Thomas Aquinas Commentary Titus 2:1-6

"But speak thou the things which befit the sound doctrine: that aged men be temperate, grave, sober-minded, sound in faith, in love, in patience: that aged women likewise be reverent in demeanor, not slanderers nor enslaved to much wine, teachers of that which is good; that they may train the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, [to be] sober-minded, chaste, workers at home, kind, being in subjection to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed: the younger men likewise exhort to be sober-minded:" — Titus 2:1-6 (ASV)

1. Above, the Apostle instructed Titus on what sort of ministers to appoint to hinder heretics; here he teaches him what to do.

First, he proposes a general plan; second, he breaks it down into its details, beginning with that the aged men.

2. He says, therefore: until now I have said that bishops must be appointed. But so that you do not suppose that this would free you from the care of souls, be assured that you should be all the more careful to instruct your flock. Consequently, speak the things that become sound doctrine; that is, the things upon which a sound faith can be built: so that he may be able to exhort in sound doctrine and to convince those who contradict it (Titus 1:9).

3. Then he explains this in detail. First, he proposes a sound doctrine against perverse living; second, against heretics and errors, at but avoid foolish questions (Titus 3:9).

In regard to the first point, he does two things:

1. He instructs different classes of people.
2. He instructs people in general, at admonish them to be subject (Titus 3:1).

In regard to the first of these, he does two things:

1. He shows how to instruct free men.
2. He shows how to instruct slaves, at exhort servants (Titus 2:9).

Regarding the instruction of free men, he does two things:

1. He shows how to instruct them by word.
2. He shows how to instruct them by example, at in all things show (Titus 2:7).

Regarding instruction by word, he does two things:

1. He shows how the old should be instructed.
2. He shows how the young should be instructed, at exhort young men.

Regarding the instruction of the old, he does two things:

1. He shows how to instruct old men.
2. He shows how to instruct old women, at the aged women.

It should be noted that some things to which old age disposes a person are good, and he mentions these first. Second, he mentions the good things to which old age is not naturally suited, beginning with sound in faith.

4. Among the good things to which old age disposes a person, one is contempt for pleasures, and the other is perfection in wisdom and prudence.

Old age naturally breeds contempt for pleasures because the bodies of young men are warm with a natural heat that incites them to bodily pleasures, especially those found in food, drink, and sex. But old age inclines a person to avoid such things, for old men are used to self-denial: I am this day eighty years old; can I discern what is pleasant and what is not? (2 Samuel 19:35). He says, therefore, that the aged men may be sober in the use of food and drink, and chaste in matters of sex: after I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure? (Genesis 18:12).

But if old age disposes one this way, why is this advice necessary?

I answer that it sometimes happens that old men, as a result of perversity, indulge in childish sins: the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed (Isaiah 65:20). This happens for two reasons, as an old man is inclined toward this sin differently than a young man. A young man is incited to it by the lust of passion, but an old man is incited by choice, for two reasons:

1. No one wishes to exist without pleasures, and the more one seeks them, the more troublesome they become. Old men suffer many discomforts and natural defects; therefore, when they do not have spiritual pleasures, they search for bodily ones.
2. A young man is sometimes held back by shame. But old men, according to the Philosopher, are without shame because they are old and experienced. Young men are by nature vain and easily embarrassed and are therefore restrained, but not so old men.

5. Again, old age disposes one toward prudence because of long experience: wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days (Job 12:12); how attractive is wisdom in the aged, and understanding and counsel in honorable men! . Hence he adds, prudent.

Yet it sometimes happens that an old man is a fool: my soul hates three kinds of men; an adulterous old man who lacks good sense . Two things can make an old man a fool. First, good sense is acquired by experience. Therefore, if they do not occupy themselves with good things when they are young, they are imprudent in old age: you have gathered nothing in your youth; how then can you find anything in your old age? . Second, sometimes when they are young, they abound in pleasures and especially in excessive foods; as a result, their brain dries up: wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; and whoever is led astray by it is not wise (Proverbs 20:1).

6. Then he lists the things to which old age is opposed: first, faith; second, love; third, patience.

Regarding the first, he says to bid them be sound in faith, because without faith it is impossible to please him (Hebrews 11:6). The reason some are not sound in faith, especially regarding new things proposed for the old to believe, is twofold. First, old men are not firm in anything new because they presume on their own wisdom and, consequently, do not believe others: both the gray-haired and the aged are among us (Job 15:10). Again, it is a natural vice of old men to be incredulous because they have found themselves deceived very often. Consequently, they always use words like ‘perhaps’ or ‘maybe’ and adverbs that are moderate and suggest doubt. But disbelief is opposed to faith: he who is unfaithful deals unfaithfully (Isaiah 21:2).

Regarding the second, he says, in love, which is the fulfillment of the law. He advises love for two reasons. First, among the old there is little friendship, since love is nourished by being together, but no one wishes to stay long with those who are sad. And old people are sad, with the result that they have no friends. Second, old people are interested in useful friendships, just as the young are interested only in pleasurable friendships, for old people need sustenance.

Regarding the third, he says, in patience, which he advises for three reasons. First, old men are troubled with many evils and inconveniences; hence, they must be patient with their defects. Second, they live with their memories, so they always speak of the good old days, whereas young men live in hope of good things yet to come. Thus, the old are inclined to be impatient for two reasons: because of the good things they once had but now lack—hence Boethius says, “the greatest misery is to have been happy”—and as Scripture says, Jerusalem remembers in the days of her affliction and bitterness all the precious things that were hers from days of old (Lamentations 1:7). Again, because they live in their memories, it happens that some who now scorn them were formerly worse, and this troubles them: but now they make sport of me, men who are younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock (Job 30:1). The third reason is that the closer an old man gets to the end of his life, the more he desires to live; hence, noting that he is failing, he becomes all the sadder.

7. Then, he shows how the aged women are to be instructed: first, how they are to be instructed in their life, and second, in their doctrine. Regarding their life, he addresses three things: their attire, their speech, and their food.

Regarding attire, he says, in holy attire, that is, not in wanton and loud dresses. This is becoming for every woman: do not let yours be the outward adorning with braiding of hair, decoration of gold, and wearing of robes (1 Peter 3:3); women should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly attire (1 Timothy 2:9). Old women in particular should observe this, because it is expected that young women will adorn themselves modestly for their husband’s sake. This modesty should be manifest in every movement of their body: a man’s attire and open-mouthed laughter, and a man’s manner of walking, show what he is .

Regarding speech, he says, not false accusers. Two faults are glaring in the aged. One is common to everyone who is old: they are suspicious because they have witnessed many evils, which they presume will be true of others. The other is true particularly of women: they are jealous. Both these faults are found in an old woman, for by reason of her age she is suspicious, and by reason of her sex she is jealous: there is grief of heart and sorrow when a wife is envious of a rival, and a tongue-lashing makes it known to all . Consequently, he says, not false accusers.

Regarding food, he says, not slaves to much wine. Of the men he says, be sober. And he says, not slaves to much, because sometimes they use it to warm themselves.

Regarding doctrine, he says, teaching well. But this does not seem to agree with 1 Corinthians: the women should keep silence in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate (1 Corinthians 14:34); or with 1 Timothy: let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness. I permit no woman to teach (1 Timothy 2:11).

I answer that public teaching of the people is forbidden to women, but private teaching within the family is permitted to them: the words of Lemuel, king of Massa, which his mother taught him (Proverbs 31:1); when I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, she taught me and said to me, let your heart hold fast my words and keep my commandments, and live (Proverbs 4:3).

And he says well, that they may teach the young women to be wise. He says this to the old women rather than to the old men, because the former sometimes teach old wives’ fables instead of useful facts, and also because they are with the children and the family more than the men are.

8. Then when he says, to love their husbands, he shows how the young are to be taught:

1. The young women.
2. The young men, at exhort young men.

In regard to the first, he does three things:

1. He shows how young women should behave toward their husbands.
2. He shows how they should behave toward themselves.
3. He shows how they should behave toward their subjects.

9. Regarding the first, he says, to love their husbands. For love is a husband’s due: a good wife is the crown of her husband (Proverbs 12:4); my soul takes pleasure in three things, and they are beautiful in the sight of the Lord and of men: agreement between brothers, friendship between neighbors, and a wife and husband who live in harmony .

Alternatively, the text could mean that they teach the young women and men, just as they teach prudence to youth and men. But the first exposition is better.

To love their children. This is natural: can a woman forget her sucking child, that she could have no compassion on the son of her womb? (Isaiah 49:15).

Note that he says, to love their husbands, to love their children. He uses different terms, namely, amor toward their husbands and dilectio toward their children, because the love shown to their husbands is more ardent, while the love shown to their children is more natural.

10. In regard to themselves, he says three things. The first pertains to reason: to be discreet. House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord (Proverbs 19:14). This advice is necessary because their youth and their sex are contrary to discretion. The second pertains to the concupiscible appetite, namely, that they be chaste. The third pertains to the irascible appetite, namely, that they be sober. A holy and shamefaced women is grace upon grace .

11. In regard to things under their care, he first states what should be entrusted to their care, second, how to exercise that care, and third, the reason behind this advice.

Regarding the first, he says, having a care of the house: the wisdom of a woman builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down (Proverbs 14:1).

In exercising care, a woman should observe two things. First, because women are easily angered—there is no anger above the anger of a woman ()—he says, gentle. As if to say: let them govern with gentleness. The other thing she must observe is subordination, because when a woman has power, she tries to oppose her husband’s plans: a woman, if she have superiority, is contrary to her husband . Therefore, he says, obedient to their husbands; hence it is said: your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you (Genesis 3:16). And this is so that the word of God be not blasphemed, that is, that their disobedience not be an occasion for blasphemy.

All these points are mentioned in Tobit 10:13, where it is stated that Raguel and Sarah admonished their daughter to honor her father- and mother-in-law, to love her husband, to take care of the family, to govern the house and to behave herself blamelessly.

12. Then he teaches Titus how to instruct the young men, namely, that they be sober. He repeats this because drunkenness is the source of many vices: be sober (1 Peter 5:8).