One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." - Titus 1:12
The person Paul quotes is believed to belong to the Cretan poet Epimenides. One thing troubled me though: Was Paul aware of this statement's paradoxial nature?
For, the quote clearly says that Cretans are always liars etc. If it is true, then this statement is false!
However, a quick glance on Paul's use of quotations from other pagan poets (Such as in Acts 17:28) shows that he did it to make a point rather than to use it seriously. I propose that Paul's quotation should be taken lightly, and only used by him to make a point. In this regard, I think the skeptics are wrong to say that Paul didn't know the nature of what he was quoting.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, September 07, 2005 at 3:13 PM.
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