New Testament · Epistle · Book 54 of 66

Book of 1 Timothy

A letter from an experienced apostle to a young pastor: guard the truth, order the church well, and serve faithfully with a pure heart.

6 Chapters

1 Timothy 1–6

Author

Paul

Written

c. A.D. 62 – 64

Written To

Timothy, in Ephesus

Overview

Book of 1 Timothy Summary

Paul had left his younger co-worker Timothy in Ephesus to deal with false teachers and to help guide the church there (1:3). This letter gives Timothy practical instructions for that work and encourages him in it. It is the first of the three letters called the Pastoral Epistles, along with 2 Timothy and Titus.

Chapter 1 warns against false teaching and tells how Paul, the worst of sinners, received mercy. Chapters 2 and 3 set out how the church is to worship and be led, with prayer for everyone, guidance for men and women in worship, and the qualities needed in overseers and deacons. These instructions are summed up in the picture of the church as the household of God and a pillar of the truth (3:15).

Chapter 4 urges Timothy to be a good servant of Christ Jesus and an example in speech and life. Chapters 5 and 6 cover how to treat different people in the church, including widows and elders, warn about the love of money, and end with a solemn charge to flee evil, pursue godliness, and guard what has been entrusted to him.

About the Name

Title

The letter is named for its recipient, Timothy. The early Greek title is Pros Timotheon A, “To Timothy, first.” Timothy came from Lystra, the son of a Jewish mother and a Greek father, and joined Paul on his second missionary journey (Acts 16:1–3; 2 Timothy 1:5).

With 2 Timothy and Titus it forms the Pastoral Epistles, a name used since the eighteenth century for letters that give guidance to church leaders.

Who Wrote It

Author Details

The letter names Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, as its author and calls Timothy his “true son in the faith” (1:1–2). The church has received it as Paul’s from the earliest centuries.

When It Was Written

Date of Writing

On the traditional view, Paul was released from his first Roman imprisonment (Acts 28:30–31) and then wrote 1 Timothy about A.D. 62–64, probably from Macedonia (1:3), before his later imprisonment and death.

Some scholars place the letter later, in the late first century or early second century.