Blog Search Results

Christians and the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

...ndrians) Eusebius, in his Church History, also chronicles the efforts of Christians during this plague and notes how selflessly they acted in the face of death: For they alone in the midst of such ills showed their sympathy and humanity by their deeds. Every day some continued caring for and burying the dead, for there were multitudes who had no one to care for them; others collected in one place those who were afflicted by the famine, throughout the entire city, and gave bread to them all; so that the thing became reported abroad among all men, and they glorified the God of the Christians; and, convinced by the facts themselves, confessed that they alone were...

The Relationship Between Jesus and Sophia

...son…– Eusebius of Caesarea, Preparation of the Gospel — Part 2 But if this same Wisdom is the Word of God, in the capacity of Wisdom, and (as being He) without whom nothing was made, just as also (nothing) was set in order without Wisdom, how can it be that anything, except the Father, should be older, and on this account indeed nobler, than the Son of God, the only-begotten and first-begotten Word?– Tertullian, Against Hermogenes, ch. 18 That Christ is the First-born, and that He is the Wisdom of God, by whom all things were made.– Cyprian, The Treatises of Cyprian But we don’t even have to look that far in history to see this link, as Paul s...

What does the word "Catholic" mean?

...s neither Eusebius nor Jerome makes any reference to the eight spurious epistles. Justo L. Gonzalez explains in his book, The Story of Christianity: Volume 1: The Early Church to the Reformation, Volume One: The original meaning of Catholic church referred to this episcopal collegiality, as well as with the multiform witness to the gospel in several canonical gospels. … It was the church “according to the whole,” that is, according to the total witness of all the apostles and all the evangelists. The various Gnostic groups were not “Catholic” because they could not claim this broad foundation. … Only the Church Catholic, the church “accordin...

The Early Concept of the Trinity: Tracing the Roots

...284) and Eusebius of Caesarea (AD 260—340) maintained that Clement of Rome was the same Clement mentioned by the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:3. Irenaeus of Lyons (AD 130—200) also tells us that “this man [Clement], as he had seen the blessed apostles, and had been conversant with them, might be said to have the preaching of the apostles still echoing [in his ears], and their traditions before his eyes” (Against Heresies 3:3). So, his letter provides important context when discussing this topic and what apostolic teaching was. Likewise, Justin Martyr, writing around AD 150, in chapter 13 of his First Apology writes about the triune nature of God, and...

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

..., such as Eusebius or Athanasius, mentioning any deliberations on the Canon of Scripture. The Origin of the Myth The myth of the Council of Nicaea’s involvement in forming the biblical canon can be traced back to a late ninth-century Greek manuscript known as the Synodicon Vetus. This manuscript, claiming to be a summary of decisions from Greek councils up to that point, presented a narrative where a divine miracle occurred at the Council of Nicaea. According to the manuscript, the Lord miraculously separated the canonical books, placing them on the table, while the apocryphal or spurious ones fell beneath. The canonical and apocryphal books it distinguish...

Biblical Inspiration and the Canon: How We Got the Bible

...corded by Eusebius in Ecclesiastical History 3.39.15–16), Mark wrote his Gospel based on Peter’s preaching. Theological Consistency — The book had to align with the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. A text was not included if a text contained theological ideas that contradicted the established apostolic message. Widespread Use and Acceptance — The book had to be widely recognised and used by the early Christian community as authoritative. Divine Inspiration — The early church recognised that certain writings carried the authority of God, often demonstrated through their spiritual impact and consistency with the rest of Scripture. W...