Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Timothy 4:13

"The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, bring when thou comest, and the books, especially the parchments." — 2 Timothy 4:13 (ASV)

The cloke that I left at Troas.—The apparently trivial nature of this request in an epistle containing such weighty matter, and also the fact of such a wish from someone expecting death even being made, is at first a little puzzling.

To explain this seemingly strange request, some have wished to understand by “the cloke” some garment Saint Paul was in the habit of wearing when performing certain sacred functions—in other words, as a vestment. But such a supposition would be highly precarious, for nowhere in the New Testament is the slightest hint given that any such vestment was ever used in the early Christian Church.

It is much better to understand the words as simply requesting Timothy, on his way, to bring with him a thick cloak, or mantle, which Saint Paul had left with a certain Carpus at Troas.

Probably, when he left it, it was summer, and he was reluctant to burden himself on his hurried journey with any superfluous things. Winter was now approaching, and the poor, aged prisoner in the cold, damp prison, with few friends and meager resources, remembered and wished for his cloak.

It is just such a request that the master would make of his disciple, who, knowing well the old man’s frail, shattered health, would never be surprised at such a request, even in an epistle so solemn.

Furthermore, Saint Paul, by this very wish to see Timothy expressed here (as discussed above), hoped against hope that he still had a little time for work in the coming winter months, even though he felt death was very near for him. No forger of the epistle would have dreamed of including such a request.

And the books.—The books were most likely a few choice works: some bearing on Jewish sacred history—partly exegetical and explanatory of the mysterious senses veiled under the letter of the Law and the Prophets, and partly historical.

Others were probably pagan writings, of which we know Saint Paul was a diligent student from his many references in his epistles.

It has been suggested, with high probability, that Saint Paul “had managed to acquire and preserve” these few choice books, and these, if God spared his life for a few more short months, he would have with him for reference in his prison room.

But especially the parchments.—Above all, Saint Paul wanted to have these precious papers with him. These were most likely commonplace books in which the Apostle—evidently always a diligent student—had written what he had observed as worthy of special notice in his reading of either the Old Testament Scriptures or other books bearing on Jewish or pagan literature and history. These precious notes were probably the result of many years’ reading and study.

He wanted to have them with him as long as life remained. (Compare Bishop Bull’s learned and exhaustive sermon on this strange but interesting verse: Works, vol. 1, p. 240, Oxford Edition, 1846.) Erasmus remarks on this request of Saint Paul: “Behold the Apostle’s goods or movables: a poor cloke to keep him from the weather, and a few books!”

A suggestion has been made that the words translated “Much learning doth make thee mad” (Acts 26:24) should be rendered, Thy many rolls of parchment are turning thy brain, and that these rolls of parchment, referred to by Festus as the companions of Saint Paul’s captivity at Caesarea, were identical to the parchments left with Carpus. The Greek words, however, are not the same in the two passages. Nothing is known of this Carpus.