Introduction to Titus

It seems likely that Paul wrote this letter sometime between 61 and 64 C.E., that is, between his first and second imprisonment in Rome. The letter implies that at some point Paul was on the island of Crete with Titus. (Tit 1:5) Before Paul’s first imprisonment, he sailed along the coastline of the island on his trip to Rome. However, there is no record that Paul preached in Crete at that time. Therefore, he may have been there sometime between his release and his final imprisonment. Paul was probably in Macedonia when he wrote his letter to Titus.​—1Ti 1:3.

The purpose of the letter was to serve as a guide for Titus and to show that he had the apostle Paul’s full support while caring for the needs of the Cretan congregations. (Tit 1:5; 2:15) Titus had a very challenging assignment in Crete.

• Divisive elements threatened the congregations. Some “rebellious men” continued to “adhere to the circumcision,” possibly teaching that circumcision was necessary for salvation. They also advocated “Jewish fables and commandments of men.” In this way, they subverted the faith of entire households. (Tit 1:10, 11, 14) Titus was to reprove such deceivers “with severity.”​—Tit 1:13; 3:9-11.

• The Cretan Christians had come from a notoriously bad environment. Apparently, some of them reflected the bad traits for which Cretans were widely known. (Tit 1:12; 3:2) Titus needed to show what was required of Christians, whether young or old, male or female, slave or freeman. He had to set an example in fine works and “teach what is pure.”​—Tit 2:1-12.

Paul’s letter to Titus has much in common with the apostle’s first letter to Timothy, written about the same time. The style of writing is similar, and some of the topics are the same. For example, in both letters Paul lists qualifications for overseers. (1Ti 3:1-7; Tit 1:6-9) In fact, Paul’s two letters to Timothy and his letter to Titus are sometimes called Paul’s pastoral letters. The term “pastoral” comes from a Latin word meaning “to lead to pasture; to shepherd.” Paul wrote these three letters to spiritual shepherds, instructing them how to care for and protect Christ’s sheep.

All reputable ancient catalogs of the Christian Greek Scriptures, starting with the Muratorian Fragment (second century C.E.), list this letter as one of Paul’s writings. Early writers Irenaeus (second century C.E.) and Origen (third century C.E.) both quote from the letter to Titus. The letter is found in the authoritative Bible manuscripts Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Alexandrinus. A papyrus fragment (called P³²), which is a codex leaf commonly dated to about 200 C.E., contains Tit 1:11-15 and 2:3-8. (See Media Gallery, “Papyrus Fragment Containing Parts of Paul’s Letter to Titus.”) This fragment is kept at the John Rylands University Library in Manchester, England.