Titus: epistle of religious revitalization

Biblical Theology Bulletin, Winter, 2000 by Kenneth D. Tollefson

The apostle Paul became the primary catalyst for this process and served as the main messenger to the Gentiles (Acts 13:1-28:31). Paul's life shared many of the historical features found in the Nehemiah movement. Nehemiah was a Jew with Persian citizenship educated in a foreign city under the control of the Persian Empire, while Paul was a Jew with Roman citizenship educated in a Roman city. Both leaders demonstrated vital concern for the Torah and were dedicated to its social implications; both were given crucial protection by their respective imperial governments; both confronted considerable internal and external opposition to their leadership; and both sought to integrate these changes into the institutional norms of their respective societies.

A period of increased cultural dissonance caused by social stratification, economic exploitation, foreign domination, slavery, and moral decay preceded each leader. A major difference between the two social movements was that Nehemiah sought to get the community of Jerusalem back in step with their historic "prescriptions of the law" (Fensham: 268) whereas Paul led a revitalization movement to integrate the teachings of Christ with the First Testament teachings for Cretan believers (Titus 1:3; 2:9). Nehemiah directed a social movement to gain righteousness by the law; Paul directed a social movement to gain righteousness by faith in Christ (Rom 9:30-31). The Nehemiah narrative gives a description of a revitalization movement after the process was completed, while the Titus text describes a revitalization movement during its process.

Paul was uniquely qualified to lead this revitalization movement because his Pharisee father taught him from infancy to revere the law and to follow its rigorous rites, as well as to defend it against heresy. Paul's Roman citizenship, liberal Greek education in Tarsus, rigorous religious instruction in the Jewish law under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), and confrontation with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-15) forced him to reevaluate his historic beliefs. Thus Paul, the former defender of the "works of the Law" and tyrannizer of the early Christians, became the champion of the "faith of Abraham" and one of the most persecuted of believers.

Revitalization Movements and Change

Revitalization movements frequently contribute to social disruptions because of their revolutionary changes that cause the members of a society to replace old social patterns of behavior with new ones. Schaller (89) contends that this unrest is imperative because "without discontent with the present situation there can be no planned, internally motivated and directed intentional change." That is, planned, structured and directed change is the result of people who want to change enough to make it happen. The actual life of Jesus Christ differed significantly from the social expectations for the coming Messiah, increasing the level of individual stress and cognitive dissonance among the people contributing to his crucifixion (Matt 21:23-23:39; Luke 23:1-45; John 12:47-57).