1-2 Timothy, Titus: 5 Books Every Pastor Should Read

1-2 Timothy, Titus

It is a sad reality that there actually isn’t much recent scholarship (other than in commentary form, and affordable) that is geared towards the pastor on these letters. This reflects the guild’s marginalization of these important texts. I hope this “gap” is filled and this trio is given fresh attention.

George Wieland, The Significance of Salvation: A Study of Salvation Language in the Pastoral Epistles

This is a comprehensive and insightful study of, you guessed it, salvation language in the PE. This is a published dissertation so it is highly technical, but Wieland does a good job of synthesizing his research at the end.

Chris Hoklotubbe, Civilized Piety: The Rhetoric of Pietas in the Pastoral Epistles and the Roman Empire

This recent study looks at the language of piety/godliness in the PEs, especially in conversation with the significance of this virtue (pietas) in the wider Roman culture.

Frances Young, The Theology of the Pastoral Letters

This book is a bit dated now, but Young is an eminent Patristic theologian and well worth consulting here on the Pastoral Letters and early Christianity.

Jay Twomey, The Pastoral Epistles through the Century

An insightful walk through the history of interpretation of the Pastoral Epistles.

Cynthia Westfall, Paul and Gender: Reclaiming the Apostle’s Vision for Men and Women in Christ

A wide-ranging study covering the whole Pauline corpus, but Westfall has a couple of chapters devoted to 1 Timothy 2:8-15. Excellent and well-researched material on women and authority in the church.