that he visited Philippi and Colossz, in accordance with the intima- tions cited above from Phil. and Philem. Perhaps he now visited Crete.
(2) A journey to Spain; perhaps passing through Dalmatia and Gaul (9) (2 Tim. iv. 10). Possibly on this journey he became aware of the convenience of Nicopolis in Epirus as a centre for work.
(3) Last journey Eastward. Visits Ephesus (1 Tim. i. 8). The dispute with Hymenzeus and Alexander the smith, and the services of Onesiphorus (1 Tim. i. 20; 2 Tim. i. 18, iv. 14) perhaps now took place. Leaves Timothy in charge of the Church at Ephesus. Visits Macedonia (1 Tim. i. 3).
[1 Timothy. ] Visits Crete; leaves Titus in charge; returns to Asia (as hoped in 1 Τίπι. η, 14: τν. 18).
[ Titus. |
Passes through Miletus (2 Tim. iv. 20), Troas (2 Tim. iv. 13), where perhaps he was arrested, Corinth (2 Tim. iv. 20). In any case he never reached Nicopolis as anticipated in Tit. iii, 12. It is here assumed that the winter mentioned in 2 Tim. iv. 21, is the same as that of Tit. iii. 12.
[2 Timothy.]
With regard to the external attestation to the Pastoral Epistles, it must be acknowledged that some early heretics, who acknowledged the genuineness of the other letters attributed to St. Paul, rejected these. Basilides, who flourished in the reign of Hadrian (117-138 a.p.), is the first who is said to have done so. Clement Al. (Strom. ii. 11) states that some, Gnostics apparently, were actuated in this decision by dislike of the expression ἡ ψευδώνυμος γνῶσις in 1 Tim. vi. 20: ὑπὸ ταύτης ἐλεγχόμενοι τῆς φωνῆς ol ἀπὸ τῶν αἱρέσεων τὰς πρὸς Τιμόθεον ἀθετοῦσιν ἐπιστολάς. On the other hand, the extant fragments of another Gnostic, Heracleon, contain an allusion to 2 Tim. ii. 13: ἀρνήσασθαι ἑαυτὸν οὐδέποτε δύναται (Clem. Al., Strom. iv. 9). The Canon of Marcion, which contained only his own edition of the Gospel according to St. Luke and ten of St. Paul’s epistles, of course did not include the Pastorals; but Tatian (died about 170) did not wholly follow him in this, since he regarded Titus as certainly genuine. ‘‘ Hanc vel maxime Apostoli pronuntiandam credidit, parvi pendens Marcionis, et aliorum qui cum eo in hac parte consentiunt, assertionem” (Jerome, Prol. in Tit.). In the same context, St.