Luke Timothy Johnson's 2 Timothy As A Personal Paenetic Letter

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Second Timothy is often regarded as a testament. A testament is the deathbed speech of a patriarch, where he provides instructions for his children and grandchildren, draws moral lessons from his own life experience, and predicts conditions after the testator’s death, often involving eschatological predictions (deSilva, 2004). This fits perfectly with the material found in 2 Timothy. But a genre of testament is considered pseudonymous, then classifying 2 Timothy as a testament would favor a pseudonymous author. Hence, Luke Timothy Johnson (1999) suggests the genre of a personal parenetic letter. Johnson (1999) then defined parenetic letter as a letter written to “exhort someone advising them to pursue something and to abstain from something.” …show more content…

Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. …show more content…

10). Paul list positive qualities that Timothy should have. Mounce (2000) mentioned that this is not “arrogance or an attempt to teach Timothy … it is an act of a good friend and mentor encouraging his son in the faith by reflecting over their common experience and calling Timothy to remember and be encouraged”. Timothy had the great opportunity to observe, follow and receive training directly from Paul as he follows Paul on his missionary journey. The NIV, King James Version (KJV) and New Living Translation (NLT) version translate the word παρηκολουθηκας as “know” whereas in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) it is translated as “observe” also in the New American Standard Bible (NASB), New King James Version (NKJV), and English Standard Version (ESV) translate it into “follow”. Based on these translations, Timothy not only has fully known Paul’s teaching but he also must have observed and followed Paul’s

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