christology, greco-roman religious piety 243
it is further claimed that the Pastorals’ emphasis on orthodoxy bet-
ter fits the post-apostolic period. is the concern for “sound teaching,”102
“soundness of the faith,”103 and the passing on of “trustworthy sayings”104
too settled for the apostolic period? this overlooks the explicit and unify-
ing purpose in writing.105 timothy is told to “command certain people
at ephesus not to engage in false teaching” (ἵνα παραγγείλῃς τισὶν μὴ
ἑτεροδιδασκαλεῖν; 1 tim 1:3) and to avoid “the godless chatter of false teach-
ers such as hymenaeus and Philetus who have swerved from the truth by
holding that the resurrection is past already” (λέγοντες [τὴν] ἀνάστασιν ἤδη
γεγονέναι; 2 tim 2:17–18). titus is reminded that he was left at Crete to tie
up loose ends, primary of which was “to silence those who are destroy-
ing whole households by teaching that which should not be taught” (ἵνα
τὰ λείποντα ἐπιδιορθώσῃ... οὓς δεῖ). there is a connection between ortho-
doxy and orthopraxy. “Knowledge of the truth leads to εὐσέβεια” (titus
1:1). Piety is related to sound teaching (titus 2:1). indeed, sound teaching
is εὐσέβεια teaching; the touchstone for sound teaching is “the wholesome
teachings of the lord Jesus Christ” (1 tim 6:3).106
in the final analysis, comparison with imperial epiphany language and
greco-roman redemptive religious piety and soteriology readily points to
a first generation Sitz im Leben and concerns consistent with the chal-
lenges that a church in the imperial temple-warden city of ephesus
would face.
102 1 tim 1:10; 6:3; 2 tim 1:13; 4:3; titus 1:9.
103 1 tim 1:19; 3:9; 4:1, 6; 5:8; 6:10, 21; 2 tim 2:18; 3:8; 4:7; titus 1:4, 13; 2:2.
104 1 tim 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 tim 2:11; titus 3:8.
105 Belleville, “introduction to the Pastoral epistles,” 16–17.
106 see the detailed treatment by Wieland, The Significance of Salvation.
