The Jewish Annotated New Testament (285 page)

10
: The notion that the God of Israel is the savior of all people follows from the notice in Gen (cf. 2.5) that all God’s creations are good. It also appears in prophetic texts such as Isa 45.22–23.

13
:
The public reading of scripture
, see Lk 4.16–20; Neh 7.73b–8.8. “Qeri’at ha-Torah,” “reading of the Torah,” became standard Jewish practice in the Second Temple period (Neh 8.8) and was taken over in Christian settings.

14
:
Prophecy … elders
, a brief description of the practice in which a ministry was authorized and initiated (see Acts 6.6; 2 Tim 1.6). See also 4.1n.
Elders
(Gk “presbyteroi”) were, along with the bishop (“episkopos,” “overseer”; see 3.1n.) the leaders of a local congregation; they may in fact have originally been elders. Jewish Diaspora communities had “archisynagōgoi” or “rulers of the synagogue” (see e.g., Mk 5.22), but it is not clear what their roles were.

5.1
–6.2: Charity and life in community. 5.1–2
:
Father … purity
, respect for elders (Ex 20.12; Lev 19.32) is combined with exhortations to treat those younger—either of the same age or lesser is not clear—with equal propriety.
Purity
would seem to mean treating everyone in the community as members of one’s family, and not, for instance, treating younger women as potential marital partners.

3
–16
: The writer here addresses the charitable functions of the community, particularly in reference to widows. The Torah mandates care for the poor, widows, and orphans (e.g., Deut 24.17–22; Tob 14.8–11). M. Pe’ah deals with rights of the poor. Because the community should not support all widows, the author recommends that they should take care of their own; only those absolutely in need should receive community support.

5
: A
real widow
is one without any family to support her and who has thus turned to God in constant
supplications and prayers
.

6
:
Lives for pleasure
, lit., “lives luxuriously”; see Jas 5.5.

9
:
Put on the list
, presumably for material support from the community.
Sixty years old
would have been an advanced age for the time (see “Jewish Family Life,” p.
537
).

10
:
Washed the saints’ feet
, shown willingness to perform humble service (see Lk 7.36–50; Jn 13.1–16).

11
–15
:
Younger widows
, the catalogue here contains stereotypical language about young women whose
sensual desires
mean they will not remain as widows (
their first pledge
), and whose idleness can lead them astray. The solution is to let them marry—thereby disqualifying them from ever being put on the support list (v. 9)—and keep them busy and out of trouble with household tasks.

17
–25
: Leadership advice.

18
: The text’s only direct Torah citation: Deut 25.4 (see also Mt 10.10).

19
:
Two or three witnesses
, see Deut 19.15.

21
:
In the presence … elect angels
, the proceedings are conducted as if the heavenly court is present.

6.1
–2
: The writer urges those in the community to accommodate themselves to their lowly status; see Eph 6.5–9; Col 3.22–4.1, but note that unlike those exhortations, this passage does not include a corresponding stricture for the masters. For the Hebrew Bible’s view of the relations between
slaves
and
masters
, see e.g., Lev 25.39–43; Deut 15.12–17. Slaves, like women according to this teaching, need to remember their place in this world, even if they will be better off in the next. The polemical rhetoric reflects common Greco-Roman moral discourse, used to discredit the opponent, and can be found among Jewish apologists as well (e.g., Philo,
Confusion
106; Josephus,
Ag. Ap
. 1.15).

6.3
–21: True and false teaching and final benediction. 3
:
Godliness
, lit., “good (or proper) reverence” (Gk “eusebeia”); the same word is translated “religion” in 3.16. See also vv. 5,6; 4.7.

6
:
Contentment
, lit., “self-sufficiency” (Gk “autarkeia”).

7
: A possible allusion to Job 1.21 or Eccl 5.15.

9
–10
:
Rich … love of money
, a warning not against social injustice but rather an exhortation to avoid peril to one’s own well-being. The Wisdom of Ben Sirach likewise warns of the dangers of wealth (14.3–10; 31.5–11) or at least the duty to use it well (3.30–4.10; 29.1–20).

12
:
Eternal life
, or “life of the coming age” (Gk “aiōn”).
Good confession
, or “good acknowledgment,” “good assent.” Timothy acknowledged the “sound teaching” (4.6).

13
:
Pontius Pilate
, the only NT reference to him outside the Gospel accounts.
Good confession
, here the acknowledgment (Jn 18.33–38) or the refusal to deny (Mt 27.11–13) that Jesus is the messiah.

14
:
Commandment
or “injunction” (Gk “entolē”), what one has undertaken to see through. This may be a reference to Timothy’s profession of faith (v. 12).

15
:
King of kings, and Lord of lords
, see Deut 10.17; Dan 2.37; 2 Macc 13.4; 3 Macc 5.35;
4 Ezra
7.12; Philo,
Spec. Laws
1.18, as well as Rev 17.14; 19.16.

16
:
Dwells in unapproachable light
, God’s dwelling as light is a common metaphor in the Hebrew Bible; see e.g., Ps 36.9; see also 1 Jn 1.5; Philo,
Life of Moses
2.70. That God should not be approached, see Ex 19.12; Lev 22.2.
No one has ever seen
, see 1 Jn 4.12.

18
–19
:
Storing up … treasure
, see Mt 6.19–20;
m. Pe’ah
1.1 (“capital in the world to come” as the fruit of righteous acts now);
T. Levi
13.5. The wider concept of receiving one’s reward in heaven may indicate that expectations of the beginning of a new age, in which justice will be established under the rule of God, have receded in this later generation of Christ-followers.

20
:
Falsely called knowledge
, perhaps a reference to a Gnostic form of teaching, in which secret knowledge imparted to the believer is the key to salvation.

21
:
Grace
, see 1.1–2n.

1.1
–2. Salutation. 1
: Rom 1.1–7; 1 Cor 1.1; 1 Tim 1.1.
Life
, see Col 3.4; 1 Tim 4.8.

2
:
Child
, a term of endearment, not blood relationship.
Grace
, Gk “charis,” standard in Pauline greetings;
mercy
, Gk “eleos,” in LXX for Heb “
ḥ
esed” (e.g. Ps 85.10 [Heb 85.11; LXX 84.11]), “lovingkindness”;
peace
, Gk “eirēnē,” in LXX for Heb “shalom.”

1.3
–18: Exhortations to remain faithful in suffering. 3
:
Ancestors
, Paul’s Jewish predecessors; see Phil 3.4–6.

5
:
Grandmother … mother
, Timothy is thus a third-generation Christian, an indication that the letter is post-apostolic.
Eunice
(Gk “good victory”); Acts 16.1 states that she was Jewish.

6
–7
:
Gift
, his commission, received by
laying on … hands
, a gesture of healing and dedication; see e.g., Acts 6.6; 9.12. Such dedication—although not healing, for which it is not used in the Hebrew Bible—follows Jewish practice (e.g., Num 8.10,12).
Spirit of cowardice … self-discipline
, see Sir 34.14–16; re-dedication leads to fortitude.

8
:
Do not be ashamed
, one of the letter’s themes (see vv. 12,16; 2.15): the exhortation to
rekindle
(v. 6) commitment is expressed in bold testifying.
Prisoner
, ostensibly a second prison term, following that of Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. See 1.17; 4.6–8.
Gospel
, the “good news” of Jesus (see 1.10).

9
:
Saved us
, Paul’s authentic letters typically regard salvation as a future event.
Not according to our works … grace
, a leading theme in Paul’s authentic letters (e.g., Rom 3.21–27; Gal 2.15–21).
Before the ages
, see Eph 1.4.

10
:
Appearing
, Jesus’ earthly life.

11
:
Herald
, Gk “kēryx,” “proclaimer”; the message proclaimed is “kērygma.”
Apostle
, lit., “one sent out,” the title of those who witnessed Jesus’ life and resurrection (e.g., Acts 1.15–26).
Teacher
, some manuscripts read “teacher of the Gentiles,” reflecting 1 Tim 2.7.

12
:
Suffer
, a Pauline theme, especially in the captivity epistles (Eph, Phil, Col, Philem).

13
–14
:
Sound teaching … faith … treasure
, faith is equated not with trust but with assent to doctrine.

15
:
Phygelus and Hermogenes
, not mentioned elsewhere.

16
:
Onesiphorus
, apparently the leader of a house church (4.19).
Chain
, sign of his arrest (see Acts 28.20).

18
:
Lord … Lord
, entreating the Lord for the Lord’s own mercy; cf. Ps 84.11 (Heb v. 12).
Mercy
, Gk “eleos,” in LXX for Heb “hesed,” “steadfast love”; see e.g., Ps 103.17.
That day
, the coming of Christ in glory as judge (cf. 4.1).