The Bible Says That!? - Are Pagan Quotes Scripture?

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Intro

Today, I ask you this one simple question: Are quotes in the Bible that are sourced from extra-biblical sources authoritative Scripture? We’re going to play with it a little bit- as a thought experiment- but this is an exercise to help us build off what we learned last week about Inerrancy, infallibility, and the inspiration of the Bible.

Are quotes in the Bible that are sourced from extra-biblical sources authoritative Scripture?

 

Understanding the question

Based on our conversation from last week what are your initial thoughts on this question? Why?

What do we mean when we say, “The Bible is God’s Word”? Does that mean that every word was a direct quote from God Himself?

Based on last week, how would you say God transmitted His will into His Word? What “level of Inspiration,” resonates most with you? As a group?

 

Let’s take a look at a few examples

Read:

Acts 17:28 – Direct Quote from a Greek poet named Epimenidies or Aratus, from Phaenomena 5

1 Corinthians 15:33 – Quote from a Greek Drama by Menander, titled Thais

Titus 1:12 – Quote from Greek poetry written by Epimenides of Crete

Jude 9 – A Likely quote from the Assumption of Moses – a Jewish Pseudepigraphal text from the intertestamental period

Jude 14-15 – a quote from 1 Enoch 1:9 - a Jewish Pseudepigraphal text from the intertestamental period.

John 1:1 – the use of Logos (λογος – “word”) definitely comes from Stoic philosophy – Especially Philo of Alexandria.

Matthew 16:3 – A common weather proverb used in Greco-Roman Folk wisdom (Contrast that with biblical folk wisdom)

1 Corinthians 2:9 – Not found anywhere in the OT. Likely from 1 Enoch, the Ascension of Isaiah, or Oral Jewish tradition. The closest match is Isaiah 64:4

1 Corinthians 7:12-13 – This is Paul directly speaking who speaks from apostolic authority – not as a direct command from Jesus. He differentiates a command from God vs a command from himself, which he views as authoritative, but says its not Jesus who is speaking.

Acts 20:35 – not found anywhere in the NT – unrecorded saying of Jesus – comes from the obvious oral tradition of Jesus’ teaching – yet still not in the Gospels.

1 Corinthians 10:4 – Midrashic / Jewish interpretive tradition– possibly alluding to Jewish Midrash (Targum Pseudo-Jonathan) or Exodus 17 or Numbers 20. The tradition that the rock that produced water followed the Israelites around in the desert.

Galatians 4:29 – Based on Jewish interpretation of Genesis 21:9 – not an interpretation of Genesis 21:9 itself. A Jewish allegorical reading treating Ishmael’s mocking of Isaac as persecution of Christ or the church.

I want to be clear. I am not advocating that all of these extra-biblical sources are biblical. But I do want to talk about some of the implications behind what it means to “be Scripture.”

 

Playing Devil’s advocate

I want to play devil’s advocate a little bit here to really drive home my point about the nature of inspiration.

Does this mean that if Scripture quotes a philosopher or Greek work, that the whole work is inspired by God?

If yes, then we have to accept a LOT of extra-biblical sources as God’s authoritative Word

If no, then that puts the credibility of the biblical authors at risk as well as the credibility/inspiration of the actual quote found in Scripture.

Does this mean that if Scripture quotes a philosopher or Greek work, that the person who wrote it is inspired by God?

 

Clarifying some points on what we can hold on to

How does the Bible understand itself when it comes to inspiration, infallibility, and its own authority?

Read: 2 Timothy 3:16 – All Scripture is God-breathed.

Again, from last week, what does this mean? How should we understand Scripture and its inspired nature?

If I preach a sermon, or teach a Sunday School class that is solidly based in the Bible, it follows all the rules of sound doctrine and faith, would that sermon/lesson be considered Authoritative for our lives? Why/why not?

Even if we understand it to be authoritative, that doesn’t make it Scripture, right?

How do Jesus’ parables relate to this conversation? His parables referenced real-world images, and biblical authors used familiar sources to communicate truth. What makes it Scripture is that God guided the message, even if the human author borrowed examples or sayings.

So why use extra-biblical sources at all? Why not just invent all new sayings within Scripture? The authors were communicators, speaking to real people within specific cultures. Quoting a Greek poet or a Jewish tradition didn’t mean they believed everything those sources taught. They used familiar words to build bridges of understanding with their audience.

 

How should this shape our view of the Bible?

We should have confidence in God’s Sovereignty. He is not threatened by culture. Instead, he redeems it. He can speak through a pagan poet to teach truth about Himself.

Deeper Understanding of Context. Understanding where a quote came from helps deepen our understanding of the biblical authors message.

Respect for Scripture’s complexity. The Bible is not a flat, lifeless rulebook. It is a rich, multi-voiced text where God spoke through human voices in a specific time in a specific culture for a specific purpose.

 

Take Away

What are your thoughts on all this?

Does this challenge or strengthen your view of the inspiration of Scripture?

In your own life, how does God speak to you and your own experiences: Songs, conversations, things you read, etc.?