Chronological

Footnotes

1. Titus 1:1 In this beautiful salutation the author highlights the centrality of the Letter’s salvation theme in two ways. (1) He defines the role of an apostle—to tell all people of God’s plan to lead them to eternal life. (2) He specifically mentions Christ’s role as Savior, which he does in no other salutation.
2. Titus 1:1 Servant of God: this is the only place Paul applies the phrase to himself; elsewhere he calls himself “servant of Christ” (see Rom 1:1; Gal 1:10; Phil 1:1). Apostle: see note on Mk 6:30.
3. Titus 1:4 God our Savior . . . Christ Jesus our Savior: the term “Savior” is applied three times to God the Father (here and Tit 2:10; 3:4; see also 1 Tim 1:1; 2:3; 4:10) and three times to Jesus (Tit 1:4; 2:13; 3:6; see also 2 Tim 1:10).
4. Titus 1:4 My loyal child in the faith we share: Titus is Paul’s true child because he accepts and will proclaim the faith that Paul preaches. This links Titus with the developing chain of tradition.
5. Titus 1:5 The young communities remain under the direct supervision of the Apostle or his delegate. But the latter establishes a group of people entrusted with its day-to-day operation and regular instruction. Such delegates are given various names in the New Testament: presbyters, bishops, and pastors. Each one seems to be responsible for the community.
   After the disappearance of the Apostles and their immediate delegates, the situation will evolve; the community will be led by a bishop, who presides over the college of priests and the group of deacons. At the time of this Letter, the leaders possess an authority linked to that of the Apostle. They must truly imitate his manner of life and also fulfill the primary task of preaching the word of God.
6. Titus 1:7 Bishop: (i.e., “overseer”) this term could replace presbyter (i.e., “elder”: vv. 5-6) because the two were equivalent at that time (see Acts 20:17, 28).
7. Titus 1:10 There will always be troublemakers who profit from fables and practices that they propagate; they monopolize religion instead of entering into the Gospel. The important thing, Jesus had declared (see Mk 7:1-23), was not to wash one’s hands or to forbid foods but to give oneself to God with an upright and sincere heart (see Mt 5:8). The author sternly reminds the Cretans of their now firm reputation as liars, and he does not miss the opportunity to cite (in v. 12) a saying (which had become a veritable proverb) of one of their poets, Epimenides of Cnossos, who lived in the sixth century B.C.
8. Titus 1:10 Jewish converts: literally, “those of the circumcision.” These individuals (who have come to be called “Judaizers”) had two basic characteristics: (1) the belief that Christians had to be circumcised and also keep the Jewish ceremonial law (see notes on Gal, ch. 2); (2) a fondness for unscriptural Jewish myths and genealogies (see note on 1 Tim 1:3-20).
9. Titus 1:15 This is a proverb that takes on a Christian meaning (see Mt 15:10-20; Rom 14:14-23). Christians have been purified by the sacrificial Death of Christ. Hence, to them “everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided that it is received with thanksgiving” (1 Tim 4:4). On the other hand, to those who are corrupt and without faith, nothing is pure. They set up man-made prohibitions against certain foods, marriage, and the like (see Mt 15:10-11, 16-20; Mk 7:14-19; Acts 10:9-16; Rom 14:20).
10. Titus 2:1 The moral rules set forth here could also have been voiced by a Stoic philosopher of the time. The author does not criticize the social climate of his day, but he wants the Christian communities to be models of honesty and dignity. He describes a new spirit: charity. Christians of all ages and all conditions who form the Church must show by their most ordinary actions that they live for God. On these matters, see Eph 5:21—6:9; Col 3:18-21.
11. Titus 2:11 Here, at the center of the Letter, is a beautiful passage for Christmastime. The manifestation (or epiphany) of God must change our way of knowing and living. Christians are on the way to an event; they are hastening toward the final manifestation of Christ in glory. Hence, this text is also a valuable testimony to the faith of the early Christians in the divinity of Christ (v. 14).
12. Titus 2:13 Of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ: this is a clear statement of the divinity of Christ (see also Rom 9:5). Some, however, offer another translation that does not possess that same clarity: “of the great God and of our Savior Jesus Christ.”
13. Titus 2:15 The fact that someone’s life is no longer ruled by passion, egoism, and wickedness is always surprising. It is the sign that such a person is marked by the idea of God’s goodness. With these practical recommendations, the author knows how to evoke in a few words the major aspects of the Christian mystery: love of God; salvation through grace; Baptism; the gift of the Spirit; and the expectation of fulfillment in the end time.
14. Titus 3:1 To be ready to perform any honorable task: another possible translation is: “to be open to every good enterprise.”
15. Titus 3:5 The effects of Baptism are delineated: rebirth, forgiveness of sins by Christ, reception of the Holy Spirit, and the right to eternal life (of which the indwelling Spirit is a pledge—see 2 Cor 1:22).
16. Titus 3:8 The act of believing is not something pertaining only to one’s spirit; it engages one’s whole life. The author shows himself to be severe toward those who spend their time and their understanding on idle discussions and on speculations whose object is no longer the sincere search for truth. Here, for the first time, is enunciated the idea of the seditious person, the “heretic,” a word borrowed from the philosophical schools of the time. In a Christian setting, he is a person who chooses the elements of the faith that suit him and is ready to deny essentials and divide the community.
17. Titus 3:12 Paul takes the opportunity to stress one more time that Christians should do what is good (see Tit 3:1, 8, 14). This will ensure that their lives will not be “unfruitful.” The practice of doing good is above all the concrete mutual help among those who are disenfranchised.
18. Titus 3:12 Artemas: apparently one of Paul’s coworkers, who is mentioned nowhere else. Tychicus: a trusted coworker of Paul who on several occasions seems to be traveling with the Apostle or for him (see Acts 20:4; Eph 6:21f; Col 4:7f; 2 Tim 4:12). Nicopolis: a city in the Roman province of Epirus on the west coast of Greece.
19. Titus 3:13 Zenas . . . Apollos: almost certainly the bearers of this Letter. Zenas is a coworker of Paul mentioned nowhere else. Apollos is the well-known Alexandrian Jewish convert who was fully instructed at Ephesus and worked effectively in the Church of Corinth (see Acts 18:24-28; 19:1; 1 Cor 1:12; 3:4-6; 16:12).
20. Titus 3:14 Urgent needs: another possible translation is: “practical needs.”
21. Titus 3:15 Grace be with all of you: some manuscripts have: “The grace of the Lord [or ‘of God’] be with all of you. Amen.” All of you: the plural form indicates that Paul intended the Letter to be read to the whole Church (see 1 Tim 6:21; 2 Tim 4:22).