Paul says he left Titus in Crete “set in order the things that are wanting” (1:5 KJV). Although there is no biblical evidence of Paul making a missionary visit to Crete, some scholars believe Paul may have started a church there while he was first imprisoned there. Either way, the church in Crete had not been organized to Paul’s satisfaction, requiring Titus to stay on the island.

Archaeologically, the island of Crete is a treasure trove. Evidence has been uncovered that Crete has been continually inhabited since at least the Neolithic Period (c.a. 9000 B.C.). The Minoans, once considered to be mythical, are now known to be one of the oldest civilizations.

As far as the New Testament period, the Cretan capital during the Roman period, Gortys (also known as Gortyn or Gortyna), has revealed a prosperous city with baths, an odeon, a praetorium and a temple dedicated to Apollo. Some estimate its population during the Roman Period was as many as 100,000. So far the earliest evidence of Christianity on the island dates from the sixth century, in the form of the ruins of several churches and basilicas, including the ruins of the Church of St. Titus which commemorates the traditional home of Titus.