Titus | |
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| Bishop and Companion of Paul | |
| Born | 1st century |
| Died | 96 or 107 Gortyn,Crete and Cyrenaica,Roman Empire |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodox churches Roman Catholic Church Lutheranism Anglican Communion |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Majorshrine | Heraklion,Crete |
| Feast | August 25 (Orthodoxy) January 26 (Catholicism) Thursday after fifth Sunday after feast of the Holy Cross (Armenian Apostolic Church)[1] |
| Patronage | Crete |
Titus (/ˈtaɪtəs/TY-təs;Ancient Greek:Τίτος,Títos) was an early Christian missionary and church leader, a companion and disciple ofPaul the Apostle, mentioned in several of thePauline epistles including theEpistle to Titus. He is believed to be aGentile converted to Christianity by Paul and, according to tradition, he was consecrated as Bishop of the Island ofCrete.[2]
Titus brought a fundraising letter from Paul toCorinth, to collect for the poor in Jerusalem. According toJerome, Titus was theamanuensis of this epistle (2 Corinthians).[3] Later, on Crete, Titus appointedpresbyters (elders) in every city and remained there into his old age, dying inGortyna.[2]
Titus was a Greek, who may have studied Greek philosophy and poetry in his early years.[4] He seems to have been converted by Paul, whereupon he served as Paul'ssecretary andinterpreter. In the year 48 or 49 CE, Titus accompanied Paul to the council held at Jerusalem, on the subject of theMosaic rites.[5]
In the fall of 55 or 56 CE, Paul, as he himself departed fromAsia, sent Titus fromEphesus toCorinth, with full commission to remedy the fallout precipitated by Timothy's delivery of 1 Corinthians[6] and Paul's "Painful Visit",[7] particularly a significant personal offense and challenge to Paul's authority by one unnamed individual.[8] During this journey, Titus served as thecourier for what is commonly known as the "Severe Letter", a Pauline missive that has beenlost[9] but is referred to in2 Corinthians 7:8–9.
After success on this mission, Titus journeyed north and met Paul inMacedonia. There the apostle, overjoyed by Titus' success,[10] wrote 2 Corinthians. Titus then returned to Corinth with a larger entourage, carrying 2 Corinthians with him. Paul joined Titus in Corinth later. From Corinth, Paul then sent Titus to organize the collections ofalms for the Christians at Jerusalem. Titus was therefore atroubleshooter, peacemaker,ecclesiastical administrator, andmissionary.
Early church tradition holds that Paul, after his release from his first imprisonment in Rome, stopped at the island of Crete to preach. Due to the needs of other churches, requiring his presence elsewhere, he ordained his disciple Titus as bishop of that island,[11] and left him to finish the work he had started.John Chrysostom says that this is an indication of the esteem Paul held for Titus.[5]
Paul summoned Titus from Crete to join him atNicopolis inEpirus.[12] Later, Titus traveled toDalmatia.[13] TheNew Testament does not record his death.
It has been argued that the name "Titus" in 2 Corinthians and Galatians was an informal name used by Timothy, a view circumstantially supported by the fact that both are said to be long-term close companions of Paul, even though they never appear together in these books.[14] The theory proposes that a number of passages (1 Corinthians 4:17, 16.10;2 Corinthians 2:13, 7:6, 13–14, 12:18; andActs 19.22) refer to the same journey of a single individual, variously called Titus and Timothy. In support of this position, some draw on the fourth-century commentaries ofGaius Marius Victorinus.[15]
Titus was venerated as a saint earlier than 261 CE.[16] The feast day of Titus was not included in theTridentine calendar. When added in 1854, it was assigned to 6 February.[17] In 1969, theCatholic Church assigned the feast to26 January so as to celebrate the two disciples of Paul, Titus and Timothy, the day after the feast of theConversion of St. Paul.[18] TheEvangelical Lutheran Church in America celebrates these two, together withSilas, on thesame date while he is honored on the calendars of theChurch of England andEpiscopal Church (withTimothy) on26 January.[19][20]
TheEastern Orthodox Church commemorates Titus on 25 August and on4 January. His relics, now consisting of only hisskull, are venerated in the Church of St. Titus,Heraklion, Crete, to which it was returned in 1966[21] after being removed toVenice during the period ofOttoman Crete (1667–1898).
Titus is the patron saint of theUnited States Army Chaplain Corps. The Corps has established the Order of Titus Award, described by the Department of Defense:
Order of Titus award is the only award presented by the Chief of Chaplains to recognize outstanding performance of ministry by chaplains and chaplain assistants. The Order of Titus is awarded for meritorious contributions to the unique and highly visible Unit Ministry Team Observer Controller Program. The award recognizes the great importance of realistic, doctrinally guided combat ministry training in ensuring the delivery of prevailing religious support to the American Soldier.[22]
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