Paul told Timothy to Study to show thyself approved...Study what?

[JingshenBianxi]

This is something that I'm being led to look into and would love for some spiritual insight on this particular piece of scripture. In context, Paul is indeed writing to Timothy in regards to what he is to do with the churches that have been established. So, when he told Timothy to STUDY to shew thyself approved...I asked GOD in prayer...what was Timothy to study?

There was no BIBLE back then.
And Christ is RISEN at this time so, I'm not sure if studying the Law of Moses and the Prophets was what he was to study.

But, let the Word explain itself...if anyone is moved in the Spirit of GOD to shed light on the meaning of this it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[RC1970]

This is something that I'm being led to look into and would love for some spiritual insight on this particular piece of scripture. In context, Paul is indeed writing to Timothy in regards to what he is to do with the churches that have been established. So, when he told Timothy to STUDY to shew thyself approved...I asked GOD in prayer...what was Timothy to study?

There was no BIBLE back then.
And Christ is RISEN at this time so, I'm not sure if studying the Law of Moses and the Prophets was what he was to study.

But, let the Word explain itself...if anyone is moved in the Spirit of GOD to shed light on the meaning of this it would be greatly appreciated.

Paul is simply saying to know the scriptures and everything that Paul had taught him about the Gospel.

The new is in the old concealed and the old is in the new revealed.

 

[faroukfarouk]

This is something that I'm being led to look into and would love for some spiritual insight on this particular piece of scripture. In context, Paul is indeed writing to Timothy in regards to what he is to do with the churches that have been established. So, when he told Timothy to STUDY to shew thyself approved...I asked GOD in prayer...what was Timothy to study?

There was no BIBLE back then.
And Christ is RISEN at this time so, I'm not sure if studying the Law of Moses and the Prophets was what he was to study.

But, let the Word explain itself...if anyone is moved in the Spirit of GOD to shed light on the meaning of this it would be greatly appreciated.

The New Testament was taking shape. Paul the Apostle was a great example to emulate; and Timothy's mother and grandmother seem to have taught him much from the Old Testament Scriptures. Study also is a deep word including spiritual exercise as well as reading.

 

[faroukfarouk]

The new is in the old concealed and the old is in the new revealed.

Excellent phrase! and memorable!

 

[RC1970]

Excellent phrase! and memorable!

I believe it was originally from St. Augustine.

 

[faroukfarouk]

I believe it was originally from St. Augustine.

Sounds pretty good; the pun is obviously adapted to English which Augustine didn't know, but if the general idea was his, it wouldn't be surprising.

Tertullian is another good early source on the doctrine of Scripture.

 

[JingshenBianxi]

I suppose the scriptures for them was the very scriptures that the Pharisees and Sadducees and scribes would study. Which actually explained the coming of Jesus Himself. In seeing the RISEN Christ then, it would bring new light to the scriptures already provided. Thanks for all replies. This helped.

 

[Ken Rank]

This is something that I'm being led to look into and would love for some spiritual insight on this particular piece of scripture. In context, Paul is indeed writing to Timothy in regards to what he is to do with the churches that have been established. So, when he told Timothy to STUDY to shew thyself approved...I asked GOD in prayer...what was Timothy to study?

There was no BIBLE back then.
And Christ is RISEN at this time so, I'm not sure if studying the Law of Moses and the Prophets was what he was to study.

But, let the Word explain itself...if anyone is moved in the Spirit of GOD to shed light on the meaning of this it would be greatly appreciated.

There was a bible back then... the Torah and the Prophets were the official canon in his day. The reference in the verse you mention, and places like 2 Timothy 3:16, are to Scripture in their day... most of what we now call the Old Testament. Guess it wasn't do "old" to Paul!

 

[faroukfarouk]

There was a bible back then... the Torah and the Prophets were the official canon in his day. The reference in the verse you mention, and places like 2 Timothy 3:16, are to Scripture in their day... most of what we now call the Old Testament. Guess it wasn't do "old" to Paul!

Yes; as RC1970 quoted: "The new is in the old concealed and the old is in the new revealed."

 

[faroukfarouk]

I also like what BB Warfield said (approx.): The Old Testament, with the light of the New Testament shining onto it, is like a light that slowly shines into a darkened room and one starts to see things more clearly in the room that in fact were already there in the first place.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I believe it was originally from St. Augustine.

Originally
Quomodo timorem ad V. Testamentum pertinere significatur.
73. (20, 19) Loquere tu nobis, et non loquatur ad nos Deus, ne quando moriamur. Multum et solide significatur, ad Vetus Testamentum timorem potius pertinere, sicut ad Novum dilectionem: quamquam et in Vetere Novum lateat, et in Novo Vetus pateat. Quomodo autem tali populo tribuatur videre vocem Dei, si hoc accipiendum est intellegere, cum sibi loqui Deum timeant ne moriantur, non satis elucet.
( Augustinus Hipponensis - Quaestiones in Heptateuchum )

But boiled down for common consumption as
"Novum Testamentum in Vetere latet, Vetus Testamentum in Novo patet."

Often translated
“In the Old Testament the New is concealed, in the New the Old is revealed”
or
"The New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New."

St. Augustine, Quaestiones in Heptateuchem. 2,73: PL 34, 623

PL refers to Migne's Patrologia Latina, the huge venerable multivolume old work that contains the Latin Fathers in Latin. There is another series called PG, for Patrologia Graeca, with the Greek Fathers in Greek.