First and Second Timothy and Titus have for many years borne the collective title The Pastoral Epistles." Both their style and their content make it difficult to locate them within the corpus of Pauline letters, and recent scholarship most often considers them pseudonymous, works that imitate Paul's letters but apply the apostle's teaching to the concerns of a later time, two or more decades after Paul's death. The Pastorals differ from Paul's own letters in being addressed to single individuals, coworkers of Paul who have been placed in charge of particular churches 'Timothy apparently in Ephesus, Titus in Crete. They provide instruction for community leaders, both the individual addressees and other leaders whom they will appoint. The specification of certain offices within the local churches is one of the features that appear to locate these works in a later phase of church development. In this commentary Benjamin Fiore, SJ, places the Pastorals in their historical and literary context. The reader will find here a solid introduction to parallel literary forms in Latin and Greek literature and particular descriptions of the way in which these documents use ancient rhetorical forms to achieve their paraenetic and hortatory purpose. Drawing on his parish experience as well as his academic training, Fiore also provides reflections on the contemporary pastoral application of these books, giving readers a renewed appreciation for the "pastoral" label these epistles bear. Benjamin Fiore, SJ, is president and professor of religious studies at Campion College at the University of Regina (Canada).

• CONTENTS Editor's Preface xi Abbreviations xiii FIRST TIMOTHY, SECOND TIMOTHY, TITUS Author's Preface 3 Introduction I. Methodology and Interpretive Approach 5 II. Literary Character of the Letters 8 1. Testamentary Letters 8 2. Church Order Epistles 9 3. Exhortation Letters 12 III. Historical Background 14 1. Jewish/Jewish-Christian Opponents 14 2. Authorship 15 3. Date 19 IV. Hortatory Strategy and Content 21 1. Exemplary Figures 21 2. Christology 21 3. Soteriology 22 General Bibliography 23 1 TIMOTHY Introduction and Outline 27 Translation, Notes, Interpretation 1. Greeting (1:1-2) 31 2. Reminder and Appeal
• False Teachers (1:3-11) 39 3. Thanksgiving
• Mercy
• Timothy's Task (1:12-20) 48 4. Church Order: Community Prayer (2:1-7) 56 5. Rules for Men and Women (2:8-15) 64 6. Qualities of Leadership Candidates: Overseer/Bishop (3:1-7) 73 7. Qualities of Leadership Candidates: Assistants/Deacons (3:8-13) 80 8. Credal Summary (3:14-16) 83 9. False Teaching
• Asceticism
• Exhortation to Timothy (4:1-16) 88 10. Dealing with the Elderly
• Care for Widows (5:1-16) 100 11. Presbyters
• Public Correction (5:17-25) 110 12. Slaves
• False Teaching
• Contentment: (6:1-8) 115 13. On Riches
• Final Charge to Timothy
• Conclusion (6:9-21) 120 2 TIMOTHY Introduction and Outline 131 Translation, Notes, Interpretation 1. Greeting
• Timothy's Faith
• Salvation (1:1-10) 133 2. Paul as Exemplar
• Support in Prison (1:11-18) 142 3. Designated Teachers
• Credal Summary (2:1-13) 146 4. False Teachers
• God's Household (2:14-23) 156 5. Strategy for Correction (2:24-26) 163 6. Vices of False Teachers
• Paul's Virtues
• Timothy's Teaching (3:1-17) 165 7. Charge to Timothy
• Paul's End Foreseen (4:1-8) 176 8. Final Requests
• Support and Abandonment
• Closing Greetings (4:9-22) 182 TITUS Introduction and Outline 193 Translation, Notes, Interpretation 1. Greeting
• Choosing Elders on Crete (1:1-9) 195 2. False Teachers (1:10-16) 203 3. Sound Teaching
• Rules for the Household
• Salvation in Christ (2:1-15) 208 4. Community Profile: Virtuous, Made Righteous, Engaged in Good Works (3:1-11) 216 5. Travel Notices
• Letter Closing (3:12-15) 225 Indexes Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Writings 229 Index of Authors 247 Index of Subjects 250 Supplementary Bibliography 254