Titus 1:12

One of themselves Rather, one of them, there being nothing to indicate emphasis till the next two words come, a prophet of their own; the force is, -there is a Cretan saying and by a prophet of their own:" for the adjective see Titus 1:3.

Epimenides was a poet priest and prophet of Gnossus in Crete, who was invited to Athens about 596 b.c. to purify the city after the pollution of Cylon, and is said to have died at Lacedaemon soon after, aged 150 years. This hexameter verse is from his -Oracles," and the first part was quoted by Callimachus in his -Hymn to Zeus"

- "Cretans are always liars"; thy gravehas been claimed by the Cretans,

Thine, O King immortal, who livest and reignest for ever."

Peile quotes Calvin's Latin hexameter rendering

-Mendax, venter iners, semper mala bestia Cres est," and it would run in English

-Cretans are always liars, are wild beasts, do-nothing gluttons."

Their general character was well known from the proverb of -The three worst Ks, Kretans, Kappadocians, Kilicians," and from the word which meant -to play the Cretan" coming to mean -to play the cheat and liar," as -to play the Corinthian" was -to play the prodigal and libertine."

For their ferocity and greed and falseness cf. Polyb. vi. 46, 47, -The Cretans, on account of their innate avarice live in a perpetual state of private quarrel and public feud and civil strife.… and you will hardly find anywhere characters more tricky and deceitful than those of the Cretans."

In favour of the Cretans may be said that they sacrificed to their stern mentor Epimenides as a god, and that Titus, who was to adopt and enforce this severe censure of St Paul, has been honoured to this day as the apostle of Crete. See Pashley's Travels in Crete, vol. 1. p. 175. Cf. Appendix, I.