Colossians, First Timothy
General Questions Related to Authorship
I. Issue of Authorship - Barr's Arc - Figure 3.3 p. 95
A. Nature of "authorship"
1. Modern Analogs?
B. External Evidence - canon lists & other evaluations, citation or use by later writers
C. Internal Evidence - vocabulary, style; omitting characteristic concepts & concerns; development of ideas; contradiction of earlier letters; historical data (development of church order, relationship between Jews and Gentiles; attitude to parousia; mention of known events, persons, etc.),
D. Weighing Criteria
II. Purposes for Which Authorship Makes a Difference
A. Reconstructing chronology, biography, and philosophy/theology of Paul - Early Christian tradition held that Paul died during reign of Nero – circa 62-64 CE.
B. Reconstructing History of Early Church including Trajectories from Paul – Dates, e.g., circa 60 if Paul’s or 80-90 if a disciple of Paul for 1 Timothy
C. Theological
1. Religious - Makes no difference. Is part of the canon.
2. Religious – Makes a difference, a challenge to inerrancy
3. Religious – Makes a difference if Paul has more importance than a follower of Paul
Colossians
I. Colossians, Ephesians, & Philemon
II. Authorship -Paul, Disciple of Paul like Timothy, Later Follower(s) in Pauline School
A. External Evidence - strong support - found in Marcion and Muratorian Canon; similar language in Clement of Rome's letter to the Corinthians, circa 95 CE (Barr 188) ; Colossians appears to have been used by author of Ephesians - one third of Colossians found in Ephesians ( Barr 188-89)
B. Internal evidence -
1. historical situation seems plausible - Epaphras founds church. Ties to Philemon in people mentioned; issues of occult, diet and Sabbath, self-abasement, and ascetisim (Barr 190) Discussion of problems in 2:16-23
2. theology - Col 1:20 God reconciles; but "higher Christology, a more developed ecclesiology [church order, conception], and more 'realized' view of eschatology" (Powell at http://www.introducingnt.com/images/hyperlinks/html/hyperlink-18-03.html)
3. style - not as vivid, personal - authors mentioned are Paul and Timothy; use of hymn; demonstrative rhetoric - to demonstrate or persuade hearers of a particular point of view (Barr 13); long sentences, more relative clauses, etc. See Powell at http://www.introducingnt.com/images/hyperlinks/html/hyperlink-18-03.html
III. Cosmic Hymn - World in Front of the Text Ecology
IV. Household Code - 3:18-4:1
First Timothy
I. Included in the category “The Pastorals” due to content and language – 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus – written to individuals to instruct on how to pastor and on church order
II. Authorship and Comparison to “Undisputed Letters”
A. Barr’s Arc – Figure 3.3 p. 95
B. Salutation of 1Tim.
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy, my loyal child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. (1 Tim 1:1-2 NRSV)
C. External Evidence
1. Not included in Marcion’s list circa 150-60 CE; Marcionites did include them by 3rd century CE; perhaps Marcion rejected “anti-gnostic” elements or he did not know these letters. (Barr, 196)
2. Included in the Muratorian Canon, dated circa 190-200 CE by some dated as late as 4th century by others (Barr 196)
3. Accepted by Tertullian and Irenaeus by end of second century
D. Internal Evidence
1. Vocabulary
2. Style.
3. Content
a. Church Order –
i. official church offices: bishops (episkopos – literally, overseer) who were leaders of a congregation or region, presbyters (elders) and deacons (ministers) seem to be established offices with responsibilities and special qualifications including being married. Some at least are paid. A council of elders ordains Timothy. Seems less like the charismatic organization of 1 Corinthians and on the way to the established church order of Ignatius of Antioch in the early 2nd century. See Ignatius, Letter to the Ephesians 6 at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.v.ii.vi.html and Letter to the Smyrnæans Smyr. 8-9 at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.v.vii.html Also qualifications seem similar to those outlined for civic leaders (Barr 198-99; Ehrman, 337-38)
See 1 Timothy 3:1-16; 4:14; 5:17-22
ii. But, bishops and deacons are mentioned in Phil 1:1 and 1 Thess 5:12.
b. Asceticism – marriage
c. Role of Women
d. False teaching vs. True teaching – Gnosticism?
e. Theology and Key Themes from Undisputed Letters
i. Acceptance of Gentiles, circumcision and whether Gentiles must keep the Law don’t seem to be issues. (Barr 198)
Focus on the importance of eschatology, the urgency of the end of time.
Church as body of Christ and family of brothers, sisters, etc.
Faith (pistis) – faith in Christ, trust vs. faith as belief in a set of doctrines
Cross and resurrection not stressed as in undisputed letters.
Righteousness (dikaios) – justification vs. being moral
ii. Might be due to time passed or different circumstances. Paul’s letters are not systematic theology and vary quite a bit.
E. Alternative Proposals and Influences
1. “Expansions of Personal Notes”
2. “2 Timothy as Authentic”
Mark Allan Powell at http://www.introducingnt.com/images/hyperlinks/html/hyperlink-21-01.html
3. Issue: Frühkatholizismus
IV. Key Themes and Interests of 1 Timothy
A. Church Order - Leadership
B. Opposition to asceticism
C. Acceptance in Wider Society including more traditional roles for women
D. Orthodox Teaching
E. Proper Worship
Bibliography
David Barr, The New Testament Story: An Introduction. 4th edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2008
Bart Ehrman,The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. New York/Oxford:: Oxford University Press.
Mark Allan Powell http://www.introducingnt.com/images/hyperlinks/html/hyperlink-21-01.html ; http://www.introducingnt.com/images/hyperlinks/html/hyperlink-18-03.html - includes extensive bibliography
Calvin J. Roetzel, The Letters of Paul: Conversations in Context. 5th ed. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 2009