May 13, 2009

Titus, Who Was With Me

If I don't get some major writing done this summer, I'll be stuck in the same decades I've been focusing on for the past three years - 9 BC to 14 AD. I'm hoping to spend much more time on the 30's after August (if not before). The second half of 33 AD is the reason I keep at this so hard, but all the fun stuff is the Paul stuff - the reason I got interested in scripture's historical context to begin with.

So this is just to say it will probably be a few years before I can make the case that Titus and Luke carried Paul's Galatian letter (in 50 AD) from Antioch to the four churches in southern Galatia. That's how those saints knew who Titus was. Titus was a brilliant choice as an eyewitness of the Jerusalem Council.

Besides, that's how Luke (and Titus) wound up at Troas. They needed to deliver the letter, work with the churches, and then move on. The churches needed time to digest Paul's letter before the apostle himself came in for his follow up visit. And for geography's sake - Titus & Luke needed to wait for Paul & Silas at some rendevous point. From Antioch of Syria, if you had to go past Galatia and pick one spot to meet up at - a spot that everyone knew about and so anyone you met along the road could point you in the direction of - wouldn't you pick the famous site of the Trojan war? (Or at least, the nearby town of the same name.) (Clarification: Yes, the Trojan War as told by Homer is absolute legend, but the legend was known to be centered on a real historical site - just in case you didn't know.)

Yep. Titus carried Galatians. Makes a beautiful story, dont'cha think?

Someday, I'll do much more with it. Story. And History.

Someday.

(heavy sigh)

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