Inspired Poet?

One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” Titus 1:12 NASB

Prophet – Once a student at the seminary refused to take my class on prayer because one of my required texts was by Henri Nouwen. Since Nouwen confessed that he struggled with homosexual thoughts, this man claimed nothing Nouwen wrote could be considered worthy. In the same way, I read a review of Guardian Angel that claimed since I do not have a beard, I could not be Torah observant and therefore whatever I wrote about Genesis must be in error. I am sure you have had similar experiences.

How should we treat the words and work of those outside the walls of our fellowship? What do we do about human reason, art and effort that doesn’t come with “approved by our God” labels? Perhaps we get some hints from Paul himself. In this letter to Titus, now an officially canonized document of the Church, Paul actually cites a Greek mystic.

Donna Dozier comments: “From these concepts, Jews began to view and separate their religion as ‘Hellenistic Judaism’ (those who lived in the diaspora and spoke and wrote in Greek, and incorporated Greek ways into their Judaism) and ‘Palestinian Judaism’ (those who lived in Judea, spoke and wrote in Hebrew and Aramaic, and tried to keep their Judaism pure). Shaye Cohen writes that “This conception was inspired by the figure of Paul of Tarsus, who seemed to represent the urbane and cosmopolitan (that is, not law-observant) Jew of the diaspora in contrast with the ‘orthodox’ and legalistic Jews of Judea.” (Shaye Cohen 27) Paul (Sha’ul) did declare himself to be a student of Gamli’el and an interesting note regarding ‘Greek wisdom’ in Gamli’el’s school can be found in the Talmud (b. Sotah 49b):

But is Greek philosophy forbidden? Behold Rab Judah declared that Samuel said in the name of Rabban Simeon b. Gamaliel, What means that which is written: My eye affects my soul, because of all the daughters of my city? There were a thousand pupils in my father’s house; five hundred studied Torah and five hundred studied Greek wisdom, and of these there remained only I here and the son of my father’s brother in Assia! It was different with the household of Rabban Gamaliel because they had close associations with the Government. (Hegg 40)

This goes a long way in explaining some of the Hellenism apparent in Paul’s teachings. In Acts 17:28 Paul debates with philosophers and quotes a local philosopher, Aratus from Phaenomena 5; in Titus 1:12 he quotes Epimenides; in 1 Cor. 15:33, he quotes Meander. (Hegg 40) [B]ut this Hellenism makes him no less Jewish in his own eyes or in the eyes of the Jews around him. He still declares that he, like James, still lives according to the law (Acts 21:24), has a zeal for Torah (Acts 22:3), declares himself to be a Pharisee (Acts 23:6), a Hebrew of Hebrews (Phil 3:4-6) and at the end of his life, recounts that he served God “the way my forefathers did…” (2 Tim 1:3).”[1]

I find lessons about the truth of God’s creation in all sorts of places. In the blues, in movies, in documents and studies that are sometimes written to reject Him. I find material that underscores my trust in His government, justice and faithfulness in the oddest places. Places that sometimes others wouldn’t even look. But the invisible hand of God works through the lives of men if we look. We can close our eyes to it all and read only the canonized and authorized. But apparently Paul did more than that.

I wonder why?

Topical Index: Epimenides, Titus 1:12, prophet

[1] Donna Dozier, in private communication