Titus 1
The longest opening of the three Pastoral letters runs four verses as one sentence — Paul, slave of God and apostle, upon hope of eternal life which the God who does not lie promised before eternal times and manifested in its own times in a proclamation, to Titus, genuine child according to the common faith. Paul left Titus in Crete to set straight what was lacking and to set elders in every city — beyond charge, husband of one wife, with believing children. The overseer, God’s household manager, must not be self-willed, prone to wrath, given to wine, a striker or fond of shameful gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, sound-minded, righteous, holy, self-controlled, holding to the faithful word. The insubordinate, futile talkers and mind-deceivers, most of all those from the circumcision, must have their mouths stopped — their own prophet called Cretans always liars, and the witness is true. All things are clean to the clean; to the defiled nothing is — they confess to know God and by their works deny him.
Why this rendering
Titus.1.4 Observation
Syntactic observation
Παῦλος δοῦλος θεοῦ, ἀπόστολος δὲ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ κατὰ πίστιν ἐκλεκτῶν θεοῦ καὶ ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας τῆς κατ’ εὐσέβειαν ἐπ’ ἐλπίδι ζωῆς αἰωνίου, ἣν ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ ἀψευδὴς θεὸς πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων ἐφανέρωσεν δὲ καιροῖς ἰδίοις, τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ ἐν κηρύγματι ὃ ἐπιστεύθην ἐγὼ κατ’ ἐπιταγὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θεοῦ, Τίτῳ γνησίῳ τέκνῳ κατὰ κοινὴν πίστιν· χάρις καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν — Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s chosen and the knowledge of the truth that is according to piety, upon hope of eternal life, which the God who does not lie promised before eternal times, but manifested in its own times his word in a proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the command of God our saviour — to Titus, genuine child according to the common faith: grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our saviour. The longest opening of the three Pastoral letters — vv.1-4 are one sentence. Παῦλος δοῦλος θεοῦ, ἀπόστολος δὲ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ‘a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ’ — ‘slave of God’ only here in Paul’s openings (Rom 1:1 ‘slave of Christ Jesus’) · ‘apostle of Jesus Christ’ — the two letters to Timothy had ‘of Christ Jesus’ · κατὰ πίστιν ἐκλεκτῶν θεοῦ ‘according to the faith of God’s chosen’ — 2 Tim 2:10 ‘the chosen’ · whether κατά is purpose or standard is left open · ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας τῆς κατ’ εὐσέβειαν ‘the knowledge of the truth that is according to piety’ — 1 Tim 2:4 ‘knowledge of the truth’ · 1 Tim 6:3 ‘the teaching according to piety’ · ἐπ’ ἐλπίδι ζωῆς αἰωνίου ‘upon hope of eternal life’ — 1 Tim 1:1 ‘our hope’ · ἣν ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ ἀψευδὴς θεός ‘which the God who does not lie promised’ — Rom 4:21 ‘promise’ (God) · ἀψευδής once in the New Testament — set against v.12 ‘liars’ (ψεύστης) · the grain of Rom 3:4 ‘let God be true, and every man a liar’ · πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων ‘before eternal times’ — with 2 Tim 1:9 the only two in the New Testament · ἐφανέρωσεν δὲ καιροῖς ἰδίοις ‘but manifested in its own times’ — the active of 2 Tim 1:10 ‘manifested through the appearing’ · 1 Tim 2:6 ‘its own times’ · τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ ἐν κηρύγματι ‘his word in a proclamation’ — 2 Tim 4:17 ‘proclamation’ · ὃ ἐπιστεύθην ἐγώ ‘with which I was entrusted’ — the construction of 1 Tim 1:11 ‘with which I was entrusted’ (passive + accusative) · ἐγώ expressed · κατ’ ἐπιταγὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θεοῦ ‘according to the command of God our saviour’ — the phrase of 1 Tim 1:1 · ‘saviour’ of God in v.3 and of Christ Jesus in v.4 — of both within one sentence (2 Tim 1:10 of Christ). Τίτῳ γνησίῳ τέκνῳ ‘to Titus, genuine child’ — the same words as 1 Tim 1:2 ‘genuine child Timothy’ (2 Tim 1:2 ‘beloved’) · κατὰ κοινὴν πίστιν ‘according to the common faith’ — the word of Acts 2:44 ‘all things in common’ · kept apart from Mark 7:15 ‘common’ (unclean) · χάρις ⸀καὶ εἰρήνη ‘grace and peace’ — two (the Received Text inserts ‘mercy’ to make three — a reading levelled to the Timothy letters) · ⸂Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ⸃ the Received Text ‘the Lord Jesus Christ’.
Rendering options · 4
Basis The negated adjective of ψεῦδος ‘lie’ · ψεύστης ‘liar’ — ‘who does not lie’ keeps the piece that v.12 ‘liars’ shares.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected ‘Cannot’ adds an ability the text does not state.
Basis Site-rule against Mark 7:15 ‘common’ (unclean) — Acts 2:44 ‘all things in common’ is the same word on its good side.
Basis The base text’s ⸀καί — the Received Text’s three ‘grace, mercy, peace’ is levelled to the Timothy letters · not rendered.
Lost in translation
ἀψευδής (v.2) / ψεῦσται (v.12) — God and the Cretans. ‘Does not lie / liars’ keep the contrast.
σωτῆρος (vv.3 · 4) — one word for God and for Christ Jesus. ‘Saviour’ twice keeps it.
ἐπιστεύθην ἐγώ (v.3) — ἐγώ expressed. ‘I was entrusted’ cannot show the emphasis; the pronoun is obligatory.
κατὰ πίστιν (v.1) — purpose or standard. ‘According to’ leaves it open.
γνησίῳ τέκνῳ (v.4) / 1 Tim 1:2 — ‘genuine child’ twice shows the two letters share the words.
vv.1-4 one sentence — carried on dashes.
Why this rendering
Titus.1.9 Observation
Syntactic observation
Τούτου χάριν ἀπέλιπόν σε ἐν Κρήτῃ ἵνα τὰ λείποντα ἐπιδιορθώσῃ, καὶ καταστήσῃς κατὰ πόλιν πρεσβυτέρους, ὡς ἐγώ σοι διεταξάμην, εἴ τίς ἐστιν ἀνέγκλητος, μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἀνήρ, τέκνα ἔχων πιστά, μὴ ἐν κατηγορίᾳ ἀσωτίας ἢ ἀνυπότακτα. δεῖ γὰρ τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἀνέγκλητον εἶναι ὡς θεοῦ οἰκονόμον, μὴ αὐθάδη, μὴ ὀργίλον, μὴ πάροινον, μὴ πλήκτην, μὴ αἰσχροκερδῆ, ἀλλὰ φιλόξενον, φιλάγαθον, σώφρονα, δίκαιον, ὅσιον, ἐγκρατῆ, ἀντεχόμενον τοῦ κατὰ τὴν διδαχὴν πιστοῦ λόγου, ἵνα δυνατὸς ᾖ καὶ παρακαλεῖν ἐν τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ καὶ τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας ἐλέγχειν — For this cause I left you behind in Crete, that you might further set straight the things lacking and set elders in every city, as I directed you — if anyone is beyond charge, husband of one wife, having believing children not under accusation of wastefulness or insubordinate. For the overseer must be beyond charge as God’s household manager, not self-willed, not prone to wrath, not given to wine, not a striker, not fond of shameful gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, sound-minded, righteous, holy, self-controlled, holding to the faithful word that is according to the teaching, so that he may be able both to exhort with the healthy teaching and to expose those who speak against. Τούτου χάριν ‘For this cause’ — the phrase of Eph 3:1·14 · ⸀ἀπέλιπόν σε ἐν Κρήτῃ ‘I left you behind in Crete’ — 2 Tim 4:13·20 ‘leave behind’ (the Received Text another verb) · Acts 27:7 Crete · Acts records no work of Paul on Crete — the text does not mention it · ἵνα τὰ λείποντα ἐπιδιορθώσῃ ‘that you might further set straight the things lacking’ — Luke 18:22 ‘lacking’ · ἐπιδιορθόω once in the New Testament — sharing ‘straight’ with 2 Tim 3:16 ‘setting straight’ (ἐπανόρθωσις) · ‘further’ is the ἐπι- · καταστήσῃς κατὰ πόλιν πρεσβυτέρους ‘set elders in every city’ — Matt 24:45 ‘set’ · 1 Tim 5:17 ‘elder’ (office) · ‘in every city’ — not said in 1 Timothy · ὡς ἐγώ σοι διεταξάμην ‘as I directed you’ — 1 Cor 16:1 ‘direct’ · ἐγώ expressed. The list of requirements takes up 1 Tim 3:2-7 — six the same (beyond charge · husband of one wife · children · not given to wine · not a striker · hospitable · sound-minded) · 1 Tim 3:2 ‘beyond reproach’ (ἀνεπίλημπτος) is here ‘beyond charge’ (ἀνέγκλητος — the word of Col 1:22 · 1 Tim 3:10) · τέκνα ἔχων πιστά ‘having believing children’ — different from 1 Tim 3:4 ‘having children in subjection’ · ‘believing’ or ‘faithful’, left open · μὴ ἐν κατηγορίᾳ ἀσωτίας ‘not under accusation of wastefulness’ — 1 Tim 5:19 ‘accusation’ · Eph 5:18 ‘wastefulness’ · ἀνυπότακτα ‘insubordinate’ — the word of 1 Tim 1:9 (again at v.10) · v.6 ‘anyone’ (τις) becomes v.7 ‘the overseer’ (ἐπίσκοπος) — elder and overseer of one person · ὡς θεοῦ οἰκονόμον ‘as God’s household manager’ — Luke 12:42 · 1 Cor 4:1 ‘household manager’ · five with μή — αὐθάδη ‘not self-willed’ (with 2 Peter 2 the two in the New Testament) · ὀργίλον ‘not prone to wrath’ (once — the adjective of 1 Tim 2:8 ὀργή ‘wrath’) · πάροινον ‘not given to wine’ (1 Tim 3:3) · πλήκτην ‘not a striker’ (1 Tim 3:3) · αἰσχροκερδῆ ‘not fond of shameful gain’ (1 Tim 3:8 — 1 Tim 3:3 did not have this, by ⸀ · paired with v.11 ‘shameful gain’) · six after ἀλλά — φιλόξενον ‘hospitable’ (1 Tim 3:2) · φιλάγαθον ‘a lover of good’ (once — the positive of 2 Tim 3:3 ‘not lovers of good’) · σώφρονα ‘sound-minded’ (1 Tim 3:2) · δίκαιον · ὅσιον ‘holy’ (the ὅσιος of 1 Tim 2:8 — shares ‘holy’ with ἅγιος · recorded) · ἐγκρατῆ ‘self-controlled’ (once — Acts 24:25 ἐγκράτεια ‘self-control’ · the positive of 2 Tim 3:3 ‘without self-control’) · ἀντεχόμενον τοῦ κατὰ τὴν διδαχὴν πιστοῦ λόγου ‘holding to the faithful word that is according to the teaching’ — the verb of Matt 6:24 ‘hold to one’ (1 Thess 5:14 ‘hold on to’ is the site of persons) · the formula ‘faithful is the word’ (1 Tim 1:15) here as ‘the faithful word’ · διδαχή (v.9 · Rom 6:17) and διδασκαλία (later in v.9 · ‘the healthy teaching’) both in one verse — both ‘teaching’ (recorded loss) · ἵνα δυνατὸς ᾖ καὶ παρακαλεῖν … καὶ … ἐλέγχειν ‘so that he may be able both to exhort … and to expose’ — the construction of Rom 4:21 ‘is able’ · 1 Tim 5:20 ‘expose’ · τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας ‘those who speak against’ — Acts 13:45 ‘speak against’.
Rendering options · 4
Basis The site-rule of 1 Tim 4:12 ‘believers’ · 5:16 ‘believing woman’ — that it can also read ‘faithful’ is recorded here.
Basis The site of 1 Tim 1:12 ‘faithful’.
Rejected Closed as ‘believing’ with the other reading recorded — the parallel with ‘accusation of wastefulness’ leans to belief.
Basis Shares ‘straight’ with 2 Tim 3:16 ‘setting straight’ and carries ἐπι- as ‘further’ — ‘put in order’ would lose both.
Basis 1 Thess 5:14 ‘hold on to the weak’ is the site of persons · with the word as object, the site-rule of Matt 6:24 ‘hold to one’.
Lost in translation
διδαχήν / διδασκαλίᾳ (v.9) — two words in one verse. ‘Teaching’ covers both.
ἐπιδιορθώσῃ (v.5) / 2 Tim 3:16 ἐπανόρθωσιν — ‘set straight / setting straight’ keep the root.
φιλάγαθον · ἐγκρατῆ (v.8) / 2 Tim 3:3 ἀφιλάγαθοι · ἀκρατεῖς — positive and negative. ‘Lover of good / not lovers of good’ · ‘self-controlled / without self-control’ keep it.
πιστά (v.6) — believing or faithful. Closed as ‘believing’.
ἀνέγκλητος (vv.6 · 7) / 1 Tim 3:2 ἀνεπίλημπτος — two words. ‘Beyond charge / beyond reproach’ keep them apart.
ὅσιον (v.8) — shares ‘holy’ with ἅγιος. Recorded loss.
Why this rendering
Titus.1.13 Observation
Syntactic observation
Εἰσὶν γὰρ πολλοὶ καὶ ἀνυπότακτοι, ματαιολόγοι καὶ φρεναπάται, μάλιστα οἱ ἐκ τῆς περιτομῆς, οὓς δεῖ ἐπιστομίζειν, οἵτινες ὅλους οἴκους ἀνατρέπουσιν διδάσκοντες ἃ μὴ δεῖ αἰσχροῦ κέρδους χάριν. εἶπέν τις ἐξ αὐτῶν, ἴδιος αὐτῶν προφήτης, Κρῆτες ἀεὶ ψεῦσται, κακὰ θηρία, γαστέρες ἀργαί· ἡ μαρτυρία αὕτη ἐστὶν ἀληθής. δι’ ἣν αἰτίαν ἔλεγχε αὐτοὺς ἀποτόμως, ἵνα ὑγιαίνωσιν ἐν τῇ πίστει — For there are many insubordinate, futile talkers and mind-deceivers, most of all those from the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped; who overturn whole houses, teaching what they ought not for the sake of shameful gain. One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, bad wild beasts, idle bellies.” This witness is true. For which cause expose them with severity, so that they may be healthy in the faith, Εἰσὶν γὰρ πολλοὶ ⸀καὶ ἀνυπότακτοι ‘For there are many insubordinate’ — the word of v.6’s children, now of adults (the Received Text without καί) · ματαιολόγοι ‘futile talkers’ (once in the New Testament — the persons of 1 Tim 1:6 ματαιολογία ‘futile talk’) · φρεναπάται ‘mind-deceivers’ (once — 1 Cor 14:20 φρήν ‘thinking’ · 1 Tim 2:14 ἀπατάω ‘deceive’) · μάλιστα οἱ ἐκ ⸀τῆς περιτομῆς ‘most of all those from the circumcision’ — Gal 2:12 ‘those from the circumcision’ (the Received Text without the article) · οὓς δεῖ ἐπιστομίζειν ‘whose mouths must be stopped’ — ἐπιστομίζω once (στόμα ‘mouth’ inside it · a different word from 1 Tim 5:18 φιμόω ‘muzzle’) · ὅλους οἴκους ἀνατρέπουσιν ‘overturn whole houses’ — the verb of 2 Tim 2:18 ‘overturn the faith’ (two places) · διδάσκοντες ἃ μὴ δεῖ ‘teaching what they ought not’ — the phrase of 1 Tim 5:13 ‘what they ought not’ · αἰσχροῦ κέρδους χάριν ‘for the sake of shameful gain’ — the two words of v.7 ‘not fond of shameful gain’ unpacked · Phil 1:21 ‘gain’. εἶπέν τις ἐξ αὐτῶν, ἴδιος αὐτῶν προφήτης ‘One of them, a prophet of their own, said’ — no name given · ‘prophet’ is their name for him · Κρῆτες ἀεὶ ψεῦσται, κακὰ θηρία, γαστέρες ἀργαί ‘Cretans are always liars, bad wild beasts, idle bellies’ — three clauses without a verb · Acts 2:11 ‘Cretans’ · Acts 7:51 ‘always’ · Rom 3:4 ‘liar’ · Mark 1:13 ‘wild beasts’ · 1 Cor 15:33 ‘bad’ · 1 Tim 5:13 ‘idle’ · ‘bellies’ stand for the men · the knot of a Cretan saying Cretans are liars the text does not untie · ἡ μαρτυρία αὕτη ἐστὶν ἀληθής ‘This witness is true’ — the two words of John 5:31-32 ‘witness … true’ · δι’ ἣν αἰτίαν ‘For which cause’ — 2 Tim 1:6·12 · ἔλεγχε αὐτοὺς ἀποτόμως ‘expose them with severity’ — 2 Cor 13:10 ‘with severity’ (two places) · ἵνα ὑγιαίνωσιν ἐν τῇ πίστει ‘so that they may be healthy in the faith’ — v.9 ‘healthy teaching’ · again at 2:2 · ‘healthy’ of persons.
Rendering options · 4
Basis The quotation has no verb — ‘are’ supplied once, the three left without conjunctions · ‘bellies’ not turned into ‘gluttons’.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected ‘Gluttons’ is not in the text and ‘bellies’ disappears · ‘lazy’ breaks ‘idle’ as fixed at 1 Tim 5:13.
Basis στόμα ‘mouth’ lies inside the word — a different word from 1 Tim 5:18 ‘do not muzzle’ (φιμόω).
Basis Acts 27:7 ‘Crete’ (the island) · Acts 2:11 ‘Cretans’ — Acts 2:11 was realigned the same day from a different spelling.
Lost in translation
Κρῆτες ἀεὶ ψεῦσται … (v.12) — three without a verb. One ‘are’ carries three; no conjunction.
ἐπιστομίζειν (v.11) — στόμα ‘mouth’ inside. ‘Mouths … stopped’ carries it.
αἰσχροκερδῆ (v.7) / αἰσχροῦ κέρδους (v.11) — one word and two. ‘Shameful gain’ ties them.
ματαιολόγοι (v.10) / 1 Tim 1:6 ματαιολογία — ‘futile talkers / futile talk’ keep the root.
ἀνυπότακτοι (v.10) / ἀνυπότακτα (v.6) — one word for adults and children. ‘Insubordinate’ twice keeps it.
ὑγιαίνωσιν (v.13) / v.9 ὑγιαινούσῃ — ‘healthy’ of persons and of teaching. Both keep it.
Why this rendering
Titus.1.16 Observation
Syntactic observation
μὴ προσέχοντες Ἰουδαϊκοῖς μύθοις καὶ ἐντολαῖς ἀνθρώπων ἀποστρεφομένων τὴν ἀλήθειαν. πάντα καθαρὰ τοῖς καθαροῖς· τοῖς δὲ μεμιαμμένοις καὶ ἀπίστοις οὐδὲν καθαρόν, ἀλλὰ μεμίανται αὐτῶν καὶ ὁ νοῦς καὶ ἡ συνείδησις. θεὸν ὁμολογοῦσιν εἰδέναι, τοῖς δὲ ἔργοις ἀρνοῦνται, βδελυκτοὶ ὄντες καὶ ἀπειθεῖς καὶ πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἀδόκιμοι — not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. All things are clean to the clean; but to the defiled and unbelieving nothing is clean, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They confess to know God, but by their works they deny him, being abominable and disobedient and unapproved for every good work. μὴ προσέχοντες Ἰουδαϊκοῖς μύθοις ‘not paying attention to Jewish myths’ — the phrase of 1 Tim 1:4 ‘pay attention to myths’ · Ἰουδαϊκός once in the New Testament (the adjective of Gal 2:14 ‘like a Jew’ — the adverb there) · καὶ ἐντολαῖς ἀνθρώπων ‘and commandments of men’ — the grain of Matt 15:9, though the word differs (there ἔνταλμα) · ἀποστρεφομένων τὴν ἀλήθειαν ‘who turn away from the truth’ — the form of 2 Tim 1:15 ‘turned away from me’ (middle-passive + accusative) · set against the active of 2 Tim 4:4 ‘turn the hearing away’. ⸀πάντα καθαρὰ τοῖς καθαροῖς ‘All things are clean to the clean’ — the saying of Rom 14:20 ‘all things are clean’ · Luke 11:41 ‘all things are clean’ · the Received Text adds ‘indeed’ · τοῖς δὲ μεμιαμμένοις καὶ ἀπίστοις οὐδὲν καθαρόν ‘but to the defiled and unbelieving nothing is clean’ — John 18:28 ‘be defiled’ (perfect passive) · 2 Cor 6:14 ‘unbeliever’ · ‘clean’ three times in one verse · μεμίανται αὐτῶν καὶ ὁ νοῦς καὶ ἡ συνείδησις ‘both their mind and their conscience are defiled’ — 1 Tim 6:5 ‘destroyed in mind’ · 1 Tim 4:2 ‘branded in conscience’ — the two words together here. θεὸν ὁμολογοῦσιν εἰδέναι ‘They confess to know God’ — 1 Tim 6:12 ‘confess’ · τοῖς δὲ ἔργοις ἀρνοῦνται ‘but by their works they deny him’ — 2 Tim 2:12-13 · 3:5 ‘deny’ · the pair confess/deny · βδελυκτοὶ ὄντες ‘being abominable’ — βδελυκτός once (the adjective of Luke 16:15 βδέλυγμα ‘abomination’) · ἀπειθεῖς ‘disobedient’ — 2 Tim 3:2 ‘disobedient to parents’ · πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἀδόκιμοι ‘unapproved for every good work’ — 2 Tim 3:8 ‘unapproved concerning the faith’ · the exact opposite of 2 Tim 3:17 ‘fully fitted for every good work’.
Rendering options · 4
Basis Rom 14:20 ‘all things are clean’ as fixed — not split into ‘pure’ and ‘clean’.
Basis The root of Luke 16:15 ‘an abomination before God’ as fixed.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected Cuts the root shared with ‘abomination’.
Basis The site-rule of 2 Tim 1:15 ‘turned away from me’ — the accusative ‘the truth’ as ‘from the truth’.
Lost in translation
καθαρά · καθαροῖς · καθαρόν (v.15) — three in one verse. ‘Clean’ three times keeps it.
ὁμολογοῦσιν / ἀρνοῦνται (v.16) — confess · deny. ‘Confess … deny’ keep the pair.
βδελυκτοί (v.16) / Luke 16:15 βδέλυγμα — ‘abominable / abomination’ keep the root.
μεμιαμμένοις / μεμίανται (v.15) — two perfect passives. ‘Defiled / are defiled’ carry them.
ἀδόκιμοι πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθόν (v.16) / 2 Tim 3:17 — ‘every good work’ marks opposite men across the two letters.
ἀποστρεφομένων (v.14) / 2 Tim 4:4 ἀποστρέψουσιν — middle-passive and active. ‘Turn away from / turn away’ keep one verb.