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TITUS i. 12-14.
"One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The
Creatians are always liars, evil beasts, flow bellies. This witness
is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the
faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men,
that turn born the truth."
THERE are several questions here. First, who it was that said
this? Secondly, why Paul quoted it? Thirdly, why he brings
forward a testimony that is not correct? Let us then offer a
seasonable solution of these, having premised some other things. For
when Paul was discoursing to the Athenians, in the course of his
harangue he quoted these words, "To the Unknown God": and again,
"For we also are His offspring, as certain also of your own poets
have said." (Acts xvii. 23, 28.) It was Epimenides who
said Jove." On account of this inscription, then, the poet
ridiculing the Cretans as liars, as he proceeds, introduces, to
increase the ridicule, this passage.
For even a tomb, O King, of thee They made, who never diedst,
but aye shalt be. Jupiter is immortal: for he says, "this witness
is true"! What shall we say then? Or rather how shall we solve
this? The Apostle has not said this, but simply and plainly applied
this testimony to their habit of falsehood. Else why has he not
added," For even a tomb, O king, of thee, they made"? So that
the Apostle has not said this, but only that one had well said,
"The Creatians are always liars." But it is not only from hence
that we are confident that Jupiter is not a God. From many other
arguments we are able to prove this, and not from the testimony of the
Cretans. Besides, he has not said, that in this they were liars.
Nay and it is more probable that they were deceived as to this point
too For they believed in other gods, on which account the Apostle
calls them liars.
And as to the question, why does he cite the testimonies of the
Greeks? It is because we put them most to confusion when we bring our
testimonies and accusations from their own writers, when we make those
their accusers, who are admired among themselves. For this reason he
elsewhere quotes those words, "To the Unknown God." For the
Athenians, as they did not receive all their gods from the beginning,
but from time to time admitted some other, as those from the
Hyperboreans, the worship of Pain and the greater and the lesser
mysteries, so these same, conjecturing that besides these there might
be some other God, of whom they almost implying, "if there might be
some God unknown to them." He therefore said to them, Him whom you
have by anticipation acknowledged, I declare to you. But those
words, "We also are His offspring" are quoted from Aratus, who
having preciously said, "Earth's paths are full of Jove, the sea
is full"--adds, "For we justly nor properly applied to Jupiter,
this he restores to God, since the name of God belongs to Him
alone, and is not lawfully bestowed upon idol.
And from what writers should he address them? From the Prophets?
They would not have be- For this reason he says, "Unto the Jews
I became as a Jew, to them that are without law, as without law, to
those that are under the Law, as under the Law." (1 Cor. ix.
20, 21.) Thus does God too, as in the case of the wise men,
He does not conduct them by an Angel, nor a Prophet, nor an
Apostle, nor an Evangelist but how? By a start For as their art
made them conversant with these, He made use of such means to guide
them. So in the case of the oxen, that drew the ark. "If it goeth
up by the way of his own coast, then He hath done us this great evil"
(1 Sam. vi. 9), as their prophets suggested. Do these prophets
then speak the truth? No; but he refutes and confounds them out of
their own mouths. Again, in the case of the witch, because Saul
believed in her, he caused him to hear through her what was about to
befall him. Why then did Paul stop the mouth of the spirit, that
said, "These men are the servants of the most high God, which show
unto us the way of salvation"? (Acts XVI. 17.) And why did
Christ hinder the devils from speaking of Him? In this case there
was reason, since the miracles were going on. For here it was not a
star that proclaimed Him, but He Himself; and the demons again were
not worshiped; for it was not an image that spoke, that it should be
forbidden. He also suffered Balaam to bless, and did not restrain
him. Thus He everywhere condescends.
And what wonder? for He permitted opinions erroneous, and unworthy
of Himself, to prevail, as that He was a body formerly, and that
He was visible. In opposition to which He says, "God is a
Spirit." (John iv. 24.) Again, that He delighted in
sacrifices, which is far from His nature. And He utters words at
variance with His declarations of Himself, and many such things.
For He nowhere considers His own dignity, but always what will be
profitable to us. And if a father considers not his own dignity, but
talks lispingly with his children, and calls their meat and drink not
by their Greek names, but by some childish and barbarous words, much
more doth God. Even in reproving He condescends, as when He speaks
by the prophet, "Hath a nation changed their gods?" (Jer. ii.
11), and in every part of Scripture there are instances of His
condescension both in words and actions.
Ver. 13. "Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound
in the faith."
This he says, because their disposition was froward, deceitful, and
dissolute. They have these numberless bad qualities; and because they
are prone to lying, deceiving, gluttonous, and slothful, severe
reproof is necessary. For such characters will not be managed by
mildness, "therefore rebuke them." He speaks not here of
Gentiles, but of his own people. "Sharply." Give them, he
says, a stroke that cuts deep. For one method is not to be employed
with all, but they are to be differently dealt with, according to
their various characters and dispositions. He does not here have
recourse to exhortation. For as he who treats with harshness the meek
and ingenuous, may destroy them; so he who flatters one that requires
severity, causes him to perish, and does not suffer him to be
reclaimed.
"That they may be sound in the faith."
This then is soundness, to introduce nothing spurious, nor foreign.
But if they who are scrupulous about meats are not sound, but are sick
and weak; for, "Them that are weak," he says, "receive ye, but
not to doubtful disputations" (Rom xiv. 1); what can be said of
those who observe the same fasts, (with the Jews,) who keep the
sabbaths, who frequent the places that are consecrated by them? I
speak of that at Daphne, of that which is called the cave of
Matrona, and of that plain in Cilicia, which is called Saturn's.
How are these sound? With them a heavier stroke is necessary. Why
then does he not do the same with the Romans? Because their
dispositions were different, they were of a nobler character.
Ver. 14. "Not giving heed," he says, "to Jewish fables."
The Jewish tenets were fables in two ways, because they were
imitations, and because the thing was past its season, for such things
become fables at last. For when a thing ought not to be done, and
being done, is injurious, it is a fable even as it is useless. As
then those ought not to be regarded, so neither ought these. For this
is not being sound. For if thou believest the Faith, why dost thou
add other things, as if the faith were not sufficient to justify? Why
dost thou enslave thyself by subjection to the Law? Hast thou no
confidence in what thou believest? This is a mark of an unsound and
unbelieving mind. For one who is faithful does not doubt, but such an
one evidently doubts.
Ver. 15. "Unto the pure," he says, "all things are pure."
Thou seest that this is said to a particular purpose.
"But unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure."
Things then are not clean or unclean from their own nature, but from
the disposition of him who partakes of them.
"But even their mind and conscience is defiled."
Ver. 16. "They profess that they know God; but in works they
deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and to every good work
reprobate."
The swine therefore is clean. Why then was it forbidden as unclean?
It was not unclean by nature; for, "all things are pure." Nothing
is more unclean than a fish, inasmuch as it even feeds upon human
flesh. But it was permitted and considered clean. Nothing is more
unclean than a bird, for it eats worms; or than a stag, which is said
to have its name from eating serpents. Yet all these were eaten. Why
then was the swine forbidden, and many other things? Not because they
were unclean, but to check excessive luxury. But had this been said,
they would not have been persuaded; they were restrained therefore by
the fear of uncleanness. For tell me, if we enquire nicely into these
things, what is more unclean than wine; or than water, with which
they mostly purified themselves? They touched not the dead, and yet
they were cleansed by the dead, for the victim was dead, and with that
they were cleansed. This therefore was a doctrine for children. In
the composition of wine does not dung form a part? For as the vine
draws moisture from the earth, so does it from the dung that is thrown
upon it. In short, if we wish to be very nice, everything is
unclean, otherwise if we please not to be nice, nothing is unclean.
Yet all things are pure. God made nothing unclean, for nothing is
unclean, except sin only. For that reaches to the soul, and defiles
it. Other uncleanness is human prejudice.
"But unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but
even their mind and conscience is defiled."
For how can there be anything unclean among the pure? But he that has
a weak soul makes everything unclean, and if there be set abroad a
scrupulous enquiry into what is clean or unclean, he will touch
nothing. For even these things are not clean, I speak of fish, and
other things, according to their notions; (for "their mind and
conscience," he says, "is defiled,") but all are impure. Yet
Paul says not so; he turns the whole matter upon themselves. For
nothing is unclean, he says, but themselves, their mind and their
conscience; and nothing is more unclean than these; but an evil will
is unclean.
"They profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him,
being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work
reprobate." ii. 1. "But speak thou the things that become sound
doctrine."
This then is uncleanness. They are themselves unclean. But be not
thou silent on that account. Do thy part, although they may not
receive thee. Advise and counsel them, though they may not be
persuaded. Here he censures them more severely. For they who are mad
imagine that nothing stands still, yet this arises not from the objects
that are seen, but from the eyes that see. Because they are unsteady
and giddy, they think that the earth turns round with them, which yet
turns not, but stands firm. The derangement is of their own state,
not from any affection of the element. So it is here, when the soul
is unclean, it thinks all things unclean. Therefore scrupulous
observances are no mark of purity, but it is the part of purity to be
bold in all things. For he that is pure by nature ventures upon all
things, they that are defiled, upon nothing. This we may say against
Marcion. Seest thou that it is a mark of purity to be superior to all
defilement, to touch nothing implies impurity. This holds even with
respect to God. That He assumed flesh is a proof of purity; if
through fear He had not taken it, there would have been defilement.
He who eats not things that seem unclean, is himself unclean and
weak, he who eats, is neither. Let us not call such pure, they are
the unclean. He is pure, who dares to feed upon all things. All
this caution we ought to exercise towards the things that defile the
soul. For that is uncleanness, that is defilement. None of these
things is so. Those who have a vitiated palate think what is set
before them is unclean, but this is the effect of their disorder. It
becomes us therefore to understand the nature of things pure, and
things unclean.
MORAL. What then is unclean? Sin, malice, covetousness,
wickedness. As it is written: "Wash you, make you clean, put away
the evil of your doings." (Isa. i. 16.) "Create in me a
clean heart, O God." (Ps. li. 10.) "Depart ye, depart
ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing." (Isa. lii.
52.) These observances were emblems of purifications. "Touch not
a dead body," it is said. For sin is such, it is dead and
offensive. "The leper is unclean." For sin is a leprosy, various
and multiform. And that they had this meaning, appears from what
follows. For if the leprosy is general, and overspreads the whole
body, he is clean; if it is partial, he is unclean. Thus you see
that what is various and changeable is the unclean thing. He again
whose seed passes from him is unclean, consider one that is so in
soul, casting away his seed. He who is uncircumcised is unclean.
These things are not allegorical but typical, for he who does not cut
off the wickedness of his heart is the unclean person. He who worketh
on the Sabbath is to be stoned, that is, he who is not at all times
devoted to God, shall perish. You see how many varieties of
uncleanness there are. The woman in child-bed is unclean. Yet God
made child-birth, and the seed of copulation. Why then is the woman
unclean, unless something further was intimated? And what was this?
He intended to produce piety in the soul, and to deter it from
fornication. For if she is unclean who has borne a child, much more
she who has committed fornication. If to approach his own wife is not
altogether pure, much less to have intercourse with the wife of
another. He who attends a funeral is unclean, much more he who has
mixed in war and slaughter. And many kinds of uncleanness would be
found, if it were necessary to recount them all. But these things are
not now required of us. But all is transferred to the soul.
For bodily things are nearer to us, from these therefore he introduced
instruction. But it is not so now. For we ought not to be confined
to figures, and shadows, but to adhere to the truth, and to uphold
it: sin is the unclean thing. From that let us flee, from that let
us abstain. "If thou comest near it, it will bite thee."
(Ecclus. xxi 2.) Nothing is more unclean than covetousness.
Whence is this manifest? From the facts themselves. For what does
it not defile? the hands, the soul, the very house where the
ill-gotten treasure is laid up. But the Jews consider this as
nothing. And yet Moses carried off the bones of Joseph. Samson
drank from the jawbone of an ass, and ate honey from the lion, and
Elijah was nourished by ravens, and by a widow woman. And tell me,
if we were to be precise about these things, what can be more unclean
than our books, which are made of the skins of animals? The
fornicator, then, is not the only one that is unclean, hut others
more than he, as the adulterer. But both the one and the other are
unclean, not on account of the intercourse, (for according to that
reasoning a man cohabiting with his own wife would be unclean,) but
because of the wickedness of the act, and the injury done to his
neighbor in his nearest interests. Dost thou see that it is wickedness
that is unclean? He who had two wives was not unclean, and David who
had many wives was not unclean. But when he had one unlawfully, he
became unclean. Why? Because he had injured and defrauded his
neighbor. And the fornicator is not unclean on account of the
intercourse, but on account of the manner of it, because it injures
the woman, and they injure one another, making the woman common, and
subverting the laws of nature. For she ought to be the wife of one
man, since it is said, "Male and female created He them."
(Gen. i. 27.) And, "they twain shall be one flesh." Not
"those many," but "they twain shall be one flesh." Here then is
injustice, and therefore the act is wicked. Again, when anger
exceeds due measure, it makes a man unclean, not in itself, but
because of its excess. Since it is not said, "He that is angry,"
merely, but "angry without a cause." Thus every way to desire
overmuch is unclean, for it proceeds from a greedy and irrational
disposition. Let us therefore be sober, I beseech you, let us be
pure, in that which is real purity, that we may be thought worthy to
see God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, with whom,
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