Titus 1 Footnotes

1:2 Some assert that God did lie in 1Kg 22:23 and Jr 20:7; see notes on those passages to confirm Paul’s statement here.

1:6 Some critics argue that since Paul required only an elder to be the “husband of one wife,” he implicitly approved of polygamy or infidelity among the laity. And admittedly, church leaders were held to a higher standard than other believers (Jms 3:1). But this does not suggest that polygamy or infidelity were acceptable for laity. Although individuals who had previously behaved immorally and later repented of such lifestyles were gladly received into the church (1Co 6:9-11), post-conversion infidelity was not casually tolerated. Such behavior constituted grounds for church discipline (1Co 5:11), including exclusion from the fellowship. See note on 1Tm 3:2.

1:10 The text refers not to Jews in general but to Judaizers who taught that in addition to placing faith in Christ, converting Gentiles also must become Jewish proselytes (receiving circumcision) and adhere to OT dietary laws and the ritual calendar. This heresy, described in the Pastoral Epistles, is basically Jewish with ascetic features and certain Hellenistic elements.

1:12 The Epimenides citation may seem an unfair regional stereotype; however, Epimenides and Paul were in a far better position to describe ancient Cretan society than are twenty-first-century critics. Cross-cultural experience confirms that certain negative behaviors may be endemic to particular cultures (including one’s own). Epimenides’s characterization was not universally true, but it was true in reference to Paul’s opponents.

1:14 See note on 1Tm 1:4.