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| Bible Question: Are
there any proofs that Paul is the author of the Pastoral Epistles? Bible Answer: Some critics today say that the apostle Paul did not write the Pastoral Epistles: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus. But there are several facts that give us confidence that Paul did write them. The Doubts. A variety of reasons have been raised that say that Paul is not the author of 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus . Some claim that the style in which the Pastoral Epistles were written shows that Paul was not the author. But this ignores the fact that people's writing styles change with time as they grow and mature. The writing style of this author has changed over the last twenty years. When I go back and see some of my past articles, it is difficult to believe that I wrote them. To assume that a person's writing style does not change ignores the facts of life. The apostle Paul wrote Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon over a twenty year period (A.D. 49-67). One would expect that his writing style might change, his vocabulary would expand, and the problems that he wants to address will change. Some state that Paul did not write 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus because they say that Paul never went to the island of Crete as Titus 1:5; 3:12 claims. Therefore, they claim that the book of Titus was not written by Paul but by a forger. They also say Paul did not write 1 and 2 Timothy, claiming that Paul never had time to visit Macedonia as claimed by 1 Timothy 1:3. They state that Acts is a biography of Paul's life and it ends with Paul in prison in Rome. Acts never says that Paul went to Crete or to Macedonia. The Evidence. At first this sounds convincing, but it ignores a statement at the end of Acts.
Acts does not end with a disappointing statement that Paul died. If he did die, why not say so? If he left the prison, why not say so? The implication is that Paul was only there for two years. The Holy Spirit did not choose to tell us what happened after this. To say that Paul never visited Crete or Macedonia is to assume that we know more than the folks who lived near Paul's time. An ancient document, the Muratorian parchment (A.D 170) , states that Paul went to Spain. Acts did not say that. The early church father Eusebius writes, |
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