church fathers

I thought that it would be a good idea to have a thread dedicated to posting thoughts/discussions on events or people from Church history or the Church fathers. The topic itself can be very edifying as it can involve things like sharing in the experiences and thoughts of the early Church, the...

I cannot wrap my head around the difference in predestination vs double predestination. My best answer is that in predestination God simply new beforehand who would believe, where with double predestination He actively makes the non elect reprobates. Is this right? Can anyone spoon feed me...

I am looking for resources to the church fathers - both written volumes and or internet resources. Thanks in advance!

Praise be to God! I was looking to see if anyone had links they could send on what the earliest Christian writings are for verses… Exodus 32: 11-14 1 Samuel 15:11 Genesis 6:6-7 I’d like to know what our earliest church leaders interpreted these verses to mean. If you have info on 1 but not...

1 Timothy 2:11-12 has been variously understood. One view I recently heard is that it teaches women to be silent not only in church, as is the case in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, but also in secular matters. After making several contextual arguments for women not to teach with authority, this...

I'm not sure where I stand on this. That is why I would like to hear what others think. I am somewhat leaning more towards Credobaptism because: There is no explicit mention of a baby being baptized in the NT No early church writings say anything about pedobaptism. To the contrary, they only...

Extract from the writings of Elder Ephraim of Arizona: "Therefore, be humble, my child. If you want the demons who oppress you to be humbled, throw yourself beneath all and say: «I'm the worst person in the world and everything is my fault»." Do you think that going through life with this...

In the early church, we see statements suggesting that the dietary laws of clean/unclean meats from Old Testament passages such as Leviticus 11 are no longer binding. For example: As for their [the Jews'] scrupulousness about meats, and their superstitions about the Sabbath, and their...

Hello! According to this Sabbatarian source, Ignatius' statement, normally translated thus, is incorrect (emphasis mine): If then those who had walked in ancient prac- tices attained unto newness of hope, no longer observing sabbaths but fashioning their lives after the Lord's day, on which our...

Hello! This could be a "church fathers" thread, but since a similar one I did before was moved, I'll just post here. The following article claims that Theophilus (Patriarch of Antioch from 169 to 182) taught that Christians must keep the Sabbath: Theophilus of Antioch – 160-180s AD The main...

Hello! The other day, I was discussing Sabbatarianism on a thread, and @Torah Keeper said that the Acts of John (Apocryphal) supports the view that the Lord's Day is Saturday. Here's the text in question: And on the seventh day, it being the Lord's day, he said to them: Now it is time for me...

- Lets look at this verse. """"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.""" Let's focus on the 2nd part "called according to His purpose". This is 2 "calls", being reflected as rightly divided... Lets look...

Two questions, two parts on St Ignatius Brianchaninov's words. 1. He who reads the books of a heretic immediately communes with an evil, dark spirit of falsehood. This should not seem strange or incredible to you—this is the unanimous opinion of the Holy Fathers… 2. Let each personally choose...

I know the Fathers have some good things to say as most Christians do, but this? Ignatius Bishop of Antioch (98-117A.D.) – Epistle to the Magnesians For if we are still practicing Judaism, we admit that we have not received God’s favor…it is wrong to talk about Jesus Christ and live like Jews...

Is there any Christian writer who talked about the Antichrist?

The 7 days of Genesis & 7,000 years old earth view (Ps. 90:4, II Pet. 3:8)), have you heard this, even in the Ante-Nicene 'fathers'? For instance (summary): In Matthew 13, Jesus gives several related parables, about the work of a laborer, sowing in the field and then reaping. According to Holy...

Defenders of modern Millennialism often claim this was the view of the Early Church Fathers. I think it was not taught by any of them. I consider the writings of an Early Church Father to not teach modern Millennialism if any of these are true: --The start date already passed --It's based on...