Bible Dictionaries
Poet

Holman Bible Dictionary

One who composes poetry or verse. In ancient times, poets passed on the history and wisdom of their cultures. In witnessing to a sophisticated Greek audience at Athens, Paul appealed to poets familiar to his bearers. The line “In him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28 ) is sometimes attributed to Epimenides of Crete (around 500 B.C.). The line “For we are also his offspring” is traced to the Phaenomena of Arastus (around 310 B.C.) or to Cleanthes' Hymn to Zeus.