Papias, AD. 0- 130 approximately, Bishop of Hierapolis in Asia and alleged by Eusebius to be the writer of five
books titled Expositions of Oracles of the Lord
. Made the claim that he was taught by the apostles
Andrew, Peter, Phillip, Thomas, James, John and Matthew plus two others who were not apostles, Aristion and the
elder John. To be certain this would make him a credible witness, if it were true and he himself was trustworthy.
But the content of his own writings testifies that he is a disreputable witness and casts doubt on everyone
who acknowledges him, such as IRENAUS AND EUSEBIUS.
Irenaus attributes the following as HAVING BEEN SPOKEN BY THE LORD and delivered to Papias from the apostles.
The days will come, in which vines shall grow, each having ten thousand shoots, and on each shoot ten thousand branches and on each branch again ten thousand twigs and on each twig ten thousand clusters, and on each cluster ten thousand grapes and each grape when pressed shall yield five and twenty measures of wine. And when any of the saints shall have taken hold of one of the clusters, another shall cry, I am a better cluster, take me, bless the Lord through me…
Is that or anything like it, in the Bible? What do the Scriptures say,
God, who in sundry times and divers manners spake in times past to the fathers by
the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by the Son...
(Heb. 1:1-2)
This means that God has ceased speaking to man, since speaking by Jesus as recorded by His apostles. If Papias claimed to record the words of Jesus then he would be claiming to be an apostle. Now Anastasius of Sinai claimed Papias' sayings were interpreted spiritually.
Nevertheless it is stated by Iraneus, that Papius claimed that Jesus said these words. If that was the case then they would be the words of God and hence Scripture. Aside from the somewhat ludicrous and carnal nature of the words Jesus is alleged to have said, and of which no parallel can be found amongst His words, they are extra Biblical and adding to the word of God.
Do not add to His words, lest He reprove you and you be found a liar.
(Pro. 30:6)
Papias was a liar.
Further damming evidence of his character is found in his denial of the death of Judas and hence inerrancy of the Gospels in the following -
Judas walked about in this world a terrible example of impiety, his flesh swollen
to such an extent that, a where a wagon can pass with ease, he was not able to pass, no, not even the mass
of his head merely. They say that his eyelids swelled to such an extent that he could not see the light at
all, while as for his eyes they were not visible even by a physician looking through an instrument, so far
had they sunk from the surface...
The Scriptures expressly state that Judas hung himself, fell headlong and burst open in the middle and his entrails spilled out,therefore the field was called the field of blood. (Acts 1:18-19)
That he died is certain for he went to his own place (Acts 1:25) which, since he was possessed by Satan was hell. Therefore Papias is directly contradicting Scripture and plainly speaking only to those who were ignorant of the Scriptures. He claimed to be taught by the apostles but speaks contrary to them. Papias was a liar.
These sayings of Papias are among his few remaining. It is a sad indictment against him if all that can be credited to him with certainty speaks only of his falsification of the Scriptures. It therefore must be made plain that any scholar who uses Papias as a source to justify a proposition is either terribly ignorant, terribly foolish or an outright deceiver. To use one such as Papias as a supporting source, invalidates one’s argument from the beginning. Papias is the first foundation stone of the Synoptic Problem and Liberalism. Liberalism is simply unbelief in the Word of God.
Another man: the author of the first harmony, had a similar reputation.
Tatian 160- AD compiled a harmony, which had a great influence on the Church and its interpretation of Scripture. Yet Tatian was a Gnostic, a heretic, a liar, yet perversely the Church acts as though his compilation of a Gospel harmony was correct. Yet Tatian’s harmony, like all subsequent harmonies, has thousands of errors because of the way it is complied. It is forced and similar incidences are mistaken for identical incidences, so that the Gospels appear to have errors. Tatian is the second foundation stone of Liberalism.
IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD...(Jn. 1:1)
He that is of God heareth God's words.(Jn. 8:47)