What does 1 Timothy 3:1-13 mean?

1 Timothy 3:1 Direct teaching

This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.

1 Timothy 3:7 Direct teaching

Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

1 Timothy 3:4 Direct teaching

He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,

Origen, Commentary on Matthew Direct teaching

For laying down the law in regard to bishops in the first Epistle to Timothy, he says, If a man seeks the office of a bishop, he desires a good work.

Origen, Commentary on Matthew Direct teaching

The bishop, therefore, must be without reproach, the husbands of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, 1 Timothy 3:1-2 etc.;

Ignatius, Epistle to the Trallians (LongVersion) Supporting witness

...ok, but upon him who is humble and quiet and trembles at my words?" Also, you should reverence your bishop as Christ Himself, according to the instructions of the blessed apostles. He who is within the altar is pure; therefore, he is obedient to the bishop and presbyters. But he who is outside does anything apart from the bishop, the presbyters, and the deacons, such a person is defiled in his conscience and is worse than an infidel. For what is the bishop but one who possesses all power and authority beyond all others, as far as a man can possess it, who, according to his ability, has been made an imitator of the Christ of God? And what is the presbytery but a sacred assembly, the counselors and advisers of the bishop? And what are the deacons but imitators of the angelic powers, fulfilling a pure and blameless ministry unto him, as the holy Stephen did to the blessed James, Timothy and Linus to Paul, Anencletus and Clement to Peter? He, therefore, who will not yield obedience to such, must be utterly without God, an impious person who despises Christ and depreciates His appointments.

Ignatius, Epistle to the Smyrnaeans (Long Version) Supporting witness

... honor God and the king.” And I say, indeed honor God as the Author and Lord of all things, but the bishop as the high-priest, who bears the image of God—of God, as a ruler, and of Christ, in his role as a priest. After Him, we must also honor the king. For there is no one superior to God, or even like Him, among all beings that exist. Nor is there anyone in the Church greater than the bishop, who ministers as a priest to God for the salvation of the whole world. Nor, again, is there anyone among rulers to be compared with the king, who secures peace and good order for those over whom he rules. He who honors the bishop shall be honored by God, just as he who dishonors him shall be punished by God. For if one who rises up against kings is justly deemed worthy of punishment, as they disrupt public order, how much more severe a punishment, do you suppose, shall he be thought worthy of, who presumes to do anything without the bishop, thus both destroying the Church’s unity and causing its order to fall into confusion? For the priesthood is the highest point of all good things among men, against which anyone mad enough to strive dishonors not man, but God, and Christ Jesus, the First

Ignatius, Epistle to the Magnesians (Short Version) Supporting witness

It is important for you not to treat your bishop too casually because of his youth, but to show him full respect, honoring the authority of God the Father, as I have seen even holy elders do. They do not judge hastily based on their bishop's youthful appearance, but being wise in God, they submit to him—or rather, not to him, but to the Father of Jesus Christ, the bishop of us all. Therefore, it is right for you to obediently follow your bishop, sincerely honoring Him who has willed us to do so, since those who do not deceive not the visible bishop, but attempt to mock Him who is invisible. All such actions are directed not at people, but at God, who knows all secrets.

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

But deacons ought to remember that the Lord chose apostles, that is, bishops and overseers, while the apostles, after the Lord's ascension into heaven, appointed deacons for themselves as servants of their episcopacy and of the Church. But if we may dare anything against God, who makes bishops, then deacons may also dare against us, by whom they are made. Therefore, the deacon about whom you wrote ought to repent of his audacity, acknowledge the honor of the priest, and satisfy the bishop set over him with full humility. For these things are the beginnings of heretics, and the origins and efforts of evil-minded schismatics: to please themselves, and with swollen pride to despise the one set over them. In this way they depart from the Church. In this way a profane altar is set up outside. In this way they rebel against the peace of Christ, and against the appointment and unity of God. But if he also troubles and provokes you with his insults, you must use the authority of your office against him, either by removing him or by excommunicating him. For if the Apostle Paul, writing to Timothy, said, "Let no man despise your youth," 1 Timothy 4:12, how much more should your fellow bishop

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

... the lies of malicious people and slanderers, but from the judgment of the Lord God, who made him a bishop, and from the testimony of his fellow bishops, whose whole number has agreed with complete unity throughout the whole world. For this is something that, with worthy praise, commends our dearest Cornelius to God and Christ, to His Church, and also to all his fellow priests: he was not a man who suddenly reached the episcopate. Rather, after being advanced through all the offices of the Church, and after often serving the Lord well in sacred ministries, he rose through all the ranks of religious service to the high summit of the priesthood. Moreover, he did not ask for the episcopate itself, nor did he desire it. Nor, as others do when they are swollen with arrogance and pride, did he seize it for himself. Instead, he was peaceful and gentle, like those who are usually chosen by God for this office. Because of the modesty of his virgin continence, and the humility of his natural and carefully guarded reverence, he did not, as some do, use force to be made a bishop. Rather, he himself underwent compulsion, so that he was forced to accept the office of bishop. And he was made b

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

...d ecclesiastical unity, he has lost even what he once had. Unless, perhaps, he seems to you to be a bishop who, after a bishop had been appointed in the Church by sixteen fellow bishops, strives through bribery to be made a corrupt and outsider bishop by the hands of deserters. And although there is one Church, which Christ has spread throughout the whole world into many members, and also one episcopate spread abroad through the united number of many bishops, he still tries, in spite of God's tradition and in spite of the joined and firmly connected unity of the Catholic Church everywhere, to make a merely human church. He also sends his new apostles through very many cities, so that he may set up some new foundations of his own choosing. And although in every city and throughout all the provinces bishops have already been ordained—men advanced in years, sound in faith, proved in trial, and condemned in persecution—this man dares to create other bishops over them, and false ones at that. It is as if he could either roam through the whole world with the stubbornness of his new effort, or tear apart the structure of the ecclesiastical body by spreading his own discord. He does not

1 Timothy 3:13 Direct teaching

For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 3:10 Direct teaching

And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.

1 Timothy 3:8 Direct teaching

Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.

1 Timothy 3:11 Direct teaching

Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.

Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles Supporting witness

Therefore, appoint for yourselves bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord, men meek, and not lovers of money, 1 Timothy 3:4 and truthful and proven;

Polycarp, Epistle to the Philippians Supporting witness

In like manner should the deacons be blameless before the face of His righteousness, as being the servants of God and Christ, and not of men.

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

And since it behooves all by all means to keep discipline, much more is it right that overseers and deacons should be careful for this, that they may afford an example and instruction to others concerning their conversation and character.

Origen, Commentary on Matthew Supporting witness

and, in regard to deacons, Let the deacons, he says, be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well, 1 Timothy 3:12 etc.

Polycarp, Epistle to the Philippians Supporting witness

...not mocked," we ought to live worthy of His commandment and glory. Similarly, the deacons should be blameless before His righteousness, as they are the servants of God and Christ, not of men. They must not be slanderers, double-tongued, or lovers of money, but must be temperate in all things, compassionate, industrious, and live according to the truth of the Lord, who was the servant of all. If we please Him in this present world, we shall also receive the future world, as He has promised us that He will raise us from the dead, and that if we live worthily of Him, "we shall also reign together with Him," provided we believe. Similarly, let the young men be blameless in all things, being especially careful to preserve purity and restraining themselves from every kind of evil. For it is good for them to be cut off from the lusts that are in the world, since "every lust wars against the spirit," and "neither fornicators, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, shall inherit the kingdom of God," nor those who do things inconsistent and unbecoming. Therefore, it is necessary to abstain from all these things, being subject to the presbyters and deacons, as unto God and

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

For now the deacon is to you what Aaron was, and the bishop what Moses was. If, therefore, Moses was called a god by the Lord, let the bishop be honored among you as a god, and the deacon as his prophet. For as Christ does nothing without His Father, so the deacon also does nothing without his bishop. And as the Son without His Father is nothing, so the deacon is nothing without his bishop. And as the Son is subject to His Father, so every deacon is subject to his bishop. And as the Son is the messenger and prophet of the Father, so the deacon is the messenger and prophet of his bishop. Therefore let everything he is to do with anyone be made known to the bishop, and let it be finally ordered by him.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

... its vestries on both sides at the east end, and then it will be like a ship. In the middle let the bishop's throne be placed, and on each side of him let the presbytery sit. Let the deacons stand nearby, dressed in close-fitting and short girded garments, for they are like the sailors and managers of the ship. Then let the laity sit on the other side, with all quietness and good order. Let the women sit by themselves, also keeping silence. In the middle, let the reader stand in some high place. Let him read the books of Moses, of Joshua the son of Nun, of the Judges, and of the Kings and of the Chronicles, and those written after the return from captivity. Besides these, let him read the books of Job and of Solomon, and of the sixteen prophets. But when two lessons have been read separately, let some other person sing the hymns of David, and let the people join at the ends of the verses. Afterward let our Acts be read, and the Epistles of Paul our fellow worker, which he sent to the churches under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Afterward let a deacon or a presbyter read the Gospels, both those which I, Matthew, and John have delivered to you, and those which Luke and Mark, th

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

Concerning the canons, I also make this constitution. A bishop gives the blessing, but does not receive the blessing. He lays on hands, ordains, offers, and receives the blessing from bishops, but never from presbyters. A bishop removes from office any clergyman who deserves removal, except a bishop, because he does not have the power to do that by himself. A presbyter gives the blessing, but does not receive it; yet he does receive the blessing from the bishop or from a fellow presbyter. In the same way, he gives it to a fellow presbyter. He lays on hands, but does not ordain. He does not remove from office, yet he does separate those under him if they are liable to such a punishment. A deacon does not bless and does not give the blessing, but receives it from the bishop and presbyter. He does not baptize, and he does not offer. But when a bishop or presbyter has offered, he distributes to the people, not as a priest, but as one who ministers to the priests. But it is not lawful for any of the other clergy to do the work of a deacon. A deaconess does not bless, nor does she do anything that belongs to the office of presbyters or deacons. She is only to keep the doors and to minist

1 Timothy 3:2 Direct teaching

Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

1 Timothy 3:12 Direct teaching

Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.

Origen, Commentary on Matthew Supporting witness

If any one is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children, that believe Titus 1:5-6 — of course — and so on.

Tertullian, On Monogamy Supporting witness

...lemnizing of a marriage that is unlawful for those from whom you ask it? You ask it of a monogamist bishop, of presbyters and deacons bound by the same solemn engagement, and of widows whose Order you have yourself refused. And plainly they will give husbands and wives as they would morsels of bread. For this is their rendering of, “To every one who asks you, you shall give!” And they will join you together in a virgin church, the one betrothed of the one Christ! And you will pray for your husbands, the new and the old. Make your choice: to which of the two will you play the adulteress? I think, to both. But if you have any wisdom, be silent on behalf of the dead one. Let your silence be to him a divorce, already endorsed in the dotal gifts of another. In this way you will earn the new husband's favor, if you forget the old. You ought to take more pains to please him for whose sake you have not preferred to please God! Such conduct the Psychics say the apostle either approved, or else completely failed to think about, when he wrote: “The woman is bound for as long a time as her husband lives; but if he shall have died, she is free; whom she will let her marry, only in the Lord.”

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

...f, so that he may show care and foresight for everyone in the common household. Therefore, he says, bishops ought to be appointed from those who have first trained themselves in ruling their own house, so that they may also be able to preside over the whole Church. So then, each person, in whatever calling he was called, as 1 Corinthians 7:24 says, must carry out his ministry in deed, so that he may become free in Christ and receive the reward due to his ministry. And again, speaking about the law and using an allegory, he says, “For the woman who is under a husband is bound by law to the living husband,” Romans 7:2, and what follows. And again: “A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is free to marry, only in the Lord. But she is happier if she remains as she is, in my judgment,” 1 Corinthians 7:39-40. But in the first part, when he says, “You were made dead to the law,” he does not mean to marriage, but to the law, “so that you may become another’s, of Him who was raised from the dead,” Romans 7:4, namely, the bride and the Church. And she must be chaste: from the thoughts stirred up within, which are contrary to the truth; and from those wh

Didache, Connection to Titus 1:6 Supporting witness

We have already said, that a bishop, a presbyter, and a deacon, when they are constituted, must be but once married, whether their wives be alive or whether they be dead; and that it is not lawful for them, if they are unmarried when they are ordained, to be married afterwards; or if they be then married, to marry a second time, but to be content with that wife.

Origen, Commentary on Matthew Supporting witness

... administration of the sacraments, to enter a second marriage. For when he lays down the rule about bishops in the First Epistle to Timothy, he says, "If a man seeks the office of a bishop, he desires a good work. The bishop, therefore, must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded," 1 Timothy 3:1-2, and so on. And about deacons he says, "Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well," 1 Timothy 3:12, and so on. Yes, and also when appointing widows, he says, "Let no one be enrolled as a widow under sixty years old, having been the wife of one man," 1 Timothy 5:9. After this he adds the other things, as second or third in importance to this. And in the Epistle to Titus he says, "For this cause I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that were lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I gave you charge. If anyone is blameless, the husband of one wife, having believing children," Titus 1:5-6, of course, and so on. Now when we saw that some who have been married twice may be much better than those who have been married once, we were puzzled why Paul does not allow those who have been

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

...from sowing and generation say against these laws that have been laid down? For he also appoints as bishop one who rules his own household well, and is the husband of one wife. Therefore he says that all things are pure to the pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure. Rather, both their mind and conscience are defiled, Titus 1:15. But concerning pleasure that is outside the rule, he says, "Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the soft, nor those who lie with males, nor the greedy, nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor abusive people, nor robbers, will inherit the kingdom of God." And we indeed were washed, we who were in these things. But those who plunge into this intemperance baptize from self-control into sexual immorality. They decide that pleasures and passions should be indulged. They teach the self-controlled to become incontinent. In their hope they are fastened to the shamelessness of their members, so that those who go to them may be shut out from the kingdom of God, and not enrolled in it. Under the title of knowledge falsely so called, they enter the way that leads to the outer darkness. Finally, brothers, wha

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

...refore he rightly says, "It is better to marry than to burn." 1 Corinthians 7:9 This is so that the husband may give what is owed to the wife, and the wife to the husband, and so that they may not deprive one another of this divine help given for the generation of children. But they say, "Whoever does not hate father, or mother, or wife, or children, cannot be My disciple." Luke 14:26 He does not command one to hate his own family. For He also says, "Honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you." Exodus 20:12 But, he says, do not be drawn away by desires that are foreign to reason, and do not become conformed even to civic customs. For a household is made up of a family line, and cities are made up of households. In the same way, Paul also said that those occupied with marriage please the world. 1 Corinthians 7:33 Again the Lord says, "He who has taken a wife, let him not put her away; and he who has not taken a wife, let him not take one." 1 Corinthians 7:10-11 The one who, by a purpose of chastity, has professed not to take a wife should remain unmarried. Therefore the same Lord gives fitting promises to both through the prophet Isaiah, saying, "Let not the

Tertullian, On Monogamy Supporting witness

For if bishops have a law of their own teaching monogamy, the other (characteristics) likewise, which will be the fitting concomitants of monogamy, will have been written (exclusively) for bishops.