κατὰ τὰς . . . προφητείας, κ.τ.λ.: By the prophecies, etc., are meant the utter- ances of the prophets, such as Silas (and not excluding St. Paul himself) who were with St. Paul when the ordination of Timothy became possible; utterances which pointed out the young man as a person suitable for the ministry, led the way to him (R.V.m.). So Chrys. There is no need to suppose that any long interval of time elapsed between the first prophetical utterances and the laying on of hands. In any case, similar prophecies accompanied the act of ordi- nation. This explanation agrees best with the order of the words, and is in harmony with earlier and later references to the extraordinary function of prophets in relation to the ministry in the apos- tolic church. Thus in Acts xiii. 1, 2, the
‘imposition of hands on Paul and Barna-
bas—whether for a special mission or to a distinct order it matters not—was at the dictation of prophets. And Clem. Alex. (Quis Dives, 42) speaks of the Apostle John, κλήρῳ ἕνα γέ τινα κληρ- ώσων τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος σημαινο- μένων. In the same sense may be under- stood Clem. Rom. ad Cor. i. 42: ot ἀπόστολοι. . . καθίστανον Tas ἆπαρ- χὰς αὐτῶν, δοκιμάσαντες τῷ πνεύματι, εἰς ἐπισκόπους καὶ διακόνους.
It is evident from iv. 14 that the pro- phecy accompanying the laying-on of hands was considered at least contribu- tory to the bestowal of the charisma; it is natural to suppose that it was of the nature of a charge to the candidate. St. Paul here says that his present charge to Timothy is in accordance with, in the spirit of, and also in reinforcement of (ἵνα στρατεύῃ ἐν αὐταῖς) the charge he had originally received on an occasion of peculiar solemnity. This is a stimulat- ing appeal like that of 2 Tim. iii. 14, “knowing of whom thou hast learned them ”’.
Ellicott disconnects προαγούσας from ἐπὶ σέ; but ‘‘ forerunning, precursory,”’ is pointless as an epithet of predictions, though quite appropriate [as applied to ἐντολή in Heb. vii. 18: and the notion
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