The Ante-Nicene Fathers

2002-09-21

Writings were attempted to resist threats.

I. The Apologists

Combat persecution, giving a defense of the faith. Proving false charges were false. Christianity was superior to other religions. Wrote as philosophers more than theologians.

Eastern apologist:

Justin Martyr. Born in Palestine to pagan parents. Not Christian at first. Wandering philosopher and sought truth. Led to Christ on the seashore by an old man. Justin remembered for his First and Second Apologies. First Apology, superiority of Christ. Beseeched them to be tolerant of Christians. Second Apology was appendix. Dialogue with Trypho, Trypho was a Jew. Written to convince Jews of Jesus’ Messiahship. Stressed OT prophecies and typology. Died under Marcus Aurelius.

Western apologist:

Tertullian (160-230). Less philosophy, stressed distinctiveness of Christianity from philosophy. First Christian Latin writer. From Carthage. Converted in Rome at age 40. He was a teacher and a lawyer. His organization is evident in his writing. Had reputation of being a separatist, to be separate from the world around them. Converted to Montanism initially. Was a very fiery individual. Fixed opinions. Works: Apologeticus, arguments against the persecutors, Christians had higher moral standards. Persecution did not accomplish its purpose. Stated that the blood of martyrs was the seed of the church.

Did the apologies stop persecution? Probably not.

II. The Polemicists

The idea of making war. War lit. polemos in Gr. Writing to combat somebody’s ideas. Refute the heretics.

Irenaeus (132-202). Bishop of Lyons. Born in Asia Minor. Became a missionary bishop to Gaul. Wrote work: Against Heresy. Refute gnosticism. Written 185. Church unity stressed.

Men of the Alexandrian School. 2nd Century. A catechetical school.

Clement of Alexandria, 150-215, born in Athens, born into a pagan family. Became a leader of the school in 189. Gave himself of trying to prove to intellectuals that Christianity was intellectually acceptable and respectable. Therefore, he used philosophy to give expression to Christianity. He wrote on one occasion that philosophy was a divine gift to the Greeks just as the Law was to the Israelites. He allegorized the Scriptures to suit Greek philosophy.

Origen, Clement’s successor. Born in Alexandria, had Christian parents. Father died as a martyr. Head of the school. Same philosophical approach as Clement. 3 levels of interpretation. Human beings are body, soul, and spirit, also was the Bible. Literal interpretation of Bible is the body. Higher moral interpretation was the soul, higher up than the beginner. The deepest meaning was the spiritual, for the most mature. Minimized the literal meaning of Scripture. ‘To me it means this...’

Tertullian (see above). Refuted many false teachers, and developed his theology. First person to systematically state the doctrine of Trinity, and to use that term. Did not invent the doctrine. Developed Traducianism, part of doctrine of man, the human soul is transmitted by natural generation.

Cyprian. Bishop of Carthage. 200-258. Born into a pagan home. Converted when he was 46 in 246. Three years later he became Bishop of Carthage. Wrote: Unity of the Catholic Church. Written to a group that had split off. Primacy of Peter, and bishop of Rome. No salvation outside the established church. Paved way for Roman Catholic Supremacy: To have God the Father you needed Church the Mother.