Chapter 3

Chapter Three

¹ But know this, that in the last days grievous times will set in. Since many wicked men existed in those times, lest Timothy be troubled at this, he had foretold him, In a great house, and what follows; and he says now also that after these things they will be. But indeed even in the time of Moses there were Jannes and Jambres. So that the matter is nothing new, nor will it stop with you. Do not, then, be vexed. And “grievous times” means exceedingly wicked. This is not to be understood concerning days—for what wickedness has a day?—but concerning the wicked things and persons in those days. We too in common usage thus speak of times as wicked and not wicked, from the events that occur in them, or from the men.

² For men shall be lovers of self. At once he sets down the cause of all evils: the looking not to the things of one’s neighbor, but to one’s own alone. For a lover of self is one who loves himself alone; from which it results that he does not love even himself. For just as among the members the harm of one passes over to the rest, and likewise in buildings, so also in the Church, he who neglects his brother and tends himself alone ruins himself also.

³ Lovers of money. Having named the root, he adds particularly the branches from it, of which the first and greatest is the love of money. For just as from love comes every good, so from self-love comes every evil, since it is opposed to love. For love is broad, and is poured out everywhere; but self-love narrows its breadth, and contracts it to one alone.

⁴ Boasters. Vaunting after the manner of men.

⁵ Proud, blasphemers. As the wickedness advances, the insolence reaches even unto God. For when one of men plays the braggart, and then ascribes every achievement to himself and not to the divine grace, then already he also blasphemes.

⁶ Disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, implacable. Reasonably; for if they blaspheme God, how will they honor parents? And he who honors not parents will be unthankful toward all. And such a one is also unholy, because he sets aside what is holy and what is owed; but he is also without natural affection. For whom else will he cherish, who has spat upon his benefactor? And implacable, making truce with no one, if indeed not even with his benefactor.

⁷ Slanderers. That is, speaking evil of all. For he who is conscious of no good in himself slanders all, procuring for himself a certain consolation in the appearance, and by his inventing.

⁸ Without self-control. Both of tongue, and of belly, and of all the rest.

⁹ Untamed. Do you see what self-love and the love of money make men? Beasts instead of men.

¹⁰ Haters of the good. Enemies of every good thing.

¹¹ Betrayers. Of friendship.

¹² Headstrong. That is, unsteady, having nothing firm.

¹³ Puffed up. Filled full of madness.

¹⁴ Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Necessarily; for where there is love of the delights of the world, there divine longing is not.

¹⁵ Having a form of godliness, but having denied the power of it. That is, they merely fashion the impiety and play it as a part, but through their deeds they deny it.[1] And note that the power of godliness, and its sinews as it were, are shown forth in deeds. Reasonably, then, it is called dead without works. But “form” the Apostle took elsewhere in a good sense; for the teacher has a form of knowledge—that is, he molds and shapes the knowledge in his disciples.

¹⁶ And from these turn away. If they will be in later times, how does he say, From these turn away? It is likely that even then there were certain such men, even if not in excess, yet that there were; as though he said, Turning away from those who are found even now, you do well; as he also adds, Of these are they who creep into houses. Or because by “later days” Paul means those immediately after his own death, in which Timothy was still to be present; or—what is also truer, as the great John judges—through Timothy he exhorts all to turn aside from such men. For of these are they who creep into houses. Their shamelessness he shows by “creeping,” and their illiberality, and flattery, and that they are full of deceit.

¹⁷ And take captive silly women. He did not say, deceiving, but, taking captive, as using them for slaves; for such is the one deceived. And note that it belongs to women to be deceived, or rather to silly women. So that a man also, when deceived, may be called a silly woman.

¹⁸ Laden with sins. He shows the multitude of sins, and what is disordered and confused. For not simply do they deceive women (for one must not accuse the nature), but those who have a heap of sins. For he who is conscious of no good in himself is quickly persuaded by the wicked dogmatists, consoling himself that he will not pay the penalty for his deeds.

¹⁹ Led away by various lusts. That is, of money, of glory, of luxury, of adornment; and he hints also at shameful lusts. And note the “led away,” as of irrational beasts.

²⁰ Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Are they then worthy of pardon? By no means, but rather they are without excuse. For since they buried themselves in sins and lusts, their mind was hardened. So that their inability to learn is not natural, but a matter of their own choice.

²¹ And as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so these also withstand the truth. These were the magicians in the time of Moses. But whence did Paul know their names, since the Scripture does not tell these things? Either it was handed down unwritten, or it is likely that Paul knew it from the Holy Spirit.

²² Men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith. When one is corrupted in mind through the passions, then he becomes reprobate concerning the faith. For the fool said, There is no God.[2] Whence? Because they were corrupted, and became abominable in their lawlessnesses. So then the uncorrupted mind receives the faith. We must take heed, then, lest we be corrupted by the passions, and the counterfeitness of faith find place in us.

²³ But they shall advance no further. How then does he say elsewhere, They shall advance to more ungodliness? There he means this, that, having begun the wicked doctrines and the deceiving, they will not stop, but will ever invent newer things; but here he means this, that they will not deceive, nor sweep away the many, but even if at first they seem to deceive, yet they will be easily detected. He adds therefore.

²⁴ For their folly shall be manifest to all, as that of those men also became. If you disbelieve, learn from the things that befell those magicians. For they too were exposed, working wonders by mere appearance and deceiving, when Moses wrought signs truly. So that all the works of deceit flourish only for a season.

²⁵ But you have closely followed my teaching. Those men, he says, are such; but you know our affairs exactly, that they are not such. For you did not simply associate with me, but you closely followed—that is, you were with me a long time, and gave heed to all that was mine; so be strong, and stand against the adversaries. “My teaching”—this concerns the word.

²⁶ My conduct. This concerns manner of life and citizenship.

²⁷ My purpose. That is, the eagerness, and the manly bearing of the soul. For I did not speak only, he says, but also did.

²⁸ My faith. That is, the steadfastness in the doctrines of the truth, or that which in dangers makes one not despair, but believe God that he will deliver.

²⁹ My longsuffering. That toward the heretics; for I was not troubled, but received all things with meekness.

³⁰ My endurance. That toward the persecutions.

³¹ My persecutions, my sufferings. Not only was I persecuted, he says, but I also suffered. And since these two things most of all trouble the teacher—both that there are heretics, and the suffering—concerning the heretics he discoursed much, persuading Timothy not to be troubled; and concerning the afflictions he recounts his own, encouraging the disciple.

³² Such as befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra. By Antioch he means that of Pisidia. And Lystra, whence Timothy was. And why does he mention these alone? Because they were more familiar to Timothy, or also more recent than the rest. And see how he does not relate these things in detail; for not for display, but for the comfort of the disciple, does he write these things, of necessity.

³³ What persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me. Both these things he shows to Timothy: that I too furnished eagerness, so as to endure, and God did not forsake me. So that you too be eager, and you will not be forsaken.

³⁴ And indeed all who wish to live godly in Christ Jesus shall be persecuted. And this too is a very great comfort. For why do I speak, he says, concerning myself alone? All who wish to live godly and according to the Gospel shall be persecuted. And by “persecutions” he here means not only those from unbelievers, but also the afflictions in general, and the pains, which the virtuous undergo. For the life of man is a trial, according to Job, and he who travels the narrow way is of necessity afflicted.

³⁵ But wicked men and impostors shall advance to the worse, deceiving and being deceived. Let nothing trouble you, if those men are in good cheer, but you in trials; such is the nature of things. You have stripped for the contest; of necessity you must be full of sweat. It is foolish, then, to seek ease in a contest. For even if they seem to advance, yet this is not advance, their faring well in the deception. For interpreting what “the worse” is, he said, to deceive and to be deceived.

³⁶ But you abide in the things which you learned and were assured of. But you, he says, be unturned, and be not jealous among those who do evil, nor of a man prospering in his way. And not simply did you learn, but you were also assured—that is, you learned with full conviction. So that even if you see things contrary to what was believed, be not troubled; since Abraham too, having heard that In Isaac shall your seed be called, and then being commanded to slay him, was not troubled.

³⁷ Knowing from whom you learned, and that from infancy you have known the sacred letters. He gives two causes why he ought to abide unturned: That you learned not from any chance person, he says, but from Paul—which is the same as to say, from Christ also; and that you learned not yesterday and the day before, but from infancy, and the divine knowledge is rooted in you. So that it will not let you suffer anything foolish, or such as the many suffer. For he who knows the Scriptures, as he ought, will never be overturned. And by “sacred letters” he means the divine Scripture. This is against Simon, and Manes, and all who call the Old Testament evil.

³⁸ Which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Not as the outside knowledge makes a man wise unto deceit and sophistries and word-battles, from which is the destruction of the soul, so also the divine knowledge; but it makes wise unto salvation. What salvation? Not that through works, not that through words, but that through faith in Jesus Christ. For the holy Scriptures guide a man to believe in Christ, who procures salvation for him.

³⁹ All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable. Having spoken many modes of comfort, now he brings in the greatest also, that from the reading of the Scriptures. For he is about to announce to him something grievous, that he is being made perfect. So that he might not be cast down, as one bereft of him who supports him, You have, he says, the Scriptures in my stead, able to profit you. And some inquire how he said, “All Scripture is God-breathed.” Are then the writings of the Greeks also God-breathed? And some, forcing the sense, punctuate at “God-breathed,” and say that every Scripture which is God-breathed, that one is also profitable. But they ought to have understood that, having said above, You know the sacred Letters, he now says, that all Scripture; what Scripture? That concerning which he was speaking, concerning which he declared it sacred. All such Scripture, then, is God-breathed and profitable, toward all the things which he next brings in.

⁴⁰ For teaching. It profits, he says, teaching us, if there be anything we must learn. For there is nothing which cannot be resolved through the divine Scripture.

⁴¹ For reproof. And if one must reprove falsehoods, this too is from there.

⁴² For correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. If one must, he says, be corrected and instructed—that is, chastened toward righteousness, that is, toward doing the things that are just—this too is yours from the Scriptures.

⁴³ That the man of God may be complete. The correction, he says, comes from the Scriptures, that nothing of the good things may be lacking to the man who is according to God. So that you too, if you wish to be complete—that is, perfect and sound, and ever the same, neither contracted by the grievous things nor puffed up by the favorable, for this belongs to an unevenness of mind—have these as counselors in my stead. And if to Timothy, who was full of the Spirit, he wrote concerning reading, how much more to us? And see, that without the Scriptures it is not possible to become complete.

⁴⁴ Fully furnished unto every good work. Not simply partaking of good deeds, but fully furnished—that is, perfected; not toward this thing yes, that thing no, but toward all.