Writing from a Roman prison to the Philippians about A.D. 60, Paul spoke of his plans to visit that church, and in his note to Philemon he even requested a place to stay. While it is difficult to know the actual course of events that followed, it is possible he was acquitted at a first trial and fulfilled his hope to revisit eastern Mediterranean lands.
Some scholars doubt an acquittal, noting the absence of explicit evidence for it. And some doubt a journey eastward, given Paul's hope of going to Spain after Italy (see Rom. 15:24, 28). However, his acquittal may be implied by a number of passages besides those in Philippians and Philemon. II Tim. 4:16 speaks of a "first answer" (literally, "first defense"), making it possible the apostle was freed after one trial and later was tried again. I Tim. 1:3, along with II Tim. 4:20 (mentioning that Trophimus stayed behind in Miletus), may indicate a visit to Ephesus, Macedonia, and Miletus distinct from Paul's travels there in Acts 20 (in which Trophimus continued with Paul). Also, Titus 1:5 may imply a longer stay in Crete than the brief visit of Acts 27. Thus, a journey to Philippi by way of Ephesus is possible—if indeed Paul was released from prison.
Paul's authorship of the "Pastoral Epistles" (I and II Timothy and Titus) is also doubted by many scholars. The Pastorals seem to lack, at points, Paul's strong and vigorous style, and they use many words that appear nowhere else in Paul's letters. But the apostle's own thought and expression may shine through at least portions of these letters addressed to his trusted companions Timothy and Titus.
