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.
Jeon’s careful attention to the linguistic and literary contours of the text enhances his exposition of this pastoral epistle and reveals fresh insights into the structure of the argument. Taken as a whole, this multi-volume series represents a significant contribution to the study of 1 Timothy.
—John Scott Redd, Jr., president and associate professor of Old Testament, Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.
[Jeon’s] overall structure of the letter and treatment of its units’ chiastic structure offers many insights and benefits for scholars of 1 Timothy, and pastors will find excellent material for preaching on the church’s mission and their own charge to lead within God’s household.
—Timothy Milinovich, associate professor of theology, director of Catholic studies, Dominican University