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Aristotle’s Ethics describes discipline and self-control as the most important Greek virtues. Titus echoes this Hellenistic language when teaching believers about moderation and reverence.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics 3.57
Classical
After courage let us speak of temperance; for these seem to be the virtues of the irrational parts. We have said that temperance is a mean with regard to pleasures (for it is less, and not in the same way, concerned with pains); self-indulgence also is manifested in the same sphere. Now, therefore, let us determine with what sort of pleasures they are concerned. We may assume the distinction between bodily pleasures and those of the soul, such as love of honour and love of learning; for the lover of each of these delights in that of which he is a lover, the body being in no way affected, but rather the mind; but men who are concerned with such pleasures are called neither temperate nor self-indulgent. Nor, again, are those who are concerned with the other pleasures that are not bodily; for those who are fond of hearing and telling stories and who spend their days on anything that turns up are called gossips, but not self-indulgent, nor are those who are pained at the loss of money or of friends. Temperance must be concerned with bodily pleasures, but not all even of these; for those who delight in objects of vision, such as colours and shapes and painting, are called neither temperate nor self-indulgent; yet it would seem possible to delight even in these either as one should or to excess or to a deficient degree. And so too is it with objects of hearing; no one calls those who delight extravagantly in music or acting self-indulgent, nor those who do so as they ought temperate.
Date: 350-325 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Titus 2:12
New Testament
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. 12 It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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Notes and References
... While each group has some distinctive obligations, the virtues commended reflect the best of Hellenistic moral values. As with the qualities expected of elders (1:5–9), restraint and self-control are a common thread (Titus 2:2, 5, 6). Aristotle’s classic definition of temperance (sōphrosynē) aptly captures the overall tone: “the temperate person [ho sōphrōn] desires the right thing in the right way at the right time.” Establishing the framework of each set of duties are the three virtues singled out in 2:12—being self-controlled (sōphrōn), upright (dikaios), and godly (eusebēs). These are root values that are expressed in different ways. ... While the pursuit of “good works” may seem like a superficial way of visualizing the life of faith, in Titus to do good is a central ingredient, if not the overall goal, of discipleship. ...
Holladay, Carl R.
A Critical Introduction to the New Testament Interpreting the Message and Meaning of Jesus Christ
(p. 604) Abingdon, 2005
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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