Word: Titus
I may have bailed on my Word post last week, but this Friday I'm back with a vengeance... a vengeance for the people of Crete! Actually, I don't have anything against the Cretans, but it seems like you won't find Paul wearing an "I ♥ Crete" shirt. The same dude who told us to do everything in love now sounds like he's demonizing an entire race. What's up?
Paul, why you gotta be such a hater?
If I learned anything a few weeks back when we covered Paul's apparent sexism, it's that when I encounter passages like this it can be helpful to dig a bit deeper. While doing my minutes of intense Wikipedia research on Titus, I found out something interesting about this passage. Apparently Paul is quoting something called the "Epimenides paradox."
One of the secular peculiarities of the Epistle to Titus is the inclusion of text which has become known as the Epimenides paradox. According to the World English Bible translation, Titus 1:12-13 reads (in part) "One of them, a prophet of their own, said, 'Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and idle gluttons.' This testimony is true." The statement by a member of a group that all members are liars is now a famous logic problem. He leaves the character judgment of the people on Crete up to their own prophet. (Wikipedia)
So after reading that, I have two questions. Number one, if this "logic problem" is so famous, how come I've never heard about it until today? And two, what in the world does that all mean? I think I'm more confused now that before I read that. Paul judged an entire people group based on one prophet? I really hope Paul and Crete are not just the Nahum and Nineveh of the New Testament.
I'm putting out the Theonerd call on this one. Help! I'm too stupid to understand this! Please drop some wisdom in the comments!
Design Nerdery
I gotta confess, this design was a tough one. Many times I'll read through a book and there will be a few passages that visually pop out to me. That didn't happen for Titus, even after reading through it several times. It's tough when that happens, but it's also a good opportunity to force myself to find a solution, even if it's not my best work. I'm pretty sure this is the exact scenario Jesus had in mind when he talked about everyone having their own "cross to bear."
Earlier this week, I saw a really cool Bible verse design on Dribbble from Chandler Van De Water. Chandler is an awesome designer/developer from Greenville, SC and works for NewSpring Church. When I hit my Titus roadblock, I remembered Chandler's design and decided to take a stab at that style. Thanks for the inspiration, Chandler!