BIBLES * Bulldogs * & Beards

Disagree, agree, or have a question: Contact us through the contact page on our website; http://www.biblebulldog.com Pastor William Shifflett discusses PART THREE - The Early Church/Church Fathers - Chapter 3 The Creedal Imperative by Carl R. Truman

Does the study of church history/fathers point us to the Roman Catholic Church?

Ignatius of Antioch:(?-98) #Ignatius

Warned the church against heresies that threatened peace and unity, opposed Gnosticism and Docetism. Is there anything more you can tell us about him?

Irenaeus:(around AD 130-202)

Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons (located in present-day France). In his work Against Heresies, Irenaeus confronts the teachings of Gnosticism, appealing to apostolic tradition as the final arbiter of truth.

Again, is there anything more you can tell us about him?

Tertullian:(155-220)

The first of the ancient church fathers to use the term Trinitas, or “Trinity,” is often credited with saying, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Same question.

Hippolytus of Rome:(170-236)

He was the last Roman theologian to write in the language of the New Testament. And because the use of Greek died out in Rome by the mid fourth century, many of Hippolytus’ works were forgotten and even lost. Same question.

Athanasius:(296-373)

Athanasius, the fourth-century bishop of Alexandria. During the fourth century, the church was forced to deal with the Arian controversy. This controversy was named after Arius who was a well-known teacher in the church at that time. Arius denied that Jesus was eternally divine. Rather, he said that Jesus was only a god-like creature. Same question.

Augustine of Hippo:(354-430)

Augustine became bishop of Hippo in 395 and exerted an enormous influence on the church. He argued against the British monk Pelagius who denied original sin and said that a person did not need special grace in order to be saved. Augustine’s work on the Trinity became very influential in the history of Christian theology. His Confessions is one of the most important autobiographies ever written. Same question.

2.Doctrinal Content:

How important is it to keep doctrine pure, and how can it be done?