The Use of Ransom Language in 1 Timothy 2:1-7 and Titus 2:11...

Although there have been a number of studies on the theology of the Pastoral Epistles of 1 Timothy and Titus, none have looked closely at how Paul in those letters makes use of the term "ransom." This term and its verbal cognates appear in several places in the New Testament but most notably in Mark... Read more

Although there have been a number of studies on the theology of the Pastoral Epistles of 1 Timothy and Titus, none have looked closely at how Paul in those letters makes use of the term "ransom." This term and its verbal cognates appear in several places in the New Testament but most notably in Mark 10:45--where Jesus interprets his own death in redemptive terms. This study employs audience-oriented exegesis to examine Paul's appeal to the ransom theme and its rhetorical and theological effect on the implied epistolary audiences of 1 Timothy and Titus. Chapter One provides a brief review of the relevant literature on the Pastoral Epistles and explains my decision to follow a number of recent critical commentaries who have ascribed these letters, with some qualifications, to Paul. Chapter Two provides a thorough examination of the themes of redemption and ransom as they appear in the LXX and related literature. Chapter Three provides an audience-oriented exegesis of 1 Timothy 2:1-7 and an exploration of the ransom logion there. It argues how and why Paul bases the main theme of the passage--the potential salvation of "all human beings"--The tradition that Jesus is "ransom." It also argues that Isaiah 43 provides the most likely background for the ransom language in 1 Timothy 2:1-7. Chapter Four provides an audience-oriented exegesis of Titus 2:11-14 and a deeper examination of the verb "ransom" that appears in 2:14. It contends that ransom theology--despite being only mentioned explicitly once in 2:14--is nonetheless a hitherto unappreciated motif in the entire short letter. It also contends that "ransom" 1) serves to ground the moral demands Paul places on the Cretan community and 2) is also connected integrally to the grace which enables the satisfaction of those demands. Ransom, when heard in light of the LXX, also is the basis of the Cretan community's self-understanding. Chapter Five concludes the dissertation by comparing the two passages and examining their relationship to the use of ransom themes in the undisputed Pauline corpus. The dissertation explores two important pericopes in the Pastoral Epistles from a unique angle, concluding that the ransom language sheds new light on their meaning as well as our understanding of the letters as a whole. The dissertation also fills a gap in providing a focused comparison between how Paul uses the theme of ransom in the Pastoral Epistles and how he uses it in his other letters. In both the undisputed letters and the PE, ransom and redemption for Paul are both strongly connected to themes of universal salvation and presented as a mark of Christian identity. Show less