Did Jesus say things that aren’t in the Bible?
In this episode of “The Catholic Talk Show,” Ryan Scheel and Ryan Dellacrosse explore the unwritten and lost sayings of Jesus known as the Agrapha (ἄγραφον) and whether or not they are the authentic words of Christ.
1) Not Everything Jesus Said Was Written in Scripture.
Some of Jesus’ words were known by oral tradition and cited later by the Apostles. Scheel says the Bible acknowledges this in John 21:25!
For example, Acts 20:35 quotes Paul recalling Him saying, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" — a familiar phrase, yet not recorded directly in the Gospels. This proves early Christians preserved sayings of Christ outside written texts.
2) Jesus Was Quoted in Other Writings.
The early Church relied on oral tradition to spread Jesus’ teachings, especially before the New Testament was compiled.
"For 300 years, there was no Bible as we know it—there were writings everywhere, and people were talking about what Jesus really said," Scheel explains.
Papias, a second-century bishop who we know had direct contact with the disciples, recorded a prophecy Jesus spoke about the abundance of God’s Kingdom: "The day will come when vines shall grow, each having ten thousand branches, and on every cluster, ten thousand grapes."
3) Lost Sayings Could Change Your Spiritual Life.
The Church has always valued sacred scripture and tradition in preserving the full deposit of faith. For example, Scheel says the Church Father Origen recorded a powerful saying of Jesus about remaining close to Him and the trials that come with discipleship: "He who is near me is near the fire, but he who is far from me is far from the Kingdom."
Pope Benedict XVI once quoted this in a homily, showing that these early traditions continue to impact us today.