Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and Christ Jesus our hope;
The name of Paul's friend Timothy had often been joined to that of the apostle in the salutations of  2 Corinthians 1:1;  Philippians 1:1;  Colossians 1:1, and in  Philemon 1:1:1, and also with Silvanus in the salutations of both the Thessalonians; but here he was accorded the high honor of having one of the New Testament books addressed to him personally.  As Wesley said, "Of all whom Paul ever converted, Timothy seems to have been to Paul the disciple who was most beloved and most trusted."[6] From the scattered references to him in the New Testament, the following facts appear: