Texts in Conversation
2 Timothy echoes language from Sirach that being faithful to God means turning away from sin. Both connect personal devotion with moral behavior, showing that early Christian teaching used Jewish wisdom traditions when shaping ideas about repentance.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Sirach 17:26
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
22 With him the alms of a man is as a signet. He will keep a man’s kindness as the pupil of the eye. 23 Afterwards he will rise up and repay them, and give their repayment upon their head. 24 However to those who repent he grants a return. He comforts those who are losing hope. 25 Return to the Lord, and forsake sins. Make your prayer before his face offend less. 26 Turn again to the Most High, and turn away from iniquity. Greatly hate the abominable thing. 27 Who will give praise to the Most High in Hades, in place of the living who return thanks? 28 Thanksgiving perishes from the dead, as from one who doesn’t exist. He who is in life and health will praise the Lord.
Date: 195–180 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
2 Timothy 2:19
New Testament
16 But avoid profane chatter because those occupied with it will stray further and further into ungodliness, 17 and their message will spread its infection like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are in this group. 18 They have strayed from the truth by saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are undermining some people’s faith. 19 However, God’s solid foundation remains standing, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from evil.” 20 Now in a wealthy home there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also ones made of wood and of clay, and some are for honorable use, but others for ignoble use. 21 So if someone cleanses himself of such behavior, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart, useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
Date: 70–80 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
Search:
Notes and References
"... Since Jesus was acknowledged as Lord of the early Christian (Romans 10:9: Matthew 28:19: passim), it is likely that his early followers also accepted and made use of the same sacred texts that he favored in his teaching mission. What books did the early Christians use as sacred texts? It is remarkable that they cite or allude to the same books and with almost the same frequency as we find in Jesus' teachings, especially the Psalms, Isaiah, Deuteronomy, and some noncanonical writings. Did the rest of the New Testament writers and the early church also acknowledge as Scripture some of the books that we now call noncanonical writings? Peter Stuhlmacher lists a number of the parallels and allusions to noncanonical literature in the New Testament writing. See, for example, the following ... 2 Timothy 2:19 appears to cite Sirach 17:26 along with Numbers 16:5 ..."
Lee Martin McDonald, "The Scriptures of Jesus" in Charlesworth, James H. (ed.) Jesus Research: New Methodologies and Perceptions: The Second Princeton-Prague Symposium on Jesus Research (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2007), 844.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
User Comments
,