CONSTANTINE,
THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS AND THE APOSTASY
If you ask a Catholic or
Protestant of their knowledge on the apostasy of the first century Christian
Church, they will vehemently deny that it ever took place. Accordingly,
the early church fathers took over from the Apostles and continued on rearing
the church up to the present time. They will even go further by saying
that the isolated cases of schisms did not prevent the church from moving
forward. This is precisely the matter of this subject; the biblical
account as to who and what caused the apostasy of the first century Church of
Christ.
Our Lord Jesus Christ built
his Church as documented in Matthew 16:18.
”And I
say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church;
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Indeed, the Church was built
and named after Christ, the builder as mentioned in Acts 20:28 thus the name
Church of Christ.
“Take heed therefore to
yourselves and to all the flock that the Holy Spirit has appointed you
overseers to feed the Church of Christ which he purchased with his blood.”
Also in the book of Acts
2:47 it tells us the significance of this Church because it is in this Church
that the Lord placed those who will be saved.
“ . . . .praising
God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church
daily such as should be saved.”
It was also our Lord Jesus
Christ who prophesied about the apostasy or the turning away from the true
Christian faith prior to his ascent to heaven. (Matthew 24:9-11.)
9 “Then
they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated
by all nations because of My name. 10 At that time many
will [d]fall
away and will [e]betray
one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets
will arise and will mislead many.”
Apostle Paul, in his
writings made a clear reference to the men who will take over the first century
Church founded by our Lord Jesus Christ. This, accordingly will take
place after his departure. The departure that he mentioned in
his letters was referring to his death. This cataclysmic event in the
history of the Christian Church was well documented in the book of Acts chapter
20:29-30 (NKJV) as follows:
29“For I know this, that after
my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also
from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away
the disciples after themselves.”
The verses tell us of men
whom Apostle Paul called as savage wolves that will come in from among the
members of the Church and it will take place after his departure or after his
death. These men will rise up, speaking perverse things the purpose of
which is to draw away the disciples after themselves. In verse 29 it
emphatically mentioned that the flock will not be spared by the savage
wolves.
Why are we certain that
Apostle Paul was warning the brethren about his death? In the same book
and chapter, this was mentioned in verses 25, 36 to 38 NKJV:
25 “And indeed,
now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of
God, will see my face no more.”
36 “And when he
had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 Then
they all wept freely, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him, 38 sorrowing
most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face
no more.”
And in the book of 2
Timothy, chapter 4 verse 6, this is what Apostle Paul has written:
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the
time of my departure is at hand.”
It is therefore clear from the foregoing verses that Apostle Paul
was referring to his death when he mentioned about his departure. There is
no record in the bible and even in history books of the exact date of Apostle
Paul’s death. Neither was there any record of how he died.
Historians supposed that he was beheaded at around Circa 67 or
68. Apostle John, traditionally believed
to have survived his contemporary apostles and lived
to an extreme old age, died at Ephesus in about A.D. 100.
After
the death of the Apostles, come now the early church fathers as
prophesied. It is worth mentioning that in the entire New Testament
of the Holy Scriptures, the Apostles were never referred to as or ascribed the
title of “father”. Siricius (circa 384-399) was the first to
apply the term “pope” to himself while Pope Gelasius was the first to take the
title “Vicar of Christ”. Therefore, it
was only the Roman Catholic Church fathers that invented the title for they
regard themselves as “Father in the Spirit or Father of the Spirit.”
The
early church fathers were classified by the Roman Catholic Church as Apostolic
Fathers, Greek Fathers, Latin Fathers and Other Fathers. The latter
although have not written that much were also
considered to have contributed a great deal of influence to the Church.
The
Apostolic Fathers were believed to be within two generations of the Apostles of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Among them were Clement of Rome, Ignatius of
Antioch and Polycarp of Smyrna.
Clement
of Rome was believed to be the fourth Pope and Bishop of Rome. His epistle written in circa
96 was the earliest epistle written “outside” of the
New Testament. To quote one of the passages in his writings are
the following:
"It is fitting that you
should think of Jesus Christ as of God."
Ignatius of Antioch (Circa
35-110) was the third Bishop or Patriarch of Antioch and a student of the Apostle John. He was the first to write that "God
Himself was manifested in human form" (A.D. 105).
Polycarp of Smyrna (Circa
69-110) was a Christian Bishop of Smyrna, now modern day Izmir in Turkey.
It is recorded that he was a disciple of Apostle John. His famous writing
was a letter to the Philippians which is for the most part almost the exact
reproduction of Apostles Paul and John’s epistles. He was among those
that were not spared by the savage wolves as it was the
Smyrnans themselves who demanded his execution as a Christian and died a
martyr.
The Greek Fathers are those
who wrote in Greek and includes Clement of Rome, Irenaeus
of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria, Athanasius
of Alexandria, John Chrysostom, Cyril
of Alexandria, theCappadocian Fathers (Basil of Caesarea, Gregory Nazianzus, Peter of Sebaste & Gregory of Nyssa), Maximus the Confessor, and John of Damascus.
The Latin Fathers are those who wrote in Latin. Famous Latin Fathers include Tertullian (who later in life converted to Montanism), Cyprian of
Carthage, Gregory the Great, Augustine of Hippo,Ambrose of Milan, and Jerome.
Prominent
among the Early Church Fathers who reintroduced or reshaped the true teachings
of the Apostles and our Lord Jesus Christ are those who were called the Ante-Nicene Fathers. These are those
whose writings were done during the period that covers
the beginning of “Christianity” until before the promulgation of the Nicene Creed at the First
Council of Nicaea.
Here
are some of their notable quotes:
· Irenaeus: "He
is God, for the name Emmanuel indicates this" (A.D. 180). He
maintained that the bishops of the Church provided the
only safe guide to the interpretation of Scripture. He emphasized the unique
position of authority of the bishop of Rome.
· Justin Martyr:
"The Father of the universe has a Son. And He...is even God" (A.D.
160).
· Tertullian:
"...Christ our God" (A.D. 200).
· Origen: "No one should
be offended that the Savior is also God..." (A.D. 225).
· Cyprian: "Jesus
Christ, our Lord and God" (A.D. 250).
· Methodius: "...He
truly was and is...with God, and being God..." (A.D.290).
· Lactantius: "We
believe Him to be God" (A.D. 304).
· Arnobius: "Christ
performed all those miracles...the...duty of Divinity" (A.D. 305).
· Novation: "...He
is not only man, but God also..." (A.D. 235).
· Ignatius: "God
Himself was manifested in human form" (A.D. 105).
· Clement: "It is
fitting that you should think of Jesus Christ as of God" (A.D. 150).
· Athanasius: “The Son
of God became man so that we might become God. (A.D. 325).
The Council of Nicaea
An analytical and meticulous perusal of
the historical accounts including texts and quotations used in the Council of
Nicaea will reveal a very scant use of biblical passages but relied more on
the writings of the early church fathers as evidenced by the quotes
above. This fact was bolstered by the following passage from
Athanasius during the heated debate at the Council, proving that they lean
heavily on these writings and less from the Scriptures, to wit:
Athanasius asks rhetorically,
"... how many fathers [in other words, the writings of the early
Christians] can you cite for your phrases?" (Ibid, p325) (underscoring
mine).
When
the last surviving Apostle departed, that was the time when the so called early
church fathers started on using their own level of intellect and wisdom and
introduced separate writings distinct from what has already been written by the
Apostles. And on June 19, 325 A. D., in that council initiated by
the Roman Emperor Constantine, these self appointed “vicars of Christ” led the
apostasy by introducing a doctrine that was nowhere written in the Holy
Scriptures. While apologists are quick to declare that the Nicene fathers
did not create the doctrine on the divinity of Christ but merely confirmed an
existing relation (that of the Father and the Son) on the basis of church
tradition, it is however, clear as day that they did exactly what was
prohibited by the Apostles in 1 Corinthians 4:6 not to go beyond what is
written.
Now these things, brethren,
I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you
may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be
puffed up on behalf of one against the other. (NKJV)
However,
if subjected to scrutiny under biblical precepts, they are quick to say that we
must not only believe in the written words of the Apostles but also the
traditions that were handed down to us by our “fathers” even quoting 2
Thessalonians 2:15 as follows:
Therefore, brethren, stand
fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or
our epistle.
We do not deny that during
the time of the Apostles, traditions are being observed. In fact, Apostle
Paul himself mentioned in 1 Corinthians 11:2 the following concerning
traditions:
Now I praise you, brethren,
that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I
delivered them to you.
Likewise
in Galatians 1:14, Apostle Paul again have written the following passage on
tradition:
And I advanced in Judaism
beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly
zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
However,
there has to be a careful and distinct application and practice of the correct
tradition. In the foregoing verse, Apostle Paul talks about the tradition
of the fathers in his former religion of Judaism. And if we continue to
read the verses under Galatians, Apostle Paul was referring to a time prior to
his conversion on the way to Damascus. He was narrating to the brethren
in Galatia how he persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
And this is how he advanced Judaism beyond many of his contemporaries in his
own nation for he was exceedingly zealous for the traditions of his fathers.
On the
other hand, the tradition that he exhorted the brethren in Thessalonica to
uphold were those that were taught to them whether by word or epistle. It
is the same message that he had to the brethren in Corinth; that they must keep
the traditions that he himself delivered unto them.
Traditions,
therefore, must be those that the Apostles taught and delivered onto the
brethren. These traditions must not in any way contradict the written
words of the Apostles for it absolutely runs counter to logic and reasons for
them to teach and write something that has contrasting messages. Traditions, therefore, must complement the written
words.
Concerning
the newly created doctrine by the Council of Nicaea, Apostle Paul in his
letters had warned the early Christians against people who will be teaching
different gospel. In the book of Galatians 1: 6-8 and 2 Corinthians 11:4
these are written:
I am astonished that you
are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are
turning to a different gospel— 7which is really no gospel at
all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to
pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from
heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be
eternally condemned! NIV.
For if someone comes to you
and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a
different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one
you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. NIV
It is not surprising, therefore,
that we see today the proliferation of another doctrine or a
different gospel. It was long ago forewarned by Apostle
Paul. Interestingly enough, these early church fathers have several
modern day adherents depending on their understanding and acceptance of the
said writings. History revealed that the Jehova’s Witnesses, The Church
of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, The Seventh Day Adventists and other
Baptist denominations were among those inspired by the writings of some of the early
church fathers. Such inspiration was the prime mover over the establishment
of their own religious sect complete with all the fundamental beliefs
and edicts borne out of those writings. These religious sects are the exact
fulfillment of what the Holy Scriptures clearly mentioned that there are people
who will establish their own refusing to subject themselves to the
righteousness of God. In the book of Romans, chapter 10 verses
2 & 3 it says:
For I can testify about
them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on
knowledge. 3 Since
they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish
their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.(TNIV)
(underscoring mine).
The question that comes to
mind is why did the early church fathers defy the Apostles; did not remain and
be contented with what was already written and have begun to write their own
pieces of righteousness? There are quite a number of present day
theologians who do the same thing. They even interpret the meanings of
the early church fathers’ writings giving an impression that they are a lot
better than them. Little did they know that they too have fallen into the
quagmire of repeating the same offense that the early church fathers were
guilty of.
The Christian Research
Institute is one of the groups today who are mostly composed of
theologians. They apparently have the knowledge of the true gospel.
They even went into classifying whether a particular church or religious sect
is a cult or not. In one of their responses to a question posed
concerning the creation of the trinity doctrine they aver that the writings of
the early church fathers serve more clearly and succinctly express a truth
about the Scriptures. So here, the CRI wants to project the
impression that the words and wisdom of the early church fathers are better
than that of the Apostles who were spiritually inspired by God at the time when
the Scriptures are being written. This must be the very precise reason
why they’ve re-written the Scriptures and in so doing, they used their own
opinion and interpretation of the sacred Words based on their level of
intellect and understanding. Clearly, a transgression of biblical
precepts. That is why God through Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:
27-29 declared the following:
But God chose the foolish
things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world
to shame the strong. 28He chose the lowly things of this world
and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that
are, 29so that no one may boast before him. NIV
In the
light of the foregoing revelations, our question which we asked at the
beginning of this article concerning the identity of those that caused the
apostasy of the first century Christian Church had just been plainly
answered. They were none other than the “early church fathers” that
Apostle Paul said will enter the Church after his death. The apostasy
which is the falling away from the true Christian faith took place when the
early church fathers introduced another gospel, in complete and deliberate
defiance of the biblical exhortation not to add or take away anything from the
writings of the Apostles.
This humble piece is a
reiteration of the supreme authority of the Bible. Apostle Paul in his
letters to Timothy chapter 3, verse 15 – 17 and 1 Timothy 1:1-2 has this to say
concerning the Holy Scriptures:
…..the Holy Scriptures,
which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ
Jesus. 16 All
Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, 17 so
that all God's people [a] may
be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (TNIV)
Now, brothers and sisters,
I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on
which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are
saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have
believed in vain.
(TNIV)
As we all
know, the Catholic Church today do not rely solely on the Bible but more on
traditions that were handed down not by the Apostles but by the early church
fathers. While there are Protestant churches clearly espousing the “Sola
Scriptura” doctrine, it is however disheartening to note that they relied
heavily on the theological interpretations of scripture set forth by the early
church fathers and upon which writings their coming into being was
predicated. Many
Protestant seminaries provide courses on Patristics (study of the Church Fathers) as part of their curriculum and many
historic Protestant churches emphasize the importance of Tradition and of the
Fathers in scriptural interpretation.
The past administration of
the Church of Christ under brother Felix Y. Manalo and brother Erano G. Manalo preaches
strict adherence to Biblical teachings. The Church did not in any way
whatsoever deviate therefrom either through addition, deletion, self-interpretation
and other methodologies that will result ultimately in twisting and altering
its true meaning. But as we have pointed out; that was during the past
administrations. History repeat itself
as the Bible puts it in Ecclesiastes 1:9 and on a sad note we declare that
today under the administration of Eduardo V Manalo so much had changed. The
bible verses are still being read but its application has taken a radical turn
and a different meaning. The entire culture has changed the most prominent of
which is the teachings about Love. In
one instance, a minister was told by a Church Council member to “forget about
love.” In several instances, the
minister praying during the worship service will instruct God to “kill, destroy,
exterminate and annihilate them.” It’s
unthinkable how could they do such evil and instruct the Almighty God to kill
when He is the author of the fifth commandment “Thou Shall Not Kill.” The teaching to “honor your father and your
mother” is now a thing of the past in this Church that still present itself as apparently
from God. Not only did the new leader refused to talk to his mother for years
but the mother, an elderly woman is now in hiding for fear of her life. Not contented with disrespecting his parents he
levelled their ancestral home to the ground.
He also put his younger brother
and nephew in jail on trumped-up charges.
Thanks to his partnership with and control of the law enforcement he
turned from being the hope for justice to the cause of injustice.
But God has from different
dispensations of time set aside a small remnant that will continue to do His
will and His righteousness. We, the defenders; the small remnant will never
close our eyes and will never hold our peace but in compliance with the
biblical instruction; we shall “take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and
darkness; instead, expose them.” (Ephesians
5:11) We will remain vigilant in
safeguarding the teachings of God. We
shall guard it with our life if it is what it takes. This is a vow that we undertake to uphold
until the end that at the judgment seat of Christ, we too can humbly say that “we
have fought the good fight, we have finished the race, we have kept the faith”.
1. The Council of Nicaea - What Really Happened
by James Garlow, Ph.D, Senior Pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church in La Mesa, California and by Peter Jones, Ph. D., Executive Director. Christian Witness in a Pagan Planet
2. Church Fathers - Wikepedia Encyclopedia
3. Ante-Nicene Fathers - Wikepedia Encyclopedia
4. The Council of Nicaea - Wikipedia Encyclopedia
5. Faith of the Early Fathers, Volume 1
