Questions tagged [early-church]
Relating to first several centuries of the Christian church; usually considered to end in the 4th century
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The Apostolic Fathers on "the Gates of Hell" (Matt. 16:18)
According to Britannica:
Apostolic Father, any of the Greek Christian writers, several unknown, who were authors of early Christian works dating primarily from the late 1st and early 2nd centuries. ...
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How do we know when the early church fathers lived?
When it comes to determining when an early church father lived, how do we know the range of years when they lived? As far as I know, even for popular church fathers like Irenaeus or Papias, we don't ...
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Did the early church believe that St. Peter was the first pope?
Roman Catholics believe that St. Peter was the first Pope, had primacy over the church and was given a pastoral role by the Lord Jesus Christ himself, we know the scripture argument for the papacy, ...
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Why didn't Protestants unite with the Orthodox against Papal primacy after the Reformation?
Is there some doctrinal, historical or political reason that prevented this natural alliance from taking place?
Are Protestants against the notion of the Pentarchy in general and not just against the ...
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What Christian frescoes of Christ and saints of the 1st century do you know? [closed]
If you send me titles or even pictures, I will be greatful to you 10000 times
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Which works of the Church Fathers name Jacob the Just as the leader of the Ebionites?
I’m having trouble finding the sources that would backup unsourced claims on the Wikipedia article about the Ebionites that they revered Jacob the Just and considered him the successor of the movement ...
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Which Church Fathers were martyred?
I understand that Foxe's Book of Martyrs (first published in English in 1563) is an exhaustive account of Christian martyrs, both pre- and post-Reformation. However, at a daunting 1,570 pages in ...
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Was the "Gospel of Hebrews" ever considered to be inspired?
The "Gospel of the Hebrews" has several quotations from early church fathers. Did they ever believe it to be Inspired and equal to the traditional four gospels? Or did they view it as ...
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How Many Fathers of the Catholic Church are There; and Where to Find a Reliable List?
Does anyone know for sure how many Church Fathers have been so declared by the Catholic Church (assuming that the last one is St. John Damascene); and where I may find a reliable list of them?
Thank ...
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What was the Early Church's (ante-Nicene period) view of the interplay between free will (or lack thereof) and salvation?
Did the Early Church (ante-Nicene period) believe in libertarian free will?
Did the Early Church (ante-Nicene period) believe in determinism?
Did the Early Church (ante-Nicene period) believe that ...
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Are Catholic Bishops the successors of the Apostles alone or the Elders too?
In researching my answer for this question I started to think about the doctrine that the Bishops are the successors of the Apostles as being a bit unfair to the other folks. For instance, if St. ...
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Why did early Christians draw pagan gods in catacombs as symbols of Christ?
For example, Orpheus, Hercules, Hermes and so on.
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Was "peace be with you" a common greeting in the Early Church?
In the Old and the New Testament "peace be with you" was a common greeting among Jesus Christ and the prophets (Genesis 43:23, Judges 19:20, Luke 24:36, John 20:19) but was "peace be ...
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What is the evidence for the claim that Young Earth Creationism was the mainstream viewpoint in ancient times?
In my previous question, I asked about the origins of the modern Young Earth Creationism movement, especially in America. Originally, the question asked when the YEC belief (mainly with regards to a ...
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How did the early church respond to the accusation that Christianity forbid ‘all uses of images’ even if only ‘representing the Divine Being’?
Origen, in Contra Celsus, Book VII, responds to an attack from Celsus: that Christians are just like Jews in rejecting all forms of images without exception.
In this rebuttal by Origen, we clearly ...
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Did the early Church become full preterist after AD 70?
Full preterists believe that the last trumpet call took place in AD 70. A very elaborate presentation of this view can be found in Gina's answer in one of my previous questions. A quote from the ...
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What date was the second Easter?
When did the early Christians celebrate the second Easter? Did it fall on the same day as the Jewish Pasch (Sabbath day / Saturday) or on the next day (Sunday)?
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Why did Tertulian became a Montanist?
Tertullian becoming a Montanist is the key factor why he wasn't considered a Church Father and a Saint, although he is considered an important ecclesiastical writer (cf. wikipedia, 3rd paragraph).
Why ...
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Which canon did the Early Church recognize?
I’m trying to compile the History of the Bible, at least the Christian recognition of what was inspired and what wasn’t in the Old Testament. I‘ll neglect the question of who had the authority to ...
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Did Justin Martyr believe Jesus was a "second God"?
In Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho Chapter 56:
Justin: I shall attempt to persuade you, since you have understood the Scriptures, [of the truth] of what I say, that there is, and that there is ...
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Are there any Early Church Fathers, Doctors of the Church or Catholic Saints who believed the world would possibly end by a comet hitting the earth?
Are there any Early Church Fathers or Doctors of the Church or Catholic Saints who believed the world would possibly end by a comet hitting the earth or coming in close contact with it?
The other day, ...
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Do Evangelical Protestants consider the "Elders" of Philippians 1:1 formalized in the Early Church as those listed in Ephesians 4:11?
Formalized Ministry The constituency of the Early Church was listed as saints, elders, and deacons in Philippians 1:1. And we know that the early Christians were familiar with the Synagogue style of ...
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Were there any lay Christian writers in the Early Church?
Were there any lay Christian writers/theologians as prominent as Church Fathers in the Early Church? Also, why was there a lack of laity representation in bible studies and theology?
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Did Early Church acknowledge the Holy Spirit as Feminine?
Did the Early Church acknowledge the Holy Spirit as Feminine?
An article recently titled “ The Holy Spirit as feminine: Early Christian testimonies and their interpretation”
note that the early Church ...
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Did ancient Roman Christians celebrate any Roman national holidays?
Did ancient Roman Christians celebrate any Roman national holidays? Or were all their national holidays festivities which honored pagan gods?
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Was Foot Washing a regular practice in early Christianity?
We see in John 13:1-17 Jesus washing the feet of his disciples prior to the Passover meal as an example to be followed by them. He then institutes the Holy Eucharist. While the second part is ...
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Did St. Augustine, as a priest, listen to people's confessions of sin?
Today, in some Christian churches, there is the practice of confession.
The penitent – person who feels remorse for sins – goes to a priest, to whom one confesses one's sins, and the priest might ...
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Did the 1st Council of Nicea have a predecessor?
Prior to the First Council of Nicea was there any single meeting or ongoing group that attempted organization of the faith and its followers in any similar way ?
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Was Nestorius Ever Excommunicated by the Catholic Church?
From what I gather, Nestorius rejected Mary as the Theotokos (which means "God-bearer") and proposed instead that she merely be called, the Christotokos; or rather, "Christ-bearer" ...
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Is the term “Followers of The Way” related to Taoism?
I read that some early Christians were called “Followers of The Way”. I also know that The Tao (of Taoism) is often translated as “The Way”.
Is there any connection either etymologically or in the ...
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Church Fathers Who Have Commented on Matthew 18:20
Matt. 18:20 (D-R):
For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Does anyone know of any Fathers of the Catholic Church whom have commented on this ...
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On the End of the Patristic Era as Considered by the Catholic Church
Does the Catholic Church officially consider the end of the Patristic era to have occurred with the death of St. John Damascene in the eighth century? I have read that some consider St. Bernard of ...
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Naive question: Origin of the Holy Ghost
I have heard that there is a lot of influence from the Greeks in the development of Christianity, the Stoics and Platonists, and the concept of logos, the Word, and Jesus. You can see this in the ...
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Early Church Fathers' Commentary on Luke 10:16
According to Wiki:
The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the ...
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When was the Bible formally declared to be inerrant and/or infallible?
Fundamentally*, an inerrant Bible is one without errors and an infallible Bible is one that cannot have errors, as David Stratton pointed out in his answer. As for the Roman Catholic Church, all of ...
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What did the Earliest Church Fathers teach about the Woman of Revelation 12?
This question is a rephrase of a different question asking if any early church fathers believed that Revelation 12:1-5 is about the Virgin Mary. It may be clearer and easier to find out what they ...
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Did any church fathers after Chrysostom believe that Mary committed sin?
The belief that Mary never committed sin has been around a long time, much longer than the final formulation of the doctrine of her immaculate conception (which happened around the 13th century). ...
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What did the early church fathers have to say about “eternal security” or “assurance of salvation”
I am trying to find out what the early church fathers had to say about “eternal security” or “assurance of salvation”. By that, I refer to the following Bible verses:
To Him who is able to keep you ...
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What did "one baptism" in the Nicene Creed mean back then?
In the following statement in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (AD 381), what exactly does "one" mean for the framers (i.e., not to subsequent interpretation)?
English: We [or I] ...
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Did any of the Early Church Fathers believe that Revelation 12:1-5 is about the Virgin Mary?
The doctrine of the queenship of Mary, is the belief that once Mary had passed away and ascended to heaven, that she was crowned as the queen of heaven and given a special and exalted role as the ...
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Was Origen and/or certain teachings considered a heretic and/or heretical?
What was clear enough has become muddled for reasons unknown about Origen. We can speculate the resurgence of the idea of universal salvation is one reason for Origen's rise.
In the seventeenth ...
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How Did the Earliest Church Define Salvation?
This question came up for me in a discussion of the meaning of "saved" in Acts 15:1.
But certain ones having come down from Judea were teaching the brothers, "Unless you are
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For how long did the early Christians share all their possessions?
According to Acts 4:32-37, the early Christians pooled all their possessions and had no private ownership. Is there any record of how long this lasted, and why it ended?
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Is there evidence that Arius "reformulated" his Christology post-exile?
I realize that it may not be completely possible to answer this question given that so much of what Arius wrote has been lost and/or misrepresented by his opponents. However, I have read his few ...
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Are there any passages in Early Christian literature that discuss angels and pagans?
Are there any passages in Early Christian literature that discuss angels and pagans?
Are there any statements that suggest that angels were created specifically by God only for Christians and not for ...
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What did the early Church Fathers (pre-Nicea A.D. 325) have to say about faith, baptism and if it is the act of baptism that saves?
This question is asked in response to this recent question: Where does the idea that faith must be a condition for baptism originate from?
I am trying to find evidence from the writings of Clement, ...
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What Scriptures did Arius use to support teaching that Jesus was created?
Arius probably quoted the following:
Revelation 3:14: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.
Psalm 8:5–6: thou madest Him
Proverbs 8:22–25: ...
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Did the Early Church Fathers condemn polygamy?
Today I was debating with a Christian who believes in polygamy and claimed that the Early Church Fathers allowed for the act of polygamy, is that true and is there any evidence that the Early Church ...
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Did the religion of Christianity arise in AD70?
It has been suggested that the religion of Christianity arose as a result of the destruction of the Jewish temple and the Jewish priesthood by the Romans in the year 70. This date marks the inception ...
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Did any Apostolic or Ante-Nicene Fathers believe that Jesus was a created being?
Nothing to add to the title: did any Apostolic or Ante-Nicene Fathers believe that Jesus was a created being?
Related questions:
Which Ante-Nicene Church Fathers believed that Jesus is the "...