All that are with me salute thee - Notes, Romans 16:3. Paul, at the close of his epistles, usually mentions the names of those who sent affectionate salutations. Here it would seem to be implied that Titus knew who were with Paul, and also that he himself had been traveling with him. He evidently refers not to those who were residing in the place where he was, but to those who had gone with him from Crete as his companions.
Greet them that love us in the faith - In the faith of the gospel, or as Christians. No names are here mentioned; compare 1 Thessalonians 5:26; Colossians 4:15.
Grace be with you all - Notes, Romans 1:7; Romans 16:20.
The subscription, “It was written to Titus,” etc., is, like the other subscriptions at the close of the epistles, of no authority whatever; see the close of the notes at 1 Cor. In this subscription there are probably two errors:
(1) In the statement that Titus was “ordained the first bishop of the church of the Cretians;” because:
(a)There is no evidence that there was a church there called “the church of the Cretians,” as there were doubtless many churches on the island;
(b)There is no evidence that Titus was the first Bishop of the church there, or that he was the first one there to whom might be properly applied the term “bishop” in the Scriptural sense. Indeed, there is positive evidence that he was not the first, for Paul was there with him, and Titus was “left” there to complete what he had begun.
- There is no evidence that Titus was “bishop” there at all in the prelatical sense of the term, or even that he was a settled pastor; see the notes at Titus 3:1, Titus 3:5.
(2) That the epistle was written “from Nicopolis of Macedonia;” for
(a)There is no certain evidence that it was written at Nicopolis at all, though this is probable;
(b)There is no reason to believe that the Nicopolis referred to was in Macedonia; see Introduction 4.
These subscriptions are so utterly destitute of authority, and are so full of mistakes, that it is high time they were omitted in the editions of the Bible. They are no part of the inspired writings, but are of the nature of “notes and comments,” and are constantly doing something, perhaps much, to perpetuate-error. “The opinion that Timothy and Titus were prelatical bishops, the one of Ephesus and the other of Crete, depends far more on these worthless subscriptions than on anything in the epistles themselves.” Indeed, there is no evidence of it in the epistles; and, if these subscriptions were removed, no man from the New Testament would ever suppose that they sustained this office at all.