Pastoral Epistles: First Timothy, Second Timothy, and Titus (Sacra Pagina series)
by Benjamin Fiore
Category: Religion

First and Second Timothy and Titus have for many years borne the collective title ?The Pastoral Epistles.? Both their style and their content make it difficult to locate them within the corpus of Pauline letters, and recent scholarship most often considers them pseudonymous, works that imitate Paul?s letters but apply the apostle?s teaching to the concerns of a later time, two or more decades after Paul?s death. The Pastorals differ from Paul?s own letters in being addressed to single individuals, coworkers of Paul who have been placed in charge of particular churches?Timothy apparently in Ephesus, Titus in Crete. They provide instruction for community leaders, both the individual addressees and other leaders whom they will appoint. The specification of certain offices within the local churches is one of the features that appear to locate these works in a later phase of church development. In this commentary Benjamin Fiore, S.J., places the Pastorals in their historical and literary context. The reader will find here a solid introduction to parallel literary forms in Latin and Greek literature and particular descriptions of the way in which these documents use ancient rhetorical forms to achieve their paraenetic and hortatory purpose. Drawing on his parish experience as well as his academic training, Fiore also provides reflections on the contemporary pastoral application of these books, giving readers a renewed appreciation for the ?pastoral? label these epistles bear. ?In this excellent commentary Fr. Benjamin Fiore, S.J., who was educated in Greek and Latin classics, Pauline literature, and ancient rhetoric (Ph.D., Yale, 1982), and is now president of Campion College, University of Regina, offers the best of contemporary historical and literary interpretation of the New Testament Pastoral Epistles. A devoted pastor himself, Fiore is adept at perceiving the pastoral interests in these letters. His tasty gourmet scholarship is spiced with valuable references to Jewish, classical, and patristic writers, and is noteworthy for its references to the ancient rhetoricians. Laid out in the Sacra Pagina format, with verse-by-verse exegesis, general interpretation, and up-to-date bibliography, it will be a very valuable tool for all serious students of the Bible. It is a fine achievement and very highly recommended for informed work on the Pastorals.? Dennis C. Duling Professor of Religious Studies & Theology Canisius College Buffalo, New York