5. I left thee--"I left thee behind"
[ALFORD] when I left the island: not
implying permanence of commission (compare
1Ti 1:3).
in Crete--now Candia.
set in order--rather as Greek, "that thou mightest
follow up (the work begun by me), setting right the things that
are wanting," which I was unable to complete by reason of the shortness
of my stay in Crete. Christianity, doubtless, had long existed in
Crete: there were some Cretans among those who heard Peter's preaching
on Pentecost
(Ac 2:11).
The number of Jews in Crete was large
(Tit 1:10),
and it is likely that those scattered in the persecution of Stephen
(Ac 11:19)
preached to them, as they did to the Jews of Cyprus, &c. Paul also was
there on his voyage to Rome
(Ac 27:7-12).
By all these instrumentalities the Gospel was sure to reach Crete. But
until Paul's later visit, after his first imprisonment at Rome, the
Cretan Christians were without Church organization. This Paul began,
and had commissioned (before leaving Crete) Titus to go on with, and
now reminds him of that commission.
ordain--rather, "appoint," "constitute."
in every city--"from city to city."
as I . . . appointed thee--that is, as I directed
thee; prescribing as well the act of constituting elders, as
also the manner of doing so, which latter includes the
qualifications required in a presbyter presently stated. Those called
"elders" here are called "bishops" in
Tit 1:7.
Elder is the term of dignity in relation to the college
of presbyters; bishop points to the duties of his office
in relation to the flock. From the unsound state of the Cretan
Christians described here, we see the danger of the want of Church
government. The appointment of presbyters was designed to check idle
talk and speculation, by setting forth the "faithful word."
JFB.
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