'The Testimony about the Lord', 'Borne by the Lord', or Both? An Insight into Paul and Jesus in the Pastoral Epistles

Abstract

Precisely what is Paul referring to in 2 Timothy 1:8 by τὸ μαρτύριον τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν? The lexical possibilities for τὸ μαρτύριον and the grammar of the phrase allow at least three possibilities. Three lines of investigation will be pursued: (1) a contextual and paradigmatic investigation to get at the meaning of τὸ μαρτύριον; (2) a more general investigation of the references to Christ in the Pastorals to see if there is any particular stress placed on the actual words and acts of Jesus; and (3) an enquiry into the structure of the immediate context of 2 Timothy 1:8 with a view to its implications for the meaning of the phrase in question. What we will suggest is that the above lines of enquiry at least suggest a plenary sense for the genitive construction. However, in the final analysis, it seems best to see the phrase simply as a reference to the testimony the Lord bore in his word and life to the saving plan of God.