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This section has but one verse
Titus 1:12
One of themselves, even a prophet of their own,
said, The Cretians [KREE-shuhns] are alway liars, evil beasts,
slow bellies.
Let us read a bit of context into this passage:
Titus 1:10-12
10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and
deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole
houses, teaching things which they ought not, for
filthy lucre's sake.
12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own,
said, The Cretians [KREE-shuhns] are alway liars, evil beasts,
slow bellies.
We will begin with the Barclay.
A BAD REPUTATION
Titus 1:12
[the verse paraphrased]:
One of themselves, a prophet of their own, has said:
‘The Cretans [KREE-shuhns] are always liars, wild and evil
beasts, lazy gluttons.’ His testimony is true!
NO nation ever had a worse reputation than the
Cretans. The ancient world spoke of the three most
evil C’s – the Cretans [KREE-shuhns],
the Cilicians [si-lish-uhs]
and the Cappadocians [kap-uh-doh-shuh]
. The Cretans were famed as a drunken, insolent,
untrustworthy, lying, gluttonous people.
Their greed was proverbial. ‘The Cretans,’ said the
Greek historian Polybius [puh-lib-ee-uh
s], ‘on account of their innate avarice,
live in a perpetual state of private quarrel and
public feud and civil strife . . . and you will
hardly find anywhere characters more tricky and
deceitful than those of Crete.’ He writes of them:
‘Money is so highly valued among them that its
possession is not only thought to be necessary but
highly creditable; and in fact greed and avarice are
so native to the soil in Crete that they are the
only people in the world among whom no stigma
attaches to any sort of gain whatever.’
Polybius [puh-lib-ee-uh
s] tells of a certain bargain that
a traitor called Bolis made with a leader called
Cambylus [Kameu=los],
also a Cretan. Bolis approached Cambylus [Kameu=los] ‘with all the subtlety of a
Cretan’. ‘This was now made the subject of
discussion between them in a truly Cretan spirit.
They never took into consideration the saving of the
person in danger, or their obligations of honour to
those who had entrusted them with the undertaking,
but confined the discussion entirely to questions of
their own safety and their own advantage. As they
were both Cretans, they were not long in coming to a
unanimous agreement.’
So notorious were the Cretans that the Greeks
actually formed a verb kre¯tizein, to cretize, which
meant to lie and to cheat; and they had a proverbial
phrase, kre¯tizein pros Kre¯ta, to cretize against a
Cretan, which meant to match lies with lies, as
diamond cuts diamond.
The quotation which Paul cites is actually from a
Greek poet called Epimenides [Ep-i-men-i-des]. He lived about 600 BC
and held the status of one of the seven wise men of
Greece. The first phrase, ‘The Cretans are chronic
liars’, had been made famous by a later and equally
well-known poet called Callimachus [kuh-lim-uh-kuh
s] . In Crete, there was a monument
called the Tomb of Zeus. Obviously, the greatest of
the gods cannot die and be buried in a tomb; and
Callimachus quoted this as a perfect example of
Cretan lying. In his Hymn to Zeus, he writes:
Cretans are chronic liars,
For they built a tomb, O King,
And called it thine; but you die not;
Your life is everlasting.
The Cretans [KREE-shuhns] were notorious liars and cheats and
gluttons and traitors – but here is the wonderful
thing. Knowing that, and actually experiencing it,
Paul does not say to Timothy: ‘Leave them alone.
They are hopeless and everyone knows it.’ He says:
‘They are bad and we all know it. Go and convert
them.’ Few passages so demonstrate the divine
optimism of the Christian evangelist who refuses to
regard anyone as hopeless. The greater the evil, the
greater the challenge. It is the Christian
conviction that there is no sin too great for the
grace of Jesus Christ to conquer.
~Barclay commentary
Now to the other commentaries. We will proceed from
the general and go to the specific.
This from the Matthew Henry Main. I am breaking into
the commentary on verses 6-16 where it discusses
verse 12.
II. In reference to their people or hearers, who are
described from ancient testimony given of them.
1. Here is the witness (Titus 1:12): One of
themselves, even a prophet of their own, that is,
one of the Cretans [KREE-shuhns],
not of the Jews, Epimenides [Ep-i-men-i-des] a Greek poet, likely to know and
unlikely to slander them. A prophet of their own; so
their poets were accounted, writers of divine
oracles; these often witnessed against the vices of
the people: Aratus, Epimenides, and others among the
Greeks; Horace, Juvenal [joo-vuh-nl]
, and Persius [pur-shuh s],
among the Latins: much smartness did they use
against divers vices.
2. Here is the matter of his testimony: Krētes aei
pseustaî kaka thēriâ gasteres argai - The Cretans
[KREE-shuhns]
are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. Even to
a proverb, they were infamous for falsehood and
lying; kretizein, to play the Cretan [KREE-shuhn],
or to lie, is the same; and they were compared to
evil beasts for their sly hurtfulness and savage
nature, and called slow bellies for their laziness
and sensuality, more inclined to eat than to work
and live by some honest employment. Observe, Such
scandalous vices as were the reproach of heathens
should be far from Christians: falsehood and lying,
invidious [in-vid-ee-uh s]
[calculated to create ill
will or resentment] craft and cruelty,
all beastly and sensual practices, with idleness and
sloth, are sins condemned by the light of nature.
For these were the Cretans [KREE-shuhns]
taxed by their own poets. ~
Matthew Henry Main
Now the Matthew Henry Concise which covers verse
10-16:
False teachers are described. Faithful ministers
must oppose such in good time, that their folly
being made manifest, they may go no further They had
a base end in what they did; serving a worldly
interest under pretence of religion: for the love of
money is the root of all evil. Such should be
resisted, and put to shame, by sound doctrine from
the Scriptures. Shameful actions, the reproach of
heathens, should be far from Christians; falsehood
and lying, envious craft and cruelty, brutal and
sensual practices, and idleness and sloth, are sins
condemned even by the light of nature. But Christian
meekness is as far from cowardly passing over sin
and error, as from anger and impatience. And though
there may be national differences of character, yet
the heart of man in every age and place is deceitful
and desperately wicked. But the sharpest reproofs
must aim at the good of the reproved; and soundness
in the faith is most desirable and necessary. To
those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is
pure; they abuse, and turn things lawful and good
into sin. Many profess to know God, yet in their
lives deny and reject him. See the miserable state
of hypocrites, such as have a form of godliness, but
are without the power; yet let us not be so ready to
fix this charge on others, as careful that it does
not apply to ourselves.
~Matthew Henry Concise.
Now a couple of things from the Biblical
Illustrator:
The character of the Cretians
The charge of falsehood is repeated undoubtedly by
Callimachus, and this characteristic must have been
deserved, if we are to trust the host of testimonies
to the same effect from other sources. The very word
“Cretize” was invented, meaning, “to play the part
of a Cretian [KREE-shuhn],” and was identical with “to
deceive, or to utter and circulate a lie.” “Evil
beasts” is a phrase expressive of untamed ferocity,
truculent selfishness, and greed; while “idle
bellies,” or “do nothing gluttons,” completes a
picture of most revolting national character.
~Biblical Illustrator
Here is another one from the Biblical Illustrator:
Falsehood
I. Falsehood and deceit in word and deed is
condemned, not only by the light of the Scriptures,
but by the light of nature itself. Which appeareth
expressly not only by the testimony of this Pagan
poet, but by other lights in nature; for the natural
conscience of man accuseth and checketh for it; yea,
in children themselves, it maketh them blush at the
report of a lie. Besides, the most graceless of men
account it the highest disgrace to have the lie
given them, the infamy of which vice is such as none
will take to it, none will confess it. And on the
contrary, the heathen so extolled truth, in word, in
practice, as of all other virtues it was said to be
the only daughter of Jupiter, as whom most nearly it
resembled.
II. How should we who would be reputed god’s
children abhor that practice, which even the sons of
men are ashamed of? Shall the sparkles of natural
light make the natural conscience of a heathen, and
graceless man accuse him of this sin; and shall not
the clear light of grace force the conscience of
professed Christians to reprove them? Is it justly
reputed a disgrace to common men, to be taken with a
lie, how disgraceful should it be to Christian men?
Shall the heathen profess truth to resemble God so
expressly, as that it is His dear and only daughter,
and shall Christians who find in the Scriptures the
whole image of God, styled by the title, and
comprehended under the name of truth, in their
practice scarce express it as a part of that image?
1. Every lie is hurtful whether in jest or earnest,
for evil or for good, because it is an enemy to
truth, and against the ninth commandment.
2. For jesting or sporting lies, the threatening is
general (Psalm 5:6), untruths may not be spoken
although they be not thought. And many of the
heathen themselves saw the silliness and folly of
this shift; we read of the Lacedemonians, that they
would not suffer their laws to be gainsaid in jest,
and yet the law of the Lord may be controlled, and
gainsaid in jest of Christians. When Thespis, the
first stage player, was asked if he were not ashamed
to utter so many lies in such a worthy audience, he
answered, he did it in sport. But wise Solon
replied, If we approve and commend this sport we
shall find it in earnest in our contracts and
affairs; and even so by God’s just judgment it
befalls Christians, who, using to lie in sport, got
an habit of lying in earnest, and by his jesting
lies, raiseth a suspicion of his words, that he
cannot be believed, be he never in such earnest.
Quoted verse:
Psalm 5:6
Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing [falsehood]:
the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.
3. For officious lies, so called, there can be no
such, because in every lie some office or duty is
violated. But they hurt no man; yes, if they hurt
not another, they hurt a man’s self many ways;
again, if they hurt not the parties for whom, yet
they hurt the parties to whom they are told, who are
abused, and urged to believe a lie, and were not
this, yet they hurt and prejudice the truth which
ought to prevail. But the end of them is good, Yea,
but that which is evil in the nature and
constitution may never be admitted, let the end be
never so good which is pretended. The least evil may
not be committed for the greatest good; to help man
we may not hurt God. Nay, we may not tell the least
lie for God’s greatest glory, and much less for
man’s good (Job 13:9-10). But they be not against
charity. Yes, for charity rejoiceth in truth, and if
they were not, yet are they directly against piety,
which two loving friends may admit no divorce.
Quoted verse is Job 13:9-10
but I will read from verse 6
Job 13:6-10
6 Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the
pleadings of my lips.
7 Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk
deceitfully for him?
8 Will ye accept his person? will ye contend [argue/debate]
for God?
9 Is it good that he [God]
should search you out? or as one man mocketh
another, do ye so mock him?
10 He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly
accept persons [show
partiality to person rather than seek real truth].
III. And to help ourselves in this duty meditate on
these reasons.
1. All falsehood and lies are directly against God
Himself, who is truth itself; so as by them a man
becometh most unlike unto God, and most like to the
devil, who is the father and first founder of them.
2. That therefore the liar casteth himself into the
gulf of God’s displeasure, seeing as He hateth all
the works of the devil, so hath He testified special
hatred against this. A lying tongue is one of the
six things which the Lord hateth, and is abomination
unto Him (Proverbs 12:22), and therefore doth with
them as we do with the things we abhor; either
removeth them out of sight by barring them out of
[the Kingdom], or destroyeth them (Psalm
5:6, quoted above).
Quoted verse:
Proverbs 12:22
Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they
that deal truly are his delight.
3. That although that be the greatest plague to have
the face of God set against them here, and to be
cast from out of His face and blessed presence of
joy hereafter, yet there are other inferior evils
not to be contemned which wait at the heels of this
sin.
(1) That it maketh the sinners of this suit justly
hateful even unto men, as those who are the main
enemies unto human society, which is upheld by truth
and faithfulness.
(2) Such deceitful and fraudulent persons are
occasions of the multiplication of oaths and
perjuries among men, for which the land mourneth.
(3) In themselves it argueth the want of God’s
Spirit in their hearts, who, being the Spirit of
truth and light, cannot abide to dwell in a heart
that is pleased and delighted with nothing more than
darkness and falsehood.
(4) They lose justly their own voice and credit, and
are worthy not to be believed when they speak truth;
and men must deal with them as with their father the
devil, whose works they accustom themselves unto,
suspect even the truth from them, and not receive
any as from them. ~Biblical
Illustrator
Now to the specific commentaries. The commentaries
break this verse out in different ways so we will go
with four:
1] One of themselves, even a prophet of their
own, said.
2] The Cretians [KREE-shuhns] are alway
liars.
3] Evil beasts.
4] Slow bellies.
1] One of
themselves, even a prophet of their own, said.
One of themselves - That is, one of the Cretans. The
quotation here shows that Paul had his eye not only
on the Jewish teachers there, but on the native
Cretans. The meaning is, that, alike in reference to
Jewish teachers and native-born Cretans, there was
need of the utmost vigilance in the selection of
persons for the ministry. They all had well-known
traits of character, which made it proper that no
one should be introduced into the ministry without
extreme caution. It would seem, also, from the
reasoning of Paul here, that the trait of character
here referred to pertained not only to the native
Cretans, but also to the character of the Jews
residing there; for he evidently means that the
caution should extend to all who dwelt on the
island. ~Barnes Notes
Even a prophet of their own - Or, a poet; for the
word “prophet” - προφήτης prophētēs - like the
Latin word “vates,” was often applied to poets,
because they were supposed to be inspired of the
muses, or to write under the influence of
inspiration. ~Barnes Notes
2] The Cretians
[KREE-shuhns] are alway liars.
The Cretians [KREE-shuhns] are alway liars. -
This character of the Cretans [KREE-shuhns]
is abundantly sustained by the examples adduced by
Wetstein. To be a Cretan, became synonymous with
being a liar, in the same way as to be a Corinthian,
became synonymous with living a licentious life;
compare Introduction to 1 Corinthians, Section 1.
Thus, the scholiast says, “to act the Cretan, is a
proverb for to lie.” The particular reason why they
had this character abroad, rather than other people,
is unknown. Bishop Warburton supposes that they
acquired it by claiming to have among them the tomb
of Jupiter, and by maintaining that all the gods,
like Jupiter, were only mortals who had been raised
to divine honors. Thus the Greeks maintained that
they always proclaimed a falsehood by asserting this
opinion. But their reputation for falsehood seems to
have arisen from some deeper cause than this, and to
have pertained to their general moral character.
They were only more eminent in what was common among
the ancient pagan, and what is almost universal
among the pagan now. ~Barnes Notes
The Cretians [KREE-shuhns] are alway liars -
lying is a sin common to human nature, and appears
in men as early, or earlier than any other; and all
men are guilty of it, at one time or another; but
all are not habitually liars, as it seems these
Cretians were: lying was a governing vice among
them; they were not only guilty of it in some
particular instances, but always; not only for
saying that Jupiter's sepulchre was with them, when
it was the sepulchre of Minos his son, which they
had fraudulently obliterated; and for which
Callimachus charges them with lying, and uses these
very words of Epimenides [Ep-i-men-i-des];
though he assigns a different reason from that now
given, which is, that Jupiter died not, but always
exists, and therefore his sepulchre could not be
with them: but this single instance was not
sufficient to fasten such a character upon them; it
was a sin they were addicted to: some countries are
distinguished by their vices; some for pride; some
for levity, vanity, and inconstancy; some for
boasting and bragging some for covetousness; some
for idleness; some for effeminacy; some for
hypocrisy and deceit; and others, as the Cretians,
it seems, for lying; this was their national sin;
and this is said by others, as well as Epimenides [Ep-i-men-i-des].
~John Gill
3] Evil beasts.
Evil beasts - In their character, beasts or brutes
of a ferocious or malignant kind. This would imply
that there was a great want of civilization, and
that their want of refinement was accompanied with
what commonly exists in that condition - the
unrestrained indulgence of wild and ferocious [extreme
or intense] passions. ~Barnes Notes
Evil beasts - Ferocious and destructive in their
manners. ~Adam Clarke
Evil beasts — rude, savage, cunning, greedy. Crete
was a country without wild beasts. Epimenides’
sarcasm was that its human inhabitants supplied the
place of wild beasts. ~Jamieson, Fausset, Brown
4] Slow
bellies.
Slow bellies - Addicted to voluptuousness, idleness,
and gluttony; sluggish or hoggish men. ~Adam
Clarke
Slow bellies - Mere gormandizers [gawr-muh
n-dahyz] Two vices seem here to be attributed to
them, which indeed commonly go together - gluttony
and sloth. An industrious man will not be likely to
be a gormandizer [eat greedily], and a
gormandizer will not often be an industrious man.
The mind of the poet, in this, seems to have
conceived of them first as an indolent [slothful],
worthless people; and then immediately to have
recurred to the cause - that they were a race of
gluttons, a people whose only concern was the
stomach; compare Philippians 3:19. Seldom have more
undesirable, and, in some respects, incongruous [in-kong-groo-uh
s] qualities, been grouped together in
describing any people. They were false to a proverb,
which was, indeed, consistent enough with their
being ferocious - though ferocious and wild nations
are sometimes faithful to their word; but they were
at the same time ferocious and lazy, fierce and
gluttonous - qualities which are not often found
together. In some respects, therefore, they
surpassed the common depravity of human nature, and
blended in themselves ignoble [low grade,
inferior] properties which, among the worst
people, are usually found existing alone. To mingle
apparently contradictory qualities of wickedness in
the same individual or people, is the height of
depravity. ~Barnes Notes
Quoted verse: It gives verse 19 but I will read from
verse 17
Philippians 3:17-19
17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark
them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often,
and now tell you even weeping, that they are the
enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their
belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind
earthly things.)
The recap of this lesson is straight-forward:
1] Avoid all liars.
2] If avoiding liars is unavoidable, be a pillar of
the truth.
3] Seek truth continually.
Quotes on truth and avoiding liars:
“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters
cannot be trusted with important matters.”
~Albert Einstein
“The goal of education is the advancement of
knowledge and the dissemination of truth” ~John
F. Kennedy
“Three things cannot be long
hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth.”
“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.
~Thomas Jefferson
“A
liar begins with making falsehood appear like truth,
and ends with making truth itself appear like
falsehood.”
“I am very cautious of people whose actions do not match their
words.”
“A false witness
shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies
shall perish.” ~God, Proverbs 19:9
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