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1Ti_1:19. The manner in which Timothy is to discharge his office, is given still more precisely in the words ἔχων πίστιν καὶ ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν . It is difficult to bring ἔχων into direct connection with the preceding figure στρατεία (Matthies: “hold fast the faith which elsewhere, in Eph_6:16, is called a shield, a weapon of defence in our warfare;” Otto thinks that Paul conceives πίστις and ἀγ . συνείδησις as “the contending power which the general commands, i.e. as his troops!”). It is simply “holding, maintaining” (de Wette), i.e. not denying. The reason for the collocation peculiar to this epistle of πίστις and ἀγαθὴ συνείδησις , and for the strong emphasis laid on the latter idea (comp. 1Ti_1:5; 1Ti_4:2, etc.), is, that the apostle regards the denial of the ἀγ . συνείδ . as the source of the heresy. This is proved by the words that follow, in which Paul returns to the mention of the heretics: ἥν (viz. ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν ) τινες (comp. 1Ti_1:6).
ἀπωσάμενοι ] This expression, not strange (de Wette) but suitable, denotes the “wantonness” (de Wette) with which the heretics sacrificed the good conscience to their selfish purposes.[79]
περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἐναυάγησαν ] ναυαγεῖν occurs only here in a figurative sense. Περί gives the matter in which they had made shipwreck, i.e. suffered loss. Περί with the accusative, equivalent to quod attinet ad, is found in the N. T. only in the Pastoral Epistles; comp. 1Ti_6:4; 1Ti_6:21; 2Ti_2:18; 2Ti_3:8; Tit_2:7; see Winer, p. 379 [E. T. p. 506].
[79] Van Oosterzee remarks on ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν “as a troublesome reminder,” which is not appropriate, because ἀγ . συνειδ . is not the conscience exhorting to good and punishing evil, but of willing and doing good.—Hofmann’s opinion, that the good conscience is compared to “the ballast which gives the necessary stability to a ship,” is wrong, since ἀπωθεῖσθαι does not mean “to cast overboard.”