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Commentary on The Letter of Saint Paul to Titus

1:1 Paul: The author (and sender) is always named first, according to the ancient letter format. As a servant, Paul devotes all of himself and his energies to the service of the Lord, and, as an apostle (Rom 1:1), he is commissioned to preach that God is reconciling the world to himself through Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5:18-20). Back to text.

1:2 God . . . never lies: Hope that is anchored in God will never be disappointed, for his word is ever truthful, and his promises are entirely trustworthy (Num 23:19; Jn 17:17; Heb 6:17-18). The same cannot be said for the pagan Cretans (Tit 1:12) or for the devil, the father of every falsehood (Jn 8:44) (CCC 214-17). • Let us bind ourselves to him who is ever true and just in his judgments. He who has forbidden us to lie can much less be a liar himself, for deception is impossible for God (St. Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 27). Back to text.

1:3 our Savior: A title three times given to God the Father (1:3; 2:10; 3:4) and three times applied to Christ the Son (1:4; 2:13; 3:6). See note on 1 Tim 1:1. Back to text.

1:4 Titus: A Gentile believer (Gal 2:3) and a devoted member of Paul's missionary team (2 Cor 8:23). He is never mentioned by name in the Book of Acts. According to the Pastoral Epistles, Titus was in Dalmatia near the end of Paul's life (2 Tim 4:10), and, according to tradition, he eventually returned to Crete to minister to the churches on the island until his death. my true child: The spiritual sonship of Titus points to the spiritual fatherhood of Paul. It may mean that Paul converted Titus to the Christian faith, as he had the Corinthians (1 Cor 4:1415), or that Paul ordained Titus to the pastoral ministry, as he had done with Timothy (1 Tim 4:14; 2 Tim 1:6). In Scripture, spiritual fatherhood is connected with the priestly ministry (Judg 17:10) as it passed from fathers to sons under the Old Covenant (Ex 40:12-15) (CCC 1541). See note on 1 Cor 4:15. Back to text.

1:5 I left you in Crete: Implies that Paul and Titus evangelized the island together before the apostle's departure. Nothing more is known of this missionary effort. appoint elders: An essential step in organizing and stabilizing young Christian communities (Acts 14:23). That Titus is charged with this duty indicates that he is already a bishop and thus qualified to ordain others to priestly ministry by the sacramental imposition of hands (1 Tim 5:22) (CCC 1573, 1576). Notice that in this letter, as in the earliest days of the Church, the titles "elder" (Tit 1:5) and "bishop" (1:7) seem to be used interchangeably (Acts 20:17, 28). See notes on 1 Tim 3:1 and 1 Tim 4:14. Back to text.

1:6 husband of one wife: I.e., married only once during his lifetime. Paul allows younger widows to remarry (1 Tim 5:14). However, he holds prospective clergymen to a more stringent standard (1 Tim 3:2, 12). On possible reasons for this, see note on 1 Tim 3:2. Back to text.

1:7 God's steward: A steward is an administrator over the household of another. Paul is suggesting that if a candidate for pastoral ministry is unable to manage his own home and children, he is unfit to oversee the affairs of God's household, which is the Church (1 Tim 3:15). Titus is to look for men whose family life (Tit 1:6) and personal life (1:7-8) are well ordered and whose zeal for sound doctrine is beyond question (1:9). For a similar list of qualifications, see 1 Tim 3:1-7. Back to text.

1:10 the circumcision party: Jewish Christian troublemakers in Crete. They adhered to unscriptural myths (1:14), made speculative conjectures about biblical genealogies, and haggled over minor points of the Mosaic Law (3:9). Because their teaching was unsettling the faith of young believers, Titus is authorized to silence (1:11) and rebuke them (1:13). Back to text.

1:12 Cretans are . . . gluttons: A quotation from the Cretan poet Epimenides, who lived in the sixth century B.C. He was revered as a prophet by several writers in antiquity (not necessarily by Paul). Cretans were so noted for untruthful-ness that the verb "to Cretanize" meant "to lie or cheat" in Greek literature. Paul apparently thinks their infamous reputation is justified, for he declares that the poet's proverb is still "true" in his own day (1:13). Paul cites another quotation from Epimenides in Acts 17:28. • One who is learned in Sacred Scripture accepts the truth wherever he finds it. This is why Paul, on several occasions, refers to the sayings of pagans. It does not follow that all their teaching is approved, but what is good is drawn out and retained. For truth comes from the Holy Spirit, no matter who speaks it (St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Titus 1, 3). Back to text.

1:14 Jewish myths: Probably legends about biblical heroes that are preserved in Jewish apocryphal writings near the end of the OT period (1 Tim 1:4; 4:7). Back to text.

1:15 To the pure: Reads like a response to the "Jewish" propaganda in the preceding verse (1:14). If so, perhaps troublemakers were promoting the dietary distinctions between clean and unclean foods (Lev 11:1-47) as well as the non-biblical laws of purity formulated within Pharisaic Judaism (compare the "commands of men" in Tit 1:14 with Mk 7:1-8). Paul insists, however, that because Christians are themselves purified (Tit 2:14), they are not bound to follow the purity legislation of the Old Covenant or of Jewish tradition in general (Acts 10:15; Rom 14:14). Notice that Paul is addressing a misunderstanding about ritual purity and defilement; he is not saying that believers are immune to the pollution of sin. Back to text.

2:1-10 Titus must counsel believers in accordance with their age (young/old), gender (men/women), and station in life (slave/free). Faith and life are meant to form a unity, and so the behavior Paul expects of them is part of "sound doctrine" (2:1). In effect, Paul wants the Cretan believers to rise above the dishonorable reputation that plagues their country (1:12), lest the gospel be discredited before unbelievers (2:5). Back to text.

2:1 But as for you: The Greek is emphatic, drawing a sharp contrast between Titus, whose mission is to propagate true doctrine, and the Jewish teachers, whose destructive ideas were denounced in the preceding context (1:10-16). Back to text.

2:7 model of good deeds: Titus' own life must be consistent with his preaching, otherwise opponents will make his personal defects a cause for public disgrace (2:8). Back to text.

2:9 slaves: Slavery was an accepted institution in Roman society. Paul did not attack it directly in his letters, but he sought to improve the relationship between masters and slaves and stressed that both stand on an equal footing in Christ (Gal 3:28; Col 3:22-4:1). Here he implies that the dependability of slaves will help to advertise the gospel to the world. See note on Eph 6:5. Back to text.

2:11-14 This paragraph spells out the basis of Paul's ethical instructions in the previous ten verses. Emphasis is placed on the purpose of grace, not only to cleanse us of unrighteousness (2:14), but to raise us up to a higher standard of moral living (2:12). Back to text.

2:11 the salvation of all: The grace of Christ invites every person and nation into the covenant family of God. See note on 1 Tim 2:4. Back to text.

2:13 our blessed hope: The return of Jesus in glory, which Paul often describes as the "appearing" of Christ from heaven (2 Thess 2:8; 1 Tim 6:14; 2 Tim 4:1, 8; CCC 1130, 1404). our great God and Savior Jesus: The syntax of this statement in Greek indicates that Paul is asserting the divinity of Jesus (Jn 10:33-38; Col 2:9; 2 Pet 1:1). Less likely translations make a distinction between God and Christ in this verse (see textual note c). Back to text.

2:14 to redeem us: I.e., to purchase us from the bondage of sin and to purify us for a life of divine sonship. See note on Eph 1:7. people of his own: The expression is taken from the Greek OT. • Both Ex 19:5 and Deut 7:6 use these words to describe Israel as Yahweh's special possession by covenant. The nation was set apart as a holy and priestly people called to draw other nations closer to God (Deut 4:6-8; Is 49:6). But since the persistence of sin and weakness prevented Israel from fulfilling this vocation under the Old Covenant, Christ came to reconstitute his covenant people in the Church (1 Pet 2:9) and to empower them to fulfill the mission once given to Israel (Mt 5:14-16). Paul's words are also reminiscent of the New Covenant oracles of Ezekiel, especially Ezek 37:23. Back to text.

2:15 exhort and reprove: This is the third time Paul challenges Titus to make an aggressive stand against the false teachers who plague the Cretan communities (1:11, 13). Back to text.

3:1 submissive to rulers: Titus must remind his flock that public life is to be as shaped by the gospel as is private life. A Christian's allegiance to civil government is part of this, as is working for justice and the betterment of society. The saints, Paul is saying, must also be exemplary citizens (Rom 13:1-7; 1 Pet 2:13-17; CCC 2238-42). Back to text.

3:2 be gentle: Or "meek". Paul asks believers to bear injuries and restrain anger even when provoked, so that Christian charity will shine out in even the most hostile environments. Jesus exemplified this virtue in his own life (Mt 11:29; 2 Cor 10:1). Back to text.

3:3 once foolish: A snapshot of the moral and spiritual depravity that plagues the human race. More detailed reflections on this condition are found in Rom 1:18-32 and Eph 4:17-19. Back to text.

3:5 he saved us: Salvation springs entirely from the mercy and grace of God. It is not an achievement on our part or a payment rendered for services. Apart from grace, even our most heroic efforts to please God fall short of his glory and his plan for our lives (Rom 3:23). Both the faith to believe in Christ and grace to live the gospel are undeserved gifts (Eph 2:8; Phil 1:29). Only after God has bestowed these gifts can we begin to please our heavenly Father through a lifetime of service and good works (Tit 2:14; Eph 2:10; Heb 11:6) (CCC 1996-2002). Back to text.

3:7 justified: Cleansed from sin and made righteous in the sight of God. See word study: Justified at Rom 2:13. become heirs: Through the grace of divine adoption, which makes us children of God and thus heirs of all that the Father desires to give us (Rom 8:14-17; Gal 4:3-7). hope of eternal life: Even now we possess eternal life in the form of grace (Eph 2:5; 1 Jn 5:13), but the full possession of glory in heaven is a future hope rather than a present assurance (Tit 1:2; Rom 8:24-25; Eph 1:13-14, 18; 1 Tim 6:18-19). • If someone asks whether we have been saved by Baptism, one should not deny it, for the apostle says as much. But if he should ask whether that same washing has already saved us in every respect, one should have to say no, for the apostle says we are saved "in hope" (St. Augustine, Answer to Two Pelagian Letters 3, 3). Back to text.

3:9 genealogies . . . quarrels over the law: Disputes of this kind erupted among the Jewish controversialists about whom Titus was warned in 1:10-16. Back to text.

3:10-11 A pastoral plan for dealing with divisive Christians. Attempts must first be made to correct the offender and warn him of the consequences of his actions. Should he persist in his stubborn ways, Titus is to exclude him from the community's life and liturgy (Mt 18:15-18). Concrete examples of this corrective discipline are found in 1 Cor 5:1-5 and 1 Tim 1:19-20 (CCC 1463). Back to text.

3:10 a man who is factious: The Greek expression would later become a technical term for a "heretic" whose teachings were contrary to the truth and condemned by the Church. Back to text.

3:12 Artemas or Tychicus: One of these two men was to be Titus' replacement, freeing him to rejoin Paul for the winter. The former is otherwise unknown in the NT, but the latter is mentioned several times in Paul's letters (Eph 6:21; Col 4:7; 2 Tim 4:12). Nicopolis: Probably the city in Roman Epirus, on the western coast of Greece. Titus must have traveled north into Dalmatia following this rendezvous with Paul (2 Tim 4:10). See note on Tit 1:4. Back to text.

3:13 Zenas the lawyer and Apollos: Possibly the bearers of this letter. The former is otherwise unknown in the NT, but the latter was a renowned convert from Alexandria, Egypt (Acts 18:24-26), who later ministered in Corinth (Acts 19:1; 1 Cor 1:12; 3:4-6). Back to text.

3:15 Grace be with you all: Paul is addressing the entire community, not just Titus. The intent is to show the Cretans that Titus is Paul's official representative on the island. No one who reads the letter will doubt that he is commissioned by the apostle to teach, organize, and discipline with full authority (2:15). Paul employs a similar strategy on Timothy's behalf in 1 Tim 6:21 and 2 Tim 4:22. Back to text.

Word Study

Regeneration (Tit 3:5)

Palingenesia (Gk.): refers to a "rebirth", "restoration", or "renewal". The term is used only twice in the Bible, here and in Mt 19:28, though it appears several times in non-biblical writings. Stoic philosophers, for instance, believed that a renewed world order would emerge after a fiery purgation of the cosmos. The Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria spoke in a similar way about the rebirth of the world after the flood in Noah's day (Life of Moses 2, 65). The Jewish historian Josephus employs the term for the restoration of Israel after the tragedy of exile (Antiquities 11, 66). In Titus, Paul links the idea of regeneration with a baptismal washing that cleanses us of sin and gives us a new birth into the family of God (cf. Jn 3:5; Eph 5:26). He is saying that the washing of the body is an efficacious sign of the invisible work of the Spirit, whose action in the sacrament renews and renovates our souls with divine grace (Acts 2:38; 1 Pet 3:21) (CCC 1215, 1265).