Das anvertraute Gut

The term παραθήκη used in the Pastorals is crucial for the understanding of tradition in these letters. In view of the present situation, in which the question of the understanding of tradition arises anew, the essay discusses the question of how exactly this term is to be understood. It turns out that the author precisely means the gospel and thus names a criterion against which also the moral concepts and the remarks on the ministry offered by the Pastorals are to be measured.