Chapter 3

Theophylact of Ohrid, Exposition of the First Epistle of Paul to Timothy — Chapter Three

¹ Faithful is the saying. Since it was uncertain that mothers would be able to enjoy the virtue of their children, he says, Faithful is the saying — what has been spoken is not false; let no one doubt it.

² If anyone aspires to the episcopate, he desires a noble work. In what he ordains for Timothy concerning the bishop, he is speaking to all throughout the inhabited world. If anyone, he says, aspires to the oversight, I do not forbid it; for he desires a noble work. But let him not covet only the authority and the dominion — since even Moses desired the work, not the authority. For he stood on behalf of the one who was wronged, striking down the one who did wrong. For the word episcopate is derived from overseeing all.

³ The bishop therefore must be above reproach. That is, possessing every virtue, so that neither others nor he himself find anything to lay hold of against him. Therefore if anyone is conscious of a sin within himself, let him not even desire the office from which he has expelled himself by his own deeds. For the ruler must be a luminary, so that all who look to him are illumined and guided.

⁴ The husband of one wife. But if the married man is anxious about the things of the world, and the bishop ought not to be anxious about the things of the world, how does he say, husband of one wife? Some indeed say that he was hinting at the man who has come away from a wife; but if that is not the meaning, he says: let him have one wife, yet as though he had none — that is, not enslaved to her desires. He does not legislate by this that the bishop must necessarily be married. For how could he who says, I wish all to be as I myself am? But since the circumstances of that time demanded such things, he says: if it should come to pass, let him be the husband of one. This also on account of the Jews, for polygamy was permitted to them. But some have thoughtlessly said that the Apostle speaks here of the Church — that the bishop, they say, must not move from Church to Church; for that is adultery.

⁵ Vigilant. That is, keen, discerning, quick of mind, not overwhelmed by anxieties and despondency, but always wakeful, so as to see all things and attend to all.

⁶ Self-controlled. That is, restrained and composed.

⁷ Dignified. That is, of dignified bearing.

⁸ Hospitable. For if he shows kindness only to those who are natives, he is partial. He must therefore be more open-handed toward strangers; for this above all shows love for the brethren.

⁹ Apt to teach. The qualities mentioned before are required even of those who are governed; but this above all others must be present in the bishop.

¹⁰ Not given to wine. He does not here mean the drunkard, but the insolent man, the arrogant one.

¹¹ Not violent. He does not mean, he says, one who does not strike with his hands, but one who does not strike the conscience of the brethren inopportunely.

¹² But gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He teaches how one would be neither given to wine nor violent: if he be, he says, gentle and not quarrelsome. And since he said above that he must be hospitable, he now adds not a lover of money — at once teaching what the hospitable man is, namely, one who is not a lover of money, and also so that he might not accumulate treasure under the pretext of the strangers.

¹³ One who manages his own household well. This even those outside the Church say, that one who is a good household manager may quickly become a good governor of the city as well.

¹⁴ Keeping his children in subjection with all dignity. For he must furnish examples from his own home. For who would believe that he will bring another under subjection, who has not brought his own son under subjection? How will he make others dignified, who has allowed his own flesh and blood to live without dignity? And by all dignity he means dignity in word and bearing and deed, toward all and at all times.

¹⁵ But if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how shall he care for the Church of God? For the household is nothing other than a small Church. If therefore he has been unable to manage what is small, limited, and easy to comprehend, how will he govern the judgments of so many souls without reproach? Now it is worth inquiring why he who demands of the laity, Put to death therefore what is earthly in you, and again, Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh, now demands of the bishop comparatively little things unworthy of so great a height — that he be not given to wine, not violent, and the rest. And yet Christ commands that we take up the cross, and says, The good shepherd lays down his soul for the sheep. Paul ought, then, to have demanded that the bishop pursue a kind of angelic life, passionless, commensurate with the height of the dignity. Listen, then: the exactness of such a life would have left few who could be found qualified; yet bishops were needed in great numbers, to lead in every city. Therefore he required a measured virtue, one that many could attain. But now — alas! — how far have we bishops fallen, so that not even the shadow of this modest virtue is to be found among us! Spare us, Lord.

¹⁶ Not a recent convert. He does not here mean a younger person — since Timothy himself was young, as we shall learn from Paul’s saying, Let no one despise your youth — but rather one who has been newly catechized. For I, he says, planted. Since they were coming from among the Greeks and being baptized, he says: let not one who is newly baptized be immediately elevated to so great an office.

¹⁷ Lest, being puffed up with pride, he fall into the condemnation and snare of the devil. If before he becomes a thorough disciple he becomes a teacher, he will be inflated with pride, he says, and will fall into the condemnation and sentence of the devil — that which the devil himself incurred through his own arrogance.

¹⁸ Moreover he must have a good testimony from those outside. That is, from the Greeks, so that even they may have nothing to lay hold of against him, but rather may be led to revere him. What then if he appears good but is not? This is difficult. For enemies find fault even with the most scrupulous. Nevertheless he did not leave this requirement standing alone, but spoke it along with the other virtues, saying: he must also have a good testimony. What then if they slander him idly, acting out of malice? That cannot be: for even enemies revere the man whose life is beyond reproach. They may slander his doctrine, not his life — just as they did not call the Apostles fornicators or licentious, but deceivers, and said it was only a matter of preaching. But even if we grant that this happens, and that a man is slandered by false accusation, let him not be appointed bishop. For the souls of some must not be thrown into confusion on account of the luminary. Let your works shine, he says, so that men may see them. And if he must have testimony from enemies, how much more from friends.

¹⁹ Lest he fall into reproach. For he is likely to be reproached by the Greeks; which is also an obstacle to the preaching.

²⁰ And the snare of the devil. Either because they will quickly destroy him, or because he will fall into the same sins as they. And the very fact of being set over many is itself a diabolical snare.

²¹ Deacons likewise. Why did he pass over the presbyters? Because what he said concerning bishops applies to presbyters as well. For they too have been entrusted with the teaching and oversight of the Church, differing only in the laying on of hands. He says then that the deacons likewise — that is, they too must have such qualities: to be hospitable, gentle, peaceable, and so forth.

²² Dignified. They must have, he says, dignity in addition to the things already mentioned.

²³ Not double-tongued. That is, underhanded and deceitful — thinking one thing and saying another, and saying different things to one person and different things to another.

²⁴ Not addicted to much wine, not greedy for base gain. He did not say not drunkards — for that would be far too obvious — but not given to much drinking. For even if they do not get drunk, excessive drinking nonetheless slackens the vigor of the soul. And in former times those who entered the sacred precincts made no use of wine whatsoever. One who is greedy for base gain is one who refuses no profit from any source whatsoever. Take not greedy for base gain here as equivalent to not a lover of money.

²⁵ Holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. That is, together with keeping the teaching orthodox, they must also have a blameless life. For a pure conscience belongs to a life that is above reproach.

²⁶ And let these also first be tested; then let them serve, being found blameless. Just as, he says, I required the bishop not to be a recent convert, so likewise let these not be advanced without being tested, but let them first be tried by time and found blameless. As one would not entrust the management of a household to a newly purchased slave before he has proven himself over time.

²⁷ Women likewise, dignified. He is not speaking here of women in general, but of deaconesses. For this office is very necessary and useful to the Church. If he were not speaking of them, what need would there be to insert a discussion of women in the middle of his discourse about male deacons?

²⁸ Not slanderers. That is, not tale-bearers — which is the habit of old women who go around from house to house and whisper one person’s affairs to another.

²⁹ Vigilant. That is, wide awake and vigilant. Since this sex is light-minded and easily deceived, they must, he says, be wakeful and quick of mind.

³⁰ Faithful in all things. That is, possessing steadfastness both in word and in deed.

³¹ Deacons must be husbands of one wife. See how he requires of deacons the same virtue as of bishops. For they too must be pure and above reproach.

³² Managing their children and their own households well. He places the management of the children everywhere, lest by this the rest be caused to stumble.

³³ For those who have served well acquire for themselves a noble standing, and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. By standing he means advancement. For those who have shown themselves wakeful in the lower offices will quickly advance to the higher ones, so as to have great boldness in the faith — that is, to become more honored, not in worldly dignities nor in wealth, but in the faith, that is, in all the words and deeds that accord with the faith. Such are those who shine in the Church, having risen from deacons to the rank of presbyter and bishop.

³⁴ These things I write to you, hoping to come to you shortly. But if I am delayed, so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God. So as not to cast the disciple into despondency by these directives, as though Paul were never going to see him again, he says: I do not write these things because I am no longer intending to come; on the contrary, I shall come — yet if it should happen that I am delayed, so that you may have a pattern of how one ought to conduct himself. Well did he say hoping. For since he was led by the Spirit and did not know where he must go, he naturally expresses uncertainty also about coming to Timothy.

³⁵ Which is the Church of the living God. Do not say that it is men who constitute it — for it belongs to the living God, that is, to one who is terrible and who avenges, not to one who is dead and powerless, as are the gods of the Greeks.

³⁶ The pillar and foundation of the truth. Here he also compares the Church with the Jewish temple, and says: That temple contained types and shadows — bells, pomegranates, and the high priest with his sacrifices. But the Church is the very constitution of the truth. For all that is accomplished within it is true and nothing shadowy, as were the things of the Law. Instead of bells, a radiant proclamation; instead of pomegranates, a life adorned and bearing fruit within; and as high priest, the Son of God; and as the great sacrifice, his divine body.

³⁷ And confessedly great is the mystery of godliness. The economy on our behalf is a mystery — and great, and a mystery of godliness, and confessedly great. For no one doubts concerning it. But how is it a mystery, which everyone knows? Principally, not everyone knows it. And even if all know it now, before this it was not manifest to all. Moreover, that God became incarnate all know; but how, that is hidden. And for this reason it is a mystery. Behold the love of God toward us, that he has made known to us his mystery at all.

³⁸ God was manifested in the flesh. Since Paul, in his ordinations concerning priests, said nothing of the sort found in Leviticus, he says: let no one marvel that I do not go into such minute particulars. Ours is something great, and nothing like that is found there. For here God was manifested. How? In the flesh. For in his divinity he is invisible.

³⁹ Vindicated in the Spirit. Either this means: that although he had done everything for the salvation of men and yet had not persuaded certain obdurate ones, he was nonetheless vindicated, having done his part; or it means that he committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. But those who were righteous under the Law were held under a spirit of bondage — for the Law carried with it fears and punishments, not having the spirit of adoption. But the Lord fulfilled all righteousness in the Holy Spirit, being consubstantial with the Spirit and having the Spirit as His natural companion, and through himself granting us also to be justified in him. For those who are righteous according to the Gospel are truly spiritual, excelling by far those who were justified under the Law in former times.

⁴⁰ Seen by angels. O mystery! Together with us, the angels beheld the Son of God — they who had not seen him before. For lo, he says, angels came and were ministering to him. And simply from the time of his birth until his ascension. For even at his birth angels sang hymns and brought good news to the shepherds; and at the ascension angels were ministering.

⁴¹ Proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world. Among the nations who had been given up for lost, who had been discredited — and not only proclaimed, but also believed on by the whole world, which is a great sign of the power and truth of him who is proclaimed.

⁴² Taken up in glory. That is, upon the clouds, with angels attending. And that he went up into heaven — unlike Elijah, who went up as if into heaven — not to mention that the very fact of being taken up is itself glory.