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Bible chapter guide
2 Timothy 1
Writing from chains, Paul remembers Timothy's tears and the sincere faith of his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, and urges him to fan into flame the gift of God, 'for God did not give us a spirit of fear', and not to be ashamed of the testimony or of Paul the prisoner.
Summary written for the Labs; read the chapter itself for the full text.
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The letter: who wrote it, where and when
These questions are debated; the views are shown side by side with how sure each is, as in Paul's Roads.
- Plausible
2 Timothy written from Rome
Paul is in chains in Rome (1:16–17), expecting death: 'the time of my departure has come' (4:6). Tradition sets his death under Nero.
- Plausible
Paul's authorship of 2 Timothy is debated.
Many scholars think this letter was written after Paul's death in his name; others hold that Paul wrote it. The lab shows the setting the letter itself gives and takes no side.
- Speculative
The Pastoral Letters reliably record Paul's last journeys.
They name Paul as author and give personal details. Many scholars judge their vocabulary, church order and setting to be later than Paul and read the details as literary; others defend Paul's authorship, perhaps with a secretary.
How sure can we be?
- Speculative
Paul was brought to Rome a second time as a prisoner.
2 Timothy places him in chains in Rome (1:16–17); where he was arrested is unknown.