Don't Know Much About the Bible - Kenneth C. Davis [180]
The Pastoral Letters are now thought to be the work of a single unknown author of the late first century who pseudonymously ascribed them to Paul. Possibly, he was a disciple of Paul and used some genuine material in his work.
• 1 Timothy
While Paul had seemed to be of two minds about women in the church, this letter left no doubt about their place. “I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men,” it read. Bishops could marry, but have only one wife. Celibacy on the part of church leaders was practiced from earliest days but was not compelled until medieval times. This letter also makes it clear that the early church was confronting disputes over “false teaching,” another indication of the divisions that would fracture the early church into groups such as the Gnostics, who would be branded “heretics”:
The Spirit has explicitly said that during the last times some will desert the faith and pay attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines that come from devils, seduced by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are branded as though with a red-hot iron: they forbid marriage and prohibit foods which God created to be accepted with thanksgiving by all who believe and who know the truth. (1 Tim. 4:1-3 NJB)
• 2 Timothy
In the second of the Pastoral Letters, the author calls upon Timothy to use the strength that comes with the grace of Jesus to bear witness to the gospel. As a teacher of the gospel, he should be prepared to endure suffering, as the author does, for if the faithful hold firm they will reign with Jesus.
• Titus
One of the early Gentile converts who traveled with and assisted Paul, Titus had been one of those at the center of the circumcision debate. In this letter, Paul was ostensibly giving directions on running the new churches on the island of Crete.
The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. (1 Tim. 1:15)
For we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it. (1 Tim. 6:7)
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. (1 Tim. 6:10)
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of discipline. (2 Tim. 1:7)
To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure. Their very minds and consciences are corrupted. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions. (Titus 1:15-16)
But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. (Titus 3:9)
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THE GENERAL EPISTLES
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Heb. 13:1-2 KJV)
Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. (James 3:13)
The letters attributed to Paul are probably the most famous New Testament letters, but there is another group of eight other letters, or “epistles,” that includes Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2 & 3 John, and Jude. Most of the “General” or “Universal Letters” are not truly letters but tracts, or even written versions of sermons aimed at early Christian communities. These letters were written either to shore up the nerve of Christians being persecuted or to keep in line those who were starting to wander from the straight and narrow. They reflect real fears in the face of persecution and everyday concerns of the early church. They also treat some of the controversies over teaching that began to split