The First Epistle to Timothy is one of the three Pastoral Epistles, written by Saint Paul and part of the New Testament of the Bible. It consists mainly of counsels to Timothy regarding the forms of worship and organization of the Church, and the responsibilities resting on its several members, including episcopi (translated as "bishops") and diaconi ("deacons"); and secondly of exhortation to faithfulness in maintaining the truth amid surrounding errors, presented as a prophecy of erring teachers to come.