Which apostles quote Jesus?

Question

In inspired by this question Did Paul preach Jesus's message?

Which apostles quoted Jesus and which ones did not?

Did Paul meet Jesus in person and did he ever quote Jesus?

Thanks.

Answer 1

This is a difficult question to answer, due to the sparsity of the record. We have no indication that Paul ever met Jesus during his mortal life, and in at least one place, we have Paul claiming to quote Jesus but giving a doctrine not recorded anywhere in the Gospels.

Acts 20:35

I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

(This should not surprise anyone who's familiar with the last verse of the Gospel of John, of course.)

And we don't have surviving works of all the apostles, (and it's reasonable to assume that we don't have all the important writings of the apostles whose work we do have some of today,) so it's impossible to say if any of them did not quote Jesus, though I find it unlikely on a simple logical basis: they were sent out specifically to teach his message; how could they do that accurately without using his words?

Answer 2

Paul quoted Jesus directly in 1 Cor 11:23-25.

"For I received from the Lord (not from the other apostles) what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."" (1 Cor 11:23-25)

Did Paul meet Jesus in person? It's not known whether Paul met Jesus in Jesus' earthly life and it seems very unlikely. However, Paul did meet Jesus "personally" in the sense that Jesus spoke to him personally as he indicates in the above passage and also in several other places.

"Now as he journeyed he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him. And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting" - Acts 9:3-5

The following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also at Rome." - Acts 23:11