In the answer to Question 94, you write: The biblical writers also included myths from others in their books or even devised some themselves. However, this is rejected in the Gospels (2 Pet 1:16). How do you explain this?

Answer: It is written in the Second Letter of Peter (1:16-19): “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honour and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, 'This is my son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.' We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

The Gnostics – people who spread Jewish speculation regarding the history of the patriarchs and the heroes of the Old Testament – looked to support their heresy regarding the return of the Messiah with such arbitrary speculation, see 2 Pet 3:4-5, and 1 Tim 1:4; 6:20 and so forth. Peter and (his) two fellow apostles, on the other hand, as witnesses to the revelation were able to proclaim Christ’s transfiguration (see Mt 17:1-8) as a herald and guarantee of mighty second coming, 2 Pet 1:16-19.

Naturally we did not mean in our response to Question 94 that the books of the Bible are full of arbitrary speculation and based on freely invented stories. Rather, what we meant is that different writers of the holy books, under some circumstances, also used fictional stories and persons to testify to the truth and values that they, as inspired writers, wanted to present effectively.