Difference between revisions of "Epistle to Titus" - New World Encyclopedia
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| − | + | [[Image:Titus.jpg|thumb|Saint Titus of Crete, the recipient of the Epistle to Titus]] | |
| − | + | The '''Epistle to Titus''' is a book of the [[biblical canon|canonic]] [[New Testament]], one of the three so-called "pastoral epistles" (with ''[[First Epistle to Timothy|1 Timothy]]'' and ''[[Second Epistle to Timothy|2 Timothy]]''). It is offered as a letter from [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] to Paul's spiritual son [[Titus]], whom Paul has ordered to remain in Crete to appoint "elders" of the church there. The writer is concerned that such men be of good character and capable of teaching sound doctrine. They must especially be on guard against a Judaizing heresy which teaches Christians that they must be faithful to certain of the Jewish purity laws, resulting in the famous verse, "to the pure, all things are pure." | |
| − | The '''Epistle to Titus''' is a book of the [[biblical canon|canonic]] [[New Testament]], one of the three so-called "pastoral epistles" (with ''[[First Epistle to Timothy|1 Timothy]]'' and ''[[Second Epistle to Timothy|2 Timothy]]''). It is offered as a letter from [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] to the [[ | + | |
| + | While the letter is addressed from Paul, many scholars today doubt that it and the other Pastoral epistles are truly by the Apostle, due to issues of style, circumstance, and references church offices—elders and bishops—which were not otherwise evident in Paul's day. It takes a harsh attitude toward those who disagree with the writer, criticizing their characters is strong words and urging that they be shunned after no more than two warnings. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The letter is traditionally dated to the end of Paul's ministry in the late 60s C.E., while critical scholars date it between 80 C.E. and the mid-to-late second century. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Summary== | ||
| + | {{Books of the New Testament}} | ||
| + | [[Image:Saintpauloftarsus.jpg|thumb|left|Saint Paul]] | ||
| + | The letter is addressed from Paul to Titus, a significant person in [[2 Corinthians]] who is also mentioned in Paul's letter to the [[Galatians]] as Paul's companion at the [[Council of Jerusalem]] who was allowed fellowship with the [[Jerusalem church]] even though he was uncircumcised (Gal. 2:1). In 2 Corinthians, Titus plays an important role in reconciling Paul and the Corinthian church, which a serious breach had occurred. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Titus, as Paul's "true child in a common faith" is now called upon to deal with another difficult situation. The reason Titus has been left in [[Crete]] by Paul is to "straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you." <ref>The idea of appointing elders (also called ''presbyters'', from which the name of the Presbyterian Church is derived), is cited along with the term ''episcopos'', or bishop, by critical scholars as anachronistic, since formal church offices such as these do not exist in the unquestionably authentic Pauline letters.</ref> These men must be of good character—"the husband of but one wife"—whose children are obedient and mild-mannered. Because they are overseers (''episcopos'', sometimes translated as "bishop") they must patient, holy, not given drunkenness, and especially, they must be capable of teaching "sound [[doctrine]]" and refuting those who oppose it. Of special concern are those of "the [[circumcision]] group." Such people must be "silenced," and "Paul" goes so far as to confirm that "Cretans (such as these) are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons." The writer instructs Titus to "pay no attention to Jewish myths," because "to the pure, all things are pure." The passage is an apparent reference to a Judaizing [[heresy]] which insisted on Christian conformity with Jewish laws of ritual purity. "Paul" calls these teachers "detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good." (chapter 1) | ||
| + | |||
| + | Older women in the church are also a problem. They must be temperate and refrain from slanderous speech, teaching the younger women to obey their husbands. Young men should act with self-control. Christian slaves must obey their masters in every way, "so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive." Titus should encourage the church with these sound doctrines and "rebuke with all authority." (chapter 2) | ||
| + | |||
| + | Christians must submit to civil authorities, "slander no one... and show true humility toward all men." After all, Christians themselves were once hateful and foolish, but were saved through the God's grace: "He saved us through the [[baptism|washing]] of rebirth and renewal by the [[Holy Spirit]]." In conclusion two things are especially to be avoided: | ||
| + | |||
| + | *"foolish controversies and genealogies", seeming reference to Gnostic mythologies and/or discussions about the names and relationships among the angels and | ||
| + | |||
| + | *"arguments and quarrels about the law", probably a reference to Roman law, but possibly having to do with the question of which if any the Jewish commandments apply to Christians. | ||
| + | |||
| + | A divisive person is to be warned no more than twice. After that, he is to be shunned, for "You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful." A number of personal instructions follow, and the writer concludes with a concern that member of the church "provide for (their own) daily necessities and not live unproductive lives." He closes with a benediction. (chapter 3) | ||
==Authorship and date== | ==Authorship and date== | ||
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All three [[Pastoral epistles]] are widely regarded by contemporary scholars as being [[Pseudepigraphy|pseudepigraphical]]. On the basis of the language and content of the epistles, many scholars believe that they were written after Paul's death by someone who honored his spirit and wished to invoke Paul's name in dealing with problems of a later time. Critics examining the text find its vocabulary and literary style unlike Paul's unquestionably authentic letters, see the life situation of Paul in the epistles as inconsistent with Paul's reconstructed biography, and identify principles of the emerged Christian church after those of the apostolic generation.<ref>[[Bart D. Ehrman]], op. cit.</ref> | All three [[Pastoral epistles]] are widely regarded by contemporary scholars as being [[Pseudepigraphy|pseudepigraphical]]. On the basis of the language and content of the epistles, many scholars believe that they were written after Paul's death by someone who honored his spirit and wished to invoke Paul's name in dealing with problems of a later time. Critics examining the text find its vocabulary and literary style unlike Paul's unquestionably authentic letters, see the life situation of Paul in the epistles as inconsistent with Paul's reconstructed biography, and identify principles of the emerged Christian church after those of the apostolic generation.<ref>[[Bart D. Ehrman]], op. cit.</ref> | ||
| − | In the view of critical scholars, Titus is dated from the 80s up to the end of the | + | In the view of critical scholars, Titus is dated from the 80s up to the end of the second century.<ref>[[Raymond E. Brown]]. ''An Introduction to the New Testament''. New York: Anchor Bible, p. 662</ref> |
==Epimenides== | ==Epimenides== | ||
Revision as of 04:55, 24 October 2007
The Epistle to Titus is a book of the canonic New Testament, one of the three so-called "pastoral epistles" (with 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy). It is offered as a letter from Paul to Paul's spiritual son Titus, whom Paul has ordered to remain in Crete to appoint "elders" of the church there. The writer is concerned that such men be of good character and capable of teaching sound doctrine. They must especially be on guard against a Judaizing heresy which teaches Christians that they must be faithful to certain of the Jewish purity laws, resulting in the famous verse, "to the pure, all things are pure."
While the letter is addressed from Paul, many scholars today doubt that it and the other Pastoral epistles are truly by the Apostle, due to issues of style, circumstance, and references church offices—elders and bishops—which were not otherwise evident in Paul's day. It takes a harsh attitude toward those who disagree with the writer, criticizing their characters is strong words and urging that they be shunned after no more than two warnings.
The letter is traditionally dated to the end of Paul's ministry in the late 60s C.E., while critical scholars date it between 80 C.E. and the mid-to-late second century.
Summary
| New Testament |
|---|
The letter is addressed from Paul to Titus, a significant person in 2 Corinthians who is also mentioned in Paul's letter to the Galatians as Paul's companion at the Council of Jerusalem who was allowed fellowship with the Jerusalem church even though he was uncircumcised (Gal. 2:1). In 2 Corinthians, Titus plays an important role in reconciling Paul and the Corinthian church, which a serious breach had occurred.
Titus, as Paul's "true child in a common faith" is now called upon to deal with another difficult situation. The reason Titus has been left in Crete by Paul is to "straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you." [1] These men must be of good character—"the husband of but one wife"—whose children are obedient and mild-mannered. Because they are overseers (episcopos, sometimes translated as "bishop") they must patient, holy, not given drunkenness, and especially, they must be capable of teaching "sound doctrine" and refuting those who oppose it. Of special concern are those of "the circumcision group." Such people must be "silenced," and "Paul" goes so far as to confirm that "Cretans (such as these) are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons." The writer instructs Titus to "pay no attention to Jewish myths," because "to the pure, all things are pure." The passage is an apparent reference to a Judaizing heresy which insisted on Christian conformity with Jewish laws of ritual purity. "Paul" calls these teachers "detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good." (chapter 1)
Older women in the church are also a problem. They must be temperate and refrain from slanderous speech, teaching the younger women to obey their husbands. Young men should act with self-control. Christian slaves must obey their masters in every way, "so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive." Titus should encourage the church with these sound doctrines and "rebuke with all authority." (chapter 2)
Christians must submit to civil authorities, "slander no one... and show true humility toward all men." After all, Christians themselves were once hateful and foolish, but were saved through the God's grace: "He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." In conclusion two things are especially to be avoided:
- "foolish controversies and genealogies", seeming reference to Gnostic mythologies and/or discussions about the names and relationships among the angels and
- "arguments and quarrels about the law", probably a reference to Roman law, but possibly having to do with the question of which if any the Jewish commandments apply to Christians.
A divisive person is to be warned no more than twice. After that, he is to be shunned, for "You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful." A number of personal instructions follow, and the writer concludes with a concern that member of the church "provide for (their own) daily necessities and not live unproductive lives." He closes with a benediction. (chapter 3)
Authorship and date
Scholars consider the Pastoral epistles to all be written by the same author. Titus has a very close affinity with 1 Timothy, sharing similar phrases and expressions and similar subject matter.[2] While these epistles are traditionally attributed to Paul of Tarsus, most scholars today consider them pseudepigraphical.
Traditional view
The author of Titus identifies himself as "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ."
Scholars who believe Paul wrote Titus date its composition from the circumstance that it was written after Paul's visit to Crete (Titus 1:5). However, most scholars agree that this visit could not be the one referred to in Acts 27:7, when Paul was on his voyage to Rome as a prisoner, and where he continued a prisoner for two years. Thus traditional exegesis supposes that Paul sailed from Rome into Asia, passing Crete by the way, and that there he left Titus "to set in order the things that were wanting." Thence he would have gone to Ephesus, where he left Timothy, and from Ephesus to Macedonia, where he wrote the First Epistle to Timothy, and from there, according to the superscription of this epistle, to Nicopolis in Epirus, from which place he wrote to Titus, about 66 or 67.
Critical view
Doubt about Paul's authorship of Titus was been expressed by critical scholars since the mid-nineteenth century. According to Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), "Paul's Authorship was undisputed in antiquity, as far as known, but is frequently doubted today. It was probably written about the same time as the First Epistle to Timothy, with which it has many affinities."
All three Pastoral epistles are widely regarded by contemporary scholars as being pseudepigraphical. On the basis of the language and content of the epistles, many scholars believe that they were written after Paul's death by someone who honored his spirit and wished to invoke Paul's name in dealing with problems of a later time. Critics examining the text find its vocabulary and literary style unlike Paul's unquestionably authentic letters, see the life situation of Paul in the epistles as inconsistent with Paul's reconstructed biography, and identify principles of the emerged Christian church after those of the apostolic generation.[3]
In the view of critical scholars, Titus is dated from the 80s up to the end of the second century.[4]
Epimenides
One of the secular peculiarities of the Epistle to Titus is the inclusion of text which has become known as the Epimenides paradox. According to the World English Bible translation, Titus 1:12-13 reads (in part) "One of them, a prophet of their own, said, 'Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and idle gluttons.' This testimony is true." The statement by a member of a group that all members are liars is now a famous logic problem, since the prophet who declared all Cretans liar must therefore have been a liar himself, and therefore not a true prophet.
See also
- Authorship of the Pauline epistles
- 1 Timothy
- 2 Timothy
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- ↑ The idea of appointing elders (also called presbyters, from which the name of the Presbyterian Church is derived), is cited along with the term episcopos, or bishop, by critical scholars as anachronistic, since formal church offices such as these do not exist in the unquestionably authentic Pauline letters.
- ↑ Bart D. Ehrman. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. pp. 385ff
- ↑ Bart D. Ehrman, op. cit.
- ↑ Raymond E. Brown. An Introduction to the New Testament. New York: Anchor Bible, p. 662
External links
Online translations of the Epistle to Titus:
Exegetical papers on Titus:
| Preceded by: 2 Timothy |
Books of the Bible |
Succeeded by: Philemon |
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