A Detailed Study of 1 Tim 4:13 (original) (raw)

This paper concerns itself with 1 Timothy 4:13 where Paul instructs his co-laborer Timothy to devote himself to a threefold task of reading, preaching, and teaching (NIV) 1. The intended purpose of this paper is to analyze the importance and meaning of this threefold task in light of the heretical (heterodox) doctrine being promoted at the church in Ephesus. Authorship Pauline authorship has been questioned by commentators lately (Donald Guthrie 54-58, William Mounce 265, Alfred Plummer 12). They point to various aspects, namely, Paul's lifetime (historical), incompatibility with church organization (ecclesiastical), doctrinal emphases (doctrinal), vocabulary (linguistic), his approach (methodical), and hapaxes (grammatical)