Second Epistle to Timothy
The Second Epistle to Timothy[a] is one of the three pastoral epistles traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle.[3] Addressed to Timothy, a fellow missionary,[3] it is traditionally considered to be the last epistle he wrote before his death. The original language is Koine Greek.
Although the pastorals are written under Paul's name, they are different from his other epistles, and since the early 19th century, scholars have increasingly seen them as the work of an unknown student of Paul's doctrine.[4][5] They do not address Paul's common themes, such as the believers' unity with Christ,[3] and they reflect a church hierarchy that is more organized and defined than the church was in Paul's time.[5]
Nonetheless, a number of scholars still defend the traditional authorship of 2 Timothy.[4][6][7]
The original manuscript of this book is lost, as are about two centuries of the earliest copies. The text of surviving manuscripts varies. The oldest manuscripts containing some or all of the text of this book include:
