RSV ~ 1 Timothy 2 Notes
1 Tim 2:1-15 | ISB Notes
The entire chapter is devoted to prayer, the first half concerning intercessory prayer for ecclesiastical and government leaders (2:1-7), and the second with liturgical prayers offered by men and women (2:8-15). Timothy’s task is to reorder public worship in Ephesus according to Paul’s directives.
1 Tim 2:2 | ISB Notes
kings … high positions: Prayer for civic officials is a continuation of the Jewish custom to offer prayers and sacrifices for secular rulers (Ezra 6:10; 1 Mac 7:33; CCC 1900).
1 Tim 2:4 | ISB Notes
desires all men to be saved: The Father wants all to repent and receive the salvation offered by Christ (4:10; 2 Pet 3:9). It is wrong, therefore, to contend that Jesus died to redeem only select individuals and not the human family as a whole (1 Jn 2:2). Believers act on this conviction when they intercede for the temporal and spiritual needs of “all men” (1 Tim 2:1) (CCC 851, 1821).
knowledge of the truth: A summary of this knowledge is formulated in the very next sentence (2:5-6), where saving truth is linked with the substance of the gospel (Gal 2:5; Col 1:5).
1 Tim 2:5 | ISB Notes
one God: The monotheistic faith of Israel (Deut 6:4), which remains a standing truth of the gospel (Jn 17:3; 1 Cor 8:6) (CCC 200-202).
one mediator: A middleman or negotiator who makes friends of enemies. Jesus Christ is the mediator who reconciles the world to the Father in the bonds of the New Covenant (2 Cor 5:18; Heb 9:15). The distance once separating man from God is now bridged by the Incarnation, in which divinity and humanity are forever united in God the Son. In this sense, the mediation of Christ is absolutely unique. Still, the mediation of angels and saints is not ruled out, since union with Christ enables others to share in the saving work of Christ in subordinate and participatory ways. Paul assumes as much in the immediate context, for he urges Timothy and company to pray for civil authorities, i.e., to intercede as mediators between God and their governors in the course of the liturgy (1 Tim 2:1-3) (CCC 618, 970, 1349, 2636).
• A mediator brings together those who are separated, for extremes are united at a midpoint. Uniting men with God is the office of Christ, through whom men are reconciled to God. However, nothing forbids others from being called mediators inasmuch as they cooperate in uniting men with God by directing their way or by ministerial actions (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III, 26, 1).
1 Tim 2:6 | ISB Notes
gave himself: The Crucifixion of Jesus was a voluntary act of sacrifice and thus a death he freely accepted (Eph 5:2).
ransom: A price paid for the release of captives.
See word study: Ransom at Mk 10.
1 Tim 2:8 | ISB Notes
lifting holy hands: Raising the hands in prayer was a revered custom in ancient Israel (Ps 141:2; Is 1:15). Artwork discovered in the Roman catacombs indicates that this practice continued into the early centuries of the Church. By calling the hands “holy”, Paul is saying that reverent posture must be coupled with an inward desire for personal holiness.
without anger: Peace between believers makes worship acceptable to the Lord (Mt 5:23-24). Sin and strife can thwart the effectiveness of our prayers (Ps 66:18; 1 Pet 3:7).
1 Tim 2:9 | ISB Notes
modestly and sensibly: Decorum guidelines for the liturgy. Female attire should be modest, not overrevealing or fitted to arouse the base passions of men in attendance. It should also be sensible, not a vain display of fashion, wealth, or social status, which are ultimately unimportant in God’s eyes. Dressing for worship demands consideration for others as well as a humble reverence for the Lord. Similar instructions are given in 1 Pet 3:3-4 (CCC 2521-24).
1 Tim 2:12-16 | ISB Notes
Paul’s teaching on women and gender roles has its basis in Genesis 2-3.
• The creation of Adam first appears in Gen 2:7, and then Eve is formed in Gen 2:21-22. Mention that Eve was deceived is a reference to her words in Gen 3:13. Also, the subordination of woman to the authority of man, along with her difficult task of bearing children, recalls the penitential curse laid upon Eve in Gen 3:16. Note that Paul is not attempting to downplay the sin of Adam by shifting attention to Eve; he is fully aware of the disaster caused by the rebellion of the first man (Rom 5:12-21; 1 Cor 15:22).
1 Tim 2:12 | ISB Notes
I permit no woman to teach: Not an absolute prohibition that applies to all circumstances, but one that excludes women from the teaching ministry exercised by ordained clergymen (1 Cor 14:34-35). Paul is not denying the equal dignity of men and women in Christ (Gal 3:28) or the propriety of women in praying and prophesying within the context of worship (1 Cor 11:5). Women perform an invaluable service when they teach the faith in other contexts by their words and Christian example (Tit 2:3-4).
• According to Church teaching, Paul forbids women to exercise the official function of teaching in the Christian assembly (Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Inter insigniores [1976], 4).
1 Tim 2:15 | ISB Notes
bearing children: Motherhood can be a means of sanc-tification and salvation, provided the woman exemplifies feminine virtues. Emphasis on the dignity of motherhood may be aimed at certain teachers who denied the goodness of marriage (4:3) or at women who found masculine roles more appealing (2:12). Notice that marriage and child rearing are not the only paths open to women, for Paul also extols the excellence of the single life (1 Cor 7:25-35) (CCC 1652-53).