Referring To Extra-Biblical Sources For Research Purposes

Question: Why do you go outside of the 66 inspired books and quote from the Apocryphal book of Tobit, historian Flavius Josephus, Church History, Church Fathers, the Jewish Tamlud and other uninspired sources? It shows that you don't honor the canonicity of the Scriptures and shows that you are so desparate to prove your points even using uninspired sources, the ends cannot justify the means. Learn to stay within the 66 inspired books and respect the canon.

First of all let me clarify one improtant thing:  I believe that the 66 books are the Bible are Divinely inspired, infalliable and authentic word of God. These 66 books are sufficient to lead us to eternal life and guide us to live a life of holiness in this world.

However there is nothing wrong in quoting, alluding to or referring to extra-Biblical sources. The purpose is just to give an FYI to the readers and present it as an additional information for research purposes. It does not mean declaring those extra-Biblical sources as Divinely inspired.

Even the Canonized scriptures refer to/allude to/quote extra-Biblical sources, under Diving Inspiration. That does not mean Biblical writers are wrong in going outside the scripture or attributing divine authority to extra-Biblical sources. The Holy Spirit directed them to make a point using some extra-Biblical sources.

Some examples are given below:

The Book of Jasher mentioned in Joshua 10:12-13 when the Lord stopped the sun in the middle of the day during the battle of Beth Horon. Mentioned in 2 Samuel 1:18-27 as containing the Song or Lament of the Bow, funeral song for King Saul & Jonathan

Book of the Wars of the Lord mentioned in Numbers 21:14 the Book of Samuel the Seer, mentioned in 1 Chronicles 29:29the Book of Nathan the Prophet, mentioned in 1 Chronicles 29:29the Book of Gad the Seer mentioned in 1 Chronicles 29:29, Acts of Rehoboam and the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah - 1 Kings 14:29

Solomon composed more than a thousand songs (1 Kings 4:32), yet only two are preserved in the book of Psalms (72 and 127).

Even in the New Testament Paul quoted from extra-Biblical sources under divine inspiration.

Paul included a quotation from the Cretan poet Epimenides (Titus 1:12) and quoted from the poets Epimenides and Aratus in his speech at Athens (Acts 17:28).

Does that mean Paul dishonored the inspired Scriptures and gave legitimacy to secular philosophers?

Jude 14 quoted in Book of Enoch (Assumption of Moses)

Hebrews 11:37 (sawn in two) - The Ascension of Isaiah 1:9, 5:2, 12

Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Obadiah, Zephaniah, Judges,1 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Lamentations & Nahum - never quoted by the New Testament writers.

Matthew 27:42-43 alluding to Wisdom 2:12-20

Romans 1:19-25 alluding to Wisdom 12 & 13

Hebrews 11:35 refers to 2 Maccabees 7

Lord Jesus Himself alluding to Sirach 27:6 when He talked about fruit bearing trees.

Some people say that Jesus celebrated Hannukah referring to John 10:22-23, don't want to open another can of worms by going in that tangent.

"And it was at Jerusalem the Feast of The Dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch" John 10:22-23

We can go on and on if we dig deeper into Septuagint vs. Masoretic text, various manuscripts etc.,

Hope this helps!