Titus-Timothy: Overview

 

We have evidence in 2 Corinthians that the name “Titus” was not the name by which he was commonly known. This is confirmed by the fact that Acts does not mention him by that name.


It is proposed that Titus had been renamed “Timothy”.


“Timothy” is a very appropriate new name for Titus because

  1. a)it means “honoring God”, which was the very definition of a faithful Gentile. Ignatius took a name with an almost identical meaning, "Theophorus".

  2. b)in the first century the name “Timothy” had a phonetic resemblance to the name “Titus”, and Jews had a tendency to give similar sounding names.

  3. c)“Timothy” is a Greek name, so would have been understood.


The Titus-Timothy hypothesis is confirmed by the fact that our data on Titus is so consistent with our data on Timothy:

  1. a)There are strong arguments that the journey of Timothy to Corinth that is anticipated in 1 Corinthians is one and the same as the journey of Titus to Corinth that Paul looks back on in 2 Corinthians (‘Was Titus Timothy?’, JSNT 81 (2001) 33-58).

  2. b)Both were subordinates of Paul, and his partner (2 Cor 8:23; 1 Cor 4:17; 1 Cor 1:1; 2 Cor 1:1 etc.).

  3. c)Both helped Paul with the collection (Acts 19:22; 20:4; 2 Cor 8:6,16-17).

  4. d)Both "Titus" and "Timothy" were uncircumcised Greeks and were converted in the east before the second missionary journey.

  5. e)There are good reasons to believe that Timothy, like Titus, was a resident of Syrian Antioch.

  6. f)Acts 16:3 tells us that Timothy was circumcised in south Galatia because "they all knew that his father had been a Greek". Gal 2:3-5 reflects this exact same situation. Here Paul tells the Galatians that Titus was not asked to be circumcised in Jerusalem, and then blames certain "false brothers" for sneaking in and spying. They had revealed to the Galatian Jews that Titus-Timothy was uncircumcised and this had led to his circumcision.


Finally, the Titus-Timothy hypothesis explains the discontinuities in 2 Corinthians.


It is all the more plausible because highly committed disciples were often renamed and we have evidence of others in Paul’s circle who were renamed.


Titus-Timothy is important because he confirms

  1. a)the historicity of Acts

  2. b)the pseudonymity of 2 Timothy

  3. c)the unity of 2 Corinthians

  4. d)that Paul wrote to the south Galatians


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