CRETE (kret), (Gr. Kp4r,j, kray' tay, carnal, fleshly), one of the largest islands in the Mediter ranean, now called Candia, and by the Turks, Kidd.
It is 16o miles long, but of very unequal width —varying from thirty-five to six miles. It is sit uated at the entrance of the Archipelago, having the coast of the Morea to the northwest, that of Asia Minor to the northeast, and that of Libya to the south. Great antiquity was affected by the inhabitants, and it has been supposed by some that the island was originally peopled from Egypt ; hut this is founded on the conclusion that Crete was the Caphthor of Dem. ii :23. etc., and the country of the Philistines, which seems more than doubt ful (see CArnmu). Surrounded on all sides by the sea. the Cretans were excellent sailors, and their vessels visited all the neighboring coasts. The island was highly prosperous and full of people in very ancient times; this is indicated by its 'hun dred cities' alluded to by I lomer (11. ii :649). The chief glory of the island, however, lay in its having produced the legislator Nlmos, whose institutions had such important influence in softening the manners of a barbarous age, especially in Greece. The natives were celebrated as archers. Their character was not of the most favorable descrip tion. In short, the ancient notices of their char acter fully agree with the quotation which St. Paul produces from 'one of their own poets,' in his Epistle toTit us (i :12), who had been left in charge of the Christian church in the island :—'The Cretans arc always liars, eternal liars, evil beasts. 'brutes; 'slow bellies,' gorbellies, bellies which take long to fill.
Crete is named in I Mace. x :67. But it derives
its strongest scriptural interest from the ell-emu stances connected with St. Paul's voyage to Italy The vessel in which he sailed, being forced out of her course by contrary winds, was driven round the island. instead of keeping the direct course to the north of it. in doing this, the ship first made the promontory of Salmons on the eastern side of the island, which they passed with difficulty, and took shelter at a place called Fair-Havens, near to which was the city Lasea. But after spending some time at this place, and not finding it, as they supposed, sufficiently secure to winter in, they resolved, contrary to the advice of St. Paul (the season being far advanced), to make for Phcenice, a more commodious harbor on the western part of the island, in attempting which they were driven far out of their course by a furious east wind called Euroclydon, and wrecked on the island of Mclita (Acts xxvii).
It is not known who planted Christianity in Crete. If St. Paul did so, it must have been be fore his first imprisonment, possibly in the course of a visit while he was staying at Corinth or Ephesus. Perhaps the Church in the island had been founded by Christian converts. St. Paul seems to imply from his words to Titus (Tit. i :5), 'For this cause left I thee in Crete,' that he had been to the island. The fact that Titus was left to supply all omissions and appoint elders in every city shows that the Church had been established long enough to admit the presence of irregulari ties, and had been imperfectly organized. (C. H. Prichard, Hastings' Bib. Diet.)