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Debunking the Myth: The Council of Nicaea and the Formation of the Biblical canon

A myth that never seems to fade away: the idea that the Council of Nicaea, convened in 325 AD under the authority of Roman Emperor Constantine, played a pivotal role in establishing the Biblical canon. This notion suggests a conspiracy and power play orchestrated by a select group of elite bishops; a narrative popularised by works like Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. However, a closer examination reveals a lack of historical basis for this claim. The Council of Nicaea and the canon Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence that the Council of Nicaea discussed or established the canon of Scripture, leading to the creation of the Bible. Early Christian cano...

Biblical Inspiration and the canon: How We Got the Bible

The Bible is often described as “God-breathed,” a phrase taken from 2 Timothy 3:16: “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” But what does it mean for Scripture to be “inspired,” and how did the books of the Bible come to be recognised as part of the canon — the authoritative collection of writings that make up the Bible? Were they really “decided” at the Council of Nicaea, as some popular myths claim? Table of Contents Understanding Biblical Inspiration What is the canon? The Septuagint and the Deuterocanonical Books How Were the Books of the Bi...

How Polycarp (And Others) Show The Early Use Of The New Testament

Polycarp is one of the most important people in early church history. He was a disciple of John the Evangelist, and later became the bishop of Smyrna. Polycarp was born around 69 A.D. in Smyrna, which is now modern-day Turkey. He grew up during a time when Christians were being persecuted for their beliefs, and he himself became a Christian at a young age. Polycarp is regarded as one of the earliest church fathers because he had a significant impact on Christianity as it spread throughout Asia Minor and Europe, and he also played an important role in shaping biblical canon for centuries to come. We don’t know a great deal about his life, apart from t...

The Coming of Jesus: Revelation Fulfilled?

...uratorian-canon.html http://web.archive.org/web/20130208060911/http://www.endtimesmadness.com/DatingRev.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk%3ABook_of_Revelation#Nero_banishes_John_to_Patmos_in_Syriac_version.3F http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/irenaeus-book5.html “The later accounts of John” - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08492a.htm Patmos in the Reception History of the Apocalypse, By Ian Boxall, p.31; https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=vMRoAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32&dq=clement+tyrant&source=bl&ots=prWq0W9w9B&sig=Vazahpn7o7V1OtPFRTwpUjQWr1I&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj9ufzrns3JAhVFPQ8KHRbDBzQQ6AEIHjAA#v=o...

Before the Pumpkins: The Barbecued Deacon

...In our last post, we walked with Perpetua and Felicity through the sands of the amphitheatre, their faith outshining Rome’s cruelty. Now for the final part in this series, we turn to another of the Church’s earliest heroes — one whose courage was matched by an unexpected wit. His name was Lawrence, a deacon of Rome, remembered across centuries as the man who kept his humour even while lying on the griddle. The Setting: Rome, AD 258 Under Emperor Valerian, a fresh persecution of Christians swept through the Empire. Bishops, priests, and deacons were hunted down, their property seized, and their churches closed. The bishop of Rome at that time was Six...

Hello

...  Hello, this is a blog that I've been intending to create for too long now. So today I finally decided to sit down and do it. I've been compiling notes and thoughts, and have been writing on topics I'm exploring and grappling with for well over a year now - maybe even two. And then I stuff them in a digital folder to gather dust, so to speak. A lot of the discussion and ideas from these notes have come from being active in an Apologetics group on Facebook, which has helped to wrestle out some points and subjects by having about 20+ different opinions thrown into the mix! I'm planning to cover some big topics in small parts over a period of time and post...