- published: 16 Sep 2012
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2 Timothy 3 is the third chapter of the Second Epistle to Timothy in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul of Tarsus and addressed to Timothy.
This chapter can be grouped (with cross references to other parts of the Bible):
The Second Epistle of Paul to Timothy, usually referred to simply as Second Timothy and often written 2 Timothy, is one of the three Pastoral Epistles traditionally attributed to Saint Paul (and also traditionally considered to be the last epistle he wrote before his death), and is part of the New Testament. It is addressed to Timothy.
Most modern critical scholars argue that 2 Timothy was not written by Paul but by an anonymous follower, after Paul's death in the First Century.
The language and ideas of this epistle are notably different from the other two Pastoral letters yet similar to the later Pauline letters, especially the ones he wrote in captivity. This has led some scholars to conclude that the author of 2 Timothy is a different person from 1 Timothy and Titus. Raymond E. Brown proposed that this letter was written by a follower of Paul who had knowledge of Paul's last days.
Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, however, would go further than Brown. He noted that a number of pseudepigraphic letters attributed to the Apostle were rejected in antiquity, indicating that there was not "a climate of acceptance, which would make it easy for the forged Pastorals to enter the mainstream of church life." Murphy-O'Connor continues,
Timothy
Why are you following me
Why don't you take a few chances
while you got time on your side
Timothy
How can I make you see
Somebody's got all the answers
but it sure ain't me
You know that love's a game
And I played it once or twice
Oh you're asking for advice
That I can't give you
'Cause it just don't feel the same
If you haven't paid the price
It's something that you're just gonna
Have to live through
Timothy
Why are you following me
Timothy
I'm not the person to tell you
What you should do with your life
Timothy
The joke's on me
You got yourself more to handle
Than I will ever be
You know that love's a game
You can guarantee to win
Love has always been a game of learning
'Cause it just don't feel the same
When you're outside looking in
And it's still the same old question keeps returning
Timothy
Why are you following me
Well you know that love's a game
You play the best you can
It's hard to understand
Though we keep trying
'Cause it just don't feel the same
When you lose the master plan