1 Timothy is one of the more controversial documents in the New Testament. For years, critical scholars have rejected Pauline authorship, highlighted the apparent misogynistic quality of the text, and argued against any coherence in the letter. Jeon takes a fresh look at the letter, incorporating many recent advancements in NT scholarship. In detail he demonstrates the macro- and micro- chiastic arrangement of the entire letter and explains how the presumed first-century audience would have heard and responded to an oral performance of the letter. In doing so, Jeon offers a fresh challenge to more popular ways of (mis)understanding the letter and points a way forward for appropriating the letter both in academia and in the church.
Timothy MilinovichThe second volume continues to provide a bountiful resource for reading 1 Timothy. Jeon unpacks rich theological insights through careful grammatical and lexical analysis which underscore the rhetorical structure and goals of 1 Timothy 3-4. Regardless of one’s view on the letter’s authenticity, Jeon’s analysis provides ample material for pastors and students of 1 Timothy to engage anew the challenges early Christians found as members of God’s household.
Associate Professor of Theology, Dominican University