This old saying has been haunting me for years, perhaps since high school. It resurfaced lately, during a conversation with a friend. What were we discussing? I really don't remember, but in the middle of the conversation I somehow brought up "I believe (it) because it is absurd, as Saint Paul says." I think I was being ironic, but the context now escapes me. (Perhaps the reader can imagine a suitable context for this reference to sound ironic?) Back then I was sure the phrase must be in some Pauline epistle or something. However, for some reason, after a couple of days I began fostering doubts about its author being the apostle.

First things first, I googled. While taking my first steps into some issue like this, I try, if possible, not to rely on intermediaries like AI platforms, gurus, etc.—yeah, I know, Google is an intermediary of sorts, or the algorithm if you like, but I like to entertain the illusion of being in control, and Google more or less permits this (yet).

Finally, I found my doubts were well-founded: the quote wasn't from Paul; the author is Tertullian, one of the first Christian authors, or a "Church father", as they call them. The funny thing is that the saying isn't even textually accurate, but a later reformulation of a not so explicit line in his works.

So, was I dead wrong with my idea of Paul being the author of the phrase? I was sure I had read this somewhere, so I decided to put aside my prudishness and ask DeepSeek if there was some link with the saint.

The good thing with Google is that you always stumble upon some funny things. I particularly remember this title: "‘I believe because it is absurd’: Christianity’s first meme".