Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Titus 1:14

"not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men who turn away from the truth." — Titus 1:14 (ASV)

As a result of this positive aim, the Cretan Christians will be led to a position where they “pay no attention to Jewish myths” (cf. 1 Timothy 1:4). These myths were seemingly speculative and fanciful inventions drawn from the OT records, such as are found in the apocryphal and pseudepigraphical writings of Judaism. The rejected teaching is further characterized as “the commands of those who reject the truth.” These commands were evidently Jewish-Gnostic ritual observances that the false teachers sought to make binding on Christians (cf. 1 Timothy 4:3–6). They are to be spurned because they are merely unauthorized human commands of people who have rejected the truth. There is a close connection between false doctrine and evil character.