There has been some claims that the Dead Sea Scrolls contain fragments of Timothy and other Christian Greek scriptures, but this is rejected by the majority of scholars.
This section indicates that at this time the Christian church already 'reached a settled situation, where it needs capable and dignified men to run it' in the position of "overseer" or "bishop".
Verse 1
"This is a faithful saying" : is a formula assuming 'general acceptance' and is stated 5 times in the Pastoral Epistles.
"Bishop" : literally "overseer"
The Church's Great Confession (3:14–16)
Verse 15
In his Commentary on John, while talking about the cleansing of the Temple, Origen mentions the Temple as "the house of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth", referring to the Church which provides firmness. Clark H. Pinnock uses this verse to say that the view that God raising up Church leaders to protect and interpret the Bible is "good and scriptural". He argues that in the Apostolic Age itself there were heretics misinterpreting the truth, and the Church as "the pillar and bulwark of the truth" had to take action against them. Citing Lesslie Newbigin, who says that the Church confessing the mystery of the faith is "the pillar and bulwark of the truth", Brian Stanley says, "The church herself, as the body of Christ,... is the only missiologically effective 'hermeneutic of the gospel', bearing witness with 'proper confidence' to the revelation she has received." Linking with ecclesial authority, the Eastern Orthodox Church uses this verse to state that the Church proclaims and protects divine truths, both written and unwritten, "which coexist in complete harmony with each other". Peter Kreeft gives his summary: "The Bible appeals to the authority of Tradition and Tradition appeals to the authority of the Bible. The Bible calls the Church "the pillar and bulwark of the truth", and the Church calls the Bible infallible divine revelation." Though there are disagreements on the exercise of teaching authority, the Evangelicals and Catholics Together participants cites this verse and share their agreement in Your Word Is Truth:
"Mystery of godliness": which is the incarnation of Jesus Christ, involving his birth of a virgin, the union of the two natures, divine and human, in his person.
"God was manifest in the flesh": that is the second Person, the Word, or Son of God who existed as a divine Person, and as a distinct one from the Father and Spirit. This clause is a very apt and full interpretation of the word "Moriah", the name of the mount in which Jehovah would manifest himself, and be seen.
"Received up into glory": Jesus was raised from the dead, had a glory on his risen body and ascended in a glorious manner to heaven, is set down at his right hand, and crowned with glory and honor, that he had with him before the world was.
In An Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of Scripture, Isaac Newton argues that a small change to early Greek versions of this verse effectively changed "which" was changed to "God". This change increases textual support for trinitarianism, a doctrine to which Newton did not subscribe.
