He admonishes Titus, and instructs him concerning the appointment of a presbyter, and concerning spiritual conduct, and concerning avoiding heretics who put their faith in Jewish writings. CHAPTER ONE. Paul, a servant of God. He was a servant of God, not of sin. But an apostle of Jesus Christ. He distinguished apostleship, because not everyone who is a servant is straightway also an apostle. He is an apostle for this reason, because through him he had been sent to preach. According to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which is according to piety, in hope of eternal life. According to that faith which he himself infuses, and makes men believers — those whom he also chose in his foreknowledge, as he says: 'You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.' Which he promised.
You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free, because the truth is Christ. God, who does not lie. If he does not lie, he shows forth nothing other than what he promised — to the just, that is, and the unjust — although this may seem hard to men. Or thus: what he promised to Abraham and his seed, he will fulfill in Christ. Before the ages of the world: before all ages, through the Son, granting salvation to believers, whom he chose before the foundation of the world. But he manifested his word in its own times in the preaching which was entrusted to me. Then he manifested his counsel, when he brought the whole world, which was turning aside from justice, into faith — that which he foreknew he would do. According to the commandment of God our Savior. To Titus, his beloved son.
For whom he commanded that Paul and Barnabas be set apart, that they might preach to the Gentiles. According to the common faith: grace and peace from God the Father and Jesus Christ our Savior. According to the common faith, being a son by faith, not by nature. For this cause I left you in Crete, that you might correct the things that are lacking, and appoint presbyters throughout the cities. Correct in right order the things that are lacking; and then at last you will be able to ordain presbyters, when all in the Church shall be upright. As I also appointed for you. In that order which I commanded at present. If any be without crime, the husband of one wife. It is to be noted that in a priest even lawful things are forbidden. Having faithful children, not accused of luxury, or unruly.
Lest he be unable boldly to correct the offending, or that the proof of his teaching may arise from the discipline of his own house, and that he may fear the example of Eli. For a bishop must be without crime. He calls him a bishop whom above he named a presbyter. As the steward of God. For if stewards of human laws are required to be upright, of what sort ought those to be who dispense the divine laws? Not proud, not wrathful, not given to wine — not self-pleasing. Not a striker, not greedy of filthy lucre. A disciple of Christ ought not to strike, for whom Christ was struck. Again otherwise: lest by his evil manner of life he strike the conscience of others; he who hopes for heavenly things is bidden not to pursue filthy lucre through flattery.
According to the custom of the Scriptures, he first condemned vices, and thus introduced virtues; as it is: 'Turn away from evil, and do good.' But hospitable, kindly — that he may receive guests with kindness. Sober, chaste — from every crime. Just, holy — just in judgment, holy in work through continence. Continent. He says this lest, because he had said 'of one wife,' he should be thought to have given place to incontinence. Embracing that faithful word which is according to doctrine — that he may love doctrine, and always speak from it, and not follow vain and idle fables. That he may be able to exhort. Such a one is to be chosen as can both exhort and reprove the gainsayers, in sound doctrine, and convince those who contradict.
Sound doctrine is that which heals the hearers, so that what he has by the gift of God may not become for him a source of pride by ascribing this to himself. For there are also many disobedient, vain talkers, and seducers. The disobedient to apostolic doctrine speak to no profit. Especially those who are of the circumcision, who must be reproved: who overthrow whole houses — who speak human traditions, not the commandments of God. Teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of filthy lucre. Things which are now superfluous in the times of Christ — namely the ceremonies of the Jews. One of them said. Of what sort they are: so that they may have such a testimony even from their own. Their own prophet — Epimenides, or Callimachus. The Cretans.
The verse of Epimenides is a hexameter, which in the Greek stands upon its own feet. Always liars, evil beasts — lovers of lying, and not as one usually falls into it, but always: gluttons also and idlers. Slow bellies: therefore they willingly admit holidays and idleness. This testimony is true. If this alone is true, he says other things falsely. For which cause reprove them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith — that is, severely. Not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men — to human traditions, concerning which they are reproved by the Savior, according to Isaiah, honoring God not with the heart, but with the lips. Of them that turn themselves away from the truth. To the pure all things are pure. Because still according to the law they called certain things unclean. But to the defiled and to unbelievers nothing is pure;
but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They are defiled, and the unbelievers too, who do not believe that Christ, by bestowing faith, has taken the yoke of the law from the neck of believers — that is, all the things which had been given temporarily as a figure. They profess that they know God, but by their works they deny him. They say that no one knows Christ as they do, to whom he was promised by the law; but by their works they deny his coming, turning themselves away, he says, from his truth, since they think they cannot be justified without the help of the law. Being abominable and incredulous, and unto every good work reprobate. In this they call themselves more religious, while they do not do the things that are commanded. CHAPTER II. But you, speak the things which befit sound doctrine — that is, the things which pertain to the life of Christ.
The elders. Here he calls 'elders' the seniors of the Church, who must furnish a model for all: that they be sober, chaste, prudent, sound in faith, in love, in patience. Let them be watchful, lest they set before the younger an example of drunkenness. The aged women likewise — women who were chosen to be an example to the rest. In holy demeanour, not slanderers; for there is another who is not holy. Not enslaved to much wine, but drinking little. Teaching well, that they may teach prudence. He permitted them to teach, but only women — the young women — whether because they were continent, or lest the word of God, as though preaching discord, be blasphemed. That they may love their own husbands, not strangers; that they cherish their children, being prudent, chaste, keeping the care of the household, kind, and subject to their own husbands.
Lest by negligence they grieve their husbands in anything, so that the word of God be not blasphemed — lest the husbands themselves blaspheme, if they are pagans, or lest others, seeing the women grown worse, be scandalized. Exhort the young men likewise to be sober. Take away from the young their occasion for wantonness by removing drunkenness. In all things show thyself: in all things — whether in what is fitting, or not only in body but also in mind — an example of good works, lest by thy example thou destroy the word, or too boldly rebuke others. In doctrine, integrity and gravity; sound speech, beyond reproach, that they may know how to teach; so that he who is on the opposite side may be turned back, having nothing evil to say of us. For who can contradict, if he should note anything of the kind?
That servants be subject to their own masters, pleasing them in all things — in all things that they justly command; not contradicting, not defrauding. Lest, acting with murmuring, thou be both ungrateful to man and have no reward with God; but showing good faith in all things — whether in the things entrusted to them, or so as to show by deed that what they believe is good — that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. And by their works may He be praised together with them, so that men may see your good works and glorify your Father. Now the grace of God our Saviour hath appeared to all men, instructing us — excepting no condition or sex, both by precept and by example — that denying impiety and worldly desires.
Worldly is every desire and every temporal ambition. Soberly and justly. For which reason the Saviour also says: Take heed, lest your hearts be weighed down with surfeiting and drunkenness and the cares of this life. And that we live godly in this world: let us join godliness to justice, lest justice be unrestrained. Awaiting the blessed hope — he awaits these things with confidence who has lived as he has spoken. And the coming of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. He called Christ Himself the great God, of whom the angel said to blessed Mary: He shall be great, and so forth — who also is to come with glory to judge the living and the dead. Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity. As Isaiah says:
He gave His soul unto death, and was reckoned among the wicked, and He Himself bore the sins of many. And that He might cleanse for Himself an acceptable people, zealous of good works. For this reason He gave Himself, that He might cleanse us from all iniquity; let us therefore beware lest we make His benefit void and empty. These things speak and exhort. Let all thy discourse be exhortation to this. And rebuke with all authority: he rebukes sharply who does not himself live as he teaches. Let no one despise thee: show thyself such that thou canst not be despised, for the authority of teaching is made by one's life. Admonish them to be subject to princes and powers, to obey the word, to be ready for every good work — not for any evil — to blaspheme no one.
Not even those who deserve to be blasphemed. That they be not quarrelsome, but modest, showing all meekness. Now a quarrelsome man is one who by returning like for like provokes strife. Toward all men — not only toward the good. For we too were once. Lest they despair of correction, he sets forth his own example: as if because we too were such, he says, we ought to bear their foolishness patiently. Once foolish and unbelieving. It is to be noted what sort Christ found us, and that we should not presume upon our own merits, nor glory in any natural good. Erring, serving desires and various pleasures, living in malice and envy: hateful, hating one another. Behold what sort we were before grace, through the liberty of free will.
But when the kindness and humanity of God our Saviour appeared — 'humanity,' whether Christ according to His human nature, or the bounty of God. Not from works of justice: it is to be noted that we are saved by no merits of our own, but solely by the mercy of the Redeemer; let those who rush headlong to defend free will fall silent rather than defend it. Which we ourselves did — which we Jews did; how much more the Gentiles! But according to His mercy He saved us: not according to our industry or labour, but according to the mercy of Him who both goes before us and consummates us in every good work. Through the laver of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
More than in the former just ones. That being justified by His grace, we may be His heirs. It is to be observed that we are justified by His grace, not by our own merits. According to the hope of life eternal — not according to a carnal inheritance. It is a faithful saying; and of these things I would have thee affirm strongly, that those who believe in God may be careful to be foremost in good works. These things are good and profitable to men — these, not the things that follow. But foolish questions and genealogies. He does not wish us to be occupied in superfluous questions and contentions which arise from the generations in the law; but rather to speak always those things by which the hearers may profit. And avoid contentions and strivings about the law, for they are useless and vain.
As it were contradictions, which the heretics seize upon. A man that is a heretic, after one and a second admonition, avoid, knowing that such a one is subverted. Nor does He wish us to be occupied about those who, admonished a second time, are not corrected: lest we lose time in fruitless contempt. And he sins, being condemned by his own judgment; because after hearing and knowing the truth, he persists in his obstinacy; for everyone is bound with the cords of his own sins. When I shall send Artemas to thee, or Tychicus, make haste to come to me at Neapolis; for there I have determined to winter. Send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos diligently on their way, that nothing be wanting to them — that by lingering they lose nothing of the fruit of doctrine.
And let our people also learn to be foremost in good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful. He repeats the very thing he had said above: Let those who believe in God be careful to be foremost in good works. All who are with me salute thee. Salute those who love us in the faith. The grace of God be with you all. Amen. 'Truly,' or 'faithfully.' Written from Nicopolis.