away" (8-11) there "abide" or "remain" these three, "faith, hope and love" (13).

Timothy's safety and usefulness were essentially connected with his abiding or remaining

unmoved respecting the things which he had heard. Two added considerations are urged

by the apostle, namely Timothy's "assurance" and the source of his knowledge "knowing

of whom thou hast learned them". If we follow the received text and read tinos singular,

"of whom" will be an exclusive reference to Paul, and this reference will fall into line

with all those other references where Paul claims to be the appointed channel through

whom the distinctive teaching of the mystery was made known. If we follow the revised

text and read tinon plural, "of whom" would include those like Timothy's mother and

grandmother (1: 5) whose influence would still be strong upon his heart and mind.

It is impossible with the material we have to hand to be dogmatic, but the scales seem

to dip if anything towards the received text, and to be in favour of the singular, and so to

Paul himself. The word chosen by Paul to indicate Timothy's association with himself or

with others, as his teacher or teachers is suggestive. Timothy did not learn the truth "of"

Paul (ek) for Paul was not its "source" he was but an earthen vessel filled by grace. He

did not even use the preposition dia "through" as he could have done, and as he has done

elsewhere, as in II Tim. 4: 17 "that through me the preaching might be fully known".

Paul uses the word para, a word found in a similar context in 1: 13 and 2: 2 "which

thou hast heard of me". Timothy would feel that he was being addressed as an equal. He

had stood "beside" the apostle and learned the truth, not by giving an unintelligent or

unwilling assent to the words of a despot, nor by being carried away by the dreams and

self-originated visions of a dreamer. In II Tim. 2: 2 Paul goes so far as to include the

testimony of "many witnesses", and in the immediate context (3: 15) the apostle is found

bringing his doctrine and teaching to the touchstone of inspired Scripture.

The question of the inspiration of scripture is a great one, it underlies every phase of

teaching and preaching. It has been the object of the most persistent attacks, and this

attack is a characteristic of the time of the end (4: 2-4). While we have not felt called

upon to devote our time and space to the defence of the Scriptures, being more concerned

with making known what the Scriptures teach, the fact that the apostle spoke so strongly

upon this subject when writing this last epistle to his son in the faith, shows how

important the matter is. We cannot do justice to such a subject at the close of an article

and therefore will devote all the space available in our next study to this fundamental of

all fundamentals, the inspiration of all Scripture.