1 Timothy 1:1

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO TIMOTHY.

Chronological Notes relative to this Epistle.

-Year of the Constantinopolitan era of the world, or that used by the Byzantine historians, 5573.

-Year of the Alexandrian era of the world, 5567.

-Year of the Antiochian era of the world, 5557.

-Year of the Julian period, 4775.

-Year of the world, according to Archbishop Usher, 4069.

-Year of the world, according to Eusebius, in his Chronicon, 4293.

-Year of the minor Jewish era of the world, or that in common use, 3825.

-Year of the Greater Rabbinical era of the world, 4424.

-Year from the Flood, according to Archbishop Usher, and the English Bible, 2413.

-Year of the Cali yuga, or Indian era of the Deluge, 3167.

-Year of the era of Iphitus, or since the first commencement of the Olympic games, 1005.

-Year of the era of Nabonassar, king of Babylon, 812.

-Year of the CCXIth Olympiad, 1.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Fabius Pictor, 812.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Frontinus, 816.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to the Fasti Capitolini, 817.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Varro, which was that most generally used, 818.

-Year of the era of the Seleucidae, 377.

-Year of the Caesarean era of Antioch, 113.

-Year of the Julian era, 110.

-Year of the Spanish era, 103.

-Year from the birth of Jesus Christ according to Archbishop Usher, 69.

-Year of the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 65.

-Year of Gessius Florus, governor of the Jews, 1.

-Year of Vologesus, king of the Parthians, 16.

-Year of L. C. Gallus, governor of Syria, 1.

-Year of Matthias, high priest of the Jews, 3.

-Year of the Dionysian period, or Easter Cycle, 66.

-Year of the Grecian Cycle of nineteen years, or Common Golden Number, 9; or the first year after the third embolismic.

-Year of the Jewish Cycle of nineteen years, 6, or the second embolismic.

-Year of the Solar Cycle, 18.

-Dominical Letter, it being the first after Bissextile, or Leap Year, F.

-Day of the Jewish Passover, according to the Roman computation of time, the VIIth of the ides of April, or in our common mode of reckoning, the seventh of April, which happened in this year on the day after the Jewish Sabbath.

-Easter Sunday, the day after the ides of April, or the XVIIIth of the Calends of May, named by the Jews the 22d of Nisan or Abib; and by Europeans in general, the 14th of April.

-Epact, or the age of the moon on the 22d of March, (the day of the earliest Easter Sunday possible,) 28.

-Epact, according to the present mode of computation, or the moon's age on New Year's day, or the Calends of January, 5.

-Monthly Epacts, or the moon's age on the Calends of each month respectively, (beginning with January,) 5,7,6,7,8,9,10,11,12, 12,14,14.

-Number of Direction, or the number of days from the twenty-first of March to the Jewish Passover, 17.

-Year of the reign of Caius Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar, the fifth Roman emperor computing from Augustus Caesar, 12.

-Roman Consuls, A. Licinius Nerva Silanus, and M. Vestinius Atticus; the latter of whom was succeeded by Anicius Cerealis, on July 1st.

Dr. Lardner and others suppose this epistle to have been written in A. D. 56, i.e. nine years earlier than is stated above. See the preceding preface, where this point is largely considered, and also the general observations prefixed to the Acts of the Apostles.

CHAPTER I.

Paul's salutation to Timothy, 1, 2.

For what purpose he had left him at Ephesus, 3.

What the false apostles taught in opposition to the truth, 4-7.

The true use of the law, 8-11.

He thanks God for his own conversion, and describes his former

state, 12-17.

Exhorts Timothy to hold fast faith and a good conscience, and

speaks of Hymeneus and Alexander who had made shipwreck of their

faith, 18-20.

NOTES ON CHAP. I.

Verse 1 Timothy 1:1. Paul an apostle - by the commandment of God] We have already seen that the term αποστολος, apostle, literally signifies a person sent from one to another, without implying any particular dignity in the person, or importance in the message. But it is differently used in the New Testament, being applied to those who were sent expressly from God Almighty, with the message of salvation to mankind. It is, therefore, the highest character any human being can have; and he message is the most important which even God himself can send to his intelligent creatures. It was by the express command of God that St. Paul went to the Gentiles preaching the doctrine of salvation by faith in Christ Jesus.

Jesus Christ-our hope] Without Jesus, the world was hopeless; the expectation of being saved can only come to mankind by his Gospel. He is called our hope, as he is called our life, our peace, our righteousness, c., because from him hope, life, peace, righteousness, and all other blessings proceed.