Chapter 1

Theophylact of Ohrid, Exposition of the Second Epistle of Paul to Timothy — Chapter One

¹ Argument of the Second Epistle to Timothy. Why, then, does he write a second letter also to Timothy? In the former he had said, I hope to come to you shortly. But this did not come to pass, for he was being held back by Nero. He therefore consoles him by letter in place of his presence—Timothy being perhaps afflicted both by the absence and by the burden of his office. For even great men flag in the governance of the Church, baptized as they are by many waves from every side, and especially at that time, when wars were everywhere. He also calls Timothy to himself; for he was already near his end.

² Chapter One. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus. At once, from the very opening, he roused up Timothy’s soul. Do not, he says, speak to me of the dangers here. These give birth in us to eternal life. We have become apostles that we might die and live forever. For lest, on hearing that his teacher was in danger, Timothy should be grieved rather than comforted, for this reason he consoles him from the outset. And if it is according to promise, do not seek it here and now already. The life is in Christ Jesus—that is, the life that is with Christ; or because he himself both gives it to us and holds it together. For the life of sense consists in food and drink, but the life of the mind is held together in Christ. For he is all things to us.

³ To Timothy, a beloved child. It is possible to be a child and yet not beloved. Timothy, then, was beloved—surely on account of his virtue. He shows by this, therefore, that it is not as one angered at him, or having condemned anything in him, that he leaves him behind: For you are beloved to me; but it is by force and necessity.

⁴ Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. The very things he prayed for him before, these he prays for him now also. Read, then, the annotation on these things in the former Epistle.

⁵ I thank God. Do you see the excess of his love? I give thanks, he says, to God, that loving you I remember you. This is true love, when one takes pride in his friendship toward a certain person.

⁶ Whom I serve from my forefathers with a pure conscience. How with a pure conscience, seeing that he was ignorant of Christ from the beginning? Either, then, by “conscience” he here means his manner of life—for even though he was living as a Jew, yet he was a man of dignified life; or because, even when he persecuted, he persecuted out of zeal, and not out of human calculation, as the many do who set up a faction for the sake of glory, or who are conscious of much rottenness in it. And what he says is of this kind: Do not suspect me of thinking one thing and saying another; my conscience is pure, as it always was, so now also. I do not lie, therefore, when I say that I love you and always remember you.

⁷ As I have you unceasingly in remembrance in my supplications night and day, longing to see you. I thank God that I remember you—not simply, but in my supplications, both night and day entreating God on your behalf, that he may fulfill the longing which I have, to see you. How then would I have willingly deprived myself of so great a pleasure, if I had been able to come? Why, then, does he not state the cause openly—his being held back by Nero? That he might not grieve him at the outset. But toward the end he uncovers it.

⁸ Remembering your tears, that I may be filled with joy. Construe it thus: Longing to see you, that I may be filled with joy; then, parenthetically, remembering your tears. For even if I were by nature exceedingly devoid of affection, yet your tears are enough to bend me when they come to remembrance. For it was likely that Timothy, being torn from Paul, should mourn more than a child torn from the breast.

⁹ Taking remembrance of the unfeigned faith that is in you. Not only remembering your tears do I long to see you, but also your guileless faith; for this too is a great claim you have upon being loved by me.

¹⁰ Which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois, and in your mother Eunice. And another commendation: that he came not from unbelievers, but from believers, even though they were of the Jews. His father, however, was a Greek. And see how the law began to be dissolved, as these intermixtures came about.

¹¹ And I am persuaded that it is in you also. Since the good things of our forebears, if we too are such, glorify us, but if not, are rather a shame to us, for this reason he says that the faith of your forebears is in you also, as I am exactly persuaded. Reasonably, then, you have this faith unfeigned, as one founded from above and unable to be shaken.

¹² For which cause I put you in remembrance to stir up the gift of God. Because, he says, I know that you have an unfeigned faith, I rouse you up, so that the grace of the Spirit which you received—for the protection of the Church, for the working of signs, and, in a word, for every virtue befitting a bishop—this you should stir into flame; that is, work it so as to be ever living and at its height. For just as fire needs wood, so also the grace of the Spirit needs eagerness, and attention, and sobriety, that it may ever blaze up; for unless these are present, it is quenched, as he says also elsewhere, Quench not the Spirit.

¹³ Which is in you through the laying on of my hands. This grace is in you, which you received together with my laying my hands upon you, when I ordained you bishop; only work the fire more vehemently. The word you received, fill it full of boldness and courage; stand nobly.

¹⁴ For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power. That is, we did not receive the Spirit for this, that we should draw back, but that we should be strong against temptations and speak with boldness; for to many he gives a spirit of cowardice, as it is written in the Books of Kingdoms: And a spirit of cowardice fell upon them—that is, he put fear into them.[1]

¹⁵ And of love. Both that toward him and that toward one’s neighbor. For our loving God as a Father we have from the Spirit, who makes us cry, Abba, Father. And our not being shaken from love toward our neighbor is a gift coming from divine power, just as, on the contrary, to be made to stumble comes from cowardice and faintheartedness. Yet we too must be the first to show forth what is from ourselves.

¹⁶ And of self-control. Either that we may be self-controlled, sound in mind, and in good order; or that we may have the Spirit as a chastening, so that, if any temptation should come upon us, we may receive it unto self-discipline; or that we may also be to others trainers and instructors in self-control.

¹⁷ Be not therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. Many thrice-wretched men, examining by human reasonings the things that are beyond comprehension, count it a shame to say that the Son of God was crucified, not knowing that through this very cross the condemned man became a son of God. You then, O Timothy, be not ashamed of the testimony and the death of Christ, the death by the cross, but rather speak boldly and proclaim him. He did not say, Do not fear, but, Be not ashamed, that he might show that the matter holds no danger, but only shame; and if you despise this, the rest is without danger.

¹⁸ Nor of me his prisoner. Be not ashamed, if I who raise the dead, the teacher of the whole world, am bound. For I am bound not as an evildoer, but I am his prisoner—that is, on his account. For if he was not ashamed of the cross, how shall I be ashamed of the bonds?

¹⁹ But suffer hardship together with the Gospel. That is, do not merely show that you are not ashamed, but show it by experience and through deeds, and become a partner with both Christ and me in the same things. This too he had hinted at through what went before, in saying that he had given us a Spirit of power. And what does it mean, “suffer hardship together with the Gospel”? Is it as though the Gospel suffers hardship? It is not this; but either he says, Suffer hardship together with me, for the Gospel’s sake; or by “Gospel” he means all the heralds and ministers of the Gospel, as also in the Epistle to the Corinthians. Suffer hardship, therefore, together with those of the Gospel. Yet perhaps someone more subtly will call the hindrance against the Gospel, and the unbelief toward it, the “hardship of the Gospel.” Share the danger, then, you also, with the Gospel that thus suffers.

²⁰ According to the power of God. Since “suffer hardship” was burdensome, he softens it: For not, he says, by your own power, but by that of Christ; yours is the choosing and the eagerness.

²¹ Who saved us and called us with a holy calling. He shows the proofs of the power of God. For he saved us, he says, and called us to himself while we were yet far off, that he might make us holy. And he who saved us when we were unwilling will much more now work together with us who are willing.

²² Not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace. No one compelling, no one counseling him, but of his own purpose—that is, moved from within, out of his own goodness.

²³ Which was given to us in Christ Jesus before times eternal. That is, prefigured to be given to us, without beginning and before the ages, through Jesus Christ our Lord. And this too is no small thing: that not out of any change of mind, but before the ages, God willed these things for us.

²⁴ But made manifest now through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ. For even though the grace had been foreordained, yet now it was made manifest, when the Savior appeared.

²⁵ Who abolished death, and brought life and incorruption to light through the Gospel. In his own body he abolished death in deed, making it incorruptible; but us he enlightened through the Gospel to hope for life and incorruption. For we have not already been made incorruptible in actuality, but we are about to be, and the Gospel confirmed this hope for us.

²⁶ Unto which I was appointed a herald and an apostle, and a teacher of the nations. For what reason did he now name himself a teacher of the nations? Showing to Timothy that You too must associate with the nations, and not fall away, but imitate me, who am bound for the sake of teaching the Gospel.

²⁷ For which cause I also suffer these things. For being a herald of the nations. For not as an evildoer. And at the same time he makes his word credible: that If I did not believe that death is overthrown, I would not be suffering these things.

²⁸ But I am not ashamed. Do you see how through his deeds he displays what he was teaching Timothy—not to be ashamed of the sufferings?

²⁹ For I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard my deposit unto that day. Ah, what boldness, and what undoubting hope! I know, he says, and I am persuaded with assurance. By “deposit” he means either the faith and the preaching—that Christ himself, to whom it was entrusted, will guard these, and I suffer all things that my treasure may not be plundered; or he means the believers, whom Christ entrusted to him, or whom he himself entrusted to the Lord, as he says also elsewhere, I commend you to the Lord; as if he were saying, I am not ashamed, hoping that I shall bring many to God, whom he will also guard, that he may glorify me on their behalf. Or by “deposit” he means the recompense; for everyone who does any good thing deposits it with God, that in due time he may be crowned for it.

³⁰ Hold the pattern of sound words. As a painter, I have written for you and sketched an image and an archetype, that looking to this you yourself may paint this pattern of my words; that is, hold the archetype, and if anything must be painted, take from it and paint. For all things are laid up there.

³¹ Which you heard from me. Not through letters only, but also mouth to mouth. Let us not, then, think that the Epistles are deficient, as not treating of all things, seeing that he handed down much unwritten.

³² In faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That is, my words declare both concerning faith and concerning love—which is, concerning doctrines and concerning manner of life; and if you must lay down any virtuous doctrine, or speak or act, from there it is possible for you to take it.

³³ Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. The commandments concerning faith and concerning life delivered to you, or the gift which you received, as he said above. And how will you guard it? Not by human strength, but through the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us through baptism. And if we keep him and do not drive him away through evil deeds, he too will guard for us all that we have from God. Be diligent, then, to guard the Spirit, and he in turn will keep the deposit for you. For unless the Lord guard the city, in vain has the watchman kept watch.[2]

³⁴ You know this, that all those in Asia turned away from me, of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. He recounts the temptations, not that he may cast down the disciple, but rather that he may persuade him, that if he too should fall into the like, he should suffer nothing strange, but should bear it. For when Paul was arrested by Nero, all those in Asia forsook him—that is, those from Asia who were sojourning at Rome.

³⁵ May the Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus. See his magnanimity: those who forsook him he did not curse, but simply only related what had happened. But for the one who cared for him he prays—and not for him alone, but for his whole house also; so virtuous were they, so did Onesiphorus train them.

³⁶ For he often refreshed me. As though an athlete worn down by the drought of afflictions, he counted me worthy of refreshment—not once, but often. So must we too do: from every side and always to support those who pursue some good thing; for thus shall we be partners with them in the rewards. For do not speak to me of Paul. Paul, even had he no one to support him, would have remained steadfast. But perhaps some other will not endure, unless he has one to prop him up. If, then, someone be found supporting him and caring for him, it is plain that he shares in the victory; and if in the victory, in the crowns also. And in wars of old, those who guarded the baggage shared equally with the soldiers in the spoils.

³⁷ And he was not ashamed of my chain. Everywhere he speaks of the shame, not the danger, encouraging Timothy, as though only shame and not danger were present. And yet danger too was present; for Nero was raging against Paul, as having catechized one of his own household.

³⁸ But when he came to be in Rome, he sought me out the more diligently, and found me. Not only did he not flee my company, but he even sought me out, and found me—a man of great courage and faith.

³⁹ May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord in that day. He showed mercy to me, he says; may he therefore receive the recompense in the dread day, when there is need of much mercy for all, even for the saints. And if Onesiphorus, who exposed himself to dangers for Christ’s sake, is saved by mercy, much more we. Here those who are sick with the disease of Marcion leap in, saying, Behold, two Lords! But it is not so. For there is one Lord, as this same Paul says elsewhere. And it is the custom of Scripture to use the word thus, as in The Lord rained from the Lord—that is, from himself. So also here. And if you take it also that the Father and the Son are here signified, neither is this absurd. For the Father is Lord, and the Son is Lord, and the Spirit is Lord; yet one Lord made manifest in the three hypostases. And observe that he did not say, May the Lord grant him some other thing, but, mercy.

⁴⁰ And how many things he ministered at Ephesus, you know better. He is habituated, he says, to well-doing; he did it not once, but both at Ephesus and at Rome. Such must the Christian be: always to work the good, and that throughout his whole life.