Irenaeus

Daily Reading 6-28-05

2005-06-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

~~2 Chron. 1-4~~Ps.86~~Lk. 11:37-12:12~~Rev. 19:11-end

Today's reading 6-27-05

2005-06-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

~~1 Chron. 27-29~~Prov. 19:15-18~~Lk. 11:1-36~~Rev. 19:1-10

Yesterday's reading 6-26-05

2005-06-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

~~1 Chron. 23-26~~Ps. 85~~Lk. 10~~Rev. 18

Daily Reading 6-25-05

2005-06-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

~~1 Chron.21-22~~Prov. 19:10-14~~Lk.9~~Rev. 17

Daily Reading 6-24-05

2005-06-24T18:21:00.000-07:00

~~1 Chron. 18-20~~Ps. 84~~Lk. 8~~Rev.16

Daily Reading 6-23-05

2005-06-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

~~1 Chron. 16-17~~Prov. 19:5-9~~Lk. 7~~Rev. 15

Daily Reading 6-22-05

2005-06-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

~~1 Chron. 13-15~~Ps. 83~~Lk. 6~~Rev. 14

Daily Reading 6-21-05

2005-06-21T22:48:00.000-07:00

~~1 Chron. 11-12~~Prov. 19:1-4~~Lk. 5~~Rev. 13

Daily Reading 6-20-05

2005-06-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

~~1 Chron.9-10~~Ps. 82~~Lk. 4~~Rev. 12

Daily Reading 6-19-05

2005-06-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

~~1 Chron. 7-8~~Prov. 18:22-end~~Lk. 3~~Rev. 11

Daily Reading 6-18-05

2005-06-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

~~1 Chron. 5=6~~Ps. 81~~Lk. 2~~Rev. 10

Daily Reading 6-17-05

2005-06-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

~~1 Chron. 3-4~~Prov. 18:18-21~~Lk. 1:39-end~~Rev. 9

Daily Reading 6-16-05

2005-06-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

~~1 Chron. 1-2~~Ps. 80~~Lk. 1:1-38~~Rev. 8

Daily Reading 6-15-05

2005-06-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

~~2 Ki. 23:34-25:end~~Prov. 18:14-17~~Mk.16~~Rev. 7

Daily Reading 6-14-05

2005-06-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

~~2 Ki. 22:1-23:33~~Ps. 79~~Mk. 15:16-end~~Rev.6

Daily Reading 6-13-05

2005-06-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

~~2 Ki. 20-21~~Prov. 18:10-13~~Mk. 14:43-15:15~~Rev. 5

Daily Reading 6-12-05

2005-06-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

~~2 Ki. 18-19~~Ps. 78~~Mt. 14:1-42~~Rev.4

Daily Reading 6-11-05

2005-06-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

~~2 Ki. 17~~Prov.18:5-9~~Mk. 13~~Rev. 3

Daily Reading 6-10-05

2005-06-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

~~2 Ki. 15-16~~Ps. 77~~Mk. 12:13-end~~Rev. 2

Daily Reading 6-9-05

2005-06-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

~~2 Ki. 13-14~~Prov. 18:1-4~~Mk. 11:1-12:12~~Rev. 1

Daily Reading 6-8-05

2005-06-08T22:21:00.000-07:00

~~2 Ki. 11-12~~Ps. 76~~Mk. 10~~Jude

Daily Reading 6-7-05

2005-06-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

~~2 Ki. 9-10~~Prov. 17:25-end~~Mk. 9 14-end~~3 Jn.

Daily Reading 6-6-05

2005-06-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

~~2 Ki. 8~~Ps. 75~~Mk. 8:1-9:13~~2 Jn.
``Even when I'm not reading as much in Early Fathers and am reading more recent books instead, I still do my daily reading in the Bible for the word of God is of formost importance.

Daily Reading 6-5-05

2005-06-05T19:55:00.000-07:00

~~2 Ki. 5-7~~Prov. 17:21-24~~Mk. 7~~1 Jn. 5

Daily readings 5-4-05

2005-06-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

~~2 Ki. 4~~Ps. 74~~Mk. 6~~1 Jn. 3:19-4:end

Daily readings 6-3-05

2005-06-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

~~2 Ki. 1-3~~Prov. 17:16-19~~Mk. 5~~1 Jn. 2:28-3:18
~~A little about one of the heretics that is identified as opposing John the Apostle. From Irenaeus Against Heresies 1:27:1 "Cerinthus, again, a man who was educated in the wisdom of the Egyptians, taught that the world was not made by the primary God, but by a certain Power far separated from him, and at a distance from that Principality who is supreme over the universe, and ignorant of him who is above all. He represented Jesus as having not been born of a virgin, but as being the son of Joseph and Mary according to the ordinary course of human generation, while he nevertheless was more righteous, prudent, and wise than other men. Moreover, after his baptism, Christ descended upon him in the form of a dove from the Supreme Ruler, and that then he proclaimed the unknown Father, and performed miracles. But at last Christ departed from Jesus, and that then Jesus suffered and rose again, while Christ remained impassible, inasmuch as he was a spiritual being."

Daily Reading 6-2-05

2005-06-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

~~1 Ki. 21-22~~Ps. 73~~Mk. 4~~1 Jn. 2:12-27

Daily Reading 6-1-05

2005-06-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

~~1 Ki. 19-20~~Prov. 17:12-15~~Mk. 3:13-end~~1 Jn.1:1-2:11

Daily Reading 5-31-05

2005-05-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

~~1 Ki. 17-18~~Ps. 72~~Mk. 2:1-3:12~~2 Pet. 3

Daily Reading 5-30-05

2005-05-30T19:04:00.000-07:00

~~1 Ki. 14-16~~Prov. 17:9-12~~Mk. 1~~2 Pet. 2

Daily Reading 5-29-05

2005-05-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

~~1 Ki. 12-13~~Ps. 71~~Mt. 28~~2 Pet. 1
~~In 1 Ki. 13 a Prophet of God is given a lying prophecy by another prophet that runs counter to the first revelation. God took his word seriously and punished the deceived prophet with death. I have heard Christians today claim that New Testament prophecy is not judged by these same standards. Maybe God doesn't always strike them dead as he did in this instance, but it seems that maybe the reason the Church is so divided and confused today is that we accept this kind of fuzzy thinking.

Daily Reading 5-28-05

2005-05-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

~~1 Ki. 9-11~~Prov. 17:5-8~~Mt. 27:11-end~~1 Pet. 5

Daily Reading 5-27-05

2005-05-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

~~1 Ki. 8~~Ps. 70~~Mt. 26:47-27:10~~1 Pet. 4

Daily Reading 5-26-05

2005-05-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

~~1 Ki. 7~~Prov. 17:1-4~~Mt. 26:1-46~~1 Pet. 3:8-end

Daily Reading 5-25-05

2005-05-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

~~1 Ki. 5-6~~Ps. 69~~Mt. 25~~1 Pet. 2:13-3:7

Daily Reading 5-24-05

2005-05-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

~~1 Ki. 3-4~~Prov.16:29-end~~Mt. 24~~1 Pet. 1:22-2:12

Daily Reading 5-23-05

2005-05-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

~~1 Ki. 1-2~~Ps. 68:15-end~~Mt. 23~~1 Pet. 1:1-21
~~Mt. 23 has the 7 woes against the Pharisees. Do you count 8 in your KJV? That one about the widows' houses is not in Codex Sinaiticus (Aleph, 4th Cent.), Codex Vaticanus (B, 4th Cent.), nor in Old Latin Mss. "a" and "e" (4th and 5th Cent.). It is in neither the Greek or the Latin of Codex Bezae (5th/6th Cent.). The earliest Mss. with it in the place the KJV puts it are 3 Old Latin texts of the 5th Cent. Even the Mss. that KJV relied on the most had it in a different order as the first and not the second woe.

Daily Reading 5-22-05

2005-05-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

~~2 Sam. 23-24~~Ps. 68:1-14~~Mt. 22:15-end~~Jas. 5
~~In Mt. 22:37 Jesus says "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Mind? How did that get in there? As Christians we are call to use our minds as well as the rest of our being. Greg Koukl has an article on the reasons to use reason.
www.str.org/free/commentaries/apologetics/other/reapolog.htm
~In the Gospel reading we see Jesus reasoning with his opponents. You may say "but they still didn't believe after that." True, but Jesus still gave reasons. He valued the human mind enough to give reasons, even to those who were about to crucify him.

Daily Reading 5-21-05

2005-05-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

~~2 Sam. 22~~Prov. 16:25-28~~Mt. 21:23-22:14~~Jas. 4

Daily Reading 5-20-05

2005-05-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

~~2 Sam. 21~~Ps. 67~~Mt. 20:17-21:22~~Jas. 3
~~Jas. 3:1 "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness." Funny how this vers gets forgotten by most of those who I hear quote it. Most of the time I hear "The Taming of the Tongue" applied to gossip. While gossip is a sin, this verse sets the main subject of this chapter as being carfulness as a teacher.

Daily Reading 5-19-05

2005-05-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

~~2 Sam. 18-20~~Prov. 16:18-24~~Mt. 19:1-20:16~~Jas. 2
~~Greg Koukl has a good article explaining the difficulty harmonizing Jas. 2 with the teachins of Paul.http://www.str.org/free/commentaries/theology/works.htm

Daily Reading 5-18-05

2005-05-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

~~2 Sam. 15-17~~Ps, 66~~Mt. 18~~Jas. 1

Daily Reading 5-17-05

2005-05-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

~~2 Sam. 13-14~~Prov. 16:16-19~~Mt. 17~~Heb.13

Daily Reading 5-16-05

2005-05-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

~~2 Sam. 11-12~~Ps. 65~~Mt. 16~~Heb. 12:14-end

Daily Reading 5-15-05

2005-05-15T19:53:00.000-07:00

~~2 Sam. 8-10~~Prov. 16:12-15~~Mt. 15~~Heb. 12:1-13
~~There are a number of things to be found in Mt. 15, in just the first 20 verses. One is "Sola Scriptura". Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for valuing human tradition above the Word of God. Another is that under the New Covenant we do not need to observe Jewish dietary laws; "not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” Also there are times when we should press for Christian Liberty and not give in for the sake of peace; "Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

Daily Reading 5-14-05

2005-05-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

~~2 Sam. 6-7~~Ps. 64~~Mt. 13:53-14:end~~Heb. 11
~~Many modern heretics take the KJV reading of Heb. 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." to mean that faith is some kind of "stuff" or a "force" but the Greek υποστασις (hupostasis) also means "assurance" as in the NASB, ESV and ISV. The way to decide which meaning is right is context. Here we have an example of parallelism, the same idea is repeated in different word in the next line. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for / the conviction of things not seen.
~Also, these same heretics interpret vs.3 "By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible." as meaning "By faith (we understand that) the universe was created" again context makes it clear that it is us understanding that is by faith, not God creating the world.

Daily Reading 5-13-05

2005-05-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

~~2 Sam. 4-5; David established
~~Prov. 16:9-11
~~Mt. 13:1-52; Parables of Jesus
~~Heb. 10:19-end; dangers of falling away
~~Many are troubled by the last reading. Does that mean you can lose your salvation? But notice at the beginning of the reading vs.19 "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus" so it is comparing access by Jesus to access by the temple services. Then comes the part that seems to imply that you can lose your salvation vs.26 "For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins," the explanation that I've heard that makes sense to me is that now that Jesus has made the perfect sacrifice, to go back and trust those sacrifices is to "spurn the Son of God" and one who does so "has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace"

Daily Reading 5-12-05

2005-05-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

~~2 Sam. 2-3~~Ps. 63~~Mt. 12~~Heb. 10:1-18

Daily Reading 5-11-05

2005-05-11T18:18:00.000-07:00

~~1 Sam. 31; 2 Sam.1~~Prov. 16:5-8~~Mt. 11:2-end~~Heb. 9

Daily Reading 5-10-05

2005-05-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

~~1 Sam. 28-30~~Ps. 62~~Mt. 10:5-11:1~~Heb. 8

A liberal caller to STR and the Long Ending of Mark

2005-05-09T21:53:00.000-07:00

~~On the May 1st, 2005 program http://www.strradio.org/ Greg got a caller at the beginning of the second half of the program, "Kurt in Tucson" who tries to quote Mk. 16:16 "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
~The caller tried to say that Jesus was promising that all who believe will have these signs follow. Greg brought up the textual problems with the Long Ending of Mark. But even allowing that the Long Ending is in the text it simply does not say that all believers will do those things.
~the "Whoever" applies only to "believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." The sentence ends there. The caller tries to extend the "Whoever" to the miracles. The word all is not there. Also, we can look at the rest of the Bible's testamony on the subject. In 1 Cor. 12:29-30 Paul give a list of Spiritual Gifts in a serise of questions which in the Greek expect a "no" answer. "29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? 30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?" Note that two of the signs mentioned in the Long Ending, tongues and healing, are also in this list.

Daily Reading 5-9-05

2005-05-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

~~1 Sam. 25-27; David and Abigail; David again spares Saul: david flees to Philistines
~~Prov. 16:1-4
~~Mt. 9:1-10:4; Jesus Heals a Paralytic, forgives sins which is a claim to deity; Jesus Calls Matthew; A Question About Fasting; A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed; Jesus Heals Two Blind Men; Jesus Heals a Man Unable to Speak; The Harvest Is Plentiful, the Laborers Few; The Twelve Apostles
~~Heb. 7; The Priestly Order of Melchizedek; Jesus Compared to Melchizedek

Daily Reading 5-8-05

2005-05-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

~~1 Sam. 23-24; Saul chases David; david spares Saul
~~Ps. 61; Confidence in God’s Protection.
~~Mt. 8; many miracles
~~Heb. 6:13-end; ...when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself...the unchangeableness of His purpose

Judge not...an easy out for sinners?

2005-05-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

~~Mt. 7:1 seems to be the favorite verse of those who don't want any criticism "Do not judge lest you be judged" seems like we get this verse quoted whenever we try to correct people.
The problem is they don't read the rest of the chapter. Verse 6 "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." evidently we are allowed to judge that some people are "swine" and "dogs". Verse 15 "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they?" We are allowed to test false teachers, many of the Word-Faith heretics don't want me to read these verses.
~~John Chrysostom (c. 347–407) writes "What then? Ought we not to blame them that sin? Because Paul also saith this selfsame thing: or rather, there too it is Christ, speaking by Paul, and saying, [quotes Rom.14:10 then vs.4] And again, [quotes 1 Cor.4:5] How then doth He say elsewhere, "Reprove, rebuke, exhort,"[2 Tim. 4:2] and, "Them that sin rebuke before all?" [1 Tim.5:20] And Christ too to Peter, "Go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone," and if he neglect to hear, add to thyself another also; and if not even so doth he yield, declare it to the church likewise?" [Mt.18:15-17] And how hath He set over us so many to reprove; and not only to reprove, but also to punish? For him that hearkens to none of these, He hath commanded to be "as a heathen man and a publican." And how gave He them the keys also? since if they are not to judge, they will be without authority in any matter, and in vain have they received the power to bind and to loose. Homily XXIII on Matthew

Daily Reading 5-7-05

2005-05-07T19:38:00.000-07:00

~~1 Sam. 20-22; David and Jonathan Covenant; Saul Is Angry with Jonathan; David Takes Consecrated Bread; The Priests Slain at Nob
~~Prov.15:29-end
~~Mt. 7; Concerning Judging Others; Encouragement to Pray; Ways Contrasted—Fruits Contrasted; The Two Foundations
~~Heb. 6:1-12; The Peril of Falling Away; Better Things for You

Daily Reading 5-6-05

2005-05-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

~~1 Sam. 18-19; Saul vs. David
~~Ps. 60; For the choir director; according to Shushan Eduth. A Mikhtam of David, to teach; when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and smote twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.
~~Mt. 6 Giving to the Needy; The Lord’s Prayer; Fasting; Lay Up Treasures in Heaven; Do Not Be Anxious
~~Heb. 5:all; The Perfect High Priest

Daily Reading 5-5-05

2005-05-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

~~1 Sam. 17 David and Goliath; also read the apocyphal Ps.151 the ascription reads "This psalm is ascribed to David as his own composition (though it is outside the number), after he had fought in single combat with Goliath."
~~Prov. 15:24-28
~~Mt. 5 beginning of the sermon on the mount
~~Heb. 4 Jesus is the believers' rest

Angels are not the Creator

2005-05-05T10:00:00.001-07:00

~~Irenaeus Against Heresies Book 2, Chapter 2, Section 5 "For this is a peculiarity of the pre-eminence of God, not to stand in need of other instruments for the creation of those things which are summoned into existence. His own Word is both suitable and sufficient for the formation of all things, even as John, the disciple of the Lord, declares regarding Him: "All things were made by Him, and without Him was nothing made". Now, among the "all things" our world must be embraced. It too, therefore, was made by His Word, as Scripture tells us in the book of Genesis that He made all things connected with our world by His Word. David also expresses the same truth [when he says] "For He spake, and they were made; He commanded, and they were created."
~~The Jehovah's witnesses claim that Jesus was the Archangel Michael this runs contrary to the teaching of Scripture as well as the early Christians. Heb. 1:5 For to which of the angels did He ever say, "Thou art My Son, Today I have begotten Thee" ? And again, "I will be a Father to Him And He shall be a Son to Me" ? The JW's would answer the question "To which of the angels...?" with "Michael, of course".

Jerome's account of Irenaeus

2005-05-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

~~"Irenaeus, a presbyter under Pothinus the bishop who ruled the church of Lyons in Gaul, being sent to Rome as legate by the martyrs of this place, on account of certain ecclesiastical questions, presented to Bishop Eleutherius certain letters under his own name which are worthy of honour. Afterwards when Pothinus, nearly ninety years of age, received the crown of martyrdom for Christ, he was put in his place. It is certain too that he was a disciple of Polycarp, the priest and martyr". Jerome goes on to list the works that Irenaeus wrote. Jerome ends with "to Victor the Roman bishop On the Paschal controversy in which he warns him not lightly to break the unity of the fraternity" the notes give the dates of Irenaeus as Born between 140 and 145, died 202 or later.

Daily readings 5-4-05

2005-05-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

~~1 Sam. 15-16 Saul rejected Daivid chosen
~~Ps. 59 A Mikhtam of David, when Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him.
~~Mt.3-4 John the Baptist and the early ministy of Jesus
~~Heb. 3:1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. 2 He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. 3 For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.
finnished the chapter

The Word of God in English

2005-05-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

~~I'm about half way through Leland Ryken's book of this title. A very good analysis of modern translations calling for a more literal approach. More at http://www.esv.org/translation/woge

Daily Reading 5-3-05

2005-05-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

~~1 Sam. 13-14; War with the Philistines; Saul Assumes Priestly Office; Jonathan’s Victory; Saul’s Foolish Order; Constant Warfare
Prov. 15:19-23; Contrast the Upright and the Wicked
Mt.1-2; Genealogy of Jesus Christ; Conception and Birth of Jesus; Visit of the Wise Men; The Flight to Egypt; Herod Slaughters Babies;
Heb. 2; Give Heed; Earth Subject to Man; Jesus Briefly Humbled;

Daily Reading 5-2-05

2005-05-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

~~1 Sam. 10:17-12:end; Ps. 58; Jn. 21; Heb. 1
~~The writer of Hebrews quotes Ps.102
HEB 1:10 And, "Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of Thy hands;
PSA 102:25 "Of old Thou didst found the earth; And the heavens are the work of Thy hands.
HEB 1:11 They will perish, but Thou remainest; And they all will become old as a garment,
PSA 102:26 "Even they will perish, but Thou dost endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing Thou wilt change them, and they will be changed.
HEB 1:12 And as a mantle Thou wilt roll them up; As a garment they will also be changed. But Thou art the same, And Thy years will not come to an end. "
PSA 102:27 "But Thou art the same, And Thy years will not come to an end.
The Psalm is addressed to God the writer says this regarding the Son. Another proof of the Deity of Christ.

2 STR links on deity of Christ

2005-05-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

~~Greg Koukl has a good commentary on the deity of Christ http://www.str.org/free/solid_ground/SG0007.htm In it he clearly shows from Jn.1:3 that Jesus is the uncreated Creator. In another commentary Greg shows that the Trinty isn't a problem, it's a solution. http://www.str.org/free/commentaries/theology/trinsolv.htm

Yesterday's readings

2005-05-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

~~1 Sam.8:1-10:16; Prov.15:15-18; Jn. 20; Phlmn.
In Jn. 20 we see Jesus as God raised from the dead. Also Jesus gave evidence and didn't just send Peter to challenge Thomas about his presuppositions.

A little biographic info about Justin Martyr

2005-05-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

~~Since I recently quoted him here is a bit of who he was... Justin, a philosopher, and wearing the garb of philosopher, a citizen of Neapolis, a city of Palestine and the son of Priscus Bacchius, laboured strenuously in behalf of the religion of Christ...in the city of Rome, and had convicted Crescens the cynic, who said many blasphemous things against the Christians, of gluttony and fear of death, and bad proved him devoted to luxury and lusts, at last, accused of being a Christian, through the efforts and wiles of Crescens, he shed his blood for Christ. This from Jerome's "Lives of Illustrious Men" The notes add...Born about 104 (100?), Christian 133 wrote apology about 150, died 167.

Yesterday's readings

2005-05-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

~~1 Sam 5-7; Ps. 57; Jn.19; Tit.3; By the way my personal reading schedule is a bit flexible which is why I don't give today's readings. Some of these posts might be before I've finished all my reading.

I'm back

2005-04-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

~~Puter trouble kept me offline. Yesterday's readings were 1 Sam. 3-4; Prov.15:12-14; Jn.18; Tit. 2

Yesterday's readings

2005-03-19T16:08:00.000-08:00

~~Num. 32; two and a half tribes choose land east of the Jordan. Prov. 13:7-9; wisdom and money. Acts 7; Stephen's speech (60's flower children would say "he got stoned and saw God" LOL). Gal. 5:13-end; deeds of the flesh or walk by the Spirit.

Simon the sorcerer

2005-03-19T15:45:00.000-08:00

~~Acts 8:18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, "Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." 20 But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 "You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 "Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 "For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity." 24 But Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."
Simon's problem was his heart attitude. Thinking that this was just a new type of magic he thought he just needed to pay the price. Give these guys the "seed money" and get the blessing, this received a sharp rebuke from Peter. Notice also that Peter tells Simon what he needs to do, repent. Simon still has the wrong world view. Peter tells him to do something. Simon's reply, "Pray to the Lord for me yourselves" this is emphatic that he thought that the Apostles had to do something. Simon still had the magical world view. Peter had cursed him now Peter must remove the curse. Simon still acted as if Peter's mere words had the power, that Peter was working some kind of "force".
~~Early Church Fathers indicate that he never did repent. Justin Martyr's 1st Apology Chpt. 26 "There was a Samaritan, Simon, a native of the village called Gitto, who in the reign of Claudius Caesar, and in your royal city of Rome, did mighty acts of magic, by virtue of the art of the devils operating in him. He was considered a god" Justin then lists two other early heretics as Simons followers, Meander and Marcion of Pontus. Justin continues "All who take their opinions from these men, are...called Christians...But I have a treatise against all the heresies that have existed already composed"
Irenaeus of Lyons in Against Heresies 1:23:1 "Simon the Samaritan was that magician of whom Luke, the disciple and follower of the apostles, says (quotes Acts 8:9-11) This Simon, then who feigned faith, supposing that the apostles themselves performed their cures by the art of magic, and not by the power of God...(continues account through Peter's rebuke) He, then, not putting faith in God a whit the more, set himself eagerly to contend against the apostles, in order that he himself might seem to be a wonderful being, and applied himself with still greater zeal to the study of the whole magic art, that he might the better bewilder and overpower multitudes of men."

A prayer from the Psalms for Terri Schiavo

2005-03-19T09:12:00.000-08:00

~~PSALM 35
Prayer for Rescue from Enemies.

A Psalm of David.
1 Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.
4 Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life;
Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind,
With the angel of the Lord driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery,
With the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7 For without cause they hid their net for me;
Without cause they dug a pit for my soul.
8 Let destruction come upon him unawares;
And let the net which he hid catch himself;
Into that very destruction let him fall.
10 All my bones will say, "Lord, who is like Thee,
Who delivers the afflicted from him who is too strong for him,
And the afflicted and the needy from him who robs him?"
11 Malicious witnesses rise up;
They ask me of things that I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good,
To the bereavement of my soul.
22 Thou hast seen it, O Lord, do not keep silent;
O Lord, do not be far from me.
23 Stir up Thyself, and awake to my right,
And to my cause, my God and my Lord.
26 Let those be ashamed and humiliated altogether who rejoice at my distress;
Let those be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves over me.
27 Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication;
And let them say continually, "The Lord be magnified,
Who delights in the prosperity of His servant."
28 And my tongue shall declare Thy righteousness
And Thy praise all day long.

Yesterday's readings

2005-03-18T15:15:00.000-08:00

~~Num. 30-31; Ps. 34; Acts 6; Gal. 4:21-5:12

Early Christians valued life

2005-03-18T10:45:00.000-08:00

~~Epistle to Diognetus 5:6 "They marry, as do all [others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring.
Justin Martyr's first apology Chpt. 27 "But as for us, we have been taught that to expose newly-born children is the part of wicked men; and this we have been taught lest we should do any one an injury, and lest we should sin against God" Justin is referring to an ancient practice among Greeks and Romans that if a child was born and was judged to be weak or even if they wanted a boy and it was a girl, they would simply leave it out in the open somewhere to die. From what follows it is seen that pagan temples sometimes saved these children for immoral purposes "first, because we see that almost all so exposed (not only the girls, but also the males) are brought up to prostitution. And as the ancients are said to have reared herds of oxen, or goats, or sheep, or grazing horses, so now we see you rear children only for this shameful use; and for this pollution a multitude of females and hermaphrodites, and those who commit unmentionable iniquities, are found in every nation."
~~Modern liberals seek the same evil, not just against infants but now against Terri Schiavo. Stand to Reason has some good thoughts on this http://str.org/weblog/index.htm

Jesus is Judge therefore God

2005-03-17T19:12:00.000-08:00

~~Ps. 96:11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
Let the sea roar, and all it contains;
12 Let the field exult, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
13 Before the Lord, for He is coming;
For He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
And the peoples in His faithfulness.
Ps. 98:7 Let the sea roar and all it contains,
The world and those who dwell in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
Let the mountains sing together for joy
9 Before the Lord; for He is coming to judge the earth;
He will judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with equity.
Jn. 5:22 "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son"
~~An early Christian sermon (ca. 150) commonly called 2 Clement "Brethren, it is fitting that you should think of Jesus Christ as of God,—as the Judge of the living and the dead. And it does not become us to think lightly of our salvation; for if we think little of Him, we shall also hope but to obtain little [from Him]."
~~~My readings yesterday-Num. 28-29; Prov. 13:4-6; Acts 4:32-5:end of chpt.

Apostolic succession as Irenaeus saw it

2005-03-16T16:48:00.000-08:00

~~Irenaeus Against Heresies 3:3:2 "Since, however, it would be very tedious, in such a volume as this, to reckon up the successions of all the Churches, we do put to confusion all those who, in whatever manner, whether by an evil self-pleasing, by vainglory, or by blindness and perverse opinion, assemble in unauthorized meetings; [we do this, I say,] by indicating that tradition derived from the apostles, of the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul; as also [by pointing out] the faith preached to men, which comes down to our time by means of the successions of the bishops." As pointed out yesterday Irenaeus appeals to the whole Church not just one place. Notice also he say that the Roman Church was "founded and organized...by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul" not just Peter.
Now the part they really like "For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church, on account of its pre-eminent authority" there is a footnote in my translation about the problems of translation "take the following from a candid Roman Catholic, which is better and more literal: “For to this Church, on account of more potent principality, it is necessary that every Church (that is, those who are on every side faithful) resort; in which Church ever, by those who are on every side, has been preserved that tradition which is from the apostles.” (Berington and Kirk, vol. i. p. 252.) Here it is obvious that the faith was kept at Rome, by those who resort there from all quarters. She was a mirror of the Catholic World, owing here orthodoxy to them; not the Sun, dispensing her own light to others, but the glass bringing their rays into a focus.
~~My Bible readings yesterday Num. 26-27; Ps. 33; Acts 3:1-4:31;Gal. 3

There's no place like Rome?

2005-03-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

~~Many Roman Catholics like to cite Irenaeus Against Heresies 3:3:2 as evidence of the primacy of Rome but context make their case less powerful. First, he doesn't bring up this argument until book 3. He has spent 2 books arguing against the Gnostics from Scripture and reason. Next he has already given testimony to the Scriptures and to all the apostles (see my post of Mar. 6 "The Bible is the base") I'll just repeat here "For, after our Lord rose from the dead, [the apostles] were invested with power from on high when the Holy Spirit came down [upon them]...who indeed do all equally and individually possess the Gospel of God." (Ag. Hr. 3:1:1) Next Chpt. 2 starts "When, however, they are confuted from the Scriptures, they turn round and accuse these same Scriptures, as if they were not correct, nor of authority, and [assert] that they are ambiguous, and that the truth cannot be extracted from them by those who are ignorant of tradition. For [they allege] that the truth was not delivered by means of written documents, but vivâ voce." Next Chpt. 3 starts "It is within the power of all, therefore, in every Church, who may wish to see the truth, to contemplate clearly the tradition of the apostles manifested throughout the whole world" Finally part of the reason for settling on Rome was to save time and space in writing; continuing 3:3:1 "we are in a position to reckon up those who were by the apostles instituted bishops in the Churches, and [to demonstrate] the succession of these men to our own times" Then beginning 3:3:2 "Since, however, it would be very tedious, in such a volume as this, to reckon up the successions of all the Churches"
~~My Bible reading yesterday, Num. 25; Prov. 13:1-3; Acts 2; Gal. 2:11-end of chpt.

Daily Bible Reading

2005-03-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

~~The foundation of my Christian life is my daily reading of the Scriptures. I like the Early Fathers as well, as anyone who reads this blog can tell, but they are fallible men, the Bible is the infallible word of God. My schedule takes me through the Old Testament each year, the Epistles and Revelation twice each year, and the Gospels and Acts three times a year.
~~Yesterday's reading-Num. 22-24; Ps. 32; Acts 1; Gal. 2:1-10
~~Just an amusing side note. The blog program has a spell checker that didn't know the word "blog".

Resurrection

2005-03-13T21:12:00.000-08:00

~~One of the essentials of the Faith is the bodily resurrection. The entire 15th Chpt. of 1 Corinthians is clear on this and so is Lk.24:39 "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." This seems to have been quoted from memory or paraphrased by Ignatius of Antioch (d. ca. 107-110)
~~Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans Chpt.3 "For I know and believe that after His resurrection also He was still in the flesh. And when He came to those who were with Peter, He said to them, "Lay hold, handle Me, and see that I am not an incorporeal spirit." And immediately they touched Him, and believed, being convinced both by His flesh and spirit. For this cause also they despised death, and were found its conquerors. And after his resurrection He did eat and drink with them, as being possessed of flesh, although spiritually He was united to the Father."
~~Some think that Ignatius was quoting a now lost gospel. Possibly, but since the letters were written while Ignatius was being transported to Rome by Roman soldiers, it would not be likely that he would have copies of the Gospels to consult.

A little more textual evidence study

2005-03-12T20:14:00.000-08:00

~~Lk.24 has a few places throughout the chapter that some modern translations put in the footnotes. Yesterday's post just gave some of the oldest Mss. evidence but gave no real conclusion, I would leave room for either reading if I were to interpret the passage. In this case though the evidence for the inclusion of the footnoted parts is overwhelming. The only Greek Ms. that I have found for most of the omissions is Codex D which is a bilingual Greek/Latin Ms. The other Mss. that I find are almost all Old Latin Mss. 7 for most of them and there are about 4 Old Latin Mss. that have the footnoted material. Most of the Mss. that omit them also have a version of Lk.3:22 that is influenced by the Ebionite heresy.

Some thoughts on textual evidence for a verse

2005-03-11T22:55:00.000-08:00

~~Lk.23:33 And when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.
~There is some difference on the textual evidence for the following-34 But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."
P75 Bodmer Papyri (a.d. second-third century), Codex Vaticanus (B) (c. 325-350), Old Latin "a" (4th cent.), Codex Washingtonianus I (W) (5th cent.), Codex Bezae (D) (c. 450 or c. 550) all omit these words.
Codex Sinaiticus (Aleph) (c. 340) has it but a later corrector indicated that it should not be there then a corrector after that one indicated that it should be there. Codex Alexandrinus (A) (c. 450) reads "And Jesus said, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."
Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (C) (c. 345), 3 Old Latin Mss. from the 5th cent. (b,e,ff2), and Wolfenbuttel (Q 026) (5th cent.) also contain it
~~Vaticanus and Sinaiticus are commonly used as the oldest examples of the "Alexandrian" text type but on this reading they disagree. P75 is older than them which makes it a good source. Alexandrinus is not much later than Vaticanus and Sinaiticus it left out the word "Father" and has a different tense for the word "said", most Mss. that have the words would read "was saying" because of the different tense.
~~Sources; UBS4 and New Testament Greek Manuscripts ed. Reuben Swanson (arranged in horizontal lines)

TBN-Depraved minds deprived of truth

2005-03-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

~~1 Tim. 6:3 If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. 6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8 And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.
~~Polycarp of Smyrna d. ca. A.D. 155 " 'But the love of money is the root of all evils.' Knowing, therefore, that 'as we brought nothing into the world, so we can carry nothing out,' let us arm ourselves with the armour of righteousness; and let us teach, first of all, ourselves to walk in the commandments of the Lord." Polycarp to the Philippians Chpt.4
"I am greatly grieved for Valens, who was once a presbyter among you, because he so little understands the place that was given him [in the Church]. I exhort you, therefore, that ye abstain from covetousness, and that ye be chaste and truthful. “Abstain from every form of evil.” For if a man cannot govern himself in such matters, how shall he enjoin them on others? If a man does not keep himself from covetousness, he shall be defiled by idolatry, and shall be judged as one of the heathen." ibid. Chpt. 11

Paul's Thorn

2005-03-09T15:05:00.000-08:00

~~2 Cor. 12: 7 And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
~~Contra the "Name it-Claim it" heretics.

No Other God or Lord, Save Him Who is the True God.

2005-03-08T21:02:00.000-08:00

~~Therefore neither would the Lord, nor the Holy Spirit, nor the apostles, have ever named as God, definitely and absolutely, him who was not God, unless he were truly God; nor would they have named any one in his own person Lord, except God the Father ruling over all, and His Son who has received dominion from His Father over all creation, as this passage has it: “The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at my right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. Irenaeus Against Heresies 3:6:1

All authority

2005-03-08T11:25:00.000-08:00

~~Mt.28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."
~~Last post I dealt with part of the heresy of Hagin, but there is more. On pgs.47-51 of "ZOE" he recounts a vision supposedly of Jesus in which a monkey shaped interrupts and after "Jesus" doesn't do anything about Hagin rebukes the demon which stops it, then "Jesus" tells Hagin "If you hadn't done something about that, I couldn't have" Hagin replies "You didn't say You couldn't...You said You wouldn't, didn't You?" Hagin repeats the exchange making it clear that his "Jesus" couldn't do anything about the demon monkey then tries to claim that Jesus delegated all authority to the believers. But the fact that Jesus gave us authority in His name does not mean that he relinquished any of it himself.
~~Ps.115:3 But our God is in the heavens;He does whatever He pleases.---too bad about Hagin's little god.

Another Gospel

2005-03-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

~~From my daily Bible reading.~ 2 Cor. 11:3 But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. 4 For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully...13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds.
~~No matter how popular a teacher may be to many Christians, I must stand firm against heresy. One popular teacher said in a book of his "Man lived in the realm of God. He lived on terms of equality with God"(pg. 36) to make the context clear he comments on pg. 39 of the same book "Jesus was God and man in union. He was first a divine being. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. But He came and dwelt among us. John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." These verses describe the unique Incarnation of Jesus for this teacher to equate them with the believer is heresy. He then goes on to say on pg. 40 "Even many in the great body of Full Gospel people do not know that the new birth is a real incarnation. They do not know they are as much sons and daughters of God as Jesus" The heretic is Kenneth E. Hagin and the book is "ZOE: The God-kind of Life". Also the statement itself does not allow other more orthodox interpretations "as much sons...as Jesus". A similar statement is also in the December 1980 issue of his magazine. There he also quotes Jn.1:1,14 then says "Every man who has been born again is an incarnation and Christianity is a miracle. The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth."
~~Jn.1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." There is no way that this could be parallel to the believers born again experience, it is declaring that Jesus is the uncreated Creator equal with the Father. For Hagin to try to equate himself with Jesus in these verses is blasphemy.

The Bible is the base

2005-03-06T19:55:00.000-08:00

~~~"WE have learned from none others the plan of our salvation, than from those through whom the Gospel has come down to us, which they did at one time proclaim in public, and, at a later period, by the will of God, handed down to us in the Scriptures, to be the ground and pillar of our faith." Irenaeus Against Heresies 3:1:1
Irenaeus has slightly changed 1 Tim. 3:15 "but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth." NASB95
Roman Catholics like to use this verse to support their idea that the Church has authority equal to the Bible, but note that pillars support what is put on them not decide what is to be put on them.
Irenaeus has in mind that the message is the same in the Scriptures that was taught by the Apostles against the idea of the Gnostics that claim to have extra biblical revelations and secret traditions.
"For, after our Lord rose from the dead, [the apostles] were invested with power from on high when the Holy Spirit came down [upon them], were filled from all [His gifts], and had perfect knowledge: they departed to the ends of the earth, preaching the glad tidings of the good things [sent] from God to us, and proclaiming the peace of heaven to men, who indeed do all equally and individually possess the Gospel of God. Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome, and laying the foundations of the Church. After their departure, Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, did also hand down to us in writing what had been preached by Peter. Luke also, the companion of Paul, recorded in a book the Gospel preached by him. Afterwards, John, the disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon His breast, did himself publish a Gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia." Irenaeus Against Heresies 3:1:1
for more on the complete sufficiency of the Bible go to Stand to Reason http://www.str.org/free/solid_ground/SG0209.htm
http://www.str.org/free/commentaries/theology/authorit.htm
http://www.str.org/free/commentaries/theology/isthebib.htm
http://www.str.org/free/commentaries/apologetics/bible/nolostbk.htm

New Covenant

2005-03-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

```Jer. 31:31 "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. 33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, `Know the LORD,' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." NASB
```2 Cor. 3:5 "...our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life 12...we use great boldness in our speech, 13 and are not as Moses, who used to put a veil over his face that the sons of Israel might not look intently at the end of what was fading away. 14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; 16 but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." NASB
```Ignatius of Antioch ca. A.D. 107-110 "Be not deceived with strange doctrines, nor with old fables, which are unprofitable. For if we still live according to the Jewish law, we acknowledge that we have not received grace. For the most godly prophets lived according to Christ Jesus. On this account also they were persecuted, being inspired by His grace to fully convince the unbelieving that there is one God, who has manifested Himself by Jesus Christ His Son, who is His eternal Word, proceeding forth from silence, and who in all things pleased Him that sent Him." to Magnesians 8; combination of translations of Roberts and Donaldson; and Holmes
continuing chpt. 9 "If, therefore, those who were brought up in the ancient order of things have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord’s Day, on which also our life has sprung up again by Him and by His death—whom some deny, by which mystery we have obtained faith, and therefore endure, that we may be found the disciples of Jesus Christ, our only Master—how shall we be able to live apart from Him, whose disciples the prophets themselves in the Spirit did wait for Him as their Teacher? And therefore He whom they rightly waited for, being come, raised them from the dead."

Basics of the Faith

2005-03-04T22:20:00.000-08:00

From Ignatius of Antioch ca. A.D.107-110. "Stop your ears, therefore, when any one speaks to you at variance with Jesus Christ, who was descended from David, and was also of Mary; who was truly born, and did eat and drink. He was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate; He was truly crucified, and [truly] died, in the sight of beings in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. He was also truly raised from the dead, His Father quickening Him, even as after the same manner His Father will so raise up us who believe in Him by Christ Jesus, apart from whom we do not possess the true life." Epistle to the Trallians chpt.9 (emphasis mine)

From Irenaeus of Lyons ca. A.D.180-185 "The Church, though dispersed through our the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith: [She believes] in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them; and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who became incarnate for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed through the prophets the dispensations of God, and the advents, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion, and the resurrection from the dead, and the ascension into heaven in the flesh of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord, and His [future] manifestation from heaven in the glory of the Father “to gather all things in one,” and to raise up anew all flesh of the whole human race, in order that to Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Saviour, and King, according to the will of the invisible Father, “every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess” to Him, and that He should execute just judgment towards all; that He may send “spiritual wickednesses,” and the angels who transgressed and became apostates, together with the ungodly, and unrighteous, and wicked, and profane among men, into everlasting fire; but may, in the exercise of His grace, confer immortality on the righteous, and holy, and those who have kept His commandments, and have persevered in His love, some from the beginning [of their Christian course], and others from [the date of] their repentance, and may surround them with everlasting glory." Against Heresies Book 1, Chpt. 10, Sect. 1 (emphasis mine)

Who was the original Irenaeus?

2005-03-03T19:31:00.001-08:00

A student of Polycarp "I can even describe the place where the blessed Polycarp used to sit and discourse—his going out, too, and his coming in—his general mode of life and personal appearance, together with the discourses which he delivered to the people; also how he would speak of his familiar intercourse with John, and with the rest of those who had seen the Lord" from a letter to a former friend named Florinus who had fallen into error.
A counter cult apologist "Inasmuch as certain men have set the truth aside, and bring in lying words and vain genealogies, which, as the apostle says, “minister questions rather than godly edifying which is in faith,” and by means of their craftily-constructed plausibilities draw away the minds of the inexperienced and take them captive, I have felt constrained, my dear friend, to compose the following treatise in order to expose and counteract their machinations." from the preface to Book 1 of "Against Heresies"
A missionary "Thou wilt not expect from me, who am resident among the Keltae, and am accustomed for the most part to use a barbarous dialect, any display of rhetoric, which I have never learned, or any excellence of composition, which I have never practised, or any beauty and persuasiveness of style, to which I make no pretensions." ibid
A "protestant" because he did protest the excess of the Roman Bishop. the following from the Church History of Eusebius Book 5 "A Question of no small importance arose at that time. For the parishes of all Asia, as from an older tradition, held that the fourteenth day of the moon, on which day the Jews were commanded to sacrifice the lamb, should be observed as the feast of the Saviour’s passover,,,Synods and assemblies of bishops were held on this account...But the bishops of Asia, led by Polycrates, decided to hold to the old custom handed down to them...Thereupon Victor, who presided over the church at Rome, immediately attempted to cut off from the common unity the parishes of all Asia...
But this did not please all the bishops. And they besought him to consider the things of peace, and of neighborly unity and love. Words of theirs are extant, sharply rebuking Victor. Among them was Irenaeus, who, sending letters in the name of the brethren in Gaul over whom he presided, maintained that the mystery of the resurrection of the Lord should be observed only on the Lord’s day. He fittingly admonishes Victor that he should not cut off whole churches of God which observed the tradition of an ancient custom

It's Greek to me

2005-03-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

For some reason I can't get Greek font to print here. When there are accents and breath marks it comes out like this... Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. Looks like the acute accent printed. Anyone know how to get that to work?

One of my favorite sites

2005-02-27T22:32:00.000-08:00

Just to get started let me see if i can post a link http://str.org/ Stand to Reason is one of my favorite sources.