16
votes
Accepted
Why is Pontius Pilate blamed for killing Jesus in the Apostles' Creed?
Piotr Ashwin-Siejkowski in his book, The Apostles's Creed: and its Early Christian Context, argues that Pilate was specifically mentioned primarily in order to argue for and defend the humanity and ...
- 42.3k
15
votes
Accepted
What is the earliest mention of how often the Eucharist was celebrated?
The earliest indication may be in the Didache, typically dated at the end of the first century. It describes the celebration of the Lord's Supper in terms of the cup and breaking bread, and then says:...
- 42.3k
14
votes
Accepted
What is the origin of the story that the Apostle John taught only "love one another"?
It's from Jerome's Commentary on Galatians, 6:10:
The blessed John the Evangelist lived in Ephesus until extreme old age. His disciples could barely carry him to church and he could not muster the ...
- 42.3k
14
votes
Accepted
Was universalism the majority belief of the early church?
Background
Obviously, this topic suffers from dogmatists on both sides. Universalists are desperate to overstate their case, and traditionalists are desperate to prove the early church didn't have ...
- 1,249
13
votes
Accepted
When was “pistis christou” first understood as a statement about Christ’s faith?
Having chased up the account provided in the answer that follows, I now find there is a full-blown and properly specialist study of precisely this question. Gratifyingly, the main contours are the ...
- 1,267
12
votes
Accepted
Did any early Church Fathers record the event of the ceasing of spiritual gifts?
As bradimus has indicated, this is a tricky issue, because projecting the modern debate of cessationism vs. continuationism onto church fathers is anachronistic. That said, some figures in the early ...
- 42.3k
12
votes
Bible with commentaries of the Church Fathers
The Catena Bible is freely available both at the linked website and as an app for Android and iOS, and provides related patristic commentaries for each verse.
- 221
11
votes
What did the early church believe about the "rapture"?
Thanks to books like Left Behind, the English word rapture often conjures up images of bodies mysteriously disappearing into thin air, followed by several years of severe tribulation, leading up to ...
- 42.3k
11
votes
Accepted
Why did Clement and Eusebius believe that Paul was married?
Clement of Alexander likely was referring to Philippians 4:3
Yes, I ask you also, true companion (σύζυγε), help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with ...
- 7,743
11
votes
Accepted
Was there a "cessation of church fathers" in Catholicism?
There isn't really a bright line distinction, but John of Damascus (died ~750) is often cited as the last one. For example, Catholic.com:
the death of St. John Damascene [cir. A.D. 750] is generally ...
- 42.3k
10
votes
Why did Clement and Eusebius believe that Paul was married?
What an interesting find! The Biblical text in view is indeed 1 Cor 9. The key to understanding how they derived this interpretation is knowing what Clement and Eusebius meant by the words translated ...
- 4,322
10
votes
Accepted
Did any of the Apostolic Fathers know Paul?
A case could be made for Clement of Rome, considered by Irenaeus (Against Heresies III.3.3) and Eusebius (Church History V.6) to be the fourth Bishop of Rome (after Peter, Linus, and [Ana]cletus).
(...
- 13.2k
10
votes
Which church father first taught the perpetual virginity of Mary?
As with many doctrines in the first few hundred years of the church, they tended not to be explicitly defined until heretics arose forcing the church to define doctrine.
This is why history is ...
- 1,249
10
votes
Is there any extra-biblical evidence of tongues from the first, or even second, century?
Ronald A. N. Kydd in his book Charismatic Gifts in the Early Church mentions several second-century quotes that he argues refer to glossolalia, what we call speaking in tongues. His work clearly ...
- 42.3k
10
votes
Accepted
Has the term "born again" always been synonymous with baptism with the Christians of the Early Church?
Some Clarification
You question specifically asks if there were any in the Early Church (~2nd to 4th century) who separated "born again" with baptism. Meanwhile, the site you quote claims that this ...
- 1,249
10
votes
Accepted
What is the source of this quote from St. Augustine?
The problem with references to church fathers is that they get paraphrased from time to time. Sometimes you will just have to look in Augustine for similar terminology and see if you can find the ...
10
votes
Accepted
Bible with commentaries of the Church Fathers
The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture is the leading commentary series collecting the church fathers. At 29 volumes would be a big investment to buy, but most theological colleges/seminaries ...
- 19.7k
9
votes
Accepted
Where the church should gather?
By way of answer, I refer you to this article on the history of Christian meetings. I'll summarize some sections.
In the first century, Christians generally met in homes, especially the homes of more ...
- 31.5k
9
votes
When was “pistis christou” first understood as a statement about Christ’s faith?
As a supplement to David's answer, and in response to your second bullet in particular, let me offer the following.
In "ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ: Witness of the Fathers" (1994), Roy A. Harrisville reports on ...
- 42.3k
9
votes
Do any of the Church Fathers draw a connection between Eve and the Holy Spirit?
Perhaps not surprisingly, in light of Ephesians 5, church fathers widely connect Eve with Christ's Church. This seems to displace other interpretations, like a connection between Eve and the Holy ...
- 42.3k
9
votes
Accepted
What did the fathers of the early church think of Tertullian?
Like today, those in the early church had differing opinions regarding Tertullian. Some were largely critical, some largely complimentary, and some more balanced.
The first writings we have ...
- 42.3k
8
votes
What are the Church fathers' arguments that Peter is the rock?
This is one of those issues where Catholic sources will tend to say the Fathers obviously called Peter the foundation of the Church (and supply quotes to prove it) and Protestant sources will tend to ...
- 7,743
8
votes
Besides Paul, were there any other enemies of the early church who converted to Christianity?
In Peter's sermon at Pentecost he accuses the members of his audience of delivering up Jesus to be crucified:
"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested
to you by God ...
- 4,926
8
votes
Accepted
What do Protestants think about canon laws given by the Church Fathers?
In general, Protestants don't think about the early church canon laws much at all! Protestants endorse the ecumenical creeds, and they accept the councils' judgements of heretics, but that's about the ...
- 19.7k
8
votes
St. Augustine and woman sexuality?
This quote is often attributed to one of the early church fathers, usually to Bernard of Clairvaux or Saint Augustine, although the earliest reference in print was in 1896. There is no historical ...
- 1,389
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 ...
8
votes
Did the idea of humans being hard-wired for God exist in late antique Christianity?
Paul clearly expresses, Romans 1:18-26, the concept of humanity, by origin and by birth, having an innate instinct that God is and that there is but one God.
For the wrath of God is revealed from ...
- 23.6k
7
votes
What did the early church believe about the "rapture"?
The original question asked:
What did the early church actually believe about what we call the "rapture"?
There are two prominent meanings of the word "rapture". The most common meaning today is ...
- 22.2k
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