Fathers

Titus 1

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Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s chosen ones, and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who can’t lie, promised before time began; but in his own time revealed his word in the message with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior; to Titus, my true child according to a common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. I left you in Crete for this reason, that you would set in order the things that were lacking and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you, if anyone is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, who are not accused of loose or unruly behavior. For the overseer must be blameless, as God’s steward, not self-pleasing, not easily angered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain; but given to hospitality, a lover of good, sober minded, fair, holy, self-controlled, holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict those who contradict him. For there are also many unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped: men who overthrow whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for dishonest gain’s sake. One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and idle gluttons.” This testimony is true. For this cause, reprove them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess that they know God, but by their deeds they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.

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What the Fathers say

Titus 1:14

Eastern Fathers

John Chrysostom

Ver. 14. "Not giving heed," he says, "to Jewish fables." The Jewish tenets were fables in two ways, because they were imitations, and because the thing was past its season, for such things become fables at last. For when a thing ought not to be done, and being done, is injurious, it is a fable even as it is useless. As then those ought not to be regarded, so neither ought these. For this is not being sound. For if thou believest the Faith, why dost thou add other things, as if the faith were not sufficient to justify? …

Homily on Titus 3 ↗

Theophylact of Ohrid

So then, soundness consists in not introducing anything false, anything foreign to the faith; just as submitting oneself to the law does not mean boldly relying on faith that it is sufficient for salvation. This is no small error. Jewish customs are doubly fables: both because they are untimely and utterly useless, and because attending to them is harmful. So then, just as one must not believe fables, neither should one believe these. Of course, the holy books of the Old Testament, rightly understood, are not fables. …

Commentary on Titus ↗

Theodoret of Cyrus

Paul uses the term "Jewish fables" not to describe the law but the interpretation of the law put forward by the Jews. The Lord accuses them of this very thing when he says, "Why do you transgress the law for the sake of your own traditions?"

Interpretation of the Letter to Titus

Western Saints

Jerome

Those who have this health of faith and doctrine and sound words, do not heed Jewish fables and the commands of men who turn away from the truth. Let us acquiesce for a short time to the Jews, and listen patiently to their foolishness, and then we will understand what the Jewish tales are which have no authority from Scripture, nor any rational basis, but are the product of the fables and imaginations of certain people about animals and legends, of whom Isaiah prophesied, saying: "This people honors me with their lips, but their …

Commentary on Titus ↗

Thomas Aquinas

The road to this soundness is to avoid the errors of the Jews; hence he says, not giving heed to Jewish fables. For in the law there are two types of articles: those dealing with beliefs, and those dealing with precepts of religion, which were to be observed in divine worship. The first he calls fables, and the second commandments of men and not of God. In this he seems to be condemning the old law as the Manicheans do. …

Commentary on Titus ↗