1 Timothy 4:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

You can rebuke and persuade one another better than we can. Besides, I am one, but you are many. All of you, as many as you are, can perhaps be teachers.

Therefore I exhort you: do not neglect such a gift.

The prophets of that time foretold prophetically that Timothy would be deemed worthy of the gift of the episcopate. Concerning this, Paul said of Timothy not only, "which was given to you by prophecy," but also what follows.

"This charge I commit to you, child Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may war the good warfare" (1 Tim 1:18).

Paul therefore ordained Timothy as hierarch by the laying on of his own hands, as he himself testifies: "For this reason I remind you to stir up the gift of God that dwells in you through the laying on of my hands" (2 Tim 1:6).

Yet he said, "with the laying on of the hands of the priesthood," to show that not he alone, but others with him who had the gift of the episcopate, laid their hands upon him.

Presbyters and deacons who were present there at the time also stood by. For at cheirotoniai presbyters and deacons stood before the bishop, but one hierarch laid on hands, as Clement relates.

"When ordaining a presbyter," he says, "you, O bishop, lay your hand yourself upon his head, while the presbytery and deacons stand before you" (Canon 8, number 16).

From this it is clear that in the Orthodox Church cheirotoniai were performed by the God-bearing Apostles themselves.

What, then, does "Do not neglect the gift that dwells in you" mean? It means readiness to fulfill the work of the episcopate. The work of the episcopate is, as Paul says, to preach the faith: "Preach the word" (2 Tim 4:2).

It is to be urgent at every time: "Be urgent in season and out of season." It is to rebuke those who sin: "Rebuke." It is to threaten those who do not correct themselves: "Reprove."

It is to console the afflicted and encourage every virtue: "Exhort." It is to be long-suffering and to teach: "with all longsuffering and teaching."

He who fulfills all this without laziness and with diligence is the blessed hierarch who does not neglect the divine gift given to him.

This grace communicates to the ordained bishop the power, illumination, and right of episcopal authority. It gives the right to act in the rank of bishop, and the power and enlightenment needed to fulfill the duties of the episcopal rank.

It is said, "the gift that dwells in you." This shows that the grace of the episcopate, from the time of ordination as bishop, remains inseparably in the ordained man. It is always ready to manifest itself in outward actions according to his diligence, zeal, and activity.

"Which was given to you by prophecy," that is, "which was given to you according to prophecy." This shows that Saint Timothy was appointed bishop not by chance. Nor was it by consideration of his outward claims to this highest degree of the priesthood.

Outwardly he did not seem close to such a degree, since he was still so young that the Apostle found it necessary to warn him that his youth should not become a stumbling block to others.

The grace of the episcopate was given to Timothy by prophecy, or by revelation of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle did not explain how this revelation occurred. It could have appeared in different ways.

It may have been given to Paul himself, or to many presbyters. Or one of the presbyters may have received this revelation.

"With the laying on of the hands of the presbytery." Saint Timothy received the grace of the episcopate by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the priesthood.

In the Second Epistle to Timothy, Paul writes: "I remind you to stir up the gift of God that dwells in you through the laying on of my hands" (2 Tim 1:6).

From this it is clear that Saint Timothy's ordination as bishop was performed chiefly by the Apostle Paul. Other bishops took part in their own measure by laying their hands upon the head of the bishop being appointed.

The spiritual solemnity of episcopal ordination has from ancient times been honored with an annual celebration. This feast reminded the one concerned of those sacred duties which Saint Paul impressed upon Timothy.

From apostolic times onward, consecration as bishop has been performed by two or three bishops. At Timothy's consecration there were several bishops, whom Paul here calls the presbytery.

He does not mean that presbyters consecrated him, for in the Church this honor has never been granted to presbyters. He speaks in the sense of seniority. In another place (2 Tim 1:6), the Apostle says that he himself ordained Timothy, undoubtedly in concelebration with other bishops.

It must be said that Timothy was converted to Christ and received the common gifts of the Holy Spirit not from the Apostle Paul, but before his meeting with him (Acts 16:1-2).

Thus sacred office-bearers, such as hierarchs, were not only chosen and appointed even in the apostolic age. They were also ordained, that is, through the laying on of hands they received special gifts of the Holy Spirit corresponding to their ministry.

"By prophecy." Earlier, in verse 18 of chapter 1, the Apostle wrote to Timothy that he should "war the good warfare" in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning him. Therefore Timothy's ordination was joined with prophecies approving his election and bearing witness to the worthiness of the chosen man.

Something similar is preserved in our Church to this day, when at ordination άξιος is proclaimed, which means "worthy."

"With the laying on of the hands of the presbytery." This expression recalls the rule that comes from the apostles and is preserved by the Church. At the ordination of a bishop, not one bishop alone, but several bishops, lay hands upon the one ordained.

The presbytery, or priesthood, indicates in the Apostle several sacred persons who took part together with him in Timothy's ordination.

Second, what should be understood by the prophecy through which the gift, or capacity to perform priestly and episcopal duties, was given to Timothy?

Most naturally and most closely to the context, this means the sacred words pronounced over Timothy at the time of his appointment. In this case, "prophecy" probably designated the very form of hierarchical appointment, or, in our terms, the prayer of ordination.

Here a question may arise. If Timothy was appointed bishop, and therefore through episcopal ordination, why was the laying on of the hands of the presbytery, or priests, needed at his appointment?

On this point it must be noted that in apostolic times the name priesthood or presbyterate was applied without distinction to both bishops and presbyters (Acts 20:17-28). Thus the laying on of the hands of the priesthood over Timothy was in essence episcopal ordination.

According to Saint Chrysostom, the Apostle speaks here not of priests, but of bishops, for presbyters did not ordain bishops.

That Saint Timothy truly received sacramental ordination not from presbyters is directly testified by the holy Apostle Paul in his Second Epistle to Timothy. There he calls him one ordained by his own hands (2 Tim 1:6).

Ambrosiaster writes: “If the pastor of the people, the faithful, neglects this, reading and the rest, then he neglects the grace given to him. For he is made the guide of the people so that he may care for their salvation, exhorting and teaching.

Thus his appointment to this rank may bear fruit, since God raised him to this degree so that he might assist the salvation of His people. Therefore whoever, having been deemed worthy of such dignity, is negligent will be counted a despiser of God and will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; cf. Mt 5:19.

Besides, if a man does not care to teach, will he care to act?”

This was also the purpose for which the Apostle said here: “Do not neglect the gift.” He wished to present a pastoral incentive to the occupations just indicated. He gave to understand that the pastor’s chief work is to teach, and by teaching to lead the souls entrusted to him along the path of salvation.

A pastor who does not teach is not a pastor. But to strengthen such an incentive still more, the Apostle judged it necessary to remind Saint Timothy how this gift of pastoral ministry had been received by him.

“Which was given to you.” He did not appropriate it to himself. He did not seek and pursue it, directly or indirectly, but it was given.

Saint Timothy was chosen according to the common voice and common indication of the faithful. But the elector was not satisfied with this, and awaited an indication from above.

It was given by prophecy, that is, either by a special revelation to Saint Paul concerning the worthiness of the one chosen, or by a pronouncement about this from one of the prophets then customary in the Church, or by some other indication from above.

Saint Paul had already mentioned the prophecies concerning Saint Timothy above, in 1 Tim 1:18. It probably happened more than once. But here he speaks of what took place in Ephesus.

“Prophecy,” writes Ambrosiaster, “is an indication from above that the one chosen will be a worthy teacher.” Therefore, by saying “by prophecy,” the Apostle testified that Saint Timothy was ordained bishop “by the command of the Holy Spirit” (blessed Theophylact).

In general, at that time “bishops were appointed by the command of the Spirit, and not casually. This too is a particular kind of prophecy, when the present is indicated from above, as there in Antioch: ‘Separate for Me Barnabas and Saul’ (Acts 13:2)” (Oecumenius).

An indication from above concerning the worthiness of the chosen one occurred many times in the Church. Often those who elected did not even dare to complete their election without an indication from above.

Election is the preparation. The actual appointment as bishop was then accomplished by the laying on of hands, by the laying on of the hands of the presbyterate, tou presbyteriou, properly, the eldership, the seniority, or the assembly of elders and senior persons in the Church.

Priests were chosen from such persons, and Saint Paul probably has them in mind here. Since there were not few of them in and around Ephesus, he designated all of them by the common name presbyteriou. In Slavonic this is translated “priesthood,” the assembly of priests.

But how can this be? Does it follow that priests ordain a bishop? Chrysostom answers: “He is not speaking here of presbyters, that is, priests, but of bishops. For presbyters did not ordain bishops.” So also Oecumenius and Theophylact.

But blessed Theodoret writes that by “priesthood” the Apostle here means “those deemed worthy of apostolic grace.” Consequently, Saint Paul means here only himself. This fully agrees with what he says in the Second Epistle to Timothy.

“I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (cf. 2 Tim 1:6). There “gift” and here “gift” signify one and the same thing.

Consequently, the gift mentioned was given by the laying on of Saint Paul’s hands, since he possessed apostolic grace.

In that case, however, the word “priesthood” receives not a direct but a figurative meaning. To retain the direct meaning of this word, and at the same time understand the laying on of hands that communicated episcopal grace as Saint Paul’s laying on of hands, not the presbyters’, one may suppose the following.

In the present passage, the laying on of the hands of the priesthood really did take place. Yet it was not the performance of the mystery of episcopal ordination, but an expression of consent to the election.

Perhaps it was even separate from Saint Paul’s consecrating laying on of hands. It may have occurred earlier, as the completion of the election indicated by revelation from above.

In that case, the meaning of the whole passage would be this: do not neglect the gift given to you by the laying on of my hands, according to prophecy, with the consent of the whole priesthood. It expressed this consent by its laying on of hands upon you.

It gave the hands of consent.