Rethinking the Translation "Apt to Teach" (Didaktikos) in 1 Timothy 3:2 and 2 Timothy 2:24

What is it about?

Taking my cue from John A. L Lee's A History of New Testament Lexicography, I argue that most Bible translations in the modern era have inaccurately translated "didaktikos" as "apt to teach" in 1Tim 3.2 and 2Tim 2.24 without regard to the word's use in Koine Greek, context, or the significance of the adjectival ~ikos ending. I argue that either "characterized by teaching" or "teachable" are both probable meanings of the word, with a slight edge given to the former (though the latter has patristic support).

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Why is it important?

In an era where scholarship has access to the entire Thesaurus Linguae Graecae as well as ancient papyri, simply repeating what other translations and/or lexicons have said is inexcusable in regards to rare words. With a wealth of material at their fingertips, Bible translators and scholars must be willing to reexamine their understanding of the semantic range of rare words when at all possible. This article provides, to my knowledge, the first comprehensive examination of the word didaktikos, a word whose understanding can potentially make a difference in ecclesiology (for example, what actually qualifies somebody to be a pastor: sill in teaching, experience in teaching, or a willingness to be taught [i.e., humility]?)

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