The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (245 page)

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. 
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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
. 
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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. 
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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). 
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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). 
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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). 
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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. 
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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). 
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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). 
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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). 
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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
. 
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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). 
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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
. 
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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). 
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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. 
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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). 
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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). 
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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). 
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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. 
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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). 
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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). 
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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. 
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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). 
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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. 
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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
. 
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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). 
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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. 
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