g deacons and then presbyters. All
the additional evidence which has lately been discovered to support the
genuineness of Acts therefore favours the genuineness of these
Epistles. Finally, we must notice that the titles of the ministry in
these Epistles do not correspond with the titles used in the 2nd
century. The government is substantially "Episcopal," but the title
"episkopos" was in the 2nd century only applied to the chief dignitary
who ruled over the "presbyters." But here the title "episkopos" is
applied to the presbyters themselves as the overseers of the
congregation. We find the same thing in the letter of St. Clement,
A.D. 95. St. Clement, although Bishop of Rome, still gives the title
of "episkopos" to the presbyters. This inconvenient practice was given
up soon after that date, for we find that St. Ignatius, about A.D. 110,
applies the title "episkopos" only to the highest ministers of the
Church. We conclude, therefore, that while the organization of the
Church described in the Pastoral Epistles supports the belief that the
threefold ministry, which we now call Episcopal organization, is of
apostolic origin, it does not prove that these Epistles are forgeries.
And it is natural that St. Paul, knowing that his death must before
long come to pass, should devote a large measure of attention to
questions of Church government and discipline. The history of the
Church in the 2nd and 3rd centuries proves to us that the organization
of the Church was almost as important as the inspiration of the Church.

4. _Language._--This is an important difficulty. There are in these
Epistles many words and phrases which do not occur in the other
Epistles of St. Paul. We find different Greek words used for "Lord"
and for the second "advent," and a fondness for the words "wholesome,"
"godliness," and "faithful saying." The new element is most prominent
in 1 Tim. and Titus.

_Answer._--Private letters to individuals and friends in reference to
one particular subject are not likely to resemble public letters which
were written in reference to other subjects. It {200} would therefore
be unreasonable to expect that the style of the Pastoral Epistles
should be cast in the same mould as that of the other Epistles of St.
Paul. Nevertheless, the objection would have considerable weight, if
St. Paul's aptitude for varying his vocabulary could not be shown. But
it can be shown; for his other Epistles are marked by an ast