New Testament · Epistle · Book 55 of 66

Book of 2 Timothy

Paul’s last letter, written from prison: stand firm in the gospel, endure hardship, hold to Scripture, and finish the course.

4 Chapters

2 Timothy 1–4

Author

Paul

Written

c. A.D. 64 – 67

Written From

Rome (in prison)

Overview

Book of 2 Timothy Summary

Second Timothy is Paul’s last surviving letter. He writes from a Roman prison, chained like a criminal (2:9) and expecting to die (4:6), to Timothy, his young co-worker and “dear son.” Most of his friends have left him, and he wants Timothy to come before winter.

Paul urges Timothy not to be ashamed of the gospel, to fan into flame the gift God gave him, and to guard the truth entrusted to him. In chapter 2 he calls Timothy to endure hardship like a soldier, an athlete and a farmer, to remember Jesus Christ raised from the dead, and to correct opponents gently.

Chapter 3 warns of difficult times and false teachers and tells Timothy to continue in the Scriptures, which are God-breathed and make a person complete. Chapter 4 gives a solemn charge to preach the word, followed by Paul’s farewell: he has fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith. It closes with personal requests and greetings.

About the Name

Title

The letter is named for its recipient, Timothy. The early Greek title is Pros Timotheon B, “To Timothy, second.” Paul recalls the faith of Timothy’s grandmother Lois and mother Eunice (1:5), and the letter is warm and personal.

With 1 Timothy and Titus it forms the Pastoral Epistles. Timothy is probably still in or near Ephesus (1:18; 4:19).

Who Wrote It

Author Details

The letter names Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, as its author (1:1), and the church has received it as Paul’s from the earliest centuries. It is the most personal of the Pastoral Epistles, with many names and greetings (4:9–22).

When It Was Written

Date of Writing

On the traditional view, Paul was arrested again after his release from his first Roman imprisonment and wrote 2 Timothy about A.D. 64–67, during Nero’s reign, as he awaited death (4:6–8). Early church tradition says he was executed in Rome under Nero.

This imprisonment was harsher than the first. Paul was chained as a criminal, and many had deserted him (1:15; 4:10, 16).