The short letter titled Titus, although appearing to have been written by Paul, is now almost certainly seen by scholars as not Paul's work. Bible teacher Madelon Maupin writes that "Titus, First and Second Timothy, and Second Thessalonians have a different 'voice' and approach" (see Understanding Paul in the December 2009 issue of The Christian Science Journal).
Of interest to the Bible reader is mention of the (now) Greek island of Crete, where it seems a new Christian community was being established:
Titus 1: 5 "The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you." (NIV)
Titus 1: 12 "One of Crete's own prophets has said it: 'Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.'" (NIV)
My husband and I bought Cretan honey today. It seems to be quite famous, as we've seen it several times here in Greece.
On the map below, you can see that Crete is the largest and most southerly of the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. The site of Fair Havens, where Paul's ship was safely anchored, is roughly in the middle on the southern side of the island. Acts 27:21 (NIV) - "After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood before them and said: 'Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.'"
An extract from A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey provides a nice introduction to what one might find on Crete today:
Crete is the largest and most southerly of all the Greek islands. It is also one of the most visited, due to both its beauty and its famous ancient sites. By far the best-known of these attractions is the spectacular Palace of Knossos, reconstructed over a period of thirty-five years by its discoverer, Sir Arthur Evans, who put more than a million dollars of his own money into the work. Scholars have criticized his reconstruction as a fanciful and not altogether accurate representation of the original, but millions of tourists delight in being able to see more at an ancient site than foundations, scattered stones, and a few columns. But Knossos is not the only dramatic ruin of antiquity on the island. Gortyna and Phaistos should not be missed, and for Christians the harbor of Kaloi Limenes (called Fair Havens in the New Testament) is a place of importance in the life of the Apostle Paul. Likewise, the Basilica of St. Titus at Gortyna commemorates the ministry of Titus, a Greek convert who was a disciple of Paul (Gal 2:3), as described in the New Testament book of Titus. Furthermore, Iraklion possesses an archaeological museum second only to the National Museum in Athens. The only site on Crete mentioned in the Bible, though Crete itself was said to be the place of the ministry of Titus (Titus 1:5), is the harbor of Kaloi Limenes (Good Harbor), referred to in the Book of Acts as Fair Havens (Acts 27: 8). After two thousand years, the site is known by the same name today. Even in New Testament times the place was distinguished only as the harbor for the nearby city of Lasea, a flourishing commercial city in the Roman period.
Fant, Clyde E, and Mitchell G Reddish, "Crete", A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey (New York, 2003; online edn, Oxford Academic, 12 Nov, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195139174.003.0015, accessed 11 May 2024.
I wonder how Titus got to Crete? Perhaps he was a native of the island. It seems he had his work cut out for him.
Julie Swannell
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