Bible Commentaries
1 Timothy 6

Verses 1-21

VI 1-2— Speaking of the conduct of slaves, St Paul lays down that they are to fulfil their duties towards their masters, whether Christian or not, in such a way that they bring credit, and not ill repute, to the Christian name. Greater loyalty and service should be given to a Christian master on account of the common bond of the faith. There is no direct legislation against slavery, but Christ’s doctrine stressing the equality of all in God’s sight eventually created an atmosphere in which slavery could not survive; cf. Ephesians 6:5ff.

VI 3-10 Final Warnings— St Paul returns to his warnings against those proud-minded, ignorant teachers who bring about their own ruin by idle controversies and speculations from which the evils mentioned in

4 spring. Religion is thought of by them merely in terms of monetary profit. To counteract this the Apostle wishes to foster a spirit of disinterestedness in preachers of the Gospel, pointing out the dangers attendant on avarice and the futility of amassing wealth which must be left behind at death.

10. ’The desire of money is the root of all evils’—avarice stifles love of higher things and so leaves the road open to all forms of sin.

13. ’Who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate’—The word used is µa?t???sa?t?? whence our word ’martyr’. Here however reference is not to our Lord’s passion and death but to his bearing witness before Pilate that he was the Messias, John 18:36f. It was only later that the word µa?t???? came to have the technical meaning of bearing witness by shedding one’s blood.cf. J. Donovan, S.J., The Authorship of St John’s Gospel ( London, 1936)

17-19. ’Warning to the Rich’—This remarkable passage stresses our absolute need of the life of grace, that ’new creation’ which uplifts and ennobles us and so enables us to see God who lives in light inaccessible. Note the paradox that we are to see God whom no man can see (cf.1 John 3:1-2), which brings out the need for the life of grace.

20. that which is committed’ —The deposit of faith. Timothy is warned to guard the treasure of sound doctrine which, as a sacred trust, has been committed to his keeping. He must shun those travesties of true teaching which led others to fall away from the faith. ’Faith’s doctrines which God has revealed are not put before us as some philosophical discovery to be developed by human ingenuity but as a divine trust (depositum) handed over to the Spouse of Christ for her faithful safeguarding and infallible exposition’, The Vatican Council, Dz 1800.