8
votes
Accepted
What was the dominant theory of atonement shown in the Apostolic Fathers's writings?
I think the clearest statement to explicitly deal with atonement would be this one from the Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians:
Through charity did the Lord join us unto himself; whilst, for the ...
6
votes
Were any of the Apostolic Fathers Jews?
Were any of the Apostolic Fathers Jews?
The short answer is yes!
St. Ignatius of Antioch
It is piously believed by many Catholics that St. Ignatius of Antioch was of Jewish origin. In fact, there ...
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6
votes
Why didn't Polycarp mention John in his Epistle?
Polycarp quotes more than a dozen books of the New Testament (source), including all 3 Synoptic Gospels. The absence of any quotation from the Gospel of John is sometimes used to discredit the claim ...
- 13.7k
5
votes
Accepted
Is there any historical evidence that the early church believed in the divinity of Jesus?
The following are quotes from Bishops and apologists of the early church and a few were first or second generation disciples of the Apostles themselves. As such it is very easy to deduce that, not ...
- 21.1k
4
votes
Accepted
How much of the text of the Gospel of John can be substantiated by early copies and quotes from early Church Fathers?
According to this data, 96.7% of the Gospel of John is quoted pre Nicea 325. It is the most complete quoted New Testament book and only less than 29 Verses are not quoted.
The document also has a ...
- 525
4
votes
Accepted
What were the Apostolic Fathers's contributions to Christology which survived to Nicene (325 AD) and Chalcedon (451 AD)?
Although they are a diverse group and should not be thought of as presenting a unified view, the Apostolic Fathers contributed to the development of Christology in several ways.
Ignatius of Antioch is ...
- 7,013
4
votes
Is there any historical evidence of Early Church Christians denying the divinity of Jesus during the 1st and 2nd centuries AD?
During the time of the early Christians, was there yet a doctrine of the deity of Christ to be denied? Let's read:
The Young Church, p. 48
"We read the Gospels and the book of Acts in the light ...
- 271
4
votes
Accepted
What did the Apostolic and ante-Nicene Fathers believe about Sheol/Hades?
Apostolic Fathers
The Shepherd of Hermas
the apostles and the teachers who preached the name of the Son of God,
after they had fallen asleep in the power and faith of the Son of God,
preached also ...
- 13.7k
4
votes
Why didn't Polycarp mention John in his Epistle?
Polycarp does quote from 1 John 4:3, which until recently was widely believed to be written by the same John who wrote the Gospel of John.
“For whosoever does not confess that Jesus Christ has come ...
- 15.1k
3
votes
Accepted
What does the historical evidence tell us about the pneumatological beliefs of the early Church during the first two centuries of Christianity?
The New Testament contains a massive amount of first-hand evidence about what the early Church believed regarding the Holy Spirit. Unless that is taken as the prime source, all else will be futile. ...
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3
votes
Accepted
Are there any extra-biblical writings that document what the early Christians believed about the second coming of Christ?
Are there any extra-biblical writings that documents what the early Christians believed about the second coming of Christ?
Of course there are!
The following have all written about it:
Didache
The ...
- 74.5k
3
votes
Why didn't Polycarp mention John in his Epistle?
Why didn't Polycarp mention John in his Epistle?
Obviously, Polycarp felt he he no need to emphasize the fact in any of his writings. ”Ops guys, did I mention that I studied under the Apostles!” It is ...
- 74.5k
3
votes
Accepted
Who Were the First Successors of the Apostles in the Churches They Founded?
Who Were the First (1-10 or so?) Successors of the Apostles in the Churches They Founded?
The See of Antioch
There is somewhat of an open question whether or not St. Peter was the first bishop of ...
- 74.5k
2
votes
Is there any historical evidence that the early church believed in the divinity of Jesus?
Outside of the New Testament canon itself, one of the earliest pieces of extra-Biblical evidence is the Alexamenos graffito.
This shows a young man worshipping a donkey-headed figure on a cross. This ...
- 1,599
2
votes
Is there any historical evidence that the early church believed in the divinity of Jesus?
Earliest NT epistles (written circa A.D. 50-60) teaches Jesus is "not a man" (Gal 1:1, 1:11-12), but has "preexistence in the form of God and equality with God" (Phil 2:6) before/...
- 6,541
2
votes
What is the basis for the belief that Ignatius of Antioch knew the Apostle John?
What is the basis for the belief that Ignatius of Antioch knew the Apostle John?
It is simply a tradition with a lower class “t”! Not all traditions are verifiable, although many are. This is not part ...
- 74.5k
2
votes
What did the Apostolic Fathers believe regarding the state of the dead and the afterlife?
St. Clement I (Pope from 88-97 or 92-101) was consecrated by St. Peter and is considered the first Apostolic Father. It appears he thought that those who were faithful to God would be resurrected and ...
- 935
2
votes
Did any Apostolic or Ante-Nicene Fathers believe that Jesus was a created being?
There's a major problem searching literature for claims that some leaders of the early Church believed that Jesus was a created being, apart from wasting a massive amount of time looking for something ...
- 37.2k
2
votes
Did any Apostolic or Ante-Nicene Fathers believe that Jesus was a created being?
The Shepard of Hermas (SH) was accepted by many to be divine or on par with scripture. It may be found in the Sinaiticus manuscript.
So, how did the book have enough sway that writers such as Origen ...
- 15.1k
2
votes
Accepted
What is the biblical & patristic basis for the belief that the saints go to Heaven instead of Sheol after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus?
What is the biblical and patristic basis for the belief that the saints go to Heaven instead of Sheol after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus?
To start with we have the words of Jesus to the ...
- 74.5k
2
votes
For Christians who are skeptical of the writings of the Apostolic & Ante-Nicene Fathers, what is their epistemological basis for trusting a canon?
The folowing extract from the Westminster Confession (1.5) may be of interest in regard to this question. The Westminster Confession is the Doctrinal Standard in many Reformed churches. These are ...
- 7,932
2
votes
For Christians who are skeptical of the writings of the Apostolic & Ante-Nicene Fathers, what is their epistemological basis for trusting a canon?
"Despite the obvious high levels of human intervention that were
required"
I'm not sure I agree with this. If you really have Gospel accounts from the Apostle Matthew, the Apostle John, the ...
- 6,804
2
votes
What did the Early Church (ante-Nicene period) believe about Gehenna and the Second Death?
The early church consistently understood Gehenna as the place of second death and eternal fire. The one outlier was Origen. (in quotes, emphasis mine)
Irenaeus, a disciple of Polycarp, a disciple of ...
- 15.1k
2
votes
Accepted
Did the Early Church (ante-Nicene period) believe in the continuation or cessation of the office of Apostle?
The Ante-Nicene Fathers provide a variety of viewpoints on this matter. As with so many other topics, there was lively disagreement among their ranks.
I'll loosely group ideas into 3 broad categories, ...
- 13.7k
2
votes
Accepted
How do we know when the early church fathers lived?
In fact, we have no manuscripts at all written directly by the early church fathers. Their writings were preserved through copying and paraphrasing by later authors, the most important source being ...
- 7,013
2
votes
Is 2 Peter 3:16 a blanket endorsement of Paul, a partial endorsement, or a veiled warning?
This answer is from a broadly evangelical Protestant source. However, only the main question is being answered, as the other nine questions read as if they have been copied from a study-booklet on the ...
- 37.2k
1
vote
For Christians who are skeptical of the writings of the Apostolic & Ante-Nicene Fathers, what is their epistemological basis for trusting a canon?
Epistemology is the study of knowledge and rationality of belief. What is the basis for trusting a canon, if you can't rely on outside writings?
The bible provides its own requirement to be ...
- 15.1k
1
vote
Accepted
What did the Apostolic Fathers believe regarding the state of the dead and the afterlife?
A great many of the statements by the Apostolic Fathers on the afterlife are verbatim quotes or close paraphrases of Biblical texts. While these are very helpful for an understanding of what texts ...
- 13.7k
1
vote
Accepted
Who first used the term "spirit of fornication" (𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘴)?
Searching the Patrologia Latina database, St. Ambrose seems to be the first Latin Father who uses the term, in his commentary on Psalm 118:153-160 (Hebrew letter "Resh", ר), Sermon 20, PL 15 ...
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