The Pastoral Epistles

The last three letters of Paul are not addressed to Churches, but to two men he had formed and to whom he entrusted the charge of communities: Timothy, his beloved son in the faith, left at Ephesus, and Titus, left in Crete. They are called the Pastoral Epistles, because they teach how to be a pastor, how to lead and guard the flock of God.

From founder to pastor

Time has passed since the first letters. The Churches are founded; now they must be organized, strengthened, and protected. These letters presuppose a time the Acts no longer recount: tradition holds that Paul, freed from his first captivity at Rome, took the road again, leaving Titus in Crete and Timothy at Ephesus, before being arrested a second time and put to death. It is from these last years that the Pastorals date. Paul therefore settles the choice of ministers, the guarding of true doctrine against false teachers, and the conduct of the faithful. The community is the place where God dwells and where the truth stands: “the household of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” 1 Timothy 3:15

To guard the deposit

One same care runs through the three letters: to hand on intact what has been received. Paul feels his end is near, and he wants the faith to pass unaltered from one generation to the next, kept by trustworthy men and taught with fidelity. The word comes back to Timothy as a charge: “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you.” 1 Timothy 6:20 This deposit is the faith received, kept not by man’s strength alone, but “through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.” 2 Timothy 1:14 It is the first seed of what the Church will call Tradition and the apostolic succession.