Titus background

Titus

Author: Paul
See Ecclesiastical History by Eusebius; Book 3, Chapter 25, Verse 2.

Date: 62-64 A.D. (1)

Language: Greek

Place: Rome

Purpose: "This letter contains direction as to the type of church officer Titus should appoint in Crete, and the sort of Christian character he is trying to develop in the Cretan Church" (2)

What kind of book?: Letter re certain occasion

Reflection: For my U.S. History class, I am reading an autobiography by Frederick Douglass. I was reading it all day Saturday, (I actually wrote this during Thanksgiving break and I am now just typing it in) and all morning today. The horror of being a slave in America in the 1800's is made so clear by Frederick's personal story. Slavery is a sin, and my advice would be escape the sin if you could. How can Titus 2:9-10 possibly be reconciled in the face of the slavery story by Frederick Douglass?
I note some insight by Dr. Keener. "...one should recognize that Paul addresses instead the traditional Roman values of his day (including the household slavery of his day, which differed from many other societies' model of slavery) (3).
Professor Tafoya discussed how a number of "slaves" had that status upon agreement for paying off a debt that they owed to a person.
Back to Dr. Keener, "Minority religions were already viewed as subversive, and to counter this prejudice Christians had to work especially hard to avoid the normal causes of slander." [Ibid. p.638]
Christians who have said that Paul's teachings show that God approves of slavery have always been wrong, taking this passage in Titus or the one in 1 Peter out of context!
Abraham Lincoln was right! "...he who would be no slave, must consent to have no slave"(4).
That is what Christians call the "Golden Rule," which is the teaching by Jesus; "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"(Matthew 7:12).
Whenever there is a moral issue that is in doubt, go to Jesus.
Hunter Irvine
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 607.
(2) J.B. Phillips, Letter To Young Churches (London: The Macmillian Company, 1947).
(3) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Downer's Grove: IVP Academic, 1993), 637.
(4) Ralph G. Newman, ed., Lincoln For The Ages (New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1960), 279-280.