Crete
Which country is Crete in? Greece's largest island, where Paul's ship sheltered and where Titus stayed to set the churches in order, with its chapters.
- Today
- Island of Crete, Greece
- Country
- Greece
- Status
- Inhabited island: ruins of the Basilica of St Titus at Gortyn
- Identification
- Certain
Crete is the large island between the Aegean and the Mediterranean. Cretans were among those in Jerusalem at Pentecost who heard the mighty works of God in their own languages. When Paul was being taken to Rome as a prisoner, his ship sheltered at Fair Havens on the island's south coast; Paul warned that the voyage would be dangerous, but the ship sailed on and was caught in a great storm. In his letter to Titus he says he left him in Crete to put things in order and appoint elders in every town.
Read the chapters
- Acts 27
A chapter recounting in vivid detail how the ship carrying Paul as a prisoner is caught in a violent storm, highlighting one man who keeps his composure on a voyage that seems hopeless.
- Titus 1
- Acts 2
The day of Pentecost — the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first believers and the birth of the church, a turning point in Christian history.
Related topics
Related people
- Paul
- Peter
- Barnabas
- Stephen
- Lydia
- Matthew
- Timothy
- John the Apostle
- Philip the Apostle
- Judas Iscariot
- Mark
Related verse collections
- Bible Verses About Salvation
- Bible Verses About Repentance
- Bible Verses About Generosity
- Bible Verses About Witness
- Bible Verses About Mercy
Reading plans
- The Early Church Through Acts — 28 Days
- The Bible in a Year — 365 Days from Cover to Cover
- 30 Days with the Gospel — An Introduction to the New Testament
Books
Places in the Bible
Which country is Crete in, and is it in the Bible?
Crete is Greece's largest island today; it lies at the southern edge of the Aegean Sea and its largest city is Heraklion. The ship taking Paul to Rome sheltered at Fair Havens on the island's south coast (Acts 27:8), a cove still known as Kali Limenes. Paul left Titus on the island to set the churches in order (Titus 1:5). At the archaeological site of Gortyn, the ruins of a Byzantine-era basilica dedicated to Titus can be seen.
Did Paul go to Crete?
Acts tells how the ship taking Paul to Rome sheltered at Fair Havens on Crete's south coast (Acts 27:8). His letter to Titus also shows that Paul had been on the island and left Titus there (Titus 1:5); the timing of that visit is not described in Acts.
What did Titus do in Crete?
Paul writes that he left Titus in Crete to put in order what remained and to appoint elders in every town (Titus 1:5). Church tradition remembers Titus as the first bishop of Crete.