“As some of your own poets have said”: Secular and non-canonical literature in the New Testament and some (post)modern parallels

Abstract

The force of culture can be, at times, unbearable for Christian leaders, preachers, and practitioners, often manifesting itself in problematic ways at the interface between the church and society in the conduct of liturgical services, such as the pastoral offices (funerals, weddings) and also Sunday worship. An issue of some consternation and concern is very frequently the manner in which, and the extent to which, cultural elements, such as those drawn from the worlds of literature, music, the arts, cinema and television, may have a role in Christian liturgy and preaching. It is helpful then, to look to the New Testament for guidance and example, especially in the light of the return of Christianity to something akin to the margins of its cultural world, reflecting more accurately than has been the case for many centuries, the actual socio-cultural context of the New Testament. To this end, helpful examples are to be found in the use of a common underlying, yet ‘non-canonical’ tradition, shared by both the writer and recipients in the short epistle of Jude, together with the citation of secular poets and philosophers by Paul in the context of both reported speech (in the Acts) and the epistles.