Epistle to Titus

The Epistle to Titus is a New Testament letter traditionally attributed to Paul. It instructs Titus on appointing church leaders, teaching sound doctrine, and shaping conduct in the Cretan churches.

Titus: A Christian coworker of Paul who appears in several New Testament letters and is named as the recipient of the Epistle to Titus. The letter addresses Titus as the delegate responsible for organizing Cretan churches.
Church order: The structures, offices, and practices by which a Christian community organizes its leadership and common life. Titus is told to appoint elders in each town and address disorder.
Paul the Apostle: An early Christian missionary and letter-writer whose works became central to the New Testament. Tradition names Paul as the sender, though the attribution is debated by scholars.
First Epistle to Timothy: A New Testament letter traditionally attributed to Paul that gives Timothy instructions about church leadership and teaching. It shares the Pastoral Epistles' concern with leaders, doctrine, and community conduct.
Crete: A Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea and the setting of the communities addressed in the Epistle to Titus. The letter's instructions concern churches Titus was to organize across the island.
Elder (Christianity): A leader in an early Christian community, often responsible for oversight and teaching. The letter lists qualifications for elders whom Titus is to appoint.
Deutero-Pauline epistles: New Testament letters attributed to Paul whose authorship by Paul is disputed in modern scholarship. Titus is often discussed alongside letters scholars question as directly written by Paul.
Second Epistle to Timothy: A New Testament letter traditionally attributed to Paul that presents final instructions to Timothy. Its personal tone and treatment of ministry offer a useful comparison with Titus.
Pastoral Epistles: A group of New Testament letters comprising 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus, concerned with church leadership and teaching. Titus is grouped with these letters because of its shared pastoral concerns and style.
Sound doctrine: Teaching regarded as faithful to Christian belief and capable of guiding proper conduct. Titus repeatedly connects reliable teaching with correction and community stability.

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Epimenides paradoxBroader topic: Its quotation, “Cretans are always liars,” supplies a famous version of the claim.