"2Ti 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
As a child Timothy had only the OT."
Hello DLL,
Let us examine your allegation under the bright light of Scripture and Church history.
The second epistle of Timothy was written approx. 66 A.D. Timothy was the youngest ordained disciple of Paul. Most scholars estimate his age at the writing of 2Tim. at or about 20 years old. That would make his birth at approx. 46 A.D. Timothy was born in the city of Lystra(Acts 16:1) in the province of Lycaonia next to Galatia. The Church was established in Lystra during Paul's first missionary journey(Acts 14:55,6).
This means that Timothy's mother and grandmother were probably converted during Paul's first or second missionary journey. The date of Paul's first missionary journey is approx. 45 A.D. The date of the second missionary journey is approx. 50 A.D.
Several epistles and possibly two of the Gospels were already circulating by the early 50s. The Gospel had been preached during two missionary journeys in the Church of Lystra. Timothy's mother and grandmother had both heard and probably read part of the New Tesatament while Timothy was still a baby. This would mean that Tomothy grew up with a knowledge of both the Old Testament Scriptures as well as the New.
Your allegation that, "As a child Timothy had only the OT.", is contradicted by the Scriptural and historical evidence. A simple reading of the Scriptures and a little knowledge of Church history shows that Timothy had both the written Old Testament and the oral(and probably written) New Testament as a child. From the time he was a baby the Gospel was being preached in the Church of his parents in Lystra. Timothy, at a minimum, heard the Gospel preached from a very early age.
May Christ give you the strength to know and accept the truth when you see it. I have not abandoned you yet, young soldier of the Cross.
In the love of Christ,
Emile |
