MAP X These towns were heavily populated, described by one writer as “neither peaceable among themselves, nor very patient of foreign dominion.” Morally and socially the Cretans had a bad reputation in the Mediterranean world, illustrated by these two sayings from classical writing: “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons” (Epimenides, quoted by Paul in 1:12) “The Cretans are always brigands and piratical, and unjust” (Leonides) Churches of Crete It is not known when or by whom the Cretans were rst evangelized The original nucleus of Christians may have begun on the day of Pentecost, at Jerusalem (Acts 2:11) Paul did not visit the island on any of his missionary journeys He may have preached in the cities of the island on his brief visit after the Roman imprisonment (Read Titus 1:5.) By the time he wrote to Titus, however, he had many Christian friends living there (Titus 3:15) The very fact that God included in the canon of the New Testament a letter written indirectly to the Cretan churches that were not widely known to the rst-century Christian world tells us that no local church, however small or insigni cant in man’s eyes, is overlooked by God Occasion of writing Paul wrote the book of Titus for many of the same reasons he wrote the book of Timothy These include: a disorder and false teaching threatening the local churches (1:10-11) b inconsistent living by church members c need for instruction concerning church organization Purposes of the epistle The main purposes of the epistle, in the immediate setting, include (a) to advise Titus in his task of superintending the circuit of Cretan churches as Paul’s representative (1:5); (b) to instruct and exhort both Titus and the churches regarding Christian behavior consistent with Christian doctrine (chaps 13); (c) to instruct Titus concerning personal matters (3:12-13) Main contents Your survey of Titus will show the main subjects discussed by Paul in the epistle The predominant theme is that of maintaining good works as a demonstration of a saving faith Read the passages 2:11-14 and 3:4-7, which have been called two of the most comprehensive statements of Christian truth to be found in the New Testament Place among the pastoral epistles Of the pastoral epistles, Timothy and Titus are most alike regarding background and content, and in one sense could be called twin epistles The three pastoral epistles are compared in the accompanying diagram PASTORAL EPISTLES COMPARED XL SURVEY OF TITUS A READINGS Follow the stages and exercises of survey ... organization Purposes of the epistle The main purposes of the epistle, in the immediate setting, include (a) to advise Titus in his task of superintending the circuit of Cretan churches as Paul’s... the time he wrote to Titus, however, he had many Christian friends living there (Titus 3:15) The very fact that God included in the canon of the New Testament a letter written indirectly to the. .. on the day of Pentecost, at Jerusalem (Acts 2:11) Paul did not visit the island on any of his missionary journeys He may have preached in the cities of the island on his brief visit after the