“And I trust the early Church Fathers far more than I trust almost anyone speaking today.” Modernity says that newer is better but this is certainly not true with Christian doctrine. Ancient Near East studies since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls have filled in many contextual gaps, but our defining beliefs are unchanged. Praise to our Lord and Savior!
It is interesting to imagine those early centuries: how to deal with the growth meant establishing institutions that the gospel writers and first disciples never had reason to contemplate; how to make sense of what seemed like conflicting (I emphasize "seemed like") statements in the gospels and letters. All this had to be flushed out, and much of it done during times of persecution by the Roman state.
It is an amazing story, and one ignored at the peril of our faith. Not to say they were perfect, but we cannot ignore these early patristics - and to disagree with or contradict them (acceptable, certainly) requires some serious thought; it shouldn't be done casually.
“And I trust the early Church Fathers far more than I trust almost anyone speaking today.” Modernity says that newer is better but this is certainly not true with Christian doctrine. Ancient Near East studies since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls have filled in many contextual gaps, but our defining beliefs are unchanged. Praise to our Lord and Savior!
It is interesting to imagine those early centuries: how to deal with the growth meant establishing institutions that the gospel writers and first disciples never had reason to contemplate; how to make sense of what seemed like conflicting (I emphasize "seemed like") statements in the gospels and letters. All this had to be flushed out, and much of it done during times of persecution by the Roman state.
It is an amazing story, and one ignored at the peril of our faith. Not to say they were perfect, but we cannot ignore these early patristics - and to disagree with or contradict them (acceptable, certainly) requires some serious thought; it shouldn't be done casually.