This coming Sunday, we together, internationally and ecumenically, begin reading and praying our way through the first letter to Timothy, followed by the second letter.
What resources do you find useful for this?
What ideas do you have for working our way through this text? What ideas do you have for worship around this text? Hymns? Songs? Video clips? Maps? Stories? Any ideas and resources at all?
This Sunday’s reading is obviously a source for the wonderful hymn with the words by Walter C. Smith, (Hymns of Christ and the Christian Life, 1876); music: St. Denio, (Welsh melody, from Canaidau y Cyssegr, by John Roberts, 1839):
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
…
image: wordle of 1 Timothy
It would be a positive if we could as communities open ourselves to this Pastoral Epistle being pseudo-Pauline. Attributed to Paul, but not scribed for Paul, dated late in the first century CE or early second century CE. Just like “The Cuckoo’s Calling” has being attributed to Robert Galbraith, in recent times aka J K Rowling. If we check our intellect at the Church door and ignore Scripture Scholarship, we end up perhaps with vain words and falsly named knowledge (1 Tim 6:20)- a verse ironically omitted from both the Catholic Lectionary and the RCL.
Personally I would trust that the Fathers of the Church had it right and not entrust my intellect to modern scholars some of whom are quite clearly completely out of touch with reality, confused even by the most basic things for example the difference between men and women in this bizarre age.
Is it any wonder that the Christian Faith is dying in the West, when attending Church on Sunday becomes not an exercise in worshipping the Risen Christ but an intellectual exercise in being taught that those that came before us in the Church and preserved the Faith through the ages that we might receive it were actually ignorant rubes who “checked their intellect at the Church door”
Chapter 6 of 1 Timothy is clearly in verse 20 responding to Gnosticism. The early church in Jersulaem, centred around the leadership of James, still had a synagogue focus, and the Gentile church spurred on by the ministry of Paul. ‘Christian’ Gnosticism is a development, based on pre-Christian thought into the first centry, post the year 100CE. So the early church after the destruction of the Temple becomes Pauline, Petrine in Rome as affirmed by Ignatius of Antioch, and in the developing years Gnostic, placing the Pastoral Epistles in the period post the year 100CE and 2 Timothy into later part of that century or even early the next. But then 21st Century ‘Christian’ and ‘Liturgical’ ignorance can be bliss. I thank Bosco for this blog, as it is a way of seeing light even in the darkness that presents itself as either patristic, conservative or evangelical Christianity.
Perhaps “modern biblical scholarship” is nothing other than 19th, 20th and 21st century Gnosticism.
Why do you even shy away from using AD, Anno Domini in favour of the modern affectation CE?
Ironically the Bishop od Rome has spoken recently about non-believers and salvation and conscience. The term Common Era and Before the Common Era, respects the reality that Christians do not have a mortgage on history, be that temporal or that of slavation. Exclusive thinking, that excludes the ‘development of doctrine’ is in itself false knowledge – Gnosticism. Even the most recent post by Bosco shows that all Christians can take up prayer beads, not just for the Catholic rosary.
My first thoughts as well Phillip. Church Fathers have been shown to be wrong about other things besides the authenticity of the NT canon.
Does “internationally and ecumenically” only apply to the Western Church Fr Bosco.
The Epistle for next Sunday, the 12th Sunday after Pentecost in the Eastern Church will be Galatians 2:16-20.
Not that it matters particularly a common lectionary, even a common calendar throughout Christendom have always remained elusive
Yes, Andrei. Sorry. If I had more time a study of the history and development of the differing lectionary systems would be fascinating. I have some understanding of the Western tradition. I have some experience of the Eastern tradition – but very little academic knowledge. Sadly. Blessings.
The best book I’ve found on the history and structure of the Eastern Rite is _The Typicon Decoded_, by Archimandrite Job Getcha.
Thanks, Peter. At your recommendation I will be buying that. Blessings.
Bosco, in answer to your question, I find the commentary on 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus by Thomas Oden in the ‘Interpretation’ series to be very helpful. He tends to be fairly traditional in hs approach, but I don’t think he can be accused of checking his brains in at the church door.
Thanks for that resource, Tim. Blessings.