| The epistle of St Paul to Titus in Crete is intended to regulate the ecclesiastical organisation of the island, arrange the duties of the Christian community to the state, and guide Cretan conduct in the family and society. At the same time, it reflects the Apostle's view of the mores and customs of the local population, both from personal observation and from other sources such as the following line from Epimenides, which he quotes: "The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies”. The information provided by the epistle is examined together with the testimony of ancient authors such as Polybius, Plutarch and Titus Livy, and the situation they describe is justified on the basis of historical data. |