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Does Christmas have pagan origins?

...: https://patristics.info/justin-martyr-first-apology.html#Chapter_XXXIV_Place_of_Christs_birth_foretold (ch. 34 & 46) Tertullian: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0308.htm (ch. 9) Clement of Alexandria: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/02101.htm (ch. 21) http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/jesuvita.html On Christmas: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03724b.htm https://www.ccel.org/ccel/hippolytus https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/epiphany.shtml https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/25th.shtml Annunciation: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01541c.htm https://www.franciscanmedia.org/annunciation-of-the-lord/ https://www.theopedia...

Man-Made Tradition vs Apostolic Tradition

...https://patristics.info/epistle-of-polycarp-to-the-philippians.html https://thesacredfaith.co.uk/home/perma/1559484660/article/creedal-christians-the-nicene-creed.html https://thesacredfaith.co.uk/home/perma/1539286980/article/creedal-christians-the-apostles-creed.html How To Read The Bible For All It's Worth | FaithGiant...

Did the Early Church invent the Trinity?

...The doctrine and concept of the Trinity is encapsulated in Matthew 28:19, where Jesus instructs the apostles: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. John, who was very close to Jesus and obviously knew him well, alludes to this teaching frequently in his Gospel, too. For example: John 1:1; John 8:58; John 10:30; and John 10:38. Yet, despite this, and numerous other examples throughout the New Testament which point towards the threefold nature of God, plenty of myths and legends abound online and in books which state that the divinity of Jesus (and therefore the Trinit...

A Historic Easter Change Is Coming — But Will Protestants Get On Board?

...Pope Francis has recently expressed the Catholic Church’s willingness to accept a unified date for Easter, a move aimed at fostering greater Christian unity, particularly with the Orthodox Church. This long-standing issue arises from the different calendars used by Western and Eastern Christian traditions — the Gregorian and Julian calendars — leading to discrepancies in Easter celebrations. Talks between Catholic and Orthodox leaders have intensified, hoping a common date could be agreed upon. However, this raises important questions for Protestant denominations regarding whether they would adopt the unified date or risk falling out of alignment w...

The Real St. Nicholas: A Man of Virtue, Not Violence

...When we think of St. Nicholas, two contrasting images often emerge: the cheerful, gift-giving Santa Claus and the fiery bishop who supposedly punched Arius at the Council of Nicaea. The latter story, popularised through memes and tales of “righteous anger,” portrays Nicholas as a defender of truth through violence. But how much of this tale is rooted in fact? St Nicholas of Myra slapping Arius at the Council of Nicaea.Fresco from the Soumela Monastery (Turkey) The truth is both simpler and more profound: St. Nicholas embodied the teachings of Christ, not through impulsive acts of aggression, but through a life of love, generosity, and devotion. Sepa...

Free Early Church Resources

...Free Early Church Resources I've created a few resources to aid with your studies or interest in the Early Church. The below maps are converted from the appendices in my book. I'll also soon add some hi-res versions as A3 poster size to purchase as well. Below the maps is an interactive chronological timeline of when the New Testament and Early Church texts were written. At the time of writing, I have covered most of the Ante-Nicene (pre-325 AD) period. Geographical Locations of Early Church Texts Approximate locations of where the NT and Ante-Nicene texts were written (or sent). Blue book icons represent the New Testament books, the red crosses are a selec...