Hymenaeus

Biblical Record

Hymenaeus is named only in the two letters that Paul wrote to Timothy. Scripture records nothing about his origins, family, conversion, or later life.

• 1 Timothy 1:19-20: Paul urges Timothy to hold "faith, and a good conscience," noting that some have put away conscience and "concerning faith have made shipwreck." Among them he names Hymenaeus and Alexander, stating that he has "delivered [them] unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme."
• 2 Timothy 2:16-18: Paul tells Timothy to "shun profane and vain babblings," warning that such talk "will eat as doth a canker," spreading like a malignant sore. As examples he names Hymenaeus and Philetus. According to Paul, the two "concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some."

Because Timothy was staying in Ephesus to oversee the church there (1 Timothy 1:3), Hymenaeus is generally thought to have been associated with the Ephesian church. The text, however, does not directly state where he lived.

Significance within Scripture

In the Pastoral Epistles (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus), Hymenaeus serves as a concrete example of the harm that false teaching does to the church. Paul does not treat him merely as an individual who lost his faith; he warns against him as one who spread teaching that undermined the faith of others.

Interpretation and Debated Points

• The meaning of "delivered unto Satan": Many commentators understand this expression as excommunication, that is, removal from the church community as a form of church discipline. They point to 1 Corinthians 5:5, where a similar expression appears. The stated purpose is that the offenders "may learn," and for this reason many interpreters read the measure as aimed at correction and restoration rather than punishment.
• A mistaken view of the resurrection: The text does not describe in detail the content of the claim that "the resurrection is past already." Some interpret it as a denial of the bodily resurrection in favor of a purely spiritual resurrection. Some scholars see in this a tendency resembling later Gnosticism, but this cannot be established from the text alone.
• Identity: Most scholars hold that the Hymenaeus of the two letters is the same individual. Scholars differ on whether the Alexander of 1 Timothy 1:20 is the same person as Alexander the coppersmith of 2 Timothy 4:14.
• Authorship of the letters: Church tradition attributes the Pastoral Epistles to Paul, but some scholars hold differing views on their date and authorship.

In the Korean Church

Hymenaeus is mentioned chiefly as an example in sermons dealing with the "shipwreck" of faith in 1 Timothy 1:19 or with warnings against false teaching. He is also cited when explaining the biblical basis for church discipline.