1 Timothy 1:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

By myths he does not mean the Law. No. He means false tradition, distorted and incorrect beliefs. Probably these people from among the Jews generally introduced talk about useless subjects, enumerating grandfathers and great-grandfathers in order to enjoy a reputation for great experience and knowledge. "Charge certain persons," he says, "not to teach otherwise, nor to give heed to myths and endless genealogies."

What does endless mean? Either that they are directed toward no goal, or that they bring not the slightest benefit and are incomprehensible to us. Do you see how he censures investigation? Indeed, where there is faith, investigation is not needed. Where nothing needs to be investigated, why occupy oneself with investigation?

Investigation destroys faith. Whoever investigates something has not yet found it. Whoever investigates cannot believe. For this reason he says, let us not occupy ourselves with investigation. If we investigate, this is no longer faith, while faith gives rest to the mind.

How then did Christ say, "Seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Mt 7:7), and, "Search the Scriptures, for you think that through them you have eternal life" (Jn 5:39)? In the first place, seek means petition and strong desire. In the second, "search the Scriptures" not only imposes no obligation of investigation, but even removes it. He said, search the Scriptures, that is, study and learn their true meaning, not in order to investigate forever, but in order to bring every investigation to an end.

And he rightly said, "Charge certain persons not to teach otherwise, nor to give heed to myths and endless genealogies, which produce disputes rather than God's edification in faith" (1 Tim 1:4). He rightly said, God's edification, because God wished to grant us many things, but our mind does not embrace the greatness of His divine economy. Therefore what constitutes the greatest medicine for our souls must be accomplished by means of faith.

Our investigations, then, are not in harmony with the divine economy of God. What is ordered by means of faith? That we receive the benefits of God, become better, doubt nothing, are perplexed about nothing, and come wholly to rest. Meanwhile, what faith accomplishes and orders, our inquisitiveness destroys. It raises many questions and overthrows faith.

"Nor give heed to myths," he says, "and endless genealogies." And what harm, you ask, do these genealogies bring? Christ said that one must be saved through faith. But they occupied themselves with investigation and said this was impossible. Since the preaching of the teaching took place in the present, while the fulfillment of what was preached belonged to the future, faith was necessary. But they, being occupied with precise observance of the ceremonial law, opposed faith.

I also think that when he says myths and genealogies, he also hints here at the Greeks, because they too enumerated their gods. Therefore let us not occupy ourselves with inquiries. For this is why we are called faithful, that we may believe without doubt what has been said to us and doubt nothing.

If what has been said to us came from men, then it would be necessary to investigate it. But since it comes from God, one must only stand before it in reverence and believe. If we do not believe this, then we shall not be convinced that God exists. Indeed, how can you know that God exists when you subject His words to investigation?

The first sign that you know God is that you believe what He has said, without demanding either explanations or proofs. Even the Greeks knew this. They believed the gods, they say, although those gods spoke without giving any proofs. Why? Because they were offspring of the gods. Do you see that even the Greeks knew this?

But why do I speak about gods? They acted in exactly the same way toward a man, a sorcerer and magician, namely Pythagoras. They had the expression, "He himself said it," autos ephe. And above their temples silence was depicted, restraining the mouth with a finger and pressing the lips with it. This showed all who passed by that they must be silent.

Are their beliefs worthy of such respect, while ours are not, or even deserve to be mocked? Would such a thought not be a sign of extreme madness? The teaching of the Greeks could rightly be subjected to investigation, because in it there are contradictions, perplexities, and disputed questions. But our teaching has no share in any of this.

Their teaching was invented by human wisdom, but ours was revealed to us by the grace of the Holy Spirit. The first is folly and madness, while the second is, in the proper sense, the teaching of wisdom. There there is neither disciple nor teacher, but all alike occupy themselves with investigation. Here, whether teacher or disciple, everyone must learn from the one from whom he ought to learn, be convinced and not doubt, believe and not speculate.

By faith the ancients were glorified, and without it everything was corrupted. But why do I speak about heavenly things? If we turn our attention to what is on earth, we shall find that here too everything is founded on faith. Neither trade, nor crafts, nor anything else of this kind can exist without it. If it is necessary here, where everything is full of falsehood and deceit, how much more is it necessary in relation to heavenly things?

Therefore let us hold to it and strive to acquire it. Through it we shall free our soul from all destructive opinions, such as the teaching about chance and fate. If you believe that there is a resurrection and judgment, you will be able to guard your soul from all these errors. Believe that God is just, and you will not believe in fate, which is not guided by justice.

Believe that there is a God who provides for all things, and you will not believe in fate, which supposedly rules over everything. Believe that there is punishment and a kingdom, and you will not believe in fate, which takes from us everything that belongs to us and subjects us to necessity and force. Then there is no need for you to sow, plant, fight, or do anything at all. Willingly or unwillingly, what fate has determined for you will be fulfilled.

What need, then, do we have for prayer? Why do you wish to be a Christian if fate exists? For you will not be subject to accusation. Whence come the arts? Are they also from fate? Yes, they say. Fate has determined that such and such a man, by laboring, should become wise. Yet show me a man who has attained knowledge without labors. You cannot show one. Consequently, knowledge depends not on fate, but on labors.

But why, they say, is one man criminal and evil, yet rich, though he received no inheritance from his father, while another, laboring endlessly, remains poor? Such questions are asked by those who base everything only on wealth and poverty, and not on vice and virtue. Do not speak to me of that here. Say instead, has anyone become evil though he zealously strove to be good? Or has anyone become good while living in complete carelessness?

If fate has such power, let it show this authority over what matters most, over virtue and vice, and not over wealth and poverty. Again they say, why does one suffer from illness while another enjoys health? Why is one in glory and another in contempt? Why does everything go according to one man's desire, while another everywhere meets countless obstacles?

Renounce belief in fate, and you will learn why. Firmly believe that there is a God who provides, and you will understand this clearly. But, you say, I cannot, because the disorder in the condition of earthly affairs does not allow one to suppose that providence exists. If all this depends on God, how can I believe that God, being good, gives wealth to a corrupt, criminal, and covetous man, but not to a good man?

How am I to believe? One must believe in accord with what actually happens. Very well. Then this depends on fate. Is fate guided by justice or not? You will say it is unjust. Who created it? Was it God? No, you will say, it did not come from anyone. But how, if it came from no one, does it do all this? For this contradicts itself.

Consequently, this is not God's work at all. Let us therefore examine the question: who created heaven? You will say, fate. Who created the earth, the sea, and the seasons? If fate established such beautiful order and harmony among soulless things, how did it allow such disorder among us, for whose sake all this exists? This would be like someone caring for a house and wishing to make it wonderfully good, yet having not the slightest care for his household.

Who preserves the succession of the seasons? Who determined such harmonious laws of nature? Who ordered the course of day and night? This is beyond fate. No, they say, this came about of itself. But how could such order appear of itself? Whence, you ask, are these rich men who enjoy health and glory, some having obtained wealth through covetousness, others by inheritance, and others by violence?

Why does God allow the wicked to prosper? Because recompense according to merits is not here, but in the age to come. Therefore show me something like this there. First give it to me while I am still here, you say, and there I shall seek nothing. But you do not receive precisely because you seek. If, before you have even tasted pleasures, you chase after them so strongly that you prefer them to future goods, how much more would you seek them if you had tasted the purest pleasures?

For this reason God shows you that earthly goods are insignificant and indifferent. If they were not indifferent, He would not have given them even to those men. Tell me, is it not all the same to be dark-skinned, or tall, or of small stature? So it is also with wealth. Tell me, has not what is necessary been given equally to all, namely the capacity for virtue and the distribution of spiritual gifts?

If you knew what the benefits of God are, then, enjoying them equally with others, you would not grieve over the unequal distribution of earthly goods. Knowing the equal distribution of the former, you would not seek an abundance of the latter. A servant may receive from his master food, clothing, and shelter, and may enjoy everything else equally with others. Yet because the hair on his head is longer and his nails larger, he might think that he has more than others. So too the man endowed with earthly goods would vainly think highly of what he enjoys only for a time.

For this reason God deprives us of earthly goods, in order to cool our passion for them and turn all our desires away from them toward heavenly goods. Yet even by this we are not brought to our senses. When a child has some toy and values it above necessary things, his father takes the toy away from the child. He does this so that he may force the child, even against his will, to turn to what is more important. So also God uses every measure to bring us to heaven.

But you will say, why does He allow the wicked to grow rich? Because He is not greatly concerned about them. And why does He allow the good to grow rich? He does not do this, but only permits it. However, I now speak of this only briefly, with a view to people who do not know the Scriptures.

If you wished to believe and attend to the word of God, I would not need to say what I have now said. From the word of God we would learn everything. But to convince you fully that neither wealth, nor health, nor glory means anything, I will point you to many people. They could become rich, but they acquire nothing. They could enjoy health, but they wear out their body. They could enjoy glory, but they use every means to be held in contempt. Meanwhile, one who is good never strives to become evil.

“Nor to occupy themselves with myths.” By myths he means not the Law itself, but observations and false dogmas.

“And endless genealogies.” They usually listed grandfathers and ancestors, imagining that by this they acquired a certain historical glory.

He called them endless either because they go back to remote times, or because they have no good aim, or because they have no clarity, being hard to grasp and entangled.

It is likely that the Apostle here also hints at the Greeks. They have myths and genealogies in which they enumerate their gods.

“Which produce disputes, ζητήσεις, rather than God’s edification in faith.” That is, God introduced such an economy that everything in it should be received by faith.

The Gentiles, as the Apostle says, act through superiority and persuasiveness of words and plausible reasonings (cf. 1 Cor. 2:1-4). The Jews, having abandoned the divine Scriptures, as the Apostle said, dispute about fables and endless genealogies (1 Tim. 1:4). The Manichaeans, and with them the Valentinians and others, distort the divine Scriptures with their veiled words and compose fables. But the Arians are distinguished by greater boldness than all other heresies, and have shown that the others are the younger sisters of their heresy. For, as has been said, the Arians are more impious than they, and rival all in wickedness, but most of all the Jews.

He says that I urged you to command those who held foreign teaching not to heed myths and endless genealogies. Understand these as teachings of Judaism, and as ordinances of the Law.

They were also not to pay attention to the histories of their leaders, the priests, who by their great number and many ranks resembled the words of a genealogical table.

Or he urged that they not boast among you of their descent from Abraham and of the twelve tribes of Jacob, as though they were innumerable because of their multitude.

All this, he says, produces disputes in the Church. In no way does it come from faith in the divine economy.

That is, there is in them no faith awaiting the recompense of the life beyond the grave, for all their promises of gifts are centered on the earth.

Believers from among the Jews, thinking highly of their knowledge of the Old Testament, proposed certain questions to believers from the Gentiles.

They tried to convict them of ignorance of the words of God and attempted to persuade them to observe the way of life under the Law.

Thus they examined the genealogies from Abraham and David, entering into inquiries about whether the Lord was truly born from them according to the flesh.

Therefore the divine Apostle commands the wondrous Timothy to stop the mouths of such people. He must not permit those who distort the rule of teaching to do this.

He must also instruct others not to heed their empty talk.

“Nor to heed myths and endless genealogies.”

He called the falsifications and false interpretations of the Law “myths.” This includes everything that the Judaizing teachers of different doctrine added to the Law from themselves, thus mythologizing because of falsehood.

By “genealogies” he meant those concerning their ancestors. They love to boast and to consider themselves nobler in origin than the Apostle.

He called these genealogies “endless” because they lead to no good goal, are empty, and bring no benefit.

“Which produce disputes rather than God’s ordering, which is in faith.”

People who seem worthy of trust, yet teach otherwise, must not trouble you. Stand firm, like an anvil that is struck. It belongs to a great athlete to receive blows and conquer. Especially for God's sake we must endure all things, so that He Himself may endure us. Be even more zealous than you are now. Consider the circumstances of the times. Await Him who is above time, the timeless One, invisible, yet for our sake made visible. He is intangible and passionless, yet for our sake He underwent suffering and endured all things for us.

Some, rejecting the truth, introduce false teachings and vain genealogies. As the Apostle says, these produce disputes rather than God’s edifications in faith.

By a cunningly fabricated plausibility, they deceive the mind of the inexperienced and take them captive. They distort the sayings of the Lord and badly interpret what has been well said.

Under the pretext of knowledge, they seduce many and turn them away from the Creator and Adorner of the universe.

They act as though they could show something higher and greater than God, who created heaven and earth and all that is in them.

Moreover, by deliberately skillful turns of speech, they draw simple people into curiosity. Meanwhile they destroy these unfortunate ones, who cannot distinguish falsehood from truth.

They arouse in them blasphemous and impious thoughts against the Creator.

"Nor to give heed to fables and endless genealogies." What kind of fables the Apostle means here is clear from his calling them genealogies. They were nothing other than Gnostic speculations about aeons, which according to some numbered seven, according to others ten, twelve, twenty-four, three hundred sixty-five, and so on. Such disagreement in numbers gives rise to endless disputes (Tit. 3:9), and, as the Apostle notes, did not lead to edification at all.

The many instructions of the holy Apostle Paul to Timothy, as archpastor of Christ’s Church, are naturally arranged in the epistle under the following divisions.

First are instructions to Timothy as guardian of the faith of Christ’s Church (1 Tim 1).

Second are instructions to him specifically as president of the Church. These concern Church assemblies and, as bishop and ordainer, the persons deemed worthy of the sacred rank (1 Tim 2:1-3:13).

Then come general instructions on how the archpastor himself must fulfill his high ministry. The Apostle first teaches who must guide the archpastor himself to the truth and what the fundamental truth of Christian doctrine is.

Afterward he sets forth rules for archpastoral teaching by word and by life (1 Tim 3:14-4:16).

"Nor to give heed to fables and endless genealogies." "Nor to give heed" means not to pay attention, not to keep them in the mind, and not to occupy oneself with them. It means not to regard them as matters of which people usually say: this will not leave my mind. Rather, they are matters of which one says: is it worth thinking and speaking about this? St. Paul establishes as law that as soon as any teaching differs from the teaching handed down by God, both ear and mind must immediately turn away from it, without beginning disputes and contentions. Both Gentiles and Jews had fables and genealogies. Gentile fables, μυθοι, are all the speculations of the Gentiles, especially their mythology, whose content was the genealogy of their gods.

To reject a multitude of gods in order to introduce in their place a multitude of other gods is to turn believers from familial authority to an unknown authority.

It is to turn them from visible dominion to hidden dominion. This is the same as arming natural knowledge against faith.

When you inquire into the source of such myths, would you not think you were hearing a nurse’s childhood tales about a black cat and the like?

Whoever has an understanding of faith will hear all the names of the Aeons, the gods of the Valentinians, and all their marriages, begettings, deaths, events, fortunes, and misfortunes of their deity.