1 Timotheus

1 Timothy 3 – Skeptic's Annotated Bible answered

A response and reply to the notes on 1 Timothy 3 in the Skeptic's Annotated Bible (SAB).

King James Version

SAB comment

My comment

1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

"A bishop must be ... the husband of one wife."
Apparently, it's OK for laymen to have several.
Is polygamy OK?

As this verse doesn't say otherwise, I suppose it also means that if you have a polygamous marriage, you can scale down to one wife if you want to become a bishop... Or perhaps it means that if he isn't married, he can't become a bishop! Also laymen don't have to be blameless, can be drunks, don't have to behave etc.
I hope it's clear that such conclusions from this verse are ludicrous. That just silly logic. It just means that for the office of a bishop divorcees or those who had been married to more than one wife, were not suitable. This verse doesn't affirm the opposite as well.

3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.

11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.

12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:

15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

(3:16) "God was manifest in the flesh."
This verse has been used to support the idea that Jesus is God, but the best and earliest manuscripts say Christ "who was made manifest in the flesh," not "God was made manifest in the flesh."^{1

Is Jesus God?}
BOM: 2 Nephi 6:9

Ah yes, the best and earliest manuscripts again. The code language for the three corrupted copies that disagree among themselves even more than they disagree with every other copy.
The facts: we have 300 manuscripts, where 292 read ``God was manifest.'' From the remaining 8, 5 have ``who'' instead of ``God''. That's 97% versus 2%. Hard to guess which readings the modern unbeliever would prefer.
And 5 manuscripts is being generous. There are actually only 4. The reader interested in the technicalities is referred to False citations.