linguists use, in oral or written form (cf. 2 Thess 2:15). The import of Papias’s words, as reported by Eusebius (Ecclesiastical History 3.39), has been inflated beyond measure, as he expresses his preference for the living voice of those who had heard the apostles. One can argue that “Papias magnifies the importance of oral tradition for his commentary of the words of the Lord” and disparages books produced by heretics.25 Papias’s talk, also, does not breathe pure objectivity: it obviously enhances