TEXT [Commentary]

black diamond   VII.   Final Greetings and Blessing (4:19-22)

19 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila and those living in the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed at Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick at Miletus.

21 Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus sends you greetings, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters.[*]

22 May the Lord be with your spirit. And may his grace be with all of you.

NOTES

4:19 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila. See Acts 18:2, 18, 24-28; Rom 16:3; 1 Cor 16:19. Priscilla is normally mentioned before Aquila either due to social rank, level of involvement in the work, or simple courtesy.

those living in the household of Onesiphorus. Lit., “the household of Onesiphorus.”

4:20 Erastus. See Acts 19:22; Rom 16:23, which locates him as a resident of Corinth.

I left Trophimus sick at Miletus. For Trophimus, see Acts 20:4; 21:29.

4:21 all the brothers and sisters. Lit., “all the brothers” (see NLT mg).

COMMENTARY [Text]

The letter now comes to its true close with greetings, a little more news, a final appeal, and a benediction (see commentary on 4:9-18; cf. Rom 16:1-23; 1 Cor 16:19-21; 2 Cor 13:12; Col 4:7-18).

Paul asked Timothy to give Priscilla and Aquila his greetings (4:19). This Christian couple was associated with Ephesus (Acts 18:26; 1 Cor 16:19), where they probably were then, and with Rome (Acts 18:2; Rom 16:3), where Paul was. This might imply that Timothy was still centered in Ephesus. Then Paul passed on greetings to pass also to those in the household of Onesiphorus. This is the second reference to this household, and as in 1:16 it is not conclusively clear why these greetings are directed to the household of Onesiphorus (versus the man himself, in contrast to Priscilla and Aquila, for example); for the possibilities see the note on 1:16.

After giving a few greetings, Paul told Timothy that “Erastus stayed at Corinth” (4:20). Though the name Erastus was common, it is possible that the same person is noted in all three places in the New Testament: Acts 19:22; Romans 16:23; and here in 2 Timothy 4:20 (Theissen 1982:76). Assuming this connection, according to Romans 16:23 he was a (or the) financial officer (oikonomos [TG3623, ZG3874]) in Corinth. This designation could refer to a relatively unimportant person employed by the city (or a slave, considered the city’s property), but it could also refer to an elected high municipal officer within the local government (Theissen 1982:75; Dunn 1988:2.911). Modern excavations have found an inscription at Corinth mentioning one Erastus; there are reasons to think that this might be the same man (Clarke 1993:46-56).

Then Paul told Timothy that he had left “Trophimus sick at Miletus” (4:20). Trophimus was an “Ephesian” associated with Tychicus (Acts 20:4; 21:29). Paul may or may not have been in Miletus when he made the decision to leave Trophimus there. Even though Miletus is relatively close to Ephesus (Acts 20:17), this appears to be something Timothy didn’t know.

Plainly there had been no miraculous healing in Trophimus’s case. This is hardly a point Paul was making, but it is well worth stressing in response to modern versions of the “health and wealth” gospel. The solution was not merely to heal Trophimus, nor was Paul wringing his hands over any lack of faith, whether his or Trophimus’s.

Incidentally, this passage is also another historical note that does not fit easily with the Roman imprisonment of Acts 28 (cf. Acts 21:29, where Trophimus is last in Jerusalem, not in Miletus) and favors the hypothesis that this letter had been written from the perspective of a second Roman imprisonment. (See also above on 1:17; 4:13; cf. Johnson 2001:447 who proposes ways of resolving the tension with Acts 21:29.)

The summons for Timothy to come to Paul in Rome hangs over this entire letter (1:3-4; 4:9). Paul would not close before underscoring it a last time: “Do your best to get here before winter” (4:21). The primary concern was probably the further delay that would ensue if Timothy missed this chance. Winter closed travel across the Adriatic Sea (November to March; cf. Acts 27:12). Paul may have also been anxious to get the coat (4:13) before the weather turned cold.

Since winter was soon coming, the epistle was probably received by Timothy in the autumn. If Paul sent the letter by sea it could have arrived in Ephesus from Rome in about 16-21 days, and Troas in about 23-28 days. If it followed a route through Macedonia, it could have arrived in Troas in about 41 days, and Ephesus in about 44-52 days (these are best-case approximations based on the estimates in Thompson 1998:61).

By the same estimates, if Timothy was traveling from Ephesus to Rome via Macedonia (as the allusion to Troas would imply), then he might have arrived in Rome in about 41 days; if by sea from Troas, in about 25-38 days. Paul had likely sent the letter sometime between midsummer and the beginning of September. One imagines that a later date is more likely as Paul already anticipated the need of the heavy cloak and betrayed some sense of urgency about the change of season.

The final greeting is given when Paul says, “Eubulus sends you greetings, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters” (4:21). None of these are mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament. Even among later Christian writings Eubulus is otherwise unknown, though it may be that the placement of his name implies his prominence in the churches of Rome at this time (Quinn and Wacker 2000:835 also speculate that he may have been a convert from paganism). Pudens (Gr., Poudēs [TG4227, ZG4545], from the Latin, Pudens) was a name used in upper-class families (Marshall 1999:830); his name figures in later Christian legends (Quinn and Wacker 2000:835-837 also comment on the suggestion that he was the husband of Claudia). Irenaeus (Against Heresies 3.3.3; cf. Eusebius Ecclesiastical History 5.6.1; 3.2; 3.4.8; 3.13) identifies Linus as the first bishop of Rome, though there are conflicting traditions. Claudia (a highly popular Latin name) is a woman and probably a coworker of Paul’s or a leader in the Roman churches along with the others mentioned. It is possible she was married to one of the men in this list; an early tradition has her as the mother of Linus, and some have speculated that she was the wife of Pudens (see Quinn and Wacker 2000:837).

The letter closes with a benediction: “May the Lord be with your spirit” (4:22). The pronoun “your” is singular, referring to Timothy. The closest parallels to this part of this verse are Galatians 6:18; Philippians 4:23; and Philemon 1:25. The precise phrasing here, however, is unique. It may recall and emphasize the exhortations of 2 Timothy 1:6-8 and 2:1; in other words, it complements the appeal to come to Rome with a reminder of the exhortations to be strong and courageous. The second part of the benediction reads: “And may his grace be with all of you.” Here the pronoun is plural. If this wording is not a formality, it indicates that Paul anticipated a wider and likely a public reading of the letter. At least he might have the “trustworthy people” of 2:2 in mind or those included in the foregoing greetings (see the opening comments on 1:3-14).

What we have before us is not a mere “work” to be orchestrated and “professional relationships” of interest. Not even merely close friendships. Rather, before us is the “household of God” (1 Tim 3:15), whose brothers and sisters, though scattered over the world, shared a true sibling affection and a common passion for the Good News of Jesus Christ. They also shared together in the hostility and suffering of this world as alongside each other they suffered with Christ, having taken up the cross, sharing in his death, so that one way or another they would experience the resurrection from the dead (Phil 3:10-11; cf. Rom 8:17). And with Paul they enjoyed the Lord’s presence and grace for their endurance, which would bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen (2:10; 4:17).

Though the letter was written to Timothy, it belongs to the entire church and all her members, to all Jesus’ disciples. Its charges, its warnings, and its promises are ours and are as poignant as ever.