Week #40 - Galatians, Philippians, 1st & 2nd Timothy

Week # 40 Study Page

Galatians (1-6)
Philippians (1-4)
1st Timothy(1-6)
2nd Timothy (1-4)

About the Book(s)

Galatians

Date of Authorship: Galatians was probably written just before the “Jerusalem Council” of Acts 15. There is a healthy debate on when to date the Jerusalem Council, but nearly all agree that it happened sometime between 48 and 50 AD. While there are some (those who accept a “north Galatian” audience) who date this letter to the 2nd missionary journey, the large majority of New Testament commentators believe that this letter was written from Antioch, after the completion of Paul and Barnabas’s missionary journey, and before they were sent to Jerusalem by the Church in Antioch. A key factor in dating this letter to before the Jerusalem Council is the fact that Paul does not reference the decision of the Elders in Jerusalem, despite the fact that it would be the ultimate trump card in his favor relating to the argument he is making in this letter.

Author: Paul is the author of Galatians, and this is likely the earliest of his thirteen canonical epistles. Importantly for the book of Galatians, Paul was raised a pharisee, under the tutelage of a very important and influential Rabbi (Gamaliel). Paul would have been an expert on the the Torah (law) and the Jewish religious system. Thinking of Paul as a 1st century Jew (who continued to observe the law after his conversion and during his ministry) is essential to understanding what he is teaching all through the New Testament, and especially in Galatians when he is dealing with the law, grace, and gentile believers so directly.

Audience: Galatia is not a city, but a province in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). Paul had visited this region after Cyprus on his first missionary journey, and had proclaimed the gospel in three southern Galatian towns: Iconium, Lystra, Derbe (Acts 14). Paul had done many miracles there, and he planted churches and appointed elders before he returned, tracing his steps back to Antioch. Luke records strong opposition from the Jews in this region, who had teamed up with, and riled up Greek opposition that even resulted in Paul being stoned and left for dead in Lystra. This factor is important to remember while reading the Epistle; it appears that some Galatian Christians had adopted observance of Jewish law, in part, because it was helping them to escape the kind of persecution from the Jews in that region that Paul had faced.

Purpose: After Paul left the newly-planted churches of Galatia, Jewish-Christian teachers had arrived who were telling the gentile believers that they must observe the Jewish law. Paul writes to these churches to tell them to not fall into that trap. In Galatians, Paul clarifies what the Jewish Law was meant for by God and what it accomplished, and contrasts that with the grace which has come through Jesus Christ, by which they have been invited to be a part of God’s family through faith (We’ll talk more about the Law in Galatians below). Paul ends by teaching the Galatians about the implications this grace has for the way that they live; this new life is one lived in the Spirit of God.

Philippians

Date of Authorship: Philippians is certainly written while Paul is in prison (1:7, 13, 17). All that is left is to determine which imprisonment is the occasion for this letter. Paul was imprisoned for two years in Caesarea Palestine, then transported to Rome in 60 AD (this is where the account of Acts ends). We believe that, after 2 years of house arrest, Paul was released, and then reimprisoned in 64-65 AD, then executed. The majority of NT commentators believe that Philippians was written during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment in 60-62 AD, but there is also a significant faction which maintains that Philippians was written during an unrecorded Ephesian imprisonment in 55-57 AD. Moving forward, we’ll assume that Paul was imprisoned in Rome, and accept the traditional date of this letter from 60-62 AD

Author: Paul is the author of Philippians. Paul had visited Philippi twice, once on his second missionary journey (Acts 16), and once on his third missionary journey (Acts 20).

Purpose: Philippians is a unique Pauline epistle. Paul here is not writing to confront any particular false teaching, false teachers, or evil practice. While there are brief mentions of Paul’s opponents (1:15, 1:17, 3:2, 3:18-19) they, or their teaching are not anywhere close to the main focus, or occasion for Paul’s writing. Paul is giving a testimony in Philippians. He does so by first establishing the glory and servanthood of Christ, and then remarking on his own life and ministry. All of this is for the purpose of encouraging the Philippian Church, who by all accounts have been faithful partners to Paul and the Gospel. This makes Philippians the feel-good epistle; it is filled with Joy (the noun form of the Greek word for “joy” occurs in noun-form 5 times, and in verb-form 9 times - easily making these four chapters the highest concentration of these words in the New Testament). It is not immediately clear what motivated Paul to write this letter. If Paul did not write this for the general purpose of encouragement and fellowship, it is possible that he is providing an explanation for why he had held onto Epaphroditus for so long (the helper the Philippian Church had sent), and to thank this congregation for their gift to him.

1st & 2nd Timothy

Date of Authorship: 1st Timothy appears to have been written in the 2-3 year period between Paul’s 1st and 2nd roman imprisonments (not shown on the timeline above). Therefore we’ll date 1st Timothy to 62-64 AD. 2nd Timothy is certainly written during a Roman imprisonment. Contrast the optimism of Paul during his first imprisonment in Rome that was reflected in his epistle to the Philippians, with the fatalism expressed in 2nd Timothy. This disparity leads us to conclude with confidence that 2nd Timothy is written during Paul’s second Roman imprisonment under the persecution of the emperor Nero. Paul’s 2nd imprisonment likely began in 64 AD and ended by at least 67 AD. Most contemporary scholars believe Paul was martyred during the height of Nero’s persecution in 64 or 65 AD, but the early Church historian Eusebius dates Paul’s martyrdom to 67 AD.

Author: Paul is the author of both of these intensely personal letters to his understudy Timothy. Timothy is a Galatian from either Lystra or Derbe who joined Paul while on his second missionary Journey (it is likely that Timothy was a young convert when Paul visited Lystra/Derbe in Acts 14 on his first missionary journey). Paul was a mentor for Timothy and that relationship is on full display in these two letters

Purpose: Paul’s purpose in writing 1st Timothy is different than his purpose in writing 2nd Timothy. In 1st Timothy, Paul is writing instructions to his understudy and partner in ministry in his (Timothy’s) first post as a teacher and evangelist. Here, Paul gives the clearest instructions for the organization and ministry of the Church of anywhere in the Bible. Timothy has a huge responsibility in Ephesus, and Paul is writing to give him further instructions than what Timothy had received as a traveling partner with the apostle. Despite the fact that these instructions are written personally to Timothy, there are some plural pronouns used in key moments of the book (most importantly, the “you” in “grace be with you” in 6:21 is plural - in western Nebraska we might say “y’all” - these indicate that 1st Timothy likely also served as an instruction to all church leaders, and its circulation for that purpose is the reason why it is included in our Bibles.
2nd Timothy is an even more intensely personal address to Timothy. It is clear that Paul believes his death is imminent, so this letter takes the form of a testamentary charge. There are some brief instructions related to Timothy’s ministry in Ephesus, but they are only parting instructions as Paul pleas for Timothy to join him in Rome. Paul is clearly suffering in his current imprisonment, not just from his living conditions, but from the personal injuries of having been abandoned and looked down upon by those in the province of Asia. Paul’s purpose in writing this letter is to request that Timothy come to him, and in-case Timothy didn’t make it there in time, Paul gives him charges and instruction for a lifetime of ministry - these final instructions reach a crescendo in 4:2. There is something heartbreaking about 2nd Timothy; Imagine Paul writing to one of his dearest friends, a man he considered a son, and begging him “dont be ashamed of me” from a dark, dank and cold prison cell.

As You Read Notes:

The Law in Galatians:

The book of Galatians is centered around Paul’s rejection of the teaching that gentile converts to Christianity must observe the Jewish law by being circumcised, and observing the prescribed feasts and dietary restrictions. D.A. Carson and Douglas Moo (An Introduction to the New Testament, Zondervan) say that this teaching “betrays and inability to grasp how the law properly functioned in the sweep of redemptive history” I think that they are right about that. Because Paul’s main purpose in this letter is addressing this issue, he, in this book, should answer the question for us: how did the law function in the sweep of redemptive history?”

Paul’s correction to the Galatians centers around the relationship of the Law to the covenant/promise that God made with Abraham. The Law of Moses and even the command of circumcision came after God’s covenant promise was made to Abraham where God told him that all nations would be blessed through him. Paul teaches the Galatians that the Law did not supersede the promise, but that the Law served* the promise - it was God’s means to accomplishing an end. That end was met with the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus who was born under the Law, fulfilled the law, and set us free from it so that we might receive God’s covenant promise through faith. The law was a guide in two ways according to Paul’s teaching here, it was a north-star to point God’s people in the right direction until the Son of God came, and it was a standard that pointed out that people were and are incapable of perfection.

Paul clarifies for the Galatians that the Law was never intended to produce righteousness, it can not save them, and it is not the way that they received the Spirit of God. He teaches them that submitting to these regulations was not a matter of ‘additional piety’ but rather the rejection of the freedom and grace given to them by Jesus - they could not practice both. You may recall Jesus saying that He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Matthew 5); here in Galatians 5, Paul clarifies for the Galatians that the entire law is fulfilled by the children of the promise when they practice love:

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Gal 5:6)
For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14)

I think that Paul’s teaching regarding the Law in Galatians has been mistreated. There are many protestant teachers and churches that will use Paul’s teaching here to argue that no physical act can play a significant/required/crucial part in one’s faith. They mistakenly read Paul’s rejection of the physical observance of the Mosaic law and circumcision as prohibiting the meaningfulness of any physical response to the Gospel to include baptism and often the regular celebration of the Lord’s Supper. theirs is a 16th century, mistaken answer to a first century question. I believe that the misappropriate the teaching of Galatians when they do so.

Paul, right here in Galatians, delineates those who are “children of God through faith” by those “who were baptized into Christ” in 3:26-27 (see Romans 6). Furthermore, Abraham is repeatedly the cornerstone of Paul’s argument against observance of the Jewish law for Gentile converts as he is here (chapter 3) as well as in Romans 4. Paul is pointing out that righteousness was credited to Abraham (Genesis 15) because of his belief in God before* Abraham was circumcised (Genesis 17). However, God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 15 was not their first interaction. God spoke to Abraham When Abraham was living in Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 12), And God required* him to move, to go from there to Canaan, the land that God promised him. Abraham’s belief in God was responsive - Abraham had a role to play - and it was intensely physical. Abraham physically obeyed God’s instructions, and so must we when we are desirous to be counted among his children - heirs of the promise that he received from God. We do not owe our obedience to the Law, which was fulfilled in Christ and replaced by the love of the faithful, but we must obey the commands of the new covenant faith, the instructions in God’s word to believe/trust, repent, confess, and be baptized - just as Abraham had to move in response to God’s promise.

(you must forgive me for using up most of the study notes on this subject. Galatians is ground-zero for understanding the timeline we call “redemptive history” and is a crucial guide to understanding the singular and unitive nature of God’s word by clarifying the role of the Old Testament Law which fills so many of the pages in our Bibles)

Philippians 2:5-11: A Messianic Hymn

The majority of New Testament commentators believe that these verses are an incorporation of an earlier hymn of which Paul was not the author. Syntactically, because of its ‘wonkiness’ in meter and rhyme as it appears in Greek, this hymn appears to have been translated from either Hebrew or Aramaic. Paul includes it here likely because it was familiar to the Philippian Church. Paul is asking them to consider this ‘thing’(truth) that they declare about Christ in song, and to consider the implications that it should have on their attitude and lifestyle relating to pride and servanthood.

Much of the attention that this passage receives comes from verse 2:6. The NIV 2011 translates the verse this way

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

but the NIV 1984 read much more like the current ESV which translates the verse this way:

who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

The difference between these two translations has implications for our Christology - what we understand about the person of Christ, and the Trinity. While i think it is fair to find the doctrine of Christ’s eternal sonship and some sense* of deference to God the Father within the Trinity elsewhere in the Bible. I very much prefer the way that the NIV 2011 handles this translation of the Greek word “arpagmos” (the word behind the entire phrase "something to be grasped” / “Something to be taken advantage of,”) because of the context in which it appears in the hymn, and Paul’s purpose in using here in Philippians 2. I think this passage tells us that even though Christ was* equal to God, he did not take advantage of that status, but instead humbled himself as a servant, not that Christ was incapable of equality with God. This theme should be fresh in our minds after reading Mark’s Gospel in which Jesus was always concealing his identity, and hiding his divinity right up until his climactic pronouncement before the Jewish leaders on the night that He was arrested.

1st Timothy 2:11-15: Women

Put your seat belts on, I want to talk about one of the most controversial passages in contemporary theology - well, actually i’m going to outsource most of it. There is an approach to scripture which resists looking deeply at the historical context and syntax of Bible passages and advocates for a credo that usually sounds something like “just do what it says,” or “read it and believe it.” This approach desires to look only at the prima facie reading of the text, and is especially popular in our corner of the Restoration Movement. This is not the worst way to approach scripture, but i want to push back on it a little. If you take this approach to this passage, then what are you going to do with verse 15?

“But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.”

Has Paul suddenly introduced a separate tack for the salvation of women that is separate from the entire account of redemptive history recorded in the Bible? On it’s face, it would appear so, but a deeper investigation into the syntax of the verse, and the religious culture of the people in Ephesus will reveal additional (and i believe better) ways to read this verse instead of believing that there is a separate check-out line for women at the pearly gates. One option (not listed in the article linked below) is that “through childbearing” here refers to Mary giving birth to Jesus the savior though which all of God’s children are saved. There is another possible reading based on the popular understanding of the Ephesian people that the goddess Artemis offered protection (health) to women in child bearing that is thoroughly explored at the link below.

If we are willing to investigate and understand this* verse in this nuanced and thoroughly investigated manor, then we must do so for the rest of these verses about women in the Church, and indeed for every verse in the entire Bible. Most of the time, this thorough investigation of the text will reveal precisely what the text appears to say on its face. However, in the instances where a careful examination of the syntax and/or historical context of the author and audience, reveal an alternate understanding from the one that impulsively enters our 21st century minds after reading our English translations, we must consistently investigate them and weigh the possibilities so that we can self-consciously attempt to read God’s truth correctly.

Below I’ll link to an article that is written by a professor at Colorado Christian University (not a Reformation Movement school despite the name) who got his PhD. at the same seminary that i attended. He is advocating for a particular reading of these 5 verses in 1st Timothy that i disagree with on a handful of points, but he does do a good job of introducing the reader to many of the syntactical and historical factors that are involved in investigating the meaning of this passage. I endorse his method, but not his conclusions, and this article is a particularly fun way to dip your toe into the science of historical-grammatical hermeneutics
http://www.reenactingtheway.com/blog/women-should-not-teach-men-what-1-timothy-2-in-context

Joel NielsenSeptember 28, 2018