2 Timothy and Titus

NCCS | New Covenant Commentary Series

The New Covenant Commentary Series (NCCS) is designed for ministers and students who require a commentary that interacts with the text and context of each New Testament book and pays specific attention to the impact of the text upon the faith and praxis of contemporary faith communities.

The NCCS has a number of distinguishing features. First, the contributors come from a diverse array of backgrounds in regards to their Christian denominations and countries of origin. Unlike many commentary series that tout themselves as international the NCCS can truly boast of a genuinely international cast of contributors with authors drawn from every continent of the world (except Antarctica) including countries such as the United States, Puerto Rico, Australia, the United Kingdom, Kenya, India, Singapore, and Korea. We intend the NCCS to engage in the task of biblical interpretation and theological reflection from the perspective of the global church. Second, the volumes in this series are not verse-by-verse commentaries, but they focus on larger units of text in order to explicate and interpret the story in the text as opposed to some often atomistic approaches. Third, a further aim of these volumes is to provide an occasion for authors to reflect on how the New Testament impacts the life, faith, ministry, and witness of the New Covenant Community today. This occurs periodically under the heading of Fusing the Horizons and Forming the Community. Here authors provide windows into community formation (how the text shapes the mission and character of the believing community) and ministerial formation (how the text shapes the ministry of Christian leaders).

It is our hope that these volumes will represent serious engagements with the New Testament writings, done in the context of faith, in service of the church, and for the glorification of God.

2 Timothy and Titus

A New Covenant Commentary

Aída Besançon Spencer

2 TIMOTHY and titus

A New Covenant Commentary

New Covenant Commentary Series

Copyright © 2014 Aída Besançon Spencer. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite

3

, Eugene, OR 97401.

Cascade Books

An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

Eugene, OR 97401

www.wipfandstock.com

isbn 13: 978-1-62564-253-0

Cataloging-in-Publication data:

Spencer, Aída Besançon

2 Timothy and Titus : a new covenant commentary / Aída Besançon Spencer.

xiv + 170 p. ; 23 cm. —Includes bibliographical references and index(es).

New Covenant Commentary Series

isbn 13: 978-1-62564-253-0

eisbn 13: 978-1-63087-193-2

1. Bible. Titus—Commentaries. 2. Bible. Timothy, 2nd—Commentaries.

I. Title. II. Series.

BS2745 S69 2014

Manufactured in the U.S.A.

Paul and His Coworkers at His Last Battle at Rome

by William David Spencer and Aída Besançon Spencer,

Every army is like a single soldier.

Some of its bodily parts are functioning well.

Some are malfunctioning and harming the rest of the body.

Some are assigned to maintenance to keep the body militant functioning.

And the post-commander, like the brain, is multi-tasking—

accomplishing several goals at once.

So was the army of Christ, as commanded by the Field Marshall Paul at Rome.

This campaign was Paul’s final battle.

At his side was his medic Luke and the platoon at Rome: Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and the brothers and sisters—courageous and valiant each.

As any army or anybody, Paul’s command had its problems and its strengths:

Demas, the deserter, the body’s wandering eye, following after another general;

Alexander, a virus, doing great damage to the entire system;

Trophimus in the infirmary;

absent were Crescens and Titus;

off on a mission was Tychicus to secure the reinforcement—Timothy;

while maintaining other fronts were Erastus in Corinth and Prisca, Aquila, Onesiphorus and his supply depot in Ephesus.

This was Paul’s army of Christ, wounded, as was his own body,

as together they fought the good fight.

(February 3, 2013)

Abbreviations

Secondary References

ANTC Abingdon New Testament Commentaries

BA La Biblia de las Américas

BBR Bulletin for Biblical Research

BDAG Bauer, Walter, et al. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.

CE Halsey, William D., and Bernard Johnston, eds. Collier’s Encyclopedia. 24 vols. New York: Macmillan, 1987.

CEB Common English Bible

CEV Contemporary English Version

DHH Dios habla hoy

ESV English Standard Version

CGTSC Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges

GW God’s Word Translation

HNTC Harper’s New Testament Commentary

ICC International Critical Commentary

IDB Buttrick, George Arthur, et. al. The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. 5 vols. Nashville: Abingdon, 1962.

JB Jerusalem Bible

JBL Journal of Biblical Literature

JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

KJV King James Version

LCL Loeb Classical Library

LEC Library of Early Christianity

LSJ Liddell, Henry George, and Robert Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon. Rev. Henry Stuart Jones. 9th ed. Oxford: Clarendon, 1968.

LXX Septuagint

MM Moulton, James Hope, and George Milligan. The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1930.

NASB New American Standard Bible

NCBC New Century Bible Commentary

NCCS New Covenant Commentary Series

NewDocs Horsley, G. H. R., and S. R. Llewelyn, eds. New Documents Illustrating Earliest Christianity. 9 vols. N.S.W., Australia: Ancient History Documentary Research Centre Macquarie University, 1976–1987.

NIBC New International Biblical Commentary

NICNT New International Commentary on the New Testament

NIRV New International Reader’s Version

NIV New International Version

NLT New Living Translation

NRSV New Revised Standard Version

NT New Testament

NTME New Testament in Modern English

NTS New Testament Studies

NVI Nueva Versión Internacional

OCD Hammond, N. G. L., and H. H. Scullard, eds. Oxford Classical Dictionary. 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon, 1970.

OT Old Testament

OTP Charlesworth, James H., ed. Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. 2 vols. New York: Doubleday, 1983, 1985.

RevExp Review and Expositor

REB Revised English Bible

RV Reina-Valera 1995

TDNT Kittel, Gerhard, and G. Friedrich, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Trans G. W. Bromiley. 10 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964–1976.

TEV Today’s English Version

Thayer Thayer, Joseph Henry. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Marshallton, DE: National Foundation for Christian Education, 1889.

ThTo Theology Today

TLG Thesaurus linguae graecae

TLNT Spicq, Ceslas. Theological Lexicon of the New Testament. 3 vols. Trans. and ed. James D. Ernest. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994.

TNIV Today’s New International Version

UBS The Greek New Testament. Ed. Barbara Aland et al. 4th rev. ed. Stuttgart: United Bible Societies, 2001.

WBC Word Biblical Commentary

WYC Wycliffe Bible

YLT Young’s Literal Translation

Ancient Sources

Apostolic Fathers

1–2 Clem. 1–2 Clement

Did. Didache

Ign. Eph. Ignatius, To the Ephesians

Mart. Pol. Martyrdom of Polycarp

Aratus

Phaen. Phaenomena

Aristotle

Pol. Politics

Rhet. Rhetoric

Arrian

Epict. diss. Epicteti dissertationes

Athenaeus

Deipn. Deipnosophistae

Callimachus

Hymn. Jov. Hymn to Jove or Zeus

Cicero

Div. De divinatione

Clement of Alexandria

Strom. Miscellanies

Diodorus

Diodorus Diodorus of Sicily

Epictetus

Diatr. Dissertationes

Ench. Enchiridion

Eusebius

Hist. eccl. Ecclesiastical History

Praep. ev. Preparation for the Gospel

Hippocrates

Artic. Joints

Mochl. Instruments of Reduction

Off. In the Surgery

Irenaeus

Haer. Against Heresies

Josephus

Ag. Ap. Against Apion

Ant. Jewish Antiquities

J. W. Jewish War

Lucian

Sacr. Sacrifices

Philops. The Lover of Lies

Mishnah (m.)

‘Abot Avot

Git. Gittin

Ketub. Ketubbot

Meg. Megillah

Ned. Nega’im

Qidd. Qiddushin

Sanh. Sanhedrin

Tehar. Teharot

Philo

Embassy On the Embassy to Gaius

Flaccus Against Flaccus

Mos. On the Life of Moses

Spec. Laws On the Special Laws

Plato

Leg. Laws

Polybius

Hist. Histories

Pseudepigrapha

1 En. 1 Enoch (Ethiopic Apocalypse)

Jub. Jubilees

T. Sol. Testament of Solomon

Strabo

Geogr. Geography

Tacitus

Ann. Annales

Xenophon

Oec. Oeconomicus

Introduction to Pastoral Letters

When Luke the evangelist wrote his Gospel, he highlighted for Theophilus, his reader, some of the features he offered, while affirming the Gospels already written (Luke 1:1–4). Following the model of this wonderful historian, I, too, would like to affirm the many wonderful commentaries written on the Pastoral Epistles, which are Pastor Paul’s instructions and admonitions to two young pastors. Like the other commentary writers of the New Covenant Commentary Series, I come from an international background, born and reared in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and later in New Jersey in the United States, my mother from Puerto Rico and my father from The Netherlands. Like others in the series, I have focused on the flow of argument. My own translation is an attempt to illustrate the literal text as a basis for interpretation and stylistic analysis. I have studied the meaning of the text in light of its immediate and larger literary, biblical, historical, social, and cultural contexts. In particular, I have asked myself, how might these ancient communities have understood and received these teachings? To enrich my study, I traveled to Crete, Ephesus, Rome, and Greece, visiting many key ancient Greco-Roman sites. These were wonderful trips, which were accomplished with the help and companionship of my husband and son, Rev. Dr. William David Spencer and Mr. Stephen William Spencer.

In addition, I have always thought that scholarship would be advanced if more women were to study and publish on these letters that relate frequently to women and to church life. Thus, as a female Presbyterian minister ordained for over forty years (October 1973), I have paid consistent attention to any issues that relate to women and their role in the church. It is not, however, a commentary solely focused on women’s issues. As an active minister, who has taught New Testament theology for ministry for many years, I have also highlighted Paul’s ministry strategies, his coworkers, and their community. My own initial training was in stylistics, and, thus, when appropriate, I have also highlighted Paul’s rhetorical strategies.

Even though I have focused on the flow of argument, paragraphs and sentences are constructed from words and phrases. Therefore, in order to study the thoughts, I have also paid attention to semantics and grammar. I have done a close reading of the text. Like Luke, I have attempted to do a thorough investigation, but one understandable to my readers. My husband, as a theologian and a grammarian, graciously read the entire commentary. I am a scholar, but I am also a believer with the simple faith of a child (Luke 18:16–17). These words, although those of the Apostle Paul, are also God-breathed, I have, therefore, not read these letters as a skeptic, but as someone who is in love with God, who inspired the words and thoughts, and in sympathy with Paul, as a friend and colleague in ministry, who was mentoring other ministers in very difficult situations.

Introduction to Titus

Setting: Crete

Crete, in the Mediterranean Sea, 160 miles south of Athens, 200 miles north of Africa, is 160 miles long and 7 to 35 miles wide. It is a mountainous island with excellent shallow harbors. Ancient farmers grew wheat, barley, figs, olives, grapes, and tended to sheep and goats, and fish were plentiful.¹ In Roman times Crete was covered with forests, now the interior mountains have few forests.² Nevertheless, it has been called the garden of the whole Universe, for its beauty, pleasure and profit.³

Crete had a mixed culture with influence from Western Semites (Phoenicia, Syria, Israel), Egypt, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Anatolia, Cyprus, and Greece. Jews lived in Crete as well. Ancient Cretans were known as a maritime people. Cretan archers were especially renowned and frequently hired as mercenaries. The society was organized very similar to Sparta’s, a communal society set up to train citizen-soldiers.⁴ Even the buildings were set up in a communal manner, with construction built around a central court. Streets would radiate out from the center of the palace.⁵

Minoan Crete had a predominance of female deities, including the Snake Goddess, protector of the household. But each new civilization brought its own deities. As in Ephesus, the goddess Artemis could be found.⁶ Cretans claimed that Zeus was born in a cave in Crete and that Crete was the birthplace of many deities.⁷

Although females in Crete did not have all the political rights that men had, in Minoan Crete women were probably the social equals of men and participated in all activities including the dangerous sport of vaulting over charging bulls.⁸

Analytical Outline of Titus

Paul’s overall purpose is for Titus to set straight what was remaining at the church in Crete in order to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that accords with godliness.

I. Introduction: Paul writes Titus for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness (1:1–4).

II. Paul left Titus behind to set straight what was remaining by appointing godly elders and rebuking ungodly people (1:5–16).

A. Paul left Titus in Crete to set straight what was remaining by appointing godly elders in every city (1:5–9).

B. Sound teaching is necessary to correct the many who are deceptive and need to be rebuked (1:10–14).

C. Although they claim to know God, their minds and consciences are defiled (1:15–16).

III. Paul wants Titus to teach what is consistent with healthy doctrine (2:1—3:11).

A. Paul wants Titus to promote healthy teaching by encouraging godly behavior among the elders, youth, and slaves (2:1–15).

B. Paul wants Titus to remind people to live godly lives in the world because they are justified by Christ’s grace (3:1–8).

C. Paul wants Titus to have nothing to do with anyone who causes divisions (3:9–11).

IV. Conclusion: Paul wants Titus to come to him and, by helping Zenas and Apollos, teach people to devote themselves to good works (3:12–15).

A. Paul wants Titus to come to him (3:12).

B. Titus, by helping Zenas and Apollos, needs to teach people to keep busy in good works (3:13–14).

C. Final greetings: Christians greet Titus and ask Titus to greet Christians in Crete (3:15).

1. Gordon 1987: 330; Vucinich and Vouras CE 7, 1987: 430; Branigan and Vickers 1980: 48–49. The author observed in a visit to Crete in May 2010 that olives, oranges, sheep, goats, and fish are still plentiful.

2. Strabo, Geogr. 10.4; Willetts 1965: 37–38. Crete was celebrated for its timber in Roman times (Hood 1971: 20).

3. William Lithgow, 1609, as cited by Hood 1971: 16.

4. OCD 1970: 298, 97.

5. Gordon 1987: 334; Branigan and Vickers 1980: 32.

6. Branigan and Vickers 1980: 44, 82; Nilsson 1971: 400, 405. According to Nilsson (509), the Minoan Mistress of Wild Nature developed into the Great Mother of Asia Minor (with lions) and the virgin huntress of Greece. The Minoans personified the Supreme Principle as a woman to whom was subordinate a young male (401).

7. E.g., Aratus, Phaen. 30–34; Callimachus’s Hymn. 1, Hymn. Jov. 6.33–34; Diodorus 5.64.2.

8. Gordon 1987: 332–

3

3; Branigan and Vickers 1980: 41–

4

3.

Titus 1

Address (1:1–4)

All the components of the letter are present in microcosm in the introduction. In the letterhead, Paul has an introduction second in length only to that of Romans (46 vs. 71 Greek words). His self-description contains themes he will develop in the letter, such as knowledge of the truth and God and Jesus as our Savior. Like most ancient letters, the first sentence presents the author, the reader, and the greeting (Paul, God’s slave, and Jesus Christ’s apostle, Titus, grace and peace). Paul adds, though, two lengthy prepositional phrases to describe his apostleship: (1) according to faith of God’s elect ones and knowledge of truth, the one according to godliness; and (2) upon hope of eternal life, which the truthful God promised before eternal time and revealed, in [God’s] own time, his word in proclamation, which I myself was entrusted according to the command of God our Savior (1:1–3). This is a dense synopsis of the Christian message. Paul reminds Titus first of the importance of one’s calling resting upon faith, that God elects, that God’s revelation is true, and it affects one’s way of life (eusebeia). Paul then reminds Titus of the second basis of his apostleship: hope of eternal life. God, who is described as truthful did two actions in regard to eternal life: promised and revealed. Both relate to time: eternal life was promised before eternal time, eternal life was revealed in God’s own time by means of proclamation. Paul then reiterates that he was entrusted with this proclamation by command of God.

Paul normally describes himself as a "slave of Christ" (e.g., Rom 1:1; Phil 1:1; Gal 1:10). Here in contrast he calls himself a slave of God. Possibly, his reason is that in this letter he will clarify that Jesus Christ is indeed God. Later in the letter, as a "slave of God," he will also give directions to slaves of human masters (2:9–10).

The content of faith and its demonstration in one’s lifestyle are important themes for this letter. Titus is a genuine child according to the faith held in common (1:4). A healthy or sound faith is important to have in contrast to those who have an unhealthy or unsound faith (1:14). Slaves need to demonstrate their good faith in their actions (2:10) and love is done in the sphere of faith (3:15).

Truth (1:1, 2) (or its opposite) is not a frequent word-family in Titus but it is important since it sets an overarching theme. God does not lie (1:2). Therefore, God’s message is truth (1:1). Paul’s testimony is also true (1:13). Heterodoxy leads people away from the truth (1:14).⁹

Eusebeia (godliness; 1:1) literally refers to good reverence or worship. It is an important word-family in the Pastoral Letters,¹⁰ where godly living is an important topic. Orthodoxy affects orthopraxy. One way to live is in a godly manner (2:12).

The object of hope is eternal life, both in 1:2 and 3:7. Thus, eternal life is something to which we aspire. That is why the "now age" (2:12) affects the eternal age. In 2:13, hope more specifically refers to the reappearance of Jesus Christ. Eternal life is a term frequently used in the Gospels.¹¹ Aiōn may be connected to aēmi ("to breathe, blow, as to denote properly that which causes life, vital force).¹² Thus, eternal life may be considered to be a life that is alive. Understanding that life is a central aspect of eternal helps us understand the now, but not yet aspect of eternal life (1:2). In Titus and for Paul and for the lawyer and ruler who asked Jesus, What must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25; 18:18), eternal life is something to obtain and to which one aspires (e.g., 1 Tim 6:12). Jesus and his disciple John bring out that it is also something one now has. Eternal life, according to Jesus’ prayer, is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent (John 17:3). The goal or end is eternal life, but also it is a free gift from God in Christ Jesus. In effect, when one decides to keep or lose one’s life, one begins a trajectory in either the direction of eternal life or eternal punishment.¹³

In this introduction, we find clear examples of the archetypal uses of chronos and kairos. Chronos has to do with duration: God’s eternal time (1:2). In contrast, kairos has to do with changeableness: human specific time (1:3).

Sōtēr is a frequent and an interesting word in Titus.¹⁴ Whenever God is referred to as our Savior, a second reference soon follows to Christ Jesus as our Savior (1:3–4; 2:10–13; 3:4–6). Thus, Paul emphasizes by juxtaposition that both persons of the Trinity are our Savior. Moreover, in one passage Jesus Christ is even called God (2:13). The Savior commands, gives grace and peace (1:3–4), teaches (2:10), has glory (2:13), is kind, loving, and pours out salvation (3:4, 6). Savior is also an important political word during this era. Caesar was acclaimed as savior of the people. From AD 66–68 Nero was officially described as lord and saviour of the world.¹⁵ Although the emperor could command and have temporal glory,¹⁶ in contrast to the eternal God, Nero certainly did not exhibit grace, peace, kindness, love, and salvation.

Titus, like Timothy, is described as a genuine child (1:4; 1 Tim 1:2). Possibly Jews at Crete might criticize Titus (2:15) because he was an uncircumcised Greek (Gal 2:3). Unlike Timothy, whose mother