1 Timothy

1 Timothy is one of the three so-called "pastoral" letters. Paul writes to a young disciple left in Ephesus to deal with strange teachings and pointless disputes. The letter mixes doctrinal guidance with very practical instruction: how to pray for those in authority, what qualities to look for in leaders (most of them about character, not talent), how to care for widows, how to handle money. Here is the much-quoted line about the love of money as a root of all kinds of evil, and the personal encouragement to Timothy: "let no man despise your youth, but be an example". It is a manual of community life more than a theological treatise.