Many people are not aware of how much the apostle Paul quotes from Greek philosophers in his speaking and writing. This post from “Bible Things in Bible Ways” is a great handy little reference and contains enough to surprise many people. The author doesn’t mention that Paul quoted also from Cleanthes’ “Hymn to Zeus” so add that to the extensive list on this site.

Bible things in Bible ways

Out of the 27 books, epistles and letters that make up the New Testament, 13 have been authored by the Apostle Paul (This does not include the book of Hebrews which some believe he wrote). One of the most influential people in the 1st Century Church, a former Pharisee, he took the gospel or Good news of our Messiah to the Greek speaking world of his day. This was no easy task. The peoples of Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Phillipi, Colosse & Thessalonica which he wrote to, were all part of the Greek speaking world educated in Greek literature and philosophy, with their own gods, traditions and opinions.

If you have read Paul’s epistles, inevitably, a thought such as “Why is Paul so hard to understand?” would have crossed your mind at some point. It is true that some of his letters are not that easy to read…

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