Everyday 43: Outside Sources

Paul had no problem quoting pagan sources when they said something true. At the Areopagus in Athens, he told the philosophers: "as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we are indeed his offspring'" (Acts 17:28) - quoting Greek poets as valid statements about God. In Titus 1:12, he goes further, calling a Cretan poet a "prophet" and affirming his blunt assessment of Cretan culture. In 1 Corinthians 15:33, Paul embeds a line from the Greek playwright Menander - "bad company ruins good morals" - directly into inspired Scripture. Paul wasn't compromising biblical authority. Scripture itself models engaging culture and using what's true in it, wherever it's found.
This matters because using outside sources isn't a concession against biblical authority - Paul himself did it, repeatedly, inside inspired Scripture.
Scripture links:
- Acts 17:28 - "As even some of your own poets have said, 'For we are indeed his offspring.'" Paul quotes pagan Greek poets as true statements about God.
- Titus 1:12 - "One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, 'Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.'" Paul calls a pagan poet a "prophet" and affirms his words.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33 - "Bad company ruins good morals" - a line from the Greek playwright Menander, embedded directly into inspired Scripture.