Pastoral Epistles

Books and Contents

The Pastoral Epistles is the name given to three of the New Testament Pauline epistles: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus. Rather than being addressed to an entire church community, these three letters are written to individuals entrusted with churches, namely Paul's coworkers Timothy and Titus. Because they deal with how to lead and teach the church, they came to be called "pastoral," from the image of caring for the church as a shepherd tends a flock. The term does not appear in the biblical text itself; it is generally thought to have come into use among scholars around the eighteenth century.

• 1 Timothy: Timothy, who is staying in Ephesus, is charged to stop false teaching. The letter also gives instructions on prayer in public worship, the qualifications of bishops and deacons (1 Timothy 3:1-13), and the proper treatment of widows and elders.
• 2 Timothy: The letter is presented as written by the imprisoned Paul as he faces death. It refers to Timothy's faith, inherited from his grandmother and mother (Lois and Eunice, 2 Timothy 1:5); it states that Scripture is given by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16); and it contains the confession beginning "I have fought a good fight" (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
• Titus: Titus, who has been left on the island of Crete, is told to appoint elders in every city, and the qualifications for elders are listed (Titus 1:5-9). The letter goes on to urge a manner of life consistent with sound doctrine.

Background and Significance in Scripture

The letters use the titles of offices in the early church. In Greek, "bishop" (episkopos) means one who oversees, "elder" (presbyteros) means an older person, and "deacon" (diakonos) means one who serves. Whereas the other Pauline epistles deal chiefly with the content of the gospel, the Pastoral Epistles emphasize guarding the gospel that has been received and entrusting it to the next generation (2 Timothy 2:2). For this reason they have become the passages most frequently cited in discussions of church office and order.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• Authorship: Church tradition and many evangelical scholars regard Paul as the author. In their view, Paul wrote these letters after being released from the Roman house arrest described at the end of Acts, resuming his ministry, and then being imprisoned again. Since the nineteenth century, a number of critical scholars have taken a different view. Citing vocabulary and style, a developed church organization, and travels difficult to reconcile with Acts, they hold that the letters were written in Paul's name after his death. There is also a mediating view that Paul used an amanuensis.
• Understanding of church office: In Titus 1, "elder" and "bishop" appear to refer to the same person (Titus 1:5, 7). On this basis, Presbyterians understand the two terms as designating the same office. Traditions with a threefold order of bishops, priests, and deacons, such as Anglicanism, sometimes read these letters as reflecting an early stage in the development of the episcopate.
• Women teaching: 1 Timothy 2:11-12, which states that a woman is not permitted to teach, is a central text in the debate over the ordination of women. Denominations differ on whether the passage sets forth a principle for all times or gives instructions addressing the circumstances of the church in Ephesus at that time.
• "The husband of one wife": This expression in the qualifications for officeholders (1 Timothy 3:2) has been interpreted in various ways, including as a prohibition of polygamy, a requirement of marital faithfulness, or a restriction on those who have remarried.

In the Korean Church

At ordination services for elders, deacons, and kwonsa (exhorters), 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 are frequently read as passages on the qualifications of officeholders. 2 Timothy 3:16 is commonly cited in discussions of the authority of Scripture, and 2 Timothy 4:7-8 is often used in sermons at funeral and retirement services.