Section CCLXXXIII

Paul knew what virtues and endowments ought to adorn a bishop so that he might be able to uphold his dignity and discharge, as is fitting, the office committed to him and the administration of the flock entrusted to him. Therefore, he willed none of these things to be hidden from Timothy, whom he held most dear¹, whom he repeatedly called τέκνον, son², upon whom he had imposed hands κατὰ τὰς προαγούσας προφητείας, according to the preceding prophecies, that is—

—κατὰ πνεύματος ἀποκάλυψιν, according to the revelation of the Spirit³, and whom he had placed over the Church of Ephesus; but he signified and prescribed in order both the things which pertained to Timothy himself and those which pertained to the guardianship of the flock. He signified the former by an image customary to himself⁴, declaring to Timothy that he should “wage the good warfare”⁵, which he would wage on this one condition: if he most constantly retained πίστιν, faith, against the ἑτεροδιδασκάλους, perverse teachers, and ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν, a good conscience, against the flagitious and wicked⁶. Proceeding next to those things of which the care of the flock and the administration of the Church consist, he begins from public and solemn worship and addresses Timothy in these words⁷: παρακαλῶ οὖν πρῶτον πάντων, “I beseech, therefore”; I exhort, admonish, indeed by praying I exhort, and by exhorting I pray⁸, and this before all things, principally and especially, so that you may perceive the moment of the matter and recognize its gravity. But what? ποιεῖσθαι δεήσεις, προσευχάς, ἐντεύξεις, εὐχαριστίας ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων, “that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be made for all men.” Here so many words joined and heaped together at once excited the zeal of interpreters to inquire diligently what must be judged concerning them and what power of signifying ought to be attached to them. Concerning this matter, I know that there have been two opinions of the ancients and more recent writers; having expounded these briefly, I shall add what seems to me ought to be established.

Thus, among the ancient interpreters, Origen⁹, Chrysostom¹⁰, Augustine¹¹, Theodoret¹², and others whom Theophylact commemorates¹³ subtly investigated the force of each word and judged that the force they found must be attributed to the testimony of Paul—

—Behold the words of Origen:

Δεήσεις, τὰς ἐλλείποντός τινι μεθ’ ἱκεσίας περὶ τοῦ ἐκείνου τυχεῖν ἀναπεμπομένας εὐχάς. Προσευχάς, τὰς μετὰ δοξολογίας, περὶ μειζόνων μεγαλοφυέστερον ἀναπεμπομένας ὑπὸ τοῦ προσευχομένου. Ἐντεύξεις, τὰς ὑπὸ τοῦ παρρησίαν τινὰ πλείονα ἔχοντος, περὶ τινῶν ἀξιώσεις πρὸς Θεόν· Εὐχαριστίας, τὰς ἐπὶ τῷ τετυχηκέναι ἀγαθῶν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ μετ’ εὐχῶν ἀνθομολογήσεις.

“He calls supplications the prayers of him who lacks something, sent forth with entreaty for obtaining it. Prayers are petitions with celebration, sent forth more magnanimously by the one praying for greater goods. Petitions are requests to God concerning certain things, made by him who has a certain greater confidence. Thanksgivings are praises with prayers on account of goods received from God.”

But Theodoret has it thus:

Δέησις μὲν ἐστίν, ὑπὲρ ἀπαλλαγῆς τινων λυπηρῶν ἱκετεία προσφερομένη. Προσευχὴ δέ, αἴτησις ἀγαθῶν. Ἔντευξις δέ, κατηγορία τῶν ἀδικούντων. ἡ πάλη δὲ ἡμῖν οὐ πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχάς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις· κατὰ τούτων πρόσειμεν τῷ δικαιοκρίτῃ, καὶ τὴν δικαίαν αἰτοῦμεν ἐπικουρίαν. ἡ δέ γε Εὐχαριστία ὑπὲρ τῶν προηγμένων ἀγαθῶν προσφέρεται τῷ Θεῷ.

“Supplication indeed is an entreaty offered for the removal of certain evils. Prayer, however, is a petition for goods. Petition is an accusation of those inflicting injury. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of this age, against the spiritual things of wickedness in the heavens. Against these we approach the just Judge as intercessors and seek just aid. But thanksgiving is offered to God for the goods which have already befallen us.”

Among the more recent writers, Grotius and Vitringa gave their vote to this articulated interpretation before the others. The former says¹⁴: “Δεήσεις are deprecations¹⁵ for averting evils—

—תחנות. Προσευχαί are prayers¹⁶ for obtaining goods for us, תפלות. Ἐντεύξεις are prayers¹⁷ for others, פגעים. Εὐχαριστίαι are thanksgivings for goods already received which ought to be joined to prayers¹⁸, תודות.” But Vitringa¹⁹ compares the kinds of prayers commemorated by Paul with the Jewish kinds, so that δεήσεις are תחנות; προσευχαί, תפלות; ἐντεύξεις, בקשות or שאלות; and εὐχαριστίαι, ברכות. And he adds that those err who interpret ἐντεύξεις as prayers poured forth for others, since in truth supplicatory prayers are designated by that name.

But Theophylact judged otherwise, and these are his words²⁰: “Supplication, prayer, and petition, as signifying the same thing, were assumed by the Apostle for perspicuity, since by so great a heap of words he inevitably demands, without refusal, that the thing which he asks and to which he exhorts be done. Some have curiously made a distinction among these, asserting that δέησιν is a supplication offered for liberation from sorrowful and harsh things; that προσευχήν is a petition for goods; but that ἔντευξιν is a petition or interpellation and accusation of those acting impiously and inflicting injury²¹.” With Theophylact—to commemorate no more—George Raphelius and Heinrich Heinrichs went into the same judgment. The former of these first writes²²: “The name ἔντευξις does not of itself signify intercession for others, but generally a meeting, conversation, address, and finally any prayers whatsoever, as appears also from I Tim. IV.5; in Isocrates, Ad Demonicum, τὰς ἐντεύξεις μὴ πυκνὰς ποιοῦ τοῖς αὐτοῖς, ‘do not converse and meet too frequently with the same persons’; and in Plutarch, Solon, ἡ πρὸς Κροῖσον ἔντευξις, ‘the meeting and conversation with Croesus.’ The same author in his little book Περὶ δυσωπίας says, πρὸς ἡγεμόνας ἐντεύξεις, ‘addresses by which rulers—

—are addressed and approached concerning some matter.’ Stephanus collected these passages in the Thesaurus. To them Priceus adds from the same Plutarch, in the Life of Numa, τὰς πρὸς τὸ θεῖον ἐντεύξεις. Hence ἐντευκτικός is said of one to whom access lies easily open, who shows himself accessible to those approaching.” Then he continues: “Nevertheless, I do not deny that ἐντεύξεις ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων are prayers for all men; but I say only this: that δεήσεις and προσευχὰς ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων must no less also be understood in this way, since each word is found very frequently with this signification and construction. Thus δέησις in Rom. X.1, δέησις ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ; II Cor. I.11; IX.14; Phil. I.4; James V.16. Likewise δέομαι in Acts VIII.24, δεήθητε ὑμεῖς ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ; and Luke XXII.32. But προσευχή in Acts XII.5, προσευχὴ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ; Rom. XV.30; Col. IV.12; Philem. 22; James V.17–18; and also προσεύχομαι in Luke VI.28; Acts VIII.15; IX.40; Phil. I.9; Col. IV.3; I Thess. V.25; Heb. XIII.18; James V.14.” And finally he infers: “From so many passages I have no doubt that these three words, δέησις, προσευχή, and ἔντευξις, are of promiscuous use, and in this passage are indeed accumulated for the sake of emphasis, so that prayers for the salvation of others may be commended all the more. Meanwhile, I do not disapprove the division of prayers received by most theologians, although I do not judge it to be contained in these words.” Heinrichs brings forth his judgment more briefly²³, writing: “Interpreters labor in discussing the difference among these words, which I believe to be synonymous and accumulated for this end, that the meaning ‘most earnest prayers’ may be expressed more vehemently; nevertheless, that natural distinction of prayers is retained by which we either ask the Deity for something or, having obtained our wish, render thanks.”