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The third of the Pastoral Epistles in the New Testament is addressed to a different co-worker of St. Paul than are first letter to Timothy and second letter to Timothy. The situation is different, too, for Titus is addressed as the person in charge of developing the church on the large Mediterranean island of Crete (Titus 1:5), a place St. Paul had never, according to the New Testament, visited. The tone is closer to that of first letter to Timothy as three topics of church life and structure are discussed: presbyter-bishops (see the note on Titus 1:5-9), groups with which one must work in the church (Titus 2:1-10), and admonitions for conduct based on the grace and love of God that appeared in Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11-3:10). The warmer personal tone of second letter to Timothy is replaced by emphasis on church office and on living in the society of the day, in which deceivers and heretics abound (Titus 1:10-16; 3:9-10).
The Pauline assistant who is addressed, Titus, was a Gentile Christian, but we are nowhere informed of his place of birth or residence. He went from Antioch with St. Paul and St. Barnabas to Jerusalem (Gal 2:1; cf Acts 15:2). According to 2 Corinthians (2 Cor 2:13; 7:6, 13-14), he was with St. Paul on his third journey; his name, however, does not appear in Acts. Besides being the bearer of St. Paul's severe letter to the Corinthians (2 Cor 7:6-8), he had the responsibility of taking up the collection in Corinth for the Christian community of Jerusalem (2 Cor 8:6, 16-19, 23). In the present letter (Titus 1:5), he is mentioned as the administrator of the Christian community in Crete, charged with the task of organizing it through the appointment of presbyters and bishops (Titus 1:5-9; here the two terms refer to the same personages).
The letter instructs Titus about the character of the assistants he is to choose in view of the pastoral difficulties peculiar to Crete (Titus 1:5-16). It suggests the special individual and social virtues that the various age groups and classes in the Christian community should be encouraged to acquire (Titus 2:1-10). The motivation for transformation of their lives comes from Christology, especially the redemptive sacrifice of Christ and his future coming, as applied through baptism and justification (Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-8). The community is to serve as a leaven for Christianizing the social world about it (Titus 3:1-3). Good works are to be the evidence of their faith in God (Titus 3:8); those who engage in religious controversy are, after suitable warning, to be ignored (Titus 3:9-11).
The authorship and date of the Letter to Titus are discussed in the Introduction to 1 Timothy. Those who assume authorship by St. Paul himself usually place Titus after 1 Timothy and before 2 Timothy. Others see it as closely related to 1 Timothy, in a growing emphasis on church structure and opposition to heresy, later than the letters of St. Paul himself and 2 Timothy. It has also been suggested that, if the three Pastorals once circulated as a literary unit, Titus was meant to be read ahead of 1 and 2 Timothy.
The principal divisions of theLetter to Titus are the following:
| I. |
Address (Titus 1:1-4) |
| II. |
Pastoral Charge (Titus 1:5-16) |
| III. |
Teaching the Christian Life (Titus 2:1-3:15) |
Key Themes
| 1. |
The gospel by its nature produces godliness in the lives of believers. There is no legitimate separation between belief and behavior.
(1:1; 2:1, 11-14; 3:4-7) |
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| 2. |
One's deeds will either prove or disprove one's claim to know God.
(1:16) |
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| 3. |
It is vitally important to have godly men serving as elders/pastors.
(1:5-9) |
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| 4. |
True Christian living will commend the gospel to others.
(2:5, 8, 10) |
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| 5. |
Good works have an important place in the lives of believers.
(2:1-10, 14; 3:1-2, 8, 14) |
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| 6. |
It is important to deal clearly and firmly with doctrinal and moral error in the church.
(1:10-16; 3:9-11) |
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| 7. |
The gospel is the basis for Christian ethics.
(2:11-14; 3:3-7) |
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