RSV ~ 1 Timothy 3 Notes
1 Tim 3:1-13 | ISB Notes
Paul turns to the topic of Christian leadership, considering bishops (3:1-7) as well as deacons and deaconesses (3:8-13). He outlines not their duties so much as the human virtues expected of them, such as integrity, sobriety, and respectability. Timothy must take this to heart as he selects and ordains worthy candidates for these positions (5:22).
1 Tim 3:1 | ISB Notes
bishop: An overseer or spiritual shepherd who carries on the mission of the original apostles. Note that the titles âbishopâ and âelder/presbyterâ were somewhat fluid in the earliest years of the Church, and it seems that they could be used interchangeably (Acts 20:17, 28; Tit 1:5-7). Soon, however, the distinction between bishops (1 Tim 3:1), elders (5:17), and deacons (3:8) was clearly defined and their respective titles were standardized.
⢠As if to say that the traditions of the apostles were taken from the Old Testament, bishops, presbyters, and deacons occupy in the Church the same positions that Aaron, his sons, and the Levites occupied in the Temple (St. Jerome, Letters 146).
⢠The Church recognizes these offices as three degrees of the Sacrament of Holy Orders: the episcopate (bishops), the presbyterate (elders or priests), and the diaconate (deacons) (CCC 1554-71).
1 Tim 3:2 | ISB Notes
one wife: Candidates for pastoral ministry should not be married more than once in their lifetime (3:12). Paul does not specify why, but his teaching elsewhere suggests (1) that widowers who remain unmarried will be better able to devote themselves to the Lordâs work (1 Cor 7:8, 32-34) and (2) that widowers who pursue remarriage may be lacking the self-control expected of a minister of the gospel (1 Cor 7:9, 3638). On the question of clerical celibacy, see note on 1 Cor 9:5 (CCC 1579-80).
1 Tim 3:5 | ISB Notes
his own household: The assumption is that bishops are spiritual fathers. Failure to supervise well the affairs of their own families and households suggests they will lack the necessary virtues to shepherd the household of God, which is the Church (3:15; Gal 6:10).
1 Tim 3:8 | ISB Notes
Deacons: Ministers who assist the bishops (Phil 1:1) and serve the needs of the poor, sick, and widowed. They probably had limited liturgical responsibilities as well. The beginning of this office is sometimes traced to the seven men ordained for service in Acts 6:1-6. See note on Acts 6:6 (CCC 1569-70).
1 Tim 3:9 | ISB Notes
mystery of the faith: The full range of revealed truths given through Christ. Paul regularly connects this with the Fatherâs overarching plan to bring all nations into the kingdom of God (Rom 16:25-26; Eph 1:9-10).
See word study: Mystery at Eph 3:3.
1 Tim 3:11 | ISB Notes
women likewise: Either a reference to the wives of the deacons (3:8) or to deaconesses, who assisted with the catechetical instruction and Baptism of women (Rom 16:1).
⢠The Church recognizes that deaconesses were appointed for special tasks but not ordained for sacramental ministry in the strict sense. The First Council of Nicaea decreed in A.D. 325 that women deacons are numbered among the laity and not among the ordained clergy (Canon 19) (CCC 1577).
1 Tim 3:14 | ISB Notes
I am writing: Paul intends to rejoin Timothy in Ephesus at his earliest convenience (1:3).
1 Tim 3:15 | ISB Notes
pillar and bulwark: The terms refer to structural supports that hold up a building. The Church is set in place to support the edifice of gospel truth. The Spirit makes this possible by enabling the successors of the apostles to preserve the apostolic faith from corruption and distortion as the centuries pass. Without this protective grace, the bishops of the Church would be no more than fallible human teachers unequipped to fulfill the mission granted to them by the Lord. Other passages suggest that Paul may envision the leaders of the Church as the pillars and foundation stones of Godâs living Temple (Gal 2:9; Eph 2:20; CCC 171, 768, 2032).
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1 Tim 3:16 | ISB Notes
He was manifested: Several features in the Greek text suggest Paul is quoting from an ancient Christian hymn. It touches on key moments in the incarnate life of Christ: his coming as a man (manifested), his Resurrection (vindicated), his adoration in heaven (seen by angels), the spread of his message (preached), its acceptance in the world (believed on), and his Ascension into glory (taken up) (CCC 463, 2641).