Paul Circumcise Timothy Analysis

After settling that circumcision was salvifically unnecessary, Paul circumcised Timothy. Paul’s reasoning for circumcising Timothy is explicit in Acts 16:3: “Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.” Therefore, since the Jews would not interact with an uncircumcised man, Paul circumcised Timothy. Paul did not circumcise Timothy because Timothy needed salvation, since, according to John B. Polhill, Timothy’s conversion occurred back when Paul and Barnabas first witnessed in that city. Rather, Paul did it because their upcoming, Jewish, audience would not respect what them because Timothy lacked circumcision. Furthermore, in support of this idea, Luke intentionally recorded that Timothy’s father was a Greek. Although his mother was Jewish, the Jews knew that Timothy was uncircumcised. Since Paul’s ministry in a city tended to begin in a Synagogue, Paul knew, as Polhill wrote, “To have had a member of his entourage be of Jewish lineage and yet uncircumcised …show more content…
If the case were that he actually was dead, Luke would have mentioned that he had died. Although 2 Corinthians 12 records a time when Paul was possibly out of his body, 2 Corinthians 12 seems to be concerning another situation, namely, not the situation in Acts 14. Polhill supportively wrote, “Luke’s reference to their “thinking he was dead” (v. 19) would indicate that this was not the case.” Luke would have explicitly recorded that God had brought Paul back to life in that scenario. The author, Luke, simply included the stoning in Lystra since he saw its importance in the God’s providence in the early church. Namely, according to Dr. Don Fowler, Luke is conveying that nothing can stop the power of God. Therefore, although the Jews thought Paul to be dead, Paul was not dead because God has His providence over