Timothy, Second Epistle to

The Second Epistle to Timothy is widely regarded as Paul's final letter, written from Rome during a second imprisonment and in anticipation of his martyrdom (2 Tim. 4:6-8). More personal and urgent than the First Epistle, it calls Timothy to remain steadfast, to rekindle his gift (1:6), to suffer hardship as a good soldier (2:3), and to guard the deposit of faith committed to him (1:14). Paul asks Timothy to come quickly, bringing Mark and Paul's cloak and scrolls (4:11-13).

The letter contains some of the most celebrated passages in Paul's correspondence: the charge to "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season" (4:2), the famous declaration "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (4:7), and the foundational statement that "all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching" (3:16). It closes Paul's literary legacy on a note of personal courage and theological confidence.