Destination
Destination
As it stands, the letter is a private communication to Timothy, written by his mentor to give him the guidance he needed for his work as a superintendent of churches. Those who see the letter as pseudonymous think of it rather as a general instruction to anyone in a place of authority and perhaps also as a letter to give guidance about the Christian way that would be suitable for the general Christian public. "Grace be with you” (1 Tim. 6:21) is plural, and some have therefore argued that the letter was meant for others than Timothy. It is countered that Timothy would be expected to pass on to his congregations the counsel that this letter contains and that Paul is simply sending this little prayer for them all. It is not easy to think that the letter as a whole is meant for a wide public. In such a case, what are we to make of words such as "Timothy, my son” (1:18); "I hope to come to you soon” (3:14); "don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young” (4:12); "stop drinking only water” (5:23)? This letter is surely a personal letter to an individual, whatever public use he might have been expected to make of the teaching given throughout it.