The epistle for Trinity 15 in Year C is 1 Tim 6.6–19. Once more, the lectionary cuts the reading in an odd place, starting half way through an argument of Paul, and finishing two verses short of the end of the letter. There are some important issues to address in terms of Paul's language and argument. He appears to make use of Stoic philosophical ideas—but he retools them by rooting them in the wisdom tradition of Scripture, and in particular in the 'wisdom' elements of Jesus' own teachin...
