Chapter 3[a]
Qualifications of Bishops. This saying can be trusted: Whoever wants to be a bishop desires a noble task. 2 Therefore, a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of only one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, and a good teacher. 3 He must not be a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not prone to quarreling, not greedy.4 He must manage his own household well and ensure that his children are submissive and respectful in every way. 5 For if someone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of the Church of God? 6 He should not be a recent convert so that he will not become conceited and incur the same condemnation as the devil. 7 He must also enjoy a good reputation among outsiders so that he may not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s snare.
Qualifications of Deacons. 8 Similarly, deacons must exhibit a sense of dignity, not indulging in double-talk or excessive consumption of wine, and not being greedy. 9 They must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 Let them first be tested. They can be appointed as deacons only if they are beyond reproach.
11 Women[b] must likewise exhibit a sense of dignity and not be given to spreading slander. They must be temperate and faithful in all things.
12 Deacons must have only one wife and be able to manage their children and their own households. 13 Those deacons whose work is exemplary will achieve a high standing and gain great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
14 Greatness of the Divine Majesty. While I am hoping to come to you soon, I am writing to you about these matters 15 so that if I am delayed, you will know how to regulate your conduct in God’s household—that is, in the Church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. 16 Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great:
He was made visible in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,[c]
seen by angels,
proclaimed to the Gentiles,
believed in throughout the world,
taken up in glory.
Footnotes
- 1 Timothy 3:1 Christian communities have multiplied and grown; the Church needs organization. Bishops (“overseers”) or presbyters (“elders”) preach, lead liturgical meetings, and govern the local Churches under the more or less close supervision of the Apostle or his delegates (Timothy at Ephesus, Titus in Crete). These authorities, who are carefully chosen, are aided by deacons, who are appointed to help the apostles in material matters (see Acts 6:1-6) and also in their missionary work (see Acts 8:5-13, 38): to take upon themselves the management of the organization and to bring help to the poor and the sick. It seems that some women, too, may have had similar tasks (v. 11; see Rom 16:1).
1
Thus, Paul sketches a hierarchy of the Church. To serve the Church, Paul demands solid human qualities on the part of candidates. People cannot proclaim the mystery of faith, i.e., announce that God saves the world through Jesus Christ, unless they live that faith. A fragment from a hymn of the time is used to celebrate this mystery: Incarnation, Resurrection, Mission, Ascension. - 1 Timothy 3:11 Women: this word could refer either to women deacons or to women who were the wives of deacons. Scholars usually opt for the first reference since there is no possessive (e.g., “their”) and since they are introduced by the same word as in v. 8 (“similarly . . . likewise”), indicating that women too could possess the ministry of deacon. See note on Rom 16:1, in which verse Paul sends greetings to “our sister Phoebe, who is a deaconess of the Church at Cenchreae.”
- 1 Timothy 3:16 He was . . . vindicated by the Spirit: the holiness and divinity of Christ were made known in the Resurrection (see Rom 1:4). These six lines are regarded as a fragment of a hymn of the time.