The New Testament Along the Camino: 1-2 Timothy

With the end of Paul's letters to churches comes his letters to individuals. I have to be honest; I had no idea that Paul wrote most of the New Testament and is the main Apostlistic authority from which Christianity gets the bulk of its detailed doctrinal beliefs. Jesus, of course, gave us the top-level big blocks. Repent of our sins, confess that He is the Son of God, and live a life worthy of being welcomed into Heaven. Paul, with Jesus's explicit blessing and authority, gave us the details. Why do I make this point so late in this series? Because in 1 and 2 Timothy, Paul gives us several specifics for how the Christian Church should operate. Many, and we all know them, would say that these instructions are not the "words in red," but that does not mean we are not to abide by them.

Myths and Endless Genealogies. The Gospel is the Gospel. It needs no addition or supplemental belief. Extra-Biblical stories are unnecessary to bolster our faith. This is not to say history is not important; in fact, it is because of historical and archaeological evidence that we can say with certainty that Jesus lived, that the stories in the New Testament have a high likelihood of being true, and provide justification for our beliefs to the sceptical. But the need for additional myths, like the birth of Abraham or Peter being the first pope or the early life of the Virgin Mary, are not something Christians should concern themselves with as a matter of spirituality. Similarly, tracing genealogies back as a justification for authority or some sort of historical right within the Christian faith are simply distractions. Christianity is not the British monarchy; the authority given to the Apostles is not hereditary, nor is any relationship relevant to the message in the Bible. Stepping outside of the Bible, this issue has been the source of intra-Islamic conflict since the day Muhammed died in 632 AD. Christians should not fall into the same theological trap.

View on Women. Paul's instructions for women in 1 Timothy are controversial in today's time, and, to an extent, that is understandable. That said, if what the Bible says makes you uncomfortable, that is not the Bible's fault. Paul's point in 1 Timothy is that women, within the Biblical narrative, came second to Adam, were the reason for the downfall of man, and were even commanded by Jesus to submit to their husbands not as masters but as leaders of the household. Paul instructs Timothy that women should dress with modesty and self-control and not adorn themselves with distracting jewellery and hairstyles. Instead, adorning themselves with good works is what makes them desirable. On this point, our society should return to this idea, as we are consumed with women who try to be "hot," "flashy," and wear the newest, in-vogue clothing without much substance to their outwardly-facing lives; that has cascading effects on men who then lose focus on their roles as leaders both in the home and in society. This is not to fault women for men's failures; in fact, Paul does not do that in 1 Timothy. However, Paul's point is to remove the physical temptation and distraction and to replace it with the spiritual attributes women bring to our society.

Now, not one to cherry-pick passages, Paul also instructs Timothy not to allow women "to teach or to exercise authority over man." This has been widely interpreted to mean women shouldn't hold authority in the Church, and I read that the same way. This is directly in line with Paul's letter to the Ephesians where he describes the husband's role as head of the house as Christ is the head of the Church and women's role as the Church itself. Some may take issue with this relationship (as the Lutheran Church recently has), but, as with so many instructions in Paul's letters, the Apostles were given authority to speak in Jesus's name during their time on Earth. To deny Paul's religious guidance is to deny Jesus's.

Qualifications. Paul lists qualifications for overseers and deacons in 1 Timothy. I won't detail them out here, but they are clear.

Deceitful Spirits. Paul views it as inevitable that some will depart from the path of Jesus "by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons." We can look no further than modern-day reformists that sing songs like "I'm f-g gay" in worship, declare the tenth commandment "problematic," and violate the aforementioned list of qualifications for deacons and overseers in the church to see that this devotion to deceitful spirits is true. Worse, our society worships at the altar of secularism and, worse, hedonism, which teach that self-indulgence is the ultimate freedom and way of life. As we have seen in cyclical fashion throughout human history (both within and outside of the Bible), societies who fall into that way of thinking are ultimately doomed to collapse. My issues with the Catholic Church's doctrine aside, it is its devotion to Christianity, its values, and the lifestyle that it promotes that has ensured its survival for two thousand years (as well as the Eastern, Ethiopian, and Syriac Orthodox Churches).

Care for Widows. I'm not sure the historical context that prompted Paul to devote so much time to the care of widows in 1 Timothy, but clearly this was an area of concern. I just found this an interesting addition that is rarely taught in church sermons (1 Timothy 5:3-16).

Irreverent Babble. Paul almost uses this line as a throwaway salutation, but I found it incredibly important. Again, I am guilty of violating this principle (even the day that I write this!). Paul instructs Timothy to "avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called 'knowledge.'". To me, this reads as everything from coarse jokes to gossip (especially given his discussion on widows) to false histories that eagerly try to change the narrative of the human race and the direction of God's Church. Participating in these will inevitably cause some to stray from the Christian path, which is something Jesus even said when directing us not to do something that would cause another to stumble, even if that thing isn't itself inherently sinful.

All in Asia Turned Away. This is, of course, not Asia as we regard it today, which stretches from the Ural Mountains to the Sea of Japan, but the Roman province of Asia, which is, more or less, modern-day Turkey. While the Roman province of Asia was eventually returned to Christianity (even at the imperial level as the Byzantine Empire rose with Christianity as its official religion), Turkey eventually turned away again. Islam arrived shortly after Muhammed's death in the 630s AD, and by the early second millennium, Islam had almost entirely supplanted Christianity. Worse, in the 1910s and 1920s, the Ottomans massacred its Christian population, decimating it to the point where today there are less than 400,000 Christians in the former Roman province. While Turkey is officially secular today, Islam is governed by the Turkish government, administered by the State, and influences its laws and social fabric (and that influence is only increasing).

Dealing with Spiritual Opponents. This is an especially pertinent passage for today's time (2 Timothy 2:23-25). Paul instructs Timothy to "have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies," as they breed discontent and unnecessary conflict. Instead of indulging these controversies, Paul instead says to be king, teach the truth, patiently endure, and correct our opponents with gentleness instead of forcefulness. If we endeavour to behave in this manner, God will help us in leading our opponents to the truth.

Traits of the Last Days. Again, I won't go into the list that Paul provides in 2 Timothy 3:1-9, but it is important to note this list especially as I move towards Revelation and the notion of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Within this passage, Paul tells us to avoid those who are, among many other things, abusive, unappeasable, treacherous, lovers of pleasure, and more. Also, those "having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power." While we have people who check one, some, most, or even all of these boxes in today's time, this is not the widespread norm across the world. Thus, the end times are not near.

"All Scripture is Breathed Out by God." This is a self-explanatory statement, but I point it out, because I will soon move into Islam in Turkey, and this scripture will be incredibly pertinent in that learning experience.