Albion
Facilitator
I didn't think you did disagree... but if you do accept them, it is hard to argue the early fathers who decided such things several centuries from Christ had lost touch with their apostolic roots.
We would think that...and I dont mean to suggest that all of them had lost connection with the Apostolic church completely. However, it is clear that a person who lived in the fifth century was not seeing the church in the same way as one living in the first century.
No one in the first century, for example, had any idea of a universal jurisdiction over the church being given by Christ to the bishop of Rome. But four centuries later, we have actual evidence of Fathers changing their views in order not to be on the wrong side of that issue from the Pope, the bishop of Rome.
The gates of hell have NOT *prevailed* against it. Christianity is still the most widespread religion in the world and continuing to grow.It is also somewhat questioning the power of our Lord, who said his church will be one and the gates of hell would not prevail against it.
Many fundamentalists try to argue that there was an apostasy and they are returning to church roots after millennia. They speculate all sorts of dates : the problem they have is choosing any date that makes doctrinal sense.
I would say that that POV is more associated with such religions as the Mormons and Jehovahs Witnesses.
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