1 Tim 4:13: Public Lecture or Private Study?

Abstract Almost all contemporary commentaries claim that in 1 Timothy 4:13 Paul urges Timothy to read from Scripture and teach during worship services. This essay traces how this interpretation arose in the early modern period and became established in the 19th century. From antiquity to the Reformation, however, 1 Timothy 4:13 was understood without exception to mean that Paul was urging Timothy to read Scripture for himself and to teach on that basis. This understanding of 1 Timothy 4:13 can be easily contextualized within ancient ideas of character formation. It seems much more plausible than the interpretation that is common today.