who was the wife of one husband be chosen, there are now found among them not only wives of two or three husbands but also women who have lived more shamefully; which happens sometimes through negligence, sometimes through the influence of one who recommends them.

“Let presbyters who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and teaching.” Good and faithful stewards ought to be judged worthy not only of lofty honor but also of earthly honor, so that they may not be saddened by want of provisions but rather rejoice in their faith and teaching. For he becomes more earnest if he is not humbled by poverty, and his authority grows when he sees that even in the present he receives the fruit of his labor, not so as to abound, but so as not to be in want.

“For Scripture says: ‘You shall not muzzle the ox that treads out the grain’ (Deut 25:4), and: ‘The laborer is worthy of his wage’ (Luke 10:7).” The wage of one who preaches the kingdom of God ought to be such that he is neither saddened nor puffed up. (Verse 19.) “Do not receive an accusation against a presbyter.” Since the honor of this order is lofty (for such men are vicars of Christ), an accusation ought not to be readily admitted against this person. For it ought to seem incredible that one who is a high priest of God has behaved criminally, just as it is credible that an actor is most base.

“But rebuke those who sin before all, so that the rest may have fear.” Although a charge against a presbyter ought not to be readily believed, yet if it is proved, or it is manifest that he has behaved irreverently, he commands that he be rebuked publicly, so that the rest too may be frightened; which profits not only the ordained but also the people; for when they see a man of dignity rebuked for his error, they must beware for themselves.

“I charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels that you keep these things, doing nothing without prior judgment, inclining to neither side. Lay hands hastily on no one, and do not share in others’ sins. Keep yourself chaste.” He lays down his solemn charge before God the Father and Christ his Son and his elect angels, whom the Lord in the gospel calls holy (Mark 8:38). These, then, are elect, because there are others reprobate, who are not God’s angels but the devil’s, consenting to his apostasy. Under this solemn charge, then, he commands that what he enjoins for the ordering of the church be kept: that nothing be done without prior judgment, so that no one readily receives a church dignity unless his life and character have first been discussed, so that, approved as worthy, he may be appointed minister or priest; lest afterward, if he seems blameworthy, the ruler of the people should perhaps regret that he did not judge clearly beforehand what he deserved, whom he ordained without proof; nor is one whose sins come under suspicion to be ordained, lest the ordainer be stained by his vices and offenses. If, then, the offenses are wholly hidden, the ruler will be free of blame, because his conscience is free. For suspicion makes one fearful; for he sins if he does not test and yet ordains. For one who is to be ordained ought to be proved better than the rest; for it is not enough that he be without crime; for the merits of his good works ought to go before, so that he may be held worthy of ordination. The bishop who keeps these things will show himself chaste for religion, and for this he will obtain a reward in the future.

“No longer drink water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent infirmities.” Now he gives particular counsel, that he may govern himself by healthy teaching; for God wants to be served prudently, not so that people become weak by their own excess and then seek the help of physicians. One must exercise moderation, so that, if possible, the service begun may be advanced step by step rather than diminished through lack of consideration. For intemperance makes the soul itself restless, so that, while it is anxious about its infirmity, it is not so devoted to divine service. For improvidence brings loss; the soul set in tranquility lifts the whole heart to God, asking with sound counsel for what ought to be asked.

“The sins of some people are manifest, going before them to judgment; but some they also follow. Likewise good works too are manifest, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.” He wants it understood that those who cling to people whose sins are openly known will have no excuse, so that those who ought to be avoided are instead held in honor. He signifies, then, that the man of God should separate himself from these, especially the steward of Christ, who also has the authority to rebuke them; and if they promise to amend themselves, they are to be received back. He shows that the evil works of others follow them, because while living they are thought good, but when dead they are uncovered, so that those who formerly presented themselves as fit are afterward declared impostors. By the reasoning above, just as evil deeds, so good deeds are manifest; for a good life and modest acts cannot be hidden, and with godliness added they make people perfect; but just as some evils are hidden for the present, so are some goods; for no one can know everything about people, but from what he sees and hears he tests and judges. For he weighs whether what is said fits the one of whom it is said, whether good or evil; but what has been hidden from people will become plain on the day of judgment. These things were said, then, so that such people might know that they have a graver case than the rest. For one who, being evil, presents himself as good is worse than one who is openly evil.

“Let all who are slaves under the yoke regard their masters as worthy of all honor, lest the name of the Lord and the teaching be blasphemed.” He wants masters to give thanks to God for the services of slaves; for when through God’s discipline the slaves have shown them faithful service, perhaps the masters too will submit themselves to this discipline.

“And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brothers, but serve them the more, because they are believers and beloved, who receive the benefits.” If he commands that profane masters be served with all diligence, how much more believing ones! For a slave proves himself subject to the fear of God when he has obeyed a believing and temporal master with his whole mind. Let him not think he is to be despised because he is called a brother by reason of the common faith; for one who thinks a believing master is to be despised will be the more to be rebuked.

“Teach and exhort these things.” He wants the Lord’s teaching to be made known, so that detractors may see that there is nothing in it for which it should be blamed; and at the same time, considering the shameful things hidden in their own rites, they may blush, so that they will be without excuse.

“If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching that is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but sick about questions and battles of words, from which come envy, strife, blasphemies, evil suspicions, conflicts of men who are corrupted in mind and have been deprived of the truth, supposing that godliness and the worship of God is gain. Withdraw from such.” He commands that those who differ from the catholic discipline be spurned, especially those who, convicted and corrected, will not agree, through the disturbance of a perverse mind, who delight in and feed on contentions. For one who is lifted up does not allow himself to be defeated, since he bursts into conflict to seek favor, which is to be avoided by gentle and good men. For contention is never without a quarrel; and it would be little if only a quarrel arose, but blasphemies and enmities too, which is foreign to the servants of God. And it is judged useful to withdraw from those who, corrupted in mind, have been deprived of the truth; for they think the worship of God and godliness to be gain, hoping for nothing of the future, but providing how they may get through the present, like the worldly sects, which are well known to listen gladly for the sake of present gains, not knowing that some gladly hear this, that one should flourish in this life; and therefore one must withdraw from such.

“But godliness with sufficiency is great gain.” He says that there are great riches and acquisition in this, if a believer is content with what he has; for there is more, both in himself and in others, in one who, gained by God’s mercy for the future life, thinks what he has sufficient for the present, not doubting that he gives from that very thing. For every greedy person is ungodly, harmful both to himself and to others.

“For we brought nothing into the world, and truly we cannot take anything out; but having food and that with which we are covered, let us be content with these.” He declares openly that it is in vain for mortal men to strive for abundance and want to become rich, since they know they have nothing of their own in the world. What does human greed achieve, except to become its own enemy? For it brought nothing into the world, it will be able to take nothing away. Why does it strike itself with anxiety and seek to gather? Such as he came, such will he go out from here. Job too writes this and confesses it in his suffering, saying: “Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, naked I shall return to the earth … blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). If the greedy did not hold on to what they have to their own ruin, few would hoard what could profit many, with gain to themselves as well.

“For those who want to become rich fall into temptation and a snare, and many useless and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the root of all evils is avarice, by craving which some have strayed from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” Nothing is so harsh and so pernicious as when a churchman, especially one in a high place, strives for the riches of this world; because he harms not only himself but others as well. For he gives people a contrary pattern; for many must become his imitators, unto perdition. For the more honorable he is in rank, the more he persuades others to imitate him, especially in this matter, to which people are prone in this life; for avarice can admit every evil. It is the root of all evils because, to satisfy its desires, which is impossible, it commits sorcery, murders, obscenity, and every crime; it is neither secure in the present, because it is always craving, nor saved in the future, for it is condemned.

“But you, man of God, flee these things.” He urges and commands that the man of God cut himself off from this, so that he may be secure here and be rewarded with divine rewards in the future. For not undeservedly is one to be crowned who spurns what persuades so many.

“But pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, tranquility of mind. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called and confessed the good confession before many witnesses.” Since avarice is a wicked thing, he bids the man of God, in order to keep apart from it, to pursue righteousness and godliness and the other things he names; for he will not be able to avoid it unless he clings to the things opposed to avarice. For how can a greedy man be faithful, who denies by his works what he seems to confess in words? How is he a lover of the brotherhood, whose hands are dry? How patient, who always reaches for what belongs to others? Or how can he have tranquility of mind, who is inflamed day and night with the avidity of craving? But because this iniquity was foreign to Timothy the man of God, he is bidden to undertake the good fight of faith. For it is the victory of faith when all vices and crimes are subdued, so that one may come to the rewards of eternal life; whose confession, made among the very rudiments of faith, is contained in the church records, with a witness asking and answering.

“I charge you in the sight of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment spotless, blameless, until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, which in his own times the blessed and only Mighty One will show, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in light unapproachable, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen.” He gives commands to the ruler of the church with great vigilance and foresight; for in his person the salvation of the whole people rests. He is so circumspect not out of concern about Timothy’s care, but because of his successors, so that by Timothy’s example they might guard the ordering of the church, and they themselves, handing on a pattern to those to come, might begin with themselves. And so, “that you keep,” he says, “the commandment spotless until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He binds this so tightly as to testify that he commands it before God and Christ; and, to strike terror, he recalls the passion of Christ, of whose passion one who spurns that for which Christ suffered must become guilty. Nor did he keep silent about the day of judgment, which will come at the predestined time by the will of God, whom he proclaims alone blessed and mighty, King of kings and Lord of lords; for he alone has blessedness and power, dominion and kingship, and immortality too, as his own and received from no one. The Father has all these things, and likewise the Son from the Father; but the unapproachable light belongs to the Father alone, because he has never appeared to anyone. Indeed he added: “whom no man has seen or can see.” Not that the Son’s light is another light, since it is written in the psalm: “And in your light we shall see light” (Ps 36:9), that is, the Father’s light is in the Son; but because no one has seen the Father, and therefore he dwells in unapproachable light. For no one has the standing to see God the Father except Christ; he who is from God, he has seen God; but the Son, because he himself does all things, is said both to appear and to be seen. That, then, is peculiar to the Father which was said above: “To whom be honor and eternal power, Amen,” that is, it is true.

“Command the rich of this world not to be proud-minded, nor to hope in the uncertainty of riches, but in the living God, who provides us with all things abundantly to enjoy, in the will of good works; to be rich in good deeds, ready to share, glad to give, to treasure up for themselves a good foundation for the future, that they may lay hold of the true life.” The true life is the one we hope will come, which is not ended by any setting or by times; for it is eternal, and therefore it is rightly called true; for this present life is an image of life, not the truth. And because the image is not wholly emptiness, that life is gained in this life; and so that one may hasten to it, one learns from the image how much the truth excels it, which is reached neither by pride nor by hope in riches, but by humility and hope in God, who promised it. For one must hope in him, because he supplies what is necessary for our needs; not in the riches themselves but in their author. For what hope is seen in a thing perishable and uncertain? Since some people lose them; and those in whose hands they seem to remain gain no profit from them for the future, but loss, unless they share them with the needy; for they are not eternal, to be preferred to the future life. They make people proud as if they promised immortality. We have the example of resurrection in Christ; and yet Christ is not loved by many as riches are, of which no example is seen that they have freed anyone from death. Christ redeemed us, not riches; for in himself he showed the likeness of the future life, so that, spurning all these things, we might follow him and come to immortal and heavenly riches. Therefore we ought to strive for this, to be rich in good deeds and with these earthly goods to gain spiritual riches; let us sow on earth, that we may reap in heaven, where the eternal treasure is stored.

“Timothy, guard what has been entrusted, avoiding profane novelties of words and the oppositions of knowledge falsely so called, which some, professing it, have fallen away concerning the faith. Grace be with you.” He admonishes the same things: that what was said above be kept, and that things contrary to religion be avoided, which usurp only the name of knowledge, deceitful in their profession, so as to deceive the simple; for they feign the faith from which they have fallen away, in order to bring in faithlessness. He signed with his own hand, saying: “Grace be with you.”