PREFACE

Unlike the rest of St. Paul’s Epistles, the four Letters in this
volume are written to individuals. All are addressed to church
leaders: two to Pastor Timothy, one to Pastor Titus, and one to
Philemon, whose home hosts a congregation. Yet these Letters
are also for the entire Church. We read counsel for pastors and
for all Christians. What can we expect of, and from, our
ministers? We hear God’s guidance for those in various
stations in life: old and young, male and female, slave and free
—all are to live in response to the Gospel and in service to
their neighbor.
As these Letters provide God’s Word, their teachings are,
at times, counter-cultural. They have sometimes been viewed
with suspicion or skepticism. But they are indeed the Word of
God and they are written in love for all who read them. Paul
writes to Timothy and Titus with fatherly love, calling them
his spiritual children. We see Paul’s love and concern for
Onesimus, a runaway slave, but also for Philemon his owner.
Their common faith in Jesus will transform their relationship.
We, too, can hear God’s loving-care for us in these writings.
Above all, these Epistles point to Jesus. As God’s
inspired Word, they join the rest of Scripture as being “able to
make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus,” and
through their words of teaching … reproof … correction, and
… training in righteousness,” we will be “complete, equipped
for every good work” (2Tm 3:15–17).
Steven P. Mueller, Ph.D.
General Editor
 ABBREVIATIONS

AD anno Domini (in the year of [our] Lord)

BC before Christ

c. circa

cf. confer

ch. chapter

chs. chapters

NT New Testament

OT Old Testament

p. page

pp. pages

St. Saint

v. verse

vv. verses
Canonical Scripture

Gn Genesis

Ex Exodus

Lv Leviticus

Nu Numbers

Dt Deuteronomy

Jsh Joshua

Jgs Judges

Ru Ruth

1Sm 1 Samuel

2Sm 2 Samuel

1Ki 1 Kings

2Ki 2 Kings

1Ch 1 Chronicles

2Ch 2 Chronicles

Ezr Ezra

Ne Nehemiah

Est Esther

Jb Job
Ps Psalms

Pr Proverbs

Ec Ecclesiastes

Sg Song of Solomon

Is Isaiah

Jer Jeremiah

Lm Lamentations

Ezk Ezekiel

Dn Daniel

Hos Hosea

Jl Joel

Am Amos

Ob Obadiah

Jnh Jonah

Mi Micah

Na Nahum

Hab Habakkuk

Zep Zephaniah

Hg Haggai

Zec Zechariah
Mal Malachi

Mt Matthew

Mk Mark

Lk Luke

Jn John

Ac Acts

Rm Romans

1Co 1 Corinthians

2Co 2 Corinthians

Gal Galatians

Eph Ephesians

Php Philippians

Col Colossians

1Th 1 Thessalonians

2Th 2 Thessalonians

1Tm 1 Timothy

2Tm 2 Timothy

Ti Titus

Phm Philemon
Heb Hebrews

Jas James

1Pt 1 Peter

2Pt 2 Peter

1Jn 1 John

2Jn 2 John

3Jn 3 John

Jude Jude

Rv Revelation
The Apocrypha

Jth Judith

Wis The Wisdom of Solomon

Tob Tobit

Ecclus Ecclesiasticus (Sirach)

Bar Baruch

Lt Jer The Letter of Jeremiah

1Macc 1 Maccabees

2Macc 2 Maccabees

Old Grk Est Old Greek Esther

Sus Susanna

Bel Bel and the Dragon

Pr Az The Prayer of Azariah

Sg Three The Song of the Three Holy Children

Pr Man Prayer of Manasseh

Other Books

1Esd 1 Esdras

2Esd 2 Esdras

3Macc 3 Maccabees (Ptolemaika)

4Macc 4 Maccabees

Ps 151 Psalm 151

1En 1 Enoch

2En 2 Enoch

Jub Jubilees
Abbreviations for Commonly Cited Books and
Works

ANF Roberts, Alexander, and James Donaldson, eds.

The Ante-Nicene Fathers: The Writings of the
Fathers Down to AD 325, 10 vols. Buffalo: The
Christian Literature Publishing Company, 1885–
96. Reprint, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001.

Chemnitz Chemnitz, Martin. Chemnitz’s Works. 8 Vols. St.

Louis: Concordia, 1971–89.

Church Huss, John. The Church. David S. Schaff, trans.

New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1915.

Concordia McCain, Paul Timothy, ed. Concordia: The

Lutheran Confessions. 2nd ed. St. Louis:
Concordia, 2006.

ESV English Standard Version.

FC Formula of Concord. From Concordia.

Gerhard Gerhard, Johann. Theological Commonplaces.

Richard J. Dinda, trans. Benjamin T. G. Mayes, ed.
St. Louis: Concordia, 2009-.

H82 The Hymnal 1982, according to the Use of The

Episcopal Church. New York: The Church Hymnal
Corporation, 1985.

KJV King James Version of Scripture.

LSB Commission on Worship of The Lutheran Church—

Missouri Synod. Lutheran Service Book. St. Louis:
Concordia, 2006.