1 Timothy 2

1 Timothy 2:1

In the first place therefore I advise thee, and all the bishops under thy metropolis, that you have constant public offices of devotion, consisting, first, of supplications for the averting of all hurtful things, sins and dangers; secondly, of prayers for the obtaining of all good things which you want; thirdly, of intercessions for others; and fourthly, of thanksgiving for mercies already received; and all these, not only for yourselves, but, in a greater diffusion of your charity, for all mankind,

[a] supplications, prayers—] Of these four sorts of prayer it is affirmed by St. Chrysostom, that they were in his time all used in the church, ἐν καθήμερινῇ λατρεία, “in the daily service,” καὶ τοῦτο, saith he, ἴσασιν οἱ μύσται, πῶς καθ’ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν γίνεται καὶ ἐν ἑσπίρᾳ καὶ ἐν πρωίᾳ, “and this is sufficiently known to all the priests,” or those that “officiate morning and evening.” And so it appears by the liturgies. The word δεήσεις referring to the larger or lesser collecta, that in the litany, for deliverance from all the evils there named, and the other after, in which the phrase τοῦ Κυρίου δεήθωμεν, we humbly beseech thee, O Father, is used, which is for the averting of evils. The second to the prayers for mercy and other wants. The third to the αἰτήσεις, wherein the word αἰτησώμεθα, Let us pray for the whole state of Christ’s church, for kings, &c., is inserted. And the fourth to the solemn thanksgiving for all men, and to the hymns sung to the praise of God. And it may be observed, that the direction here of praying for kings, &c. is agreeable to that of the Hebrews: R. Chaninah, in Pirche Aboth, c. 3. §. 2, הוי מתפלל בשלומה של מלכות שאלמלא מוראה איש את רעהו חיים, בלעו, “Pray for the peace of the kingdom, for unless there be fear, men will devour one another alive.” And so when Petronius came to set up Caligula’s image in the temple, they that would die rather than that should be done, being asked then whether they would wage war with the emperor, answered, No; but on the other side twice a day they offered sacrifice for the safety of the emperor: see Josephus, and Jer. xxix. 7. Accordingly was the Christians’ practice, as long as the emperors continued heathen, praying in their liturgies ὑπὲρ βασιλέων, for kings; after, when they were Christian, δεόμεθα ὑπὲρ τῶν εὐσεβεστάτων καὶ θεοφυλάκτων βασιλέων, “We pray thee for our most pious kings,

1 Timothy 2:2

For the emperors and rulers of provinces under them, to whom we owe all our peaceable living in any place in the exercise of religion and virtuous life, and therefore ought in reason to pray and give thanks for them.

1 Timothy 2:3

For this God under the gospel approves of, and requires at our hands,

1 Timothy 2:4

In proportion to the example which he hath given us in himself, who earnestly desires the good of

¹⁶ according to them, ἐν αὐταῖς. ¹ gravity, σεμνότητι. ἀνθρώπων θέλει σωθῆναι. ¹⁷ having, ἔχων. ¹⁸ be disciplined, παῖλθῶσι. ² who wills that all men should escape, or, be saved, be πάντα

1 Timothy 2:5

For it is but one God that is Creator of all, (who consequently designs and wills the good of all,) and so likewise but one mediator and peacemaker between God and man, even he that hath taken our common nature upon him, and in it died for all those whose nature he assumed, even Jesus Christ;

1 Timothy 2:6

Who died to redeem all men, and rescue them out of their evil ways, laying down his life, pouring out his blood in our stead, and thereby gave also a testimony of the truth of his doctrine thus sealed with his blood, in the time appointed by God, and foretold by the prophets as the season for the working this great work.

1 Timothy 2:7

Which doctrine of his hath been intrusted to me to divulge and preach unto all men, Gentiles as well as Jews, (Christ knows that I speak the truth, whose commission it were very unsafe for me to feign,) that I might be the apostle and bishop of the Gentiles, to make known and administer the gospel of Christ among them faithfully and truly, without concealing or adding any thing.

1 Timothy 2:8

These directions then I give to all, both men and women: first, to men; that as the Jews washed their hands before they lifted them up at the altar, Exod. xl. 32, Psalm xxvi. 6, so should all Christians pray, not only in Jerusalem, but any where else, with innocent hearts, without any anger or malice, (see note [e] Matt. xv,) quarrels or dissensions, preserving the bond of peace (the one lip, Zeph. iii. 9.) among all.

[b] holy hands] The ceremony of washing was among the Jews constantly used before prayers: so PAristeas, Ἔθος ἐστὶ πᾶσι τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, ἀπονιψάμενοι (I suppose it should be ἀπονιψαμένοις) τῇ θαλάσσῃ τὰς χεῖρας, ὡς ἂν ἤρξαντο πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, “It is the custom for all the Jews to wash their hands whensoever they pray to God:” and so among the Mahometans. So Abul Faraj De Moribus Arab., Fundamenta legis sunt 1. munditiei cura, 2. oratio. “The foundations of the law are, 1. cleanness, 2. prayer.” Others, as Al Gazal, that mention the fundamenta legis, leave out mundities, “cleanness,” and comprehend it in oratio, “prayer,” according to that saying of Mahomet, (in Ebnol Athir,) Non accipit Deus preces absque mundatione, “God receives not prayers without cleansing, or washing;” and, Orationis clavis est mundities, “Cleanness is the key of prayer,” saith Al Gazal; and Mahomet again, Fundata est religio in munditie, “Religion is founded in cleanness.” This significant rite the apostle here applies to the thing signified by it, cleanness of the heart and actions, and makes that necessary to the offering up any acceptable service unto God. Of this Al Gazal, an Arabic writer, makes three degrees, 1. the cleansing the members of the body from unlawful actions, 2. the cleansing of the heart from all manners that are worthy of dispraise, all vices worthy of hatred, 3. the cleansing of the secret (that is, the inward) affections of the heart from every thing beside God, that they may be at full leisure to meditate of, or pray to him. See Mr. Pocock’s Notes on Abul Faraj, p. 302, and Miscell. Notes, c. 9. p. 388.

1 Timothy 2:9

The second direction I give for women, that they come to the assemblies and pray, (in like manner as was said of the men, ver. 8,) and that they do it in such attire as is decent, accounting modesty and sobriety the greatest ornament that they are capable of, and not setting themselves out vainly and with ostentation, in curious dressings of hair, in embroidery, or jewels, or other ways of sumptuous attire.

1 Timothy 2:10

But instead of them, to add to modesty and sobriety, ver. 9, the richer embroidery and jewels of all good works, charity to others, which becomes

³ one also mediator of God and men, εἰς καὶ μεσίτης Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων. ⁴ a testimony

in the proper season, μαρτύριον ἰδίοις καιροίς. ⁵ Or, with which I was intrusted: for the

King’s MS. reads ὁ ἐπιστεύθην. ⁶ Or, the Spirit: for the King’s MS. reads πνεύματι.

⁷ pure. ⁸ disputing, διαλογισμοῦ. ⁹ modesty, αἰδοῦς.

1 Timothy 2:15

[c] saved in child-bearing] Some difficulty there is what is here meant by σωθήσεται διὰ τεκνογονίας, she shall be saved by child-bearing. A first notion that may be thought to belong to it is, that as σώζεσθαι, to be saved, signifies oft to escape, noting some temporal deliverance, (of which see note [b] on Luke xiii.,) so διὰ may note by, that is, through, not as a means or condition, but as the term out of or through which the deliverance is wrought, as σώζεσθαι δι’ ὕδατος, being saved through the water, 1 Pet. iii. 10, and διὰ πυρὸς, through the fire, 1 Cor. iii. 15, is being delivered out of the water and fire; and then the meaning of it will be, that she shall pass, though with some difficulty, safe through childbearing; and this as a moderation of that curse inflicted upon woman-kind upon Eve’s sin, that she should bring

P Hist. 70. Interpret. p. 890 D.

1 Timothy 2:18

Now to thee, O Timothy, thou who wert first converted by me, I give this commission, as a trust I commit to thee, (agreeable to the revelations which were made of thee, that, though young, thou shouldst be ordained a bishop in the church, ch. iv. 14. though we find no mention of this in the Acts, as we do of Saul and Barnabas, Acts xiii. 2,) that according to that appointment of God thou shouldst carefully discharge that episcopal office committed to thee,

1 Timothy 2:19

Holding fast and continuing constant in the true faith and discharge of a good conscience; not as some, which falling into impure lives have afterward fallen into foul errors in point of faith.

1 Timothy 2:20

Such are in thy church of Ephesus, Hymenæus, 2 Tim. ii. 17, and Alexander, 2 Tim. iv. 14, whom by the censures of the church I delivered into Satan’s power, to chasten and afflict them, that they may reform, and recover from that very ill course in which they are, both for faith and manners.

CHAP. II.

I EXHORT therefore, that, first of all, [a] supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;