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  • From: rfellows AT intergate.ca
  • To: <corpus-paul AT franklin.metalab.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Silvanus and Timothy in 2 Cor 1:19
  • Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2002 22:05:38 -0700


Why does Paul name his colleagues in 2 Cor 1:19? Why does he select Silvanus
and Timothy, and not Apollos, for example? Is it because P, S, & T were the
original missionary team? Perhaps, but why is that the important criterion?
No-where else does Paul name those who constituted his evangelistic team, so
the inclusion of the names in 2 Cor 1:19 requires explanation. Why are
Silvanus and Timothy particularly relevant to the context here?

The context is that Paul had promised a visit, which he had had to cancel. I
propose that Silvanus and Timothy had been co-senders with Paul of the letter
which had promised that visit.

Several observations support this view.

1) "The word of us" in 1:18 is naturally taken to refer to the promise to
visit. The 'us' in 1:18 is surely the same individuals as the 'us' in 1:19
(P, S & T). Therefore it was P, S & T who sent the promise to visit.
2) Paul uses the first person plural in 1:13-14, "WE write you"; "as you have
already understood US in part". Therefore the letter was not was probably
written by Paul and Timothy at least.
3) The letter in question belongs before 1 Corinthians and was probably the
'former'letter (1 Cor 5:9). 1 Thess, in my view, was written at about the
same time, so Silvanus was with Paul in that period.
4) The persons in 2 Cor 1:19 are the same as in 1 Thess 1:1, and are in the
same order. Furthermore, the same names are used: Silvanus instead of Silas,
and Timothy instead of the less formal 'Titus'.

Richard Fellows.




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