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Great is the Mystery of Faith!

A little while ago, I came across a quote on Facebook by a guy called Melito of Sardis.  St. Melito of Sardis Melito was bishop of the church in Sardis (modern-day Sart), a city of Asia Minor near Smyrna (modern-day Izmir, Turkey), and lived between 160-170/177 AD until he was martyred, possibly under the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Due to the close proximity of locations, he may also have known Ignatius who was also from Asia Minor, and potentially was also an acquaintance of Polycarp and his disciple, Irenaeus. There’s also the thought that he may have been the successor to the leader of the church in Sardis, which is mentioned by the Apostle John in Re...

Why Read The Early Church Fathers?

Why read the Early Church Fathers? Maybe for some of you reading this, the question might better be phrased as: who are the Church Fathers? No doubt you will be familiar with some of their names: Augustine, Jerome, Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr et al. You may have even read portions or quotes by some of these men. But that still doesn't really explain to you who they are and why you should care, much less actually read any of their works. My new book deals with a selection of some of the most influential Early Church Fathers, sometimes also referred to as the Apostolic Fathers (if they lived between AD 70-150), or collectively as the Ante Nicene...

The Eighth Day

...ighth day quotes – http://preachersinstitute.com/2013/06/05/the-eighth-day/ http://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/2014/04/the-eighth-day/ http://feedingonchrist.com/theological-significance-eighth-day/ http://frankviola.org/2015/01/26/thesabbath/ Didache – http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/didache-roberts.html https://thesacredfaith.co.uk/index.php?page=home&perma=1459070845&article=raised-in-the-heavenlies https://thesacredfaith.co.uk/index.php?page=home&perma=1452090721&article=who-is-the-new-jerusalem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord%27s_Day http://www.jcblog.net/hebrews/4/9-10/true-sabbath-rest-through-christ Sabbath...

7 Ways Jesus Reverses the Curse From Eden

...favourite quotes from the early church, from a second century bishop called Melito of Sardis, who writes of this reversal concept in a really great and poetic way that I think really hits it home: He that hung up the earth in space was Himself hanged up; He that fixed the heavens was fixed with nails; He that bore up the earth was borne up on a tree; the Lord of all was subjected to ignominy in a naked body-God put to death! the King of Israel slain with Israel's right hand! Alas for the new wickedness of the new murder! The Lord was exposed with naked body: He was not deemed worthy even of covering; and, in order that He might not be seen, the luminaries tur...

Jesus, Mithras and Ancient Roman Cults: Separating Fact from Fiction

...ss, these quotes provide insight into how early Christians viewed the Mithras cult and its perceived similarities with Christianity. It is entirely possible the Mithras cult did incorporate similar Christian practices, as they were seen as a rival religion, especially as the earliest literary references we have to Mithraism are between AD 80–100 from Latin poet Statius, and Plutarch, a Greek philosopher, decades after Christianity’s practices were established. The cult of Mithras was a secret society, with initiation rituals and beliefs only shared among its members. This exclusivity and mystery made it appealing to some, but it also limited its reach. Chr...

Ancient Amulet Rewrites History Of Christianity In Europe

.... It also quotes lines from the Epistle to the Philippians (Philippians 2:10–11) in an early Latin translation, demonstrating the early dissemination of Pauline theology in this region. This discovery challenges previous understandings of the spread of Christianity in Europe, suggesting that devout Christian communities existed north of the Alps earlier than previously documented. Before this find, the earliest reliable evidence of Christianity in this area was associated with Maternus, bishop of Cologne, who participated in the Synod of Rome in 313 AD. Translation of the Inscription Here is the text of the Frankfurt Silver Inscription translated into Engli...