And by this he points to brotherhood, when he says: "From God the Father," he stirs up Titus, so that he may remember whose son he is, namely, God's. See how he wishes the same for the common people, the same he wishes for the bishop and the teacher. For he himself needs God's grace-filled power more than others, as one who bears heavy burdens, needs mercy, as one who finds it difficult to avoid being obligated to God in many things, needs peace, as one who is forced to be in clashes and to wage a continuous struggle. For even one regular passage of the episcopate leads to heaven, and one fault brings down to hell.

For this reason I left you in Crete, that you might finish what was unfinished.

Just as in the household of those assigned to the service one does one thing, another another, so they divided the universe among themselves in parts, and all worked. This is precisely what is indicated here by the words left you in Crete, because he himself evidently went to another place to work there. See how he does not hesitate to write to his disciple so that he completes what he has not finished. Notice also that he corrected all this himself; And what led to honor, or praise, he entrusts to the disciple - I mean the ordination of bishops and everything else that needed a greater order.

And he appointed presbyters in all the cities, as I commanded you.

This is how he calls bishops here, and in the Epistle to Timothy. In all the cities, he says. He did not want the whole island to be entrusted to one person, but that each city should have its own shepherd. In this way, both the work will be easier and the observation will be more thorough.

If anyone is blameless.

If he leads a life free from reproach, if no one reproaches him for his way of life. For if light, he says, is darkness, how much more is darkness?

Husband of one wife.

In order to stop the mouths of heretics who condemned marriage, he accepted a married man as bishop. For marriage is so honorable that it is possible to ascend even to the holy throne with it. But in order to restrain the incontinent, he says, "The husband of one wife." For whoever has not retained any affection for the dead, how can he be a good primate in the Church? A bishop must be blameless. A bigamist, on the other hand, is not blameless, although this is permitted by civil laws.

He has faithful children, who are not reproached for debauchery or disobedience.

Who has not raised his own children, how will he manage others? It is clear that if he had brought up his children well and carefully at first, they would not have come out disobedient. For sins are not by nature such that they can be stronger than such care. The Apostle did not say simply: not dissolute children, but even completely free from the reproach of debauchery and free from evil suspicion.

For a bishop must be blameless, as God's steward.

How can he be blameless if he has unbelieving and ill-mannered children? God has set him over His house, he takes God's place; therefore, in all respects, he must be an exact executor of His will.

Not bold (υά).