A great obstacle, however, presented itself. Timo- thy, though inheriting, as it were, from the nobler side (Wettstein, ad loc), and therefore reckoned as one of the seed of Abraham, had been allowed to grow up to the age of manhood without the sign of circumcision, and in this point he might seem to be disclaiming the Jewish blood that was in him and choosing to take up his position as a heathen. Had that been his real po- sition, it would have been utterly inconsistent with Paul's principle of action to urge on him the necessity of circumcision (1 Cor. vii, 18; Gal. ii, 3; v, 2). As it was, his condition was that of a negligent, almost of an apostate, Israelite ; and, though circumcision was noth- ing, and uncircumcision was nothing, it was a serious question whether the scandal of such a position should be allowed to frustrate all his efforts as an evangelist. The fact that no offence seems to have been felt hith- erto is explained by the predominance of the Gentile element in the churches of Lycaonia (Acts xiv, 27). But his wider work would bring him into contact with the Jews, who had already shown themselves so ready to attack, and then the scandal would come out. They might tolerate a heathen, as such, in the synagogue or
the church, hut an uncircumcised Israelite would be to them a horror and a jtortent. With a special view to their feelings, making no sacrifice of principle, the apos- tle, who had refused to permit the circumcision of Ti- tus, " took and circumcised" Timothy (xvi, 3) ; and then, as conscious of no inconsistenc\', went on his way dis- tributing the decrees of the council of Jerusalem, the great charter of the freedom of the (Jentiles (ver. 4).
Henceforth Timothy was one of his most constant companions. Not since he parted from Barnabas had he found one whose heart so answered to his own. W Barnabas had been as the brother and friend of early days, he had now found one whom he could claim as his own by a spiritual parentage (2 Tim. i, 2). He calls him "son Timothy" (1 Tim. i, 18); "my own son in the faith" (ver. 2); "my beloved son" (1 Cor. iv, 17); " my workfellow" (Rom. xvi, 21) ; " my brother" (wliich is probably the sense of TijuoStoc 6 ahXcpiig in 2 Cor.i, 1).
3. IJis Evangelislic Labors andJoni-7ui/s. — Continuing his second missionary tour, Paul now took Timothy with him, and, accompanied by Silvanus, and probably Luke also, journeyed at length to Philippi (Acts xvi, 12), where the young evangelist became conspicuous at once for his filial devotion and his zeal (Phil, ii, 22). His name does not appear in the account of Paul's work at Thes- salonica, and it is possible that he remained some time at Philippi, and then acted as the messenger by whom the members of that Church sent what they were able to give for the apostle's wants (iv, 15). He appears, however, at Beroea, and remains there when Paul and Silas are obliged to leave (Acts xvii, 14), going on af- terwards to join his master at Athens (1 Thess. iii. 2). From Athens he is sent back to Thcssalonica (ibid.), as having special gifts for comforting and teaching. He returns from Thessalonica, not to Athens, but to Corinth, and his name appears united with Paul's in the opening words of both the letters written from that city to the Thessalonians (1 Thess. i, 1 ; 2 Thess. i, 1). Dr. Words- worth infers from 2 Cor. ix, 11 and Acts xviii, 5 that Timothy brought contributions to the support of the apostle from the IMacedonian churches, and thus re- leased him from his continuous labor as a tent-maker. Here, also, he was apparently active as an evangelist (2 Cor. i, 19), and on him, probably, with some excep- tions, devolved the duty of baptizing the new converts (1 Cor. i, 14). Of the next four or five years of his life we have no record, and can infer nothing beyond a continuance of his active service as Paul's companion. When we again meet with him, it is as being sent on in advance while the apostle was contemplating the long journey which was to include Macedonia, Achaia, Jeru- salem, and Rome (Acts xix, 22). A.D. 54. He was sent to " bring" the churches "into remembrance of the wa3's" of the apostle (1 Cor. iv, 17). AVe trace in the words of the "father" an anxious desire to guard the son from the perils which, to his eager but sensitive temperament, would be most trying (xvi, 10). His route would take him through the churches which he had been instrumental in founding, and this would give him scope for exercising the gifts which were after- wards to be displayed in a still more responsible office. It is probable, from the passages alreadj^ referred to. that, after accomplishing the special work assigned to him, he returned by the same route and met Paul ac- cording to a previous arrangement (ver. 11), and was thus with him when the second epistle was written to the Church of Corinth (2 Cor. i, 1). He returns with the apostle to that city, and joins in messages of greet- ing to the disciples whom he had known personally at Corinth and who had since found their way to Rome (Rom. xvi, 21). He forms one of the company of friends who go with Paul to Philippi and then sail by themselves, waiting for his arrival by a different shi)! (Acts XX, 3-fi). Whether he contiinied his journey to Jerusalem, and what became of him during Paul's im- prisonment at Ca?sarea, are points on which we must re- main uncertain. Tlie language of Paul's address to the