Timothy and youth

Discussion about the New Testament, apocrypha, gnostics, church fathers, Christian origins, historical Jesus or otherwise, etc.
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perseusomega9
Posts: 1030
Joined: Tue Feb 04, 2014 7:19 am

Timothy and youth

Post by perseusomega9 »

11Prescribe and teach these things. 12Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. 13Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.…

If we accept that the pastorals are later than Paul's other epistles, and that they are post-heretical editorializing, is it possible that the reference to the youthfulness of Timothy is a play on the more recent proto-orthodox dogma?
The metric to judge if one is a good exegete: the way he/she deals with Barabbas.

Who disagrees with me on this precise point is by definition an idiot.
-Giuseppe
Secret Alias
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Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:47 am

Re: Timothy and youth

Post by Secret Alias »

It reminds me of the things said about Onesimus in the Ignatian corpus. There it is Onesimus is a slave who had his tongue cut out or couldn't speak (from memory).
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
andrewcriddle
Posts: 2817
Joined: Sat Oct 05, 2013 12:36 am

Re: Timothy and youth

Post by andrewcriddle »

perseusomega9 wrote:11Prescribe and teach these things. 12Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. 13Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.…

If we accept that the pastorals are later than Paul's other epistles, and that they are post-heretical editorializing, is it possible that the reference to the youthfulness of Timothy is a play on the more recent proto-orthodox dogma?
My guess is that formally ordained bishops (often relatively young) are being preferred to the elderly prosperous householders (presbyters) who used to run local churches.

Andrew Criddle
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