This article assesses the common positioning of the Pastoral Epistles at the transition from second to third generation Christianity. The conclusion is that while there is validity in recognizing theological development in the Pastoral Epistles, this need not be explained in terms of late discontinuity with the theology of Paul. Towner argues that it is more likely that the Pastoral Epistles develop the theology of Paul.

This article addresses the issue of "self-designations" in the Pastoral Epistles. What were the "names" used in early Christianity in this way to designate other members of the church? How did authors refer to members of the churches to whom they were writing? Does the term "Christian" provide the answer to these questions?

What comprises the exegetical matrix of the Pastoral Epistles? The author writes from the conviction that the relationship between the author of these letters and this "implied audience" provides insight into the purpose of these letters. He wants to reconstruct the rhetorical setting of the Pastoral Epistles.

In the recent past several major commentaries and monographs on the Pastoral Epistles have been published. This article ask what light these recent works have shed on the study of this group of writings. The focus is on several of the major hermeneutical and exegetical challenges with which the modern interpreter is confronted in the study of the Pastoral Epistles.