Epimenides’ Paradox

Epimenides of Cnossos was a Greek philosopher and poet in the sixth and seventh century before Christ. One of his famous lines is, “All Cretans are liars, evil beasts, always gluttons.” The first half of that assessment has become known as Epimenides’ Paradox because of one little detail: Epimenides was himself a Cretan.

Are all people from Crete liars? What if the person saying that is also from Crete? Can he be trusted? It’s like a person who eats bologna every day telling someone, “You’re full of bologna!” If being full of bologna means someone is lying, can we trust the person who literally full of bologna? 

Professor Thomas Fowler put it like this: "Epimenides the Cretan says that all the Cretans are liars, but Epimenides is himself a Cretan; therefore he is himself a liar. But if he is a liar, what he says is untrue, and consequently, the Cretans are veracious; but Epimenides is a Cretan, and therefore what he says is true; saying the Cretans are liars, Epimenides is himself a liar, and what he says is untrue. Thus we may go on alternately proving that Epimenides and the Cretans are truthful and untruthful."

The reason for bringing up this silly paradox is that it appears in the Bible. Writing to his apprentice Titus, who was ministering in Crete, Paul wrote, “One of them, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’ This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith (Titus 1:12-13).” Because Titus was ministering to lying, evil gluttons, he needed to use the Word of God to rebuke them and teach them how to live godly lives.

It may seem harsh, or possibly even racist, that Paul would speak against an entire people group (although technically he is only affirming what one of their own said). Paul’s agreement with Epimenides (“this testimony is true”) is not based on racism, but on the hypocrisy he had personally witnessed. While people like to debate the paradox, Paul viewed the Cretans as liars, not based on them being unable to tell the truth, but because they did not practice what they preached. Notice what he said in verse sixteen: “They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.”

The Cretans were liars. It wasn’t that they pathologically went around lying to everyone, but they were lying via their actions. They attended church on Sunday and told everyone they knew God, but the way they conducted themselves said otherwise. Their words and actions didn’t match. They were hypocrites, so Paul agreed with Epimenides’ assessment.

Don’t be a liar. If you say you know God, your actions should affirm, not contradict, your words.