1Tim 4:7

“Let the church of God, therefore, in this spiritual way understand the births, in this way receive the procreations, in this way uphold the deeds of the fathers with a fitting and honorable interpretation and in this way not disgrace the words of the Holy Spirit with foolish rabbinic fables but reckon them to be full of honor, full of virtue and usefulness.”

“"And, not content with this wild opinion, they add to it and associate with it old women's fables: they say that they will rise again after death, and ashes, and dust; and with I know not what confidence, they believe by turns in one another's lies: you would think that they had already lived again. It is a double evil and a twofold madness to denounce destruction to the heaven and the stars, which we leave just as we find them, and to promise eternity to ourselves, who are dead and extinct-who, as we are born, so also perish!”

“And lest in this case they should, being uncovered, be dispersed in the bosom of the earth, did she indeed wash and anoint them with fragrant gums before wrapping and covering them with his dress? For whence could the violet's sweet scent have come had not the addition of those ointments modified the putrefying smell of the member? Pray, when you read such tales, do you not seem to yourselves to hear either girls at the loom wiling away their tedious working hours, or old women seeking diversions for credulous children, and to be declaring manifold fictions under the guise of truth?”

“Therefore St. Paul urges us to exercise our faith in the face of troubles. Having already come through them victoriously, he said, "Therefore I take pleasure in persecutions and weaknesses." In another place he said, "Exercise yourself in godliness." He knew that those who choose to live godly lives are going to be persecuted, so he wanted his disciples to be aware of the difficulties they would face. Then when the trials and afflictions did come, they would have built up enough strength to handle them easily. You yourself know that when you've been looking forward to something, even if it's hard, you experience a secret joy when it actually comes.”

“Surely only an infantile mind, like a baby who can only drink milk, is ignorant of the great mystery of our salvation. Education progresses gradually. The school of righteousness attempts to bring us to maturity by first teaching us easy, elementary lessons suited for our limited intelligence. Then God, who provides us with every good thing, leads us to the truth, by gradually accustoming our darkened eyes to its great light. In the deep reaches of his wisdom and the unsearchable judgments of his intelligence, he spares our weakness and prescribes a gentle treatment. He knows our eyes are accustomed to dim shadows, so he uses these at first.”

“"But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness." By these are meant Jewish traditions, and he calls them "fables," either because of their falsehood or their unseasonableness. For what is seasonable is useful, but what is unseasonable is not only useless but injurious. Suppose a man of adult age to be suckled by a nurse, would he not be ridiculous, because it is unseasonable? "Profane and old wives' fables," he calls them, partly because of their obsoleteness, and partly because they are impediments to faith. For to bring souls under fear, that are raised above these things, is an impious commandment. "Exercise thyself unto godliness." That is, unto a pure faith and a moral life; for this is godliness. So then we need "exercise." "But exercise thyself unto godliness," that is, unto a pure life, and the most virtuous conversation. He that exerciseth himself, even when it is not the season of contest, acts always as if he were contending, practices abstinence, endures all toils, is always anxious, endures much labor. "Exercise thyself," he saith, "unto godliness; for bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." And why, says one, does he mention this bodily exercise? To show by comparison the superiority of the other, in that the former is of no solid advantage, though it is attended with many toils, whilst the latter has a lasting and abundant good. As when he bids women "adorn themselves, not with broidered hair, or gold, or costly array: but which becometh women possessing godliness; with good works." (1 Tim. ii. 9, 10)”

“Paul is here rejecting apocryphal books that profess to contain his teaching or that of other apostles but that are really misrepresentations of that teaching.”

“"Godless wives tales" are Jewish speculations in the form of false interpretations of the law and its proper observance.”

“That is, remind your own people of what I said, but do not enter into disputes with the corrupted; for it is impossible to benefit them, except perhaps in the case when a scandal might arise, as though out of our weakness we are declining to contend with them. The apostle calls the Jewish observances "fables," either because they are fabricated, or because they are untimely. For imagine if a man of about thirty years clung to the breast — how worthy of ridicule he would be for his untimeliness! He calls them "old wives' tales" because they are already outdated. Profane and unclean — because they constitute an obstacle to faith. For to subject to fear a soul that has risen above all this is characteristic of unclean rules. Train yourself in pure faith and righteous living, for in this consists godliness. Therefore, one must exercise and labor constantly; for he who trains in bodily gymnastics strives in this to the point of sweat even without any competition.”

“These words are in the first Epistle to Timothy, in which the Apostle shows that there is a twofold exercise befitting man: one bodily, and another spiritual; and he shows that spiritual exercise is to be preferred to bodily as being a nobler exercise and a more useful one. For bodily exercise has little utility; whence he says: "Bodily exercise profiteth little"; but spiritual exercise has the greatest utility. Whence spiritual exercise is to be preferred to bodily: as much as spiritual things are to be preferred to bodily, eternal to temporal, and invisible to visible, so much is that spiritual exercise to be preferred to bodily. Therefore, if anyone is wise, he ought to seek spiritual exercise more than bodily, because bodily exercise profiteth little, for it is useful for the comfort of the body, but sometimes it is the cause and occasion of the contrary. Someone believes he is going to sport, and he goes to war; he seeks pleasure, and finds sorrow. Whence Seneca says: "I have found many exercising the body, but few exercising their minds." Foolish would he be who could dig for gold and wished to dig in mud. Spiritual exercise surpasses bodily more than gold surpasses mud. Of this spiritual exercise, insofar as it is ordered to piety, we must speak. The Apostle Paul, as a good teacher, arouses the concern of our minds and intellects toward the good use of the divine gift. And having presupposed the influx of piety, he invites us to the exercise of piety and sets forth the benefit of piety. If you have received the gift of God, exercise yourself unto piety, lest you fall from the gift; if you do not have the gift of God, exercise yourself to obtain piety. He assigns the reason for this when he adds: "Piety is profitable for all things." Therefore he shows that concerning this gift of piety, three things are to be considered by us, namely the exercise of piety, the benefit of piety, and the original principle of piety. If it is a gift, then it is necessary to know how it is given; if it is a noble gift, it is necessary to know how we may advance in it and exercise ourselves; if it is a useful gift, let us see what fruit we may obtain from it. See, my whole intention is that you conceive the gift of piety in your soul and learn what it is to be pious. The exercise of piety consists in a threefold act, namely in the reverence of divine veneration, in the custody of intrinsic sanctification, and in the superabundance of interior compassion. The first two modes of piety are more deeply rooted than the third.”

“Then when he says, but avoid foolish and old wives' fables, he shows what is to be avoided, namely, foolish and empty fables. For according to the Philosopher a fable is composed of extraordinary events and in the beginning were invented (as he says in the Politics) to induce men to acquire virtue and avoid vices. Now, uneducated persons are more readily induced to such things by representations than by reasons. Hence, in an unusual event well presented there is pleasure to be found, because reason is pleased when it compares. And just as representation in deeds is pleasurable, so also in words: and this is what a fable is, namely, a story representing something, and by representing, moving a person to do something. For the ancients had fables which counseled certain truths, and they had these truths in fables. Therefore, there are two elements in a fable: first, it contains something true which represents something useful; and it must fit that truth. Therefore, if a fable is proposed which does not contain a truth, it is said to be empty; whereas if it is not an apt vehicle for a certain truth, it is said to be foolish or inept, as the fables found in the Talmud. Then when he says, exercise yourself unto godliness, having rejected superstitious abstinence, he compares virtuous abstinence with the other virtues. And it should be noted that Timothy was a very abstemious person; hence the Apostle tells him below (2 Cor 5:23) to use a little wine. By this advice he might have been implying that he should try to be more merciful, because those who are hard on themselves are likely to be hard on others. Consequently, he advises him to prefer godliness to abstinence: first, he exhorts him to godliness; second, he chooses it over abstinence, at for bodily exercise; third, he supports something already said, at having promise; fourth, he gives the formula for teaching godliness, at command and teach these things. He says, therefore: exercise yourself unto godliness, which is the virtue by which we pay the debt of good will to our parents and native land, just as religion is the virtue by which we render worship to God. For godliness suggests affection directed to one's principle. But the principle of generation is one's country and one's parents. Therefore, it is required that a man have good will toward these principles. But the principle and father of all things is God: if I be a father, where is my honor? (Mal 1:6). This is why the name godliness is applied to the worship of God, as Augustine says, in The City of God. Hence eusebia is another name for godliness: behold, godliness is wisdom (Job 28:28) according to another version, where ours has: behold, the fear of the Lord is wisdom. And the acknowledging of the truth, which is according to godliness (Titus 1:1). But as to earthly godliness, its characteristic is to make a man have good will toward his compatriots; as to Christian godliness, it requires that a man have good will toward all men, because all of us belong to the same country. In this sense, godliness is taken for mercy. Therefore, when he says, exercise yourself unto godliness, it can be taken as referring to the worship of God and to performing acts of mercy. And he says, exercise, and not perform, because exercise suggests readiness in the sense that one who is exercised performs with less difficulty and in a more delightful and consistent manner: diligently till your ground (Prov 24:27).”

“Reject, moreover, old and profane fables. old and profane fables." Paul refers to the Jewish observations. For these, in their own time, were useful, but now are old and rotten. He says the same about the Greek and heretical nonsense. Indeed, they are profane and impious, and the words of old men who have gone senile. Zeus, they say, had intercourse with Hera. And Ares committed adultery with Aphrodite. And Hephaestus was thrown down from heaven.”