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This thesis will explore the authorship, genre, and date of Paul’s Second Letter to
Timothy. 2 Timothy, alongside 1 Timothy and Titus, constitute what scholars term
the “Pastoral Epistles”. The Pastoral Epistles identify themselves to be from the
hand Paul. However, since the early 19th century, a majority of scholars have questioned
this claim and argued in favor of a pseudonymous author who wrote in Paul’s name after
his death. Consequently, they are often dated sometime after the death of Paul (~62
CE) and taken to be a reflection of late 1st century/2nd century Christianity. The
differences between the Pastorals and Paul’s other letters in areas such as vocabulary,
style, and theology are often cited in backing up this claim. This thesis first surveys
what scholarship has to say about these differences and possible solutions. Subsequently,
the case will be made for 2 Timothy’s uniqueness amongst the “Pastoral Epistles” and
why the Pastoral Epistles should be studied as three separate letters rather than
as a group. The focus will then turn to the consequences of grouping 2 Timothy with
1 Timothy and Titus and what consequences reconsideration of 2 Timothy’s dating and
genre can have for our understanding of its nature and provenance.
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