Titus
This letter was written to Paul’s fellow-worker Titus who had been left by Paul on the island of Crete (see Titus 1:5 and 1 on Map 28). The letter was probably written from Corinth in Achaia (southern Greece) between 63 and 66 AD, shortly after Paul’s First Letter to Timothy (which contains some of the same advice). The letter was taken to Crete by Zenas and Apollos (see Titus 3:13).
Titus was a Greek-speaking Gentile believer who was probably converted by Paul either in Antioch (in Syria) (in 43/44AD) or on his first missionary journey in Pamphylia or Galatia (47/48AD) (see Map 23). Paul took Titus with him when he attended the Council of Jerusalem in 49/50AD and asked the leaders in Jerusalem to take the decision not to require non-Jewish believers to be circumcised (see Acts 15:1-21). The leaders agreed with Paul, and didn’t insist that Titus should be circumcised (see Galatians 2:1-4).
Titus later helped Paul at Ephesus during his third missionary journey (53-56AD), and was sent from there to Corinth with Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians (see 2 Corinthians 12:18) (see Map 25). After assisting the believers in Corinth, Titus took news of the Corinthian church back to Paul at Philippi (see 2 Corinthians 7:6-7). Titus then took Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians from Philippi to Corinth (see 2 Corinthians 8:16-17).
After Paul’s release from house arrest in Rome in 62AD, Titus travelled with Paul to Crete where Paul left him in charge of the new church (see 1 on Map 28). The Church of Agios Titos (St Titus) in Irakleio (Heraklion) commemorates the appointment of Titus to oversee the Cretan church.
Agios Titos Church in Heraklion
Later, Paul asked Titus to meet him at Nicopolis (on the western coast of Greece) (see Titus 3:12 and 6 on Map 28) and then sent him on a mission to Dalmatia (modern Croatia) (see 2 Timothy 4:10).
In this letter, Paul advises Titus how to choose church leaders. He suggests a method of teaching different groups of people within the church and offers advice on Christian conduct.