Pastoral Epistles Authorship - Term Paper Example

Pastoral Epistles hip Pastoral epistles are the books of timothy ad Titus. They are believed to have been written by Paul but there are reasons for and against the authorship of Paul. Therefore, this sets forth a debate as to who wrote the Pastoral Epistles. The epistles were addressed to individuals with pastoral authority. These people had the responsibilities of overseeing the churches in Ephesus and the island of Crete. These two ministers were timothy and Titus. Paul wrote to these ministers due the fact that they failed to act as they were ought to. Secondly; Paul was instructing them on how they were to discharge their duties as Christian ministers (Towner, 2009). In the book of ACTS of Apostles we learn about how Paul was converted to an individual believing in Jesus Christ. In the ACTS he is portrayed as a cruel man who persecuted and killed those who believed in Jesus Christ. In the Acts of the Apostles the speeches of the apostles seem to advocate for Christianity as a religion for every human being. Paul in particular says that salvation was not meant for the Jews but also for the Gentiles (Harrington, 2008). The apostles talked of the Holy Spirit and how he guided most of them during trials before roman authorities and while preaching. In reference to Towner (2009), the apostles were categorical about prayers and insisted on prayers as a way to reach the father through His son Jesus Christ. It is especially important to note that Paul spoke about oppression of the weak and marginalized in the society .we draw that Paul passed a clear message that as much as Christianity was universal everyone deserves a better treatment (Towner, 2009). It is because of Pauls faith that he was imprisoned by the Romans. Paul bore witness to Jesus Christ of whom the Jewish authorities refused to accept as the promised messiah. He was deeply concerned with the manner in which the Christians conducted themselves and the qualifications an individual had to posses in assuming any leadership position in the early church (Liefed, 1999). It was difficult for new convert to stand firm and deep rooted into Christianity. Paul had to guide them all the way. It is here that the Pastoral Epistles came about. Liefed (1999) asserts that when Paul was released by the Romans he travelled to Asia Minor. He passed through Ephesus and Crete. It is in these places that he left Timothy and Titus to be pastor’s respectively. Paul was concerned about the organization of the church. This portrays him as a person who upheld order (Harrington, 2008). From both letters, it is evident that the writer addressed similar issues on the administration and organization of the church. The salutations in both the letters are similar before the writer proceeded to deliver the message to the respective recipients (Liefed, 1999). Pauline epistles were addressed to those whom Paul was close to. He wrote about his work and the kind of life he led. In the process of explaining himself to his companions he might have had language differences which are to be expected from any other writer (Towner, 2009). In the pastoral epistles Paul highlights the issue of ethics in the church by urging the Christians to avoid unnecessary controversies which he claimed that it would not serve as a good example to all those who wished to join the movement. He also emphasized on leadership and he went ahead and described the structure of leadership. The leadership style was meant to bring order and allocate different responsibilities to various people in the church (Harrington, 2008). Paul intended for the church to dwell in harmony and peace. It is here that I draw my third theme from the epistles that he wanted the Christians to have healthy relationships among themselves. Paul drew the Christians attention on how to relate with one another. It is in the similarities of the epistles that convince me that Paul indeed wrote them (Harrington, 2008). The pastorals epistles have played a very significant role in shaping up the structure and organization of the early church which many attested that Paul was a founding figure. Pastoral Epistles brought about order and harmony among all early churches and were especially instrumental is settling differences arising from the Christians (Towner, 2009). The literary style used to write the Pastoral Epistles is far much different from the form of writing adopted in writing other epistles. This has been used by critics of Paul authorship. In the Pastoral Epistles the style of writing employs meditation which is similar to the style of writing used in Hebrews. The Pauline epistles are characterized by arguments that are dramatic while introducing real and imaginary opponents and partners in the dialogue. This has been used by scholars to cast doubt in Paul’s authorship (Nicholl, 2004). The pastoral epistles seem not to fit in Paul’s biography. In the events that happen in Pauls life it is difficult to understand how Paul was able to write the epistles. Some of the epistles are said to have been written from prison. if Paul was released and travelled west as it is in the acts of apostles it is difficult to trace the authenticity of the epistles’ believed in the coming of Christ in his life time as he attest that he is one of the witnesses of Jesus Christ following the events that took place in his way to Damascus (Grindheim, 2002). Paul died before he could bear witness to the second coming of Jesus Christ. Those who question Paul’s authorship claim that considering the events that took place in the life of Paul and eventual death it is proof enough that someone else wrote the epistles. The authors had a close relationship with Paul and were his students (Johnson, 1992). There are the Pauline epistles that have been approved that they were authored by Paul. Critics argue that there is a manner of consistency in these epistles implying that they are from a common author. Pastoral epistle however seem to contradict this point of view due to their contrasting contents with the Pauline epistles. Some of the epistles lack consistency in the use of Paul’s most preferred words and phrases. The pastoral epistles fail to demonstrate the authenticity as Paul original work since they are not consistent with Pauline epistles (jonhson, 1992). I believe Paul wrote the Pastoral Epistles although the critics of Paul have advanced reasons that might cast a doubt in their authenticity. My reason to support this argument is the themes that Paul wrote to the Christians in his undisputed work. Paul upheld the body of Christ as the salvation of many. He urged all the Christians to believe that Christ died on the cross for their sins. In all his epistles Paul spoke of how God save the sinners (Grindheim, 2002). Paul also wrote about the morality of the Christians in the early church. In Corinth the city witnessed a lot of material belief as well as gross immorality. Paul cautioned the Christians on the ways of a true believer of Jesus Christ. The structure and organization of the church was important to Paul. He cautioned the Christians against false teachers of the word who spread their own ideas. These false teachers of the word had entered into the church and casted doubt upon the authority of the apostles stirring up division among the Christians. Paul is seen to remind all the Christians that they should not forget their resposibilities and commitment to the faith they believed in (Nicholl, 2004). The leadership of the churches was important to Paul. He had selected a few to act as leaders in the early church. He expected them to demonstrate leadership in the way they performed their duties. Leaders had to meet certain qualifications in order to be appointed leaders of the church. He instructed Timothy and Titus on the way to conduct these activities in the church. (Nicholl, 2004). These are some of the major themes Paul wrote about. They are consistent and far reaching to the early church. The authorities in Rome were against Paul especially the religious leaders who claimed that he criticized the law (Grindheim, 2002). References Grindheim, S. (2002). The crux of election: Pauls critique of the Jewish confidence in the election of Israel. Tubingen: Mohr Siebeck. Harrington, D. J. (2008). Meeting St. Paul today. Chicago, Ill: Loyola Press. Johnson, L. T. (1992). The Acts of Apostles. Collegeville, Liturgical Press Liefeld, W. L. (1999). 1 & 2 Timothy/Titus: The NIV application commentary from biblical text--to contemporary life. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan. Nicholl, C. R. (2004). From hope to despair in Thessalonica: Situating 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Cambridge .Cambridge Univ. Press. Towner, P. H. (2009). The letters to Timothy and Titus. Grand Rapids, Mich. Eerdmans. Read More