Such are the following:  “Let us therefore approach to him in holiness of soul, lifting up to him holy and unpolluted hands.”  Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians, chap. 29.  “But the beginning of all mischief is the love of money.  Knowing, therefore, that we brought nothing into the world neither have power to carry any thing out, let us arm ourselves with the armor of righteousness.”  Polycarp, Epistle to the Philippians, chap. 4.  The student may see other supposed allusions in Kirchhofer, Quellensammlung; Lardner, 2:39; Davidson’s Introduction, 3, p. 101 seq.; Alford’s New Testament, Introduction to the Pastoral Epistles, etc.

Respecting the date of the pastoral epistles very different opinions are held.  The whole discussion turns on the question whether they were written before or after Paul’s imprisonment at Rome, which is recorded in the last chapter of the Acts of the Apostles; and this again is connected with the further question whether he underwent a second imprisonment at Rome, concerning which learned men are not agreed.  The full discussion of this matter belongs to the introduction to the pastoral epistles.  It may be simply remarked, however, that the internal arguments in favor of a late date are very strong, and that its assumption accounts for the development of such a state of things at Ephesus as appears in the two pastoral epistles to Timothy—­a state very different from that which existed when the epistle to the Ephesians was written, between A.D. 60 and 64, and which makes it necessary to separate the first epistle to Timothy from that to the Ephesians by a considerable interval of time.

The theme of the pastoral epistles is peculiar.  It is the affectionate counsel of an aged apostle to two young preachers and rulers in the church respecting the duties of their office.  From the peculiarity of the subject-matter naturally arises, to some extent, a peculiarity in the diction of these epistles; yet the style and costume is throughout that of the apostle Paul.

8.  The testimony of the ancient church to the first epistle of Peter and the first of John is very ample.  Besides that of the Peshito-Syriac version, and of the church fathers Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Clement of Alexandria, they have in addition that of Papias and the apostolic father Polycarp.  The first epistle of John is also included in the Muratorian canon.  It scarcely needs, however, any external testimony.  The identity of its author with that of the fourth gospel is so manifest from its whole tone and style, that it has been always conceded that if one of these writings came from the pen of the apostle John, the other did also.