The Early Christians: Creed, Confession and Scripture
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the early church, and despite the lack (at that time) of a New Testament
canon, there emerged a basic common confession of faith in "one body, one
Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of
all..." (Eph. 4:4-6). In our day, formalized expressions of religion are
often looked at askance. To early believers, however, the "rule of faith"
was regarded as a yardstick by which to measure and shape all thinking and
conduct. Embraced by recent converts, it bespoke apostolic authority and
thus illuminated their search to understand - and promulgate - the new
faith.
Jim
The Father almighty
And in his only begotten son
Jesus Christ, our Lord,
And in the Holy Spirit,
Giver of new life,
And in the resurrection of the flesh,
And in one only, apostolic, holy church everywhere,
Which is his church.
Earliest Coptic baptismal formula
(still shorter in several other Egyptian texts).
We confess our faith:
In the Father, the ruler of the whole world,
And in Jesus Christ, our savior,
And in the Holy Spirit, the representative advocate,
And in the holy church,
And in the forgiveness of sins.
The Epistle of the Apostles 3-5; ca. A.D. 150-180
Megan R.
words of his law and declare with our own mouths that we have renounced
the Devil, his pomp, and his angels.
The unity of the church is proven by the mutuality of the greetings of
peace, by the use of the name "brother," and by mutual hospitality: the
granting of these privileges depends on no other condition than the
matching tradition of the same oath of allegiance in all.
There is one rule of faith: this is the belief [testified to in the
following]. There is one and absolutely only one God and no other than
the creator of the universe, who, through his own Word sent down before
all other things, brought into being everything out of nothing. This Word
is called his son, perceived in different ways under the name of God by
the patriarchs, heard at all times in the prophets, brought down at last
into the virgin Mary by the Spirit and in the power of God, his father,
became flesh in her womb, and was born of her as Jesus Christ. Thereafter
he proclaimed the new law and the promise of the kingdom of the heavens
and wrought great acts of power; nailed to the cross, he rose again the
third day; having ascended into the heavens, he sits at the right hand of
the Father and has sent the Holy Spirit as his representative power to
move those that believe; and he shall come again in glory to receive the
saints into the fulfillment of eternal life and the heavenly promises,
and to judge the sinners with incessant fire, after the raising of both
from the dead has been brought about by the restoration of the flesh.
This norm was established by Christ and is in no way questioned among us.
We believe as we have always done - and even more now since we have been
better instructed by the representative advocate, who truly leads men
into all truth - we believe that there is only one true God, namely in
that administration of his household which we call "economy," that there
is only one son of the one and only God, who is his own Word, who
proceeded from him, through whom everything was made and without whom
nothing was made, who was sent down by the Father into the virgin and was
born of her, man and God, son of a human being and son of God, who is
called Jesus Christ, the same who suffered, who died and was buried in
accordance with the Scriptures, and was raised by the Father, and was
received to sit at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again to
judge the living and the dead. He is the same who in accordance with his
promise sent down the Holy Spirit from the Father, the representative
advocate who sanctifies the faith of those who believe in the Father, in
the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. This norm has been current since the
beginning of the Good News.
The rule of faith is definitely only one; it alone is immovable and
unchangeable. It is the following: to believe in the one and only God,
who has power over all things, the creator of the world, and in his son
Jesus Christ, born of the virgin Mary, crucified under Pontius Pilate,
raised again from the dead on the third day, received into the heavens,
now sitting at the right hand of the Father, and who shall come again to
judge the living and the dead through the resurrection of the flesh.
Tertullian, On Shows 4; The Prescription of Heretics 20, 13;
Against Praxeas 2; Concerning the Veiling of Virgins 1.
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took hold of through baptism, is able to see through all deceptions of
false teachers.
A spiritually minded disciple has the constant help of faith in the one
God, of firm conviction about Christ, and of true recognition of the Holy
Spirit. This teaching of the apostles is the age-old fellowship of the
church throughout the whole world.
The church spreads out over the whole world to the uttermost ends of the
earth. From the apostles and their disciples she received the faith: in the
one God, the almighty Father, creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and all
that is in them; in the one Christ [Messiah] Jesus, the son of God, who for
our salvation took on flesh; and in the Holy Spirit who through the
prophets proclaimed God’s plan of salvation and the twofold coming of the
Lord, his birth from a virgin, his suffering, his resurrection from the
dead, the bodily ascension into heaven of our beloved Lord, the Christ
[Messiah] Jesus, and his future coming from the heavens in the glory of the
Father "to make all things new" and to raise up anew all flesh of the whole
human race in order to execute judgment justly on all.
Irenaeus, Against Heresies I.9.4; IV.33; 1.10.1.
Carole
And in the Messiah Jesus, his only begotten son,
Who is ruler over us,
Who was born of the Holy Spirit and of Mary, the virgin,
Who was crucified under Pontius Pilate and was buried,
And on the third day rose from the dead,
Who ascended into the realms of heaven
And sits at the right hand of the Father,
From where he will come to judge the living and the dead,
And in the Spirit, who is holy,
One holy church,
Forgiveness of sins,
And the resurrection of the flesh. Amen.
The Roman Baptismal Confession, used in the whole East in the
Roman version, in this form since A.D. 125-135.
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the perfect apostolic faith in your hearts and until now knew nothing of
any written creeds! You did not need the letter because you overflowed with
the Spirit. Nor did you desire to use your hands for writing because for
your salvation you confessed with your mouths what you believed in your
hearts. There was no need for you as bishops to read what you knew by heart
because you were reborn and newly baptized.
Hilary of Poitiers to the bishops of Gaul, Germany,
and Britain in the year 360.
Jim
person will not admit this?
Moreover, we want to make it known that we recognize Jesus Christ, who is
our teacher in these things, who was born for this purpose and was
crucified under Pontius Pilate, Procurator of Judea at the time of the
Emperor Tiberius, as the true son of God. To him therefore we give the
second place, and with good reason we honor the prophetic Spirit in the
third place.
Justin, First Apology 13.
Megan R.
I have shown sufficiently that we are not atheists, for ours is the one
God, uncreated and eternal, invisible, immutable, incomprehensible,
inconceivable, to be grasped only by the mind and by reason, surrounded
by light and beauty, by Spirit and power to an ineffable degree: he by
whose word the universe was created, was set in order, and is ruled.
However, we also acknowledge a son of God. Let no one think it
ridiculous that God should have a son! For our thoughts about God the
Father and the Son are very different from the myths of the poets who
represent that the gods are in no way better than men. The son of God is
the Word [Logos] of the Father. He is thought that shapes, and power
that creates; for according to his pattern and through him is everything
made, the Father and the Son being one. Since through the unity and
power of the Spirit the Son is in the Father and the Father in the Son,
the son of God is the thought [mind] and the Word [Logos] of the Father.
If, however, in your superior intelligence you should wonder what is
meant by the expression "son," I will give you a brief explanation. He
is first-begotten to the Father, but not as if he were created. God, the
eternal mind, had the Word in himself from the beginning; he is never
without the Word. Rather, the Son came forth to be formative thought and
creative power for all things material. With this the prophetic Spirit
also agrees, saying, "The Lord created me in the beginning of his ways
for his works."
Further, we teach that the Holy Spirit, who shows himself at work in the
prophets, is also an effluence of God, flowing from him and returning to
him like a ray of the sun. How can a person know his way about if he
hears people decried as atheists who confess one God, the Father, and
one God, the Son, and one Holy Spirit, and who prove that these have
power in their oneness and yet are different in their order?
Athenagoras, A Plea Regarding Christians 10.
Greasy
boys, and showed men such terrifying sights that whoever did not have the
insight to discern what was happening became confused. Obsessed by fear,
they failed to recognize them as evil demons. They called them "gods" and
gave to each the name which each demon had given to himself.
Socrates tried by true reason and exact inquiry to bring these things to
light and to draw people away from these demons. That is why the demons,
working through men who delighted in evil, knew how to bring about his
execution as an atheist and sacrilegious person. They accused him of having
introduced new gods. And now they try to do the very same thing to us. For
it happened not only among the Greeks that these things were brought to
light, (through Socrates) but also among the barbarians. It happened
through the same Logos who took form and became a human and was called
Jesus Christ. Him we follow, and we deny that the spirits who have done
those things are true deities but assert that they are wicked and infamous
demons, in no way even capable of such actions as men are who strive for
goodness and merit.
Justin, First Apology 5.
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who consecrate gods of wood, very possibly worship wooden crosses as being
parts of your gods.
Minucius Felix, Octavius 29.6.
Mary
So, then, we are called atheists. We confess that we are atheists as far as
such false gods are concerned but not with respect to the true God, the
father of justice, self-control, and of all other good qualities, the God
who is free from all taint of evil. No. We worship and adore him and the
Son who came from him and taught us these things, the host of other good
angels who follow him and are very much like him, and the prophetic Spirit.
To these we give honor in reason and in truth.
Justin, First Apology 6.
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corruptible.
Justin, First Apology 20.
Greg G.
God from matter and prove that matter is something quite different from God
and that there is a tremendous distance between them? We show that the
divine being is uncreated and eternal, to be grasped only by mind and
spirit. Matter on the other hand is created and corruptible.
Athenagoras, A Plea Regarding Christians 4.
Adam
stretched out and vaulted the heavens and set the earth as the center,
who gathered the water into seas and separated light from darkness, who
adorned the ether with stars and made the earth bring forth all manner of
seed, who called the animals into being and created man. If we follow God
as the molder who holds all things together and watches over all things
with that same wisdom and skill with which he governs the universe, and
if we lift up holy hands to him, what need does he have then of ritual
sacrifices?
Beautiful indeed is the world, glorious in its magnitude, in the
arrangement of the stars, both in the zodiac and around the constellation
of the Great Dipper and in its form as a sphere. Yet the world for these
reasons does not deserve to be worshipped; rather does its sublime
artificer...God himself is everything: unapproachable light! Perfect
beauty! Spirit! Power! Word!
If the world were a well-tuned instrument played in rhythm, I would not
worship the instrument but him who made it and tuned it, who strikes the
notes and sings the song that fits the melody. God is the perfect good
and eternally does only good.
Athenagoras, A Plea Regarding Christians 13, 16.
Megan R.
The presbyter, a disciple of the apostles, expressed himself in the same
way concerning the two covenants, showing that both came from one and the
same God and that there is no other God except him who created and formed
us. The argument of those who maintain that this world surrounding us was
made by an angel or by any other kind of power, or by another god, has no
basis at all, for once a person is driven away from the creator of all
things and concedes that the world in which we live was made by another or
through another, he has to fall into many absurd and contradictory notions;
he will not be able to render an account either of the probability of these
or of their truth.
"Traditions of the Elders" in Irenaeus, Against Heresies IV.32.1.
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eternity, except the one, who created and ordered this universe.
Furthermore, we believe that our God is none other than yours. According to
our faith he is one and the same God as he who with a strong hand and an
outstretched arm led your fathers out of Egypt. We have placed our trust in
no other God (for there is no other) but only in him whom you also have
trusted, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The law proclaimed on Horeb is of course obsolete and belongs to you alone,
whereas ours is for all men everywhere and at all times. Now whenever a law
is laid down in opposition to another law, it supersedes the former one. In
the same way, a later compact annuls the former one. Christ has been given
to us as the eternal and final law. We can rely on the covenant, after
which there will be no further law, no precept, no command.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 11.1, 2.
Megan R.
Do you think we conceal the object of our worship because we have no
temples and altars? What image of God can I invent since in reality man
himself is God’s image? What temple shall I build him when the whole
world, the work of his hands, cannot contain him? And I, a man who lives
comparatively spaciously, should I shut up the greatness of such majesty
in a single small cell? Should we not rather make a sanctuary for him in
our souls? Should we not consecrate a holy place to him in our inmost
hearts? Shall I sacrifice little and big animals to him? After all, he
created them for my use, and so I could only return to him his own gift.
Certainly, we cannot show or see the God we worship. He is God for us
just because we can know him but cannot see him. In his works, in all the
movements of the universe, we perceive his power always, whether in
thunder, lightning, an approaching storm, or in the clear sky.
And you believe that this God knows nothing of the doings and dealings of
men? You believe that from his throne in heaven he cannot visit all men
or know individual men? Man, in this you are mistaken and deceived. How
can God be far away! The whole heaven and the whole earth and all things
beyond the confines of the world are filled with God. Everywhere he is
very close to us, yes, much more than that, he is in us. Look at the sun
again! Fixed in the sky, its light is still poured out over all the
earth. It is equally present everywhere and penetrates everything. Its
splendor is nowhere dimmed. How much more is God present, he who is the
creator of all things and sees all things, from whom nothing can remain
hidden! He is present in darkness, present even in our thoughts, which
are a darkness of another kind as it were. All our deeds are done under
his eyes. I would almost say: we live with him.
Minucius Felix, Octavius 32.1, 2, 4, 7-9.
Greg G.
faith alone is it given to see God. God, the Ruler and creator of the
universe, he who made all things and arranged them in proper order, was
man’s friend and full of kindness and patience. This he always was, is, and
always will be: kind and good, slow to anger, and true. He alone is good.
When he had conceived the great and ineffable thought, he communicated it
only to his son. Now, as long as he kept and guarded his wise counsel
within himself as a secret, it could appear as if he were not concerned and
did not care about us. But he disclosed what he had in mind from the
beginning through his beloved son. Through him he revealed it. Thus he
granted us all things at once, to share in his blessings, to perceive, and
to understand. Which of us could have expected all this?
Letter to Diognetus 8.5-9.
Mary
name attached to him, for whenever someone receives a name, the giver of
the name is the older one. The words Father, God, Creator, Lord, and
Ruler are not names but only descriptions of attributes derived from his
good deeds and his works. However his Son, who alone is called his son in
the proper sense, being the Logos who was in the Father before all
creation, was begotten when he created and set in order all things
through the Son in the beginning. He is called the Christ because he was
anointed, and because God set all things in order through him.
Christ is a name that also contains an incomprehensible concept, just as
the term "God" is no real name but the concept of an inexplicable being,
inborn in human nature. However, "Jesus" points to the name and concept
of a man and a redeemer, for, as we have said already, he became man. He
was born in accordance with the will of God the Father for the sake of
believing men and for the downfall of all demons, as you can see even now
in that which takes place before your own eyes. After all, many of our
people (the Christians namely) have healed a great number of possessed
persons who did not receive healing from any other exorcist, sorcerer, or
herb doctor. They did this throughout the whole world, and even in your
own capital city, by driving out the demons in the name of Jesus Christ,
who was crucified under Pontius Pilate.
Justin, Second Apology 6.
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received the rulership for the present time, as it was ordained beforehand.
What grieved him most sorely was this, that he was attacked in ignorance by
the very people for whom he waged the fight as for his own children. And
yet he loved those who hated him, mourned over those who did not believe in
him, blessed those who abused him, and prayed for his enemies. He not only
acted like a father himself, but he also taught his disciples to do the
same in their attitude [toward others], to act toward them as toward their
own brothers. In this way he was a father, in this way a Prophet. Hence
follows the expectation that in this way also he shall be king over his
children and that a time of eternal peace shall break in by virtue of his
fatherly love toward his children and of the indwelling reverence of the
children toward their father.
Clementine Homelies III.19.
Megan R.
of God most high. Concerning him the testimony is given that he descended
from heaven as God and took and put on flesh from a Hebrew virgin, and that
in this way the son of God dwelt in a daughter of man. This is taught in
the Good News which, so they testify, has been spread abroad in recent
times. You too will be able to grasp its significance when you read it.
This Jesus, then, is descended from the people of the Hebrews. He had
twelve disciples through whom his wonderful work of salvation was to be
accomplished. He himself was pierced by the Jews, and it is testified that
he lived again after three days and was lifted up into heaven. After that,
these same twelve disciples went out into the known parts of the world and
proclaimed his majesty with loving-kindness and serious intent. For this
reason those who believe in this proclamation today are called Christians,
a name by which they have become well known.
Aristides, Apology 2.6-8.
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his firstborn, and his power. Becoming man according to his counsel, he
gave us these teachings for the transformation and leading upward of
humankind.
Justin, First Apology 23.
Greg G.
The Christian teaching is more sublime than any other because in Christ the
divine Logos became man.
Whoever does not know Christ does not know the will of God. Whoever
despises and hates Christ obviously despises and hates him who sent him.
And if a person does not believe in Christ, he does not believe in the
words of the prophets, in which his joyful news was proclaimed to all men.
If you knew the words of the prophets, you would not be able to deny that
Jesus is God, son of the one unbegotten and ineffable God.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 26.10.
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man. It is with him that the Father begins to renew heaven and earth.
Through him shall he bring about the new Creation. It is he who shall shine
as the eternal light in Jerusalem.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 113.4, 5.
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From the fortieth and fiftieth year the span of life begins to decline
toward older age, and our Lord taught at this age as the Gospel and all the
elders testify. They were together in Asia with John, the Lord’s disciple,
[and say] that John handed this information down to them, for he stayed
with them until the times of Trajan. Some of them, moreover, saw not only
John but other apostles as well and heard the same account from them, and
they bear witness to this report.
"Traditions of the Elders" in Irenaeus, Against Heresies II.22.5.
Megan R.
every demon, in fact all and every power and authority on earth, trembles
before him.
The Word revealed that the nations shall believe in him. You can see it
with your own eyes, for we who are men of all nationalities have become
God-fearing and righteous through our faith in Christ, and we wait for his
future coming.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 49.8; 52.4.
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miracles we recognized Christ, the son of God, who was crucified, who rose
from the dead, who ascended into heaven, and who shall come once more to
judge all men who ever lived, even as far back as Adam.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 132.1.
Werner
If such miracles are shown to have accompanied the power of his suffering
and still now accompany it, how great will be the miracles when he appears
again in glory! As Daniel revealed, he shall appear on the clouds as the
Son of Man, accompanied by angels.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 31.1.
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honor or glory, revealed so much light and power that now every nation
knows him - so much that the old positions of international corruption are
abandoned in a general retreat, so much that even the demons submit to his
name and all the powers and kingdoms have greater fear of his name than of
the whole world of the dead - shall he not then, at his future appearance,
which will take place in radiant glory, destroy completely all his enemies
and all those who in their sins have turned their backs on him! How he will
then reward his own with all the things they expected and lead them to
peace!
Christ, my Lord, the mighty and powerful one, shall come and demand what is
his own from all.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 121.3; 125.5.
Greasy
Oh, foolish people! They do not understand what has been proven again and
again, that two manifestations of his arrival are prophesied: in the one he
suffers, is robbed of glory and honor, and is crucified as was prophesied;
in the other he will appear in glory from heaven. This will come about when
the person of great apostasy, who utters improper things against the most
high, will be bold enough to commit sinful acts on earth against us
Christians - against us, who have learned the true worship of God from the
law and from the Word which went out from Jerusalem by way of the apostles
of Jesus and who have taken refuge in the God of Jacob and the God of
Israel.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 110.2.
Jim
appearance. When those are mentioned who are oppressed and cast out, that
is, cast out from the world, this means: As far as you and all other men
have it in your power, every Christian is cast out not only from his
property but even from the world itself. You dispute his very right to
live.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 110.5.
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I already pointed out that Moses, too, showed in a symbol two appearances
of our Christ. The same truth was figuratively foretold and announced by
the actions of Moses and Jesus [that is, Joshua]. The one remained on the
hill until evening with his arms stretched out and supported, representing
the type (foreshadowing) of the cross; the other, whose byname was Jesus,
took charge of the battle and led Israel to victory. Now in the case of
both these holy men and prophets of God, we can perceive that neither of
them alone was worthy of bearing both mysteries together, the type of the
cross and the mystery of the name, for one alone is, was, and shall be
capable of this, before whose name every power shudders in fear of being
destroyed by him in the future.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 111.1, 2.
Greg G.
we should trust that similar prophecies, which are not yet fulfilled, will
quite certainly happen. The prophecies already fulfilled came true even
though they were not understood. In the same way the other prophecies will
also quite certainly come true, even though they are not understood and not
believed. The prophets foretold a twofold coming of Christ: the one,
belonging already to history, was the coming of a dishonored and suffering
man; the other shall take place when, as the prophets announced, he shall
appear from heaven in glory with his angelic throng. Then will he raise up
the bodies of all men who ever lived and clothe the bodies of the worthy
with incorruption, but the bodies of the unrighteous, eternally subject to
pain, he will cast into eternal fire together with the evil spirits.
Justin, First Apology 52.
G Banks
Kingdom, when the just shall rise from the dead and reign, when also
creation, made new and set free, shall produce an abundance of all kinds of
food from the dew of heaven and the fertility of the earth [Gen. 27]. So
this is what the elders who had seen John, the Lord’s disciple, remembered
hearing from him concerning the things the Lord had taught about those
times.
Irenaeus, Against Heresies V.33.3 (cf. Eusebius III.39.1).
Greg G.
over all, there will in truth be unity, harmony, and peace among the
different kinds of animals, which by nature are opposed and hostile to each
other.
Irenaeus, Demonstration of the Apostolic Proclamation 61.
Joe Hine
period of a thousand years when Christ’s kingdom will be established on
this earth in physical form.
He is said to have maintained the mishna [Jewish teaching] of a millennium.
Papias in Eusebius III.39.11; Jerome, On Illustrious Men 18.
Megan R.
Scriptures. But tell me, do you really maintain that our city of
Jerusalem shall be built up again, and do you really expect that your
people will gather there joyfully with Christ, together with the
patriarchs, the prophets, and the men of our nation, and those who became
proselytes before your Christ came?
Trypho, I am not so mean as to say one thing and think another. I have
already pointed out to you that many more share this conviction with me.
We are quite certain that the future will be like this...
I am not on the side of men or human teachings, but of God and his truth.
If you have ever met any who call themselves Christians but do not share
this conviction and even make bold to blaspheme the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and moreover assert that there is no
resurrection from the dead, saving that after death their souls will be
taken up to heaven instead, do not take such persons for Christians...
But I, and every other Christian who has the right beliefs in all things,
know that there is a resurrection of the flesh, followed by a thousand
years in the rebuilt, beautified, and enlarged city of Jerusalem, as the
prophets Ezekiel, Isaiah, and the others announced.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 80.1, 2, 4, 5.
Jim
There shall be a new heaven and a new earth. Former things shall not be
remembered or come into mind. But gladness and joy shall be found on
earth, and it is I who create it all. Behold, I make Jerusalem a joy and
my people a gladness. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and be glad in my
people. No more shall there be heard the voice of weeping or the cry of
lamentation. No more shall anyone die before his time, only a few days
old, nor shall the old man pass away without completing his time, for the
youth shall live to a hundred years. And if he is a sinner he will die
only at the age of a hundred and then be accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and
themselves eat the fruit of them. No more shall others inhabit what they
build, nor shall others eat what they plant. For as the days of the tree
of life shall be the days of my people. The fruits of their labor shall
endure. My chosen ones shall not labor in vain. They shall not bring
forth children for destruction, for they shall be a righteous generation
blessed by the Lord. Their offspring shall stay with them. For before
they call I will hear them; while they are still speaking, I will say,
"What is it?" In those times the wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
the lion shall eat hay like the ox, and the serpent shall eat dust like
bread. There shall be no harm or destruction done on my holy mountain,
says the Lord.
"Now," I explained, "If these words say, ‘Like the days of the tree shall
be the days of my people; the fruits of their work shall endure,’
according to our belief they mysteriously point to the period of one
thousand years. When Adam was told that he would die on the day he ate of
the tree, Adam as we know had not completed a thousand years. We also are
firmly convinced that the words ‘a day of the Lord is like a thousand
years’ apply to our teaching. Moreover, a certain man called John, who
was amongst us and belonged to the apostles of Christ, prophesied in a
revelation that those who believe in our Christ shall dwell in Jerusalem
for a thousand years, and that afterwards there will be, for all men
without exception, universal and so-called eternal resurrection and
universal, so-called eternal judgment. Our Lord himself said the same
with the words, ‘They shall neither marry nor be given in marriage, but
they shall be equal to the angels. Children of God through the
resurrection shall they be.’"
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 81.
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goal. The origin and nature of man, his living, doing, and suffering, the
whole course of his earthly existence, and the end befitting his nature -
all these must become one, must find harmony, unity, and complete accord
throughout his being.
Late Athenagoras, On the Resurrection of the Dead 15.
Megan R.
> What did the first Christians believe? Despite the diversity that
> marked the early church, and despite the lack (at that time) of a New
> Testament canon, there emerged a basic common confession of faith in
> "one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one
> God and Father of all..." (Eph. 4:4-6). In our day, formalized
> expressions of religion are often looked at askance. To early
> believers, however, the "rule of faith" was regarded as a yardstick by
> which to measure and shape all thinking and conduct. Embraced by
> recent converts, it bespoke apostolic authority and thus illuminated
> their search to understand - and promulgate - the new faith.
The intention of the Creator in creating humans was to make intelligent
beings who should look upon the works of God and serve their creator.
Since this destiny will never come to an end, the human race will never
come to an end either. Body and soul together make up the human, for the
soul without the body is not a person.
Athenagoras, On the Resurrection of the Dead 12-15 (summary).
G Banks
human, not of the whole. In order that the final goal can be realized, the
body must be united with the soul, which is possible only through
resurrection.
Athenagoras, On the Resurrection of the Dead 24-25 (summary).
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entirely disintegrated must most certainly take place. The same people must
reappear in the twofold nature of their being.
Late Athenagoras, On the Resurrection of the Dead 25.
Werner
dwelling in heaven shall go there, others shall enjoy the delights of
paradise, while others again shall find the glory of the City, for in
every place the healing Savior will be seen in different measure
according to the worthiness of each one who beholds him. The first elders
say that the different dwelling places shall be determined according to
whether men bring forth fruit a hundred-fold, or sixty-fold, or thirty-
fold; the first shall be taken up into heaven, the second shall live in
paradise, and the third shall inhabit the City.
All things are God’s. To each one he gives the appropriate dwelling. His
Word says, to each one will the Father give according to how worthy each
one is or will be. That is the table at which those who are invited to
the Wedding shall recline in their different places to share in the meal.
The first elders, the disciples of the apostles, say that this is the
arrangement and distribution of those who are being saved. Through these
steps they go forward, that is, through the Spirit to the Son, and
through the Son they ascend to the Father. Finally, however, the Son
delivers up his work to the Father, as the apostle also said.
Therefore the first elders, who were the disciples of the apostles, say
that those who are being translated from the earth will be taken to
paradise, for paradise has been prepared for the righteous and for those
gifted with the Spirit. The apostle Paul was carried there too, where he
heard unspeakable words, unspeakable for us in our present life. There
those who were translated shall remain until the end of the world, and
this shall be the beginning of their immortality.
Since it was through a tree that we lost the Logos in paradise, it was
through a tree again that the Logos was made manifest to all when he
showed in himself the length, the height, the depth, and the breadth and,
as one of the oldest Christians said, he gathered together the two
peoples to one God by stretching out both his hands.
"Traditions of the Elders" in Irenaeus, Against Heresies V. 36.1, 2; 5.1;
17.4.
Mary
They firmly believed that the spirit, the heavenly armor of our mortality,
shall gain immortality together with the soul. Thus, far in advance of
their time, they spoke out things that other souls had not yet recognized.
Everyone can recognize this in detail if he does not in puffed-up conceit
reject the most holy revelations, which have been written down in the
course of time. Through them everyone who has an open ear is made a friend
of God.
Tatian, Address to the Greeks 20.6; 12.6.
Greasy
Moses was the first prophet. He said in these very words, "A ruler shall
never be lacking in Judah nor a leader from his thigh until he comes for
whom it is reserved. And he shall be the expectation of the nations." The
words "he shall be the expectation of the nations" were meant to be a
testimony that people of every nation would expect his return, as you can
see with your own eyes and be convinced by the fact.
Justin, First Apology 32.
Adam
who had still seen the apostles and had been their pupils, the only
punishment which came into question for the ancients who sinned
unknowingly was the punishment due to them according to the Scriptures.
So it was with David. He pleased God when, unjustly persecuted by Saul
and having to flee from him, he did not take revenge on his enemy; when
he sang psalms about the advent of the Messiah; when he taught wisdom to
the nations and did everything according to the counsel of the Spirit.
But when lust overcame him and he took Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, the
Scripture said about him, "The thing which David did was wicked in the
eyes of the Lord." And the prophet Nathan was sent to him to show him his
sin. Thus he had to pass sentence upon himself and condemn himself so
that he could obtain mercy and forgiveness from Christ.
It was similar with Solomon. He pleased God as long as he continued to
judge rightly and to speak wisdom; as long as he built the true type
foreshadowing the temple and proclaimed the glory of God; as long as he
announced the peace to come upon the nations and pictured the kingdom of
the Messiah beforehand; and as long as he spoke his three thousand
parables about the expected arrival of the Messiah. But when he took
wives from all the heathen nations and allowed them to set up idols, the
Scripture condemned him very strongly in order that no person might
glorify himself in the sight of God. That is what this elder said.
Therefore the Lord descended into the kingdom of the underworld to speak
there also, proclaiming his advent, for now there was forgiveness of sin
for those who had believed in him. All those believed in him who had put
their hope in him, all those who had proclaimed his advent beforehand and
had served his plan: the righteous men, the prophets, and the patriarchs,
whose sins he forgave in a befitting way as he forgave ours. Nor should
we lay these sins to their charge unless we want to despise the grace of
God. Just as these men did not charge us with our lack of self-restraint,
which we were guilty of before the Messiah was revealed to us, so neither
is it for us to blame those who sinned before the Messiah came. "For all
men fall short of the glory of God." They are not made righteous of
themselves but only through the coming of the Lord, if they earnestly
seek his light. Their deeds were recorded for our discipline, that we
should recognize two things: first of all, that we and they have one and
the same God, whom sins do not please even when committed by eminent
people; and secondly, that we should refrain from evil. Thus this elder
tells us that we must not be arrogant; neither should we condemn the
ancients. Rather, now that we have recognized the Messiah, we should take
care not to do anything that does not please God. Otherwise we would have
no forgiveness of sins anymore and would be excluded from his
kingdom...Then as now, the punishment of God’s justice remains the same:
then it was foreshadowing, temporal, and less severe; now it is real,
eternal, and final.
Hence the elders declare those men very foolish who, from the experiences
of those who disobeyed God in ancient times, want to conclude that there
is a second God. In contrast, the first elders pointed out to these men
what God in his compassionate love has done for the salvation of those
who received him when he appeared.
"Traditions of the Elders" in Irenaeus, Aganist Heresies IV.27, 28.
Joe Hine
The men of God, vessels of the Holy Spirit and prophets, were inspired
and instructed by God himself. They were God-taught, holy, and just men.
Therefore they were considered worthy of the reward of becoming God’s
instruments and receiving the wisdom flowing out from him. In this wisdom
they spoke prophetically about the creation of the world and all other
matters. Thus they spoke out prophetic revelations about pestilence,
famine, and war. And this was not done by just one or two; no, a great
number arose among the Hebrews, according to the times and circumstances,
and among the Greeks too there was the Sibyl. All their sayings stand in
perfect harmony with each other: what they spoke about the time that had
gone before them, their utterances about what happened in their own time,
and their words about the things being fulfilled now in our own time.
Therefore we are convinced that future events will come about in the same
way as past events did, which have already occurred in accordance with
their words.
Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus II.9.
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reward or punish every person in the future according to the merits of his
actions. Therefore he foretells through the prophetic Spirit what will come
to them from him according to the merit of their actions. In this way he
leads the human race to reflection and consideration at all times, showing
men that he cares for them and provides for them. At the instigation of
evil spirits, the death penalty was decreed on all those who read the books
of Hystaspes, or the Sibyl, or the prophets. Thus, fear was to prevent
people into whose hands these books might fall from acquiring knowledge of
good things from them; fear was to keep them in servitude to the demons.
However, they were not able to achieve this permanently, for we occupied
ourselves with these writings fearlessly. As you see, we even offer them to
you for examination because we are convinced that they will find everyone’s
approval.
There were individual men among the Jews who came forward as prophets of
God. Through them the prophetic Spirit predicted the things of the future
before they actually happened. Successive kings reigning over the Jews got
possession of these prophecies written down by the prophets themselves in
their own Hebrew language exactly as they were spoken, and preserved them
carefully. [Seventy] men were asked to translate them into Greek. This was
done, and the books remained with the Egyptians to the present day. They
are also in the hands of all the Jews wherever they may be. However, though
they read these books, they do not understand their meaning.
Justin, First Apology 44, 31.
Megan R.
would come into the world born of a virgin and that, reaching manhood, he
would heal every disease and ailment and raise the dead; that he would be
hated, misunderstood, and crucified, would die, rise again, and ascend into
heaven; that he would be in fact and in name the son of God; that
messengers would be sent by him to all peoples with this message; and that
people from the pagan nations would believe in him. This was prophesied
partly five thousand years before he appeared, partly three thousand,
partly two thousand, one thousand, and partly eight hundred years before he
appeared, for as one generation after another arose, new prophets arose
time and again.
Justin, First Apology 31.
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foreshadowed the future. At other times he spoke in unmistakable words
about future events as if indeed they were happening now or had already
happened. The reader must understand this manner of speaking in order to be
able to follow rightly the words of the prophets.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 114.1.
Greg G.
If then we were to be satisfied with reasonings, our justification could
seem to lie in human words, but the statements of the prophets confirm our
arguments. You, with your intellectual curiosity and great learning, will
have heard of the sayings of men like Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the
other prophets. Lifted in ecstasy above their own ways of thinking by the
impulse of the Holy Spirit, they prophesied the things they were prompted
to say. The Spirit used them in this way just as a flute player blows the
flute. Let us hear, then, what they say.
Athenagoras, A Plea Regarding Christians 9.
Megan R.
person, you must not consider them as spoken by Spirit-filled persons, but
by the divine Word [Logos] moving in them. Sometimes he proclaims the
future events in the manner of a prediction, sometimes he speaks in the
person of God the Lord and the Father of all things, sometimes in the
person of Christ, and at other times from the mouth of the peoples
themselves, replying to the Lord or to his father.
Justin, First Apology 36.
Greasy
To give you an illustration of this, the following words were spoken in the
name of the Father through the prophet Isaiah, "What kind of house will you
build for me? says the Lord. Heaven is my throne and the earth is my
footstool." And again elsewhere:
My soul hates your new moons and sabbaths; I cannot endure the great day of
fasting and idleness any longer; nor when you appear before me will I
listen to you. Your hands are full of blood. And when you bring me wheat
flour and incense it is an abomination to me. Fat of lambs and blood of
oxen I desire not. For who has demanded this from your hands? But loose
every bond of injustice, tear apart the knots of forced contracts, shelter
the homeless and clothe the naked, break bread with the hungry!
You can understand from this what truths were pronounced by the prophets in
the name of God.
Justin, First Apology 37.
Mary
When the prophetic Spirit speaks in the person of Christ, this is what he
says: "I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contradicting people,
to those who walk in ways that are not good." And again:
I offered my back to scourges and my cheeks to blows. I did not turn my
face away from the shame of spitting; the Lord was my helper, and therefore
I did not waver. I held out my face like a hard stone, and I knew that I
would not be put to shame, because he who justifies me is at hand.
And again he says, "They cast lots for my clothing and pierced my feet and
hands." "But I lay down and slept and have risen again because the Lord has
taken charge of me."
And again he says, "They made mouths at me, shook their heads and said,
‘Let him deliver himself.’" That all this happened to Christ at the hands
of the Jews you can find out, for as he was being crucified they curled
their lips, shook their heads and said, "Let him who raised the dead now
save himself!"
Justin, First Apology 38.
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says:
The law shall go out from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, and
he shall judge among the nations and rebuke many people. They shall turn
their swords into plowshares and their spears into sickles; nation shall
not lift up sword against nation any longer, and they shall study war no
more.
You can be convinced that this has really happened now, for twelve men,
illiterate and unskilled in speaking, went out from Jerusalem into the
world. Through the power of God they revealed to the whole of humankind
that they were sent by Christ to proclaim the word of God to everyone. Now
we who once murdered one another not only refrain from all hatred of our
enemies, but more than that, in order to avoid lying or deceiving our
examining judges, we meet death cheerfully for confessing to Christ.
Justin, First Apology 39.
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when I quoted from them earlier according to your version, I was only
trying to find out your point of view.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 137.3.
Greg G.
What was unbelievable, what men deemed impossible, was foretold by God
through the prophetic Spirit as taking place in the future. Therefore, when
it actually happens, it should not be doubted but believed because it was
foretold.
Justin, First Apology 33.
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Since I base my proofs and arguments on the Scriptures and on actual
events, do not delay or hesitate to believe me, for these words are not
thought up by me, nor are they embellished by human skill. On the contrary,
they are sometimes words from the psalms of David, sometimes joyful news
from Isaiah, sometimes words of proclamation from Zechariah, or words from
the writings of Moses. You will recognize them, Trypho. They can be found
in your Scriptures - no, not really in yours, but rather in ours, for we
obey them, whereas you, in spite of reading them, do not grasp their
meaning. Indeed, many considered the teachings of the law to be foolish and
unworthy of God, for they were not given the grace to understand that God
has called your people to a complete turn, to a change of spirit, because
of their sin and spiritual disease. However, what the prophets said after
the death of Moses stands eternally. The Psalms, too, have prophecies which
are eternally valid.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 28.2; 29.2; 30.1, 2.
Greasy
Israel of the Spirit, the real descendants of Judah, Jacob, Isaac, and
Abraham, who though uncircumcised was approved and blessed by God because
of his faith and was called to be the father of many nations.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 11.5.
Jim
would not need to take any notice of me. Yet when I constantly bring up so
many relevant passages of Scripture and try to make them understandable to
you, you show your hardness of heart in not being able to understand God’s
thoughts and his will.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 68.1.
Megan R.
been confirmed by deceitful mimicking that the so-called Devil has
circulated among the Greeks, and by all that he did likewise through
Egyptian sorcerers and false prophets at the time of Elijah.
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 69.1.
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It is said that seers and prophets lived at the time of the great writers,
who wrote down the truths they learned from them. How much more are we able
to comprehend the truth, we who are taught by the holy prophets, by those
who had received God’s Holy Spirit within them! For this reason the sayings
of all the prophets foretelling the destiny of the whole world are in
complete mutual accord.
From this elucidation one can see how our holy Scriptures prove more
ancient and true than those of the Greeks and Egyptians or of any other
historians.
When past times are reviewed together with all that has been said above,
the great antiquity of the prophetic writings and the truly divine nature
of our faith can be recognized. These truths are not new, and our teachings
are neither mythical nor false.
Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus III.17, 26, 29.
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and of the prophets who preceded him, and it is older than any writer who
ever lived. It is not because we say the same things as they do, however,
that we want our teaching to be accepted, but because we speak the truth.
Justin, First Apology 23.
Greg G.
Through him the prophetic Spirit proclaimed how, and from what, God in the
beginning formed the world. "In the beginning God created heaven and
earth."
Justin, First Apology 59.