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9 to my gospel-through which I suffer h
imprisonment as a criminal. But the wordardship, even to the extent of
10 therefore I endure everything for the sake of God has not been fettered;
may obtain the salvation which is in Christ the chosen, that they too
Jesus and also majesty

11 eternal. THE SAYING IS SURE:

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live:

Remind them of these

"If with him we died, then with him shall we If we endure, then with him shall we reign : If we disown him, then he will disown us: If we are faithless, faithful he remains," 14 for to himself he cannot be untrue. things, and charge them solemnly in the sight of the Lorcad 1 not to wrangle over words-there is no gain in that, it means the ruin of the 15 hearers. Make every effort to present thyself genuine to God, a workman 16 with no cause for shame, handling the word of the truth aright.

But

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avoid men of worldly babble; for such people will proceed still further in 17 impiety, and their talk will spread like a gangrene. Among them 18 Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have swerved in the matter of the truth, by alleging that the resurrection has taken place already. They 19 are indeed subverting some people's faith. Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands firm, with this inscription,

and

"Known to the Lord are those who are his:"

"Let every one who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity." 20 Now in a large house there are vessels not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay; and while some are for honour, others are for 21 dishonour. If a man then purge himself from these things, he shall be a vessel for honour, sanctified, serviceable to the Master, prepared for 22 every good deed. So flee from youthful lusts, and pursue uprightness, faith, love, peace, in company with those who from a pure heart call 23 upon the Lord. But have nothing to do with foolish and fatuous 24 controversies, knowing that they engender wrangles. And a slave of the

Lord must not wrangle; he must be kindly towards all, a skilful 25 teacher, meek, correcting with gentleness those who set themselves in opposition-possibly God may grant them to repent and gain full 26 knowledge of the truth, and so they may get back to their sober senses from the snare of the devil, who has captured them to do that devil's will. 312 But know this: in the last days hard times shall be imminent. Men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, braggarts, haughty, abusive, 3 disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without natural affection, implacable, slanderous, self-indulgent, fierce, no lovers of 4 good, traitors, reckless, besotted, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers 5 of God, maintaining a semblance of piety but having renounced its 6 power; from these men turn thou away. For to them belong those who creep into households and captivate poor womankind overwhelmed with 7 sins, led away by manifold lusts, ever learning and never able to arrive 8 at a full knowledge of the truth. Now just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also do these men oppose the truth, men corrupted in 9 mind, reprobate as regards the faith. Still, they shall not proceed any further; for their folly shall be quite evident to all men, as the folly of 10 those magicians also became quite evident.

But thou hast followed the course of my life in doctrine, conduct, purpose, faith, 11 endurance, love, patience, persecutions, sufferings, all that befell me at

1 Reading xupíov.

Antioch, at Ikonium, at Lystra, all the persecutions that I bore; yet out of 12 them all the Lord rescued me. Yea, and all who would live piously in Christ 13 Jesus shall be persecuted. Evil men and impostors shall proceed to what 14 is worse and worse, seducing and seduced. But remain thou in what thou hast learned and been convinced of, as thou knowest those from 15 whom thou hast learned it, and as thou hast known from infancy the sacred writings, which are able to instruct thee for salvation through the 16 faith which is in Christ Jesus. Every scripture is inspired by God and good for teaching, for reproof, for amendment, for education in upright17 ness; in order that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly fitted 4 1 for every good deed. In the sight of God and of Christ Jesus

who is to judge living and dead, by his appearing and also by his reign, I 2 solemnly charge thee: proclaim the word, opportunely or inopportunely be urgent, refute, rebuke, exhort, with all manner of long-suffering and 3 instruction. For there will be a time when people will not put up with the sound doctrine, but will follow their own fancies and amass teacher 4 after teacher in their itching to hear; and as they turn away from 5 listening to the truth, they will turn aside to myths. But be thou sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy 6 ministry. As for me, I am already being poured out as an offering; my 7 time for departure is at hand. I have played my part in the noble 8 contest. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. Hence there

9, 10

is laid up for me the wreath of uprightness with which the Lord-the upright judge-will reward me on that Day; and not me alone, but also all who have loved his appearing.

Make haste and come to me soon; for Demas, in love with the present world, has forsaken me and gone to Thessalonika; Crescens has gone to 11 Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him along with thee, for he is serviceable to me in the way of 12, 13 ministry. (I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.) When thou comest, bring the

mantle that I left with Karpus at Troas, and the books-especially the 14 parchments. Alexander the blacksmith has displayed great malice 15 towards me; the Lord will render to him according to his deeds (do thou 16 eschew him also), for he stoutly opposed our words. At my first defence

no one came to stand by me; all forsook me. May it not be laid to their 17 charge! But the Lord stood at my side and strengthened me, that by means of me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the 18 Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued from the lion's jaws. From every wicked deed will the Lord rescue me and save me for his heavenly reign: to whom be the majesty for ever and ever. Amen.

19, 20

Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.

Erastus

21 remained at Corinth; but I left Trophimus at Miletus, as he was ill. Make haste and come before the winter. Eubulus salutes thee, and so do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers.

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[95-125 A.D.]

TITUS

In 2 Timothy he [the redactor of the pastoral epistles] denounces at considerable length and with great vehemence the doctrine of certain false teachers, and the practices of certain libertines. In the epistle to Titus he is also concerned to do away with false doctrine and corrupt practice, but he takes a somewhat different course, emphasising the need of proper officers who shall guard the churches against such evils. There is less denunciation of heresy in Titus than in 2 Timothy, but much more emphasis is laid upon church organisation and upon the practical duties of the Christian life.-McGiffert.

11-4 Greeting.

15-16 Rules: for elders and bishops in Crete :

in view of current errors,

and immorality.

21-311 Ethical: the moral obligations of the Christian truth, upon different ages, sexes, conditions:

38-11

to one another, to outsiders:

the necessity of good conduct,

in Christianity.

a résumé: the conduct of Titus. πιστός ὁ λόγος. .. 38.

312-14 Personal.

315 Farewell.

TITUS

1 1 PAUL, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's chosen ones and the full knowledge of the truth which is 2 according to piety; in hope of life eternal, which God (who is no liar) 3 promised before times eternal and in due season he disclosed his word in the message with which I myself was entrusted according to the command of our Saviour, God,

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to Titus, my genuine child in virtue of a common faith:

grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

5 I left thee behind in Crete for the purpose of settling what still remained to be set in order, and of appointing elders in every city, as I 6 gave thee instructions-namely, any man who is irreproachable, the husband of one wife, with children who believe and are neither accused 7 of profligacy nor insubordinate. [For a bishop must be blameless, as God's steward, not self-willed, not irascible, not drunken or quarrelsome, 8 not greedy for base gain; but hospitable, a lover of good, sober-minded, 9 just, holy, self-controlled, holding to the sure word which is in accordance with the doctrine, so that he may be able to give exhortation in the 10 sound doctrine, and also to refute objectors.] For there are many insubordinate persons, chatterers and cheats, especially those who have come 11 from the Circumcision-their mouths must be stopped, for they are subverting whole households by teaching improper doctrine for the sake of 12 base gain. One of their own nation, a prophet of their own, said,

"Cretans are liars at all times, evil monsters, lazy gluttons." 13 This testimony is true. So reprove them with severity, that they 14 may be sound in the faith, instead of devoting themselves to Jewish 15 myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.

All

things are pure to the pure; but to the polluted and unbelieving nothing is pure. Nay, both their mind and their conscience have been polluted. 16 They publicly confess that they know God; but they renounce him by their deeds, abominable as they are, and disobedient, and useless for any good deed.

21, 2 But speak thou as befits the sound doctrine: teaching that aged men are to be temperate, serious, sober-minded, sound in faith, in love, in 3 patience. That aged women likewise are to be reverent in demeanour, not slanderous or enslaved to much wine; they are to give good in4 struction, so as to educate the younger women to love their husbands, to love 5 their children, to be sober-minded, chaste, domestic, kind, subject to their own husbands-that the word of God may not be maligned.

6, 7 Likewise exhort the younger men to be sober in all respects; and show thyself a pattern of good deeds with nothing corrupt in thy teaching, with 8 seriousness, with sound speech that is not open to condemnation; so that he who is on the opposite side may be put to shame, since he has no ill to 9 say of us. Exhort slaves to be subject to their own masters,

10 ready to please in everything, not refractory, not embezzling, but showing all true fidelity, that in all respects they may adorn the doctrine of our 11 Saviour, God. For the grace of God has appeared with its saving 12 power for all mankind, training us to renounce impiety and wordly lusts, 13 and to live soberly and uprightly and piously in this present world, as we wait for the blessed hope, even for the appearing of the majesty of the great 14 God and of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and cleanse for himself a people to be his 15 own possession, bent upon good deeds. Speak thus and exhort and 31 reprove with all manner of authority. Let no one despise thee. Remind them to be subject to rulers-to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready 2 for every good deed, to abuse no man, to be no wranglers, to be forbearing, 3 showing all gentleness to all men. For once we too were senseless, foolish, disobedient, seduced, slaves to manifold lusts and pleasures, living in 4 malice and envy, detestable, hating one another. But when the humane 5 kindness of our Saviour God appeared, then, not by deeds which we had accomplished by our own uprightness, but according to his mercy, he saved us through a bath which wrought regeneration and renewal by the 6 holy Spirit, which he poured out richly upon us through Jesus Christ 7 our Saviour; that "justified by his grace we might become heirs of life 8 eternal according to hope." THE SAYING IS SURE. And I desire thee to insist strongly with regard to these matters, that those who have believed God may be careful to take the lead in good deeds. They are good and 9 profitable to men. But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and quarrelling and wrangles about the law; for they are useless and futile. 10 After a first and a second admonition, have nothing to do with a factious 11 man; be sure a man like that is perverted, and sins against his own conscience.

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When I send Artemas to thee, or Tychicus, make haste and come to me 13 at Nikopolis; for I have decided to winter there. Speed eagerly upon their journey Zenas the lawyer and Apollos, so that they may be in lack 14 of nothing. Let our people also learn to take the lead in good deeds, as occasion requires, that they may not be unfruitful.

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