2 Maccabees 2:28-30

Common English Bible

²⁸ Leaving the responsibility for accuracy in the details to the original writer, we must follow the guidelines for preparing a summary. ²⁹ Just as the builder of a new house must give thought to the foundation of the whole, so also the one attempting to paint and decorate must investigate what is suitable for its own decoration. This I think also applies to us. ³⁰ The duty of the first author of the history is to occupy the ground, to explore the subject fully, and to inquire closely into the details in particular.