60 Erkki Koskenniemi “For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especia- lly those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach – and that for the sake of dishonest gain. Even one of their own prophets has said: Κρῆτες ἀεὶ ψεῦσται, κακὰ θηρία, γαστέρες ἀργαί This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted” (Tit 1:10–15). Scholars disagree how much this quotation tells about the attitude of the writer to Greek literature and how much he knew of it. On the one hand, Clement of Alexandria, Epiphanius and Socrates Scholasticus already used the passage to prove how well Paul knew classical authors2, and in the modern research, for example, HOLTZ takes the quotation as a sign of “missionarische Klugheit”3 and HOCK considers it meaningful4; to be true, apparently erroneously considering it a word of the Lucan Paul.5 According to HOCK, the saying ... may go back to the pre-Socratic philosopher Epimenides, re- flects, in any case, the maxim habit learned at school.6 On the other hand, several scholars have claimed that the verse does not attest that “Paul” was educated. According to SCHMIDT, for example, the mocking words on the Cretans does not say anything about the educa- 2 See below p. 124-125. 3 G. HOLTZ Die Pastoralbriefe (Theologischer Handkommentar zum Neuen Testament 13; Berlin 1965) 213. 4 R.F. HOCK, ”Paul and Greco-Roman Education”, Paul in the Greco-Roman World: A Handbook (ed. J. P. SAMPLEY) (Harrisburg / London / New York 2003) 217. 5 “... as well as Luke’s portrait of Paul in Athens, in which he has the apostle quote briefly from the philosopher Epimenides and the poet Aratus (Acts 17:28)” (HOCK ”Paul and Greco-Roman Education”, 209). To be true, Epimenides is traditionally linked with Areopagus (Diog. Laert. 1,110), and John Chrysostomus indeed makes this link (see below p. 7) but the Lucan Paul does not quote him in his speech, unless a speculative hypothesis of R. HARRIS (The Commentaries of Isho’dad of Merv, in Syriac and English [ed. and trans. by M.D. GIBSON; with an introd. by J. R. HARRIS. Cambridge, 1911, xiv) is accepted. On this hypothesis, which is mostly and justly forgotten, see W. LOCK, A Critical and Exe- getical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles (I & II Timothy and Titus) (ICC; Edinburgh 1924) 134 and R. RENEHAN, ”Classical Greek Quotations in the New Testament”, FS G.V. FLOROVSKY 1973. OCA 195; Roma 1973) 36-37; DIBELIUS and KÜMMEL, Paulus (Sammlung Göschen 1160; Berlin 1951) 47 sqq. 6 HOCK,”Paul and Greco-Roman Education”, 217.