Amillennialism in the Early Church
Unfortunately, it is a bit difficult for us to know precisely what the early church taught about eschatology for a few reasons. First, they don't appear to have written much on the subject. Second…
Passover and the Early Church
The quartodecimans (from the Latin for "fourteen") is a term that has been given to Christians in the second century who believed that Easter was to be celebrated on the same day as the Jewish…
Crucifixion of Women and Roman Citizens
According to Hengel ( Crucifixion , Fortress Press, 1977), Roman law allowed that Roman citizens could be crucified, but the penalty was rarely inflicted on Roman citizens. Where citizens were…
What are the Twelve Articles of Faith?
The "twelve articles of the faith" is another name for the Apostles' Creed. The Apostles' Creed 1. I believe in God the Father [Isa. 44:5-6], Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth [Gen. 1:1; John 1:3…
Simon the Magician
Simon Magus (a.k.a. Simon the Magician) is a very interesting character. The Bible records his encounter with Peter in Acts 8, and several early Christian writings tell of things that later happened…
In what language was the Bible originally written?
Thanks for your question. The Bible was given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21) and originally written and even spoken in Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek.…
Church Supported Arianism
The church officially refuted Arianism at the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325. Following Nicea, however, Arianism actually became the official position of the church during the end of the reign of the…
Apocrypha Accounts?
Most Protestant churches do not recognize the inspiration or authority of these books. However, they are still used in many churches today (such as Episcopal churches). The authority and authenticity…
Nicaea 325 AD and Arius?
The number that attended Nicaea is disputed, however all but two voted against Arius. Constantine had invited all 1800 bishops of the Christian church (about 1000 in the east and 800 in the west)…
Historical Purgatory and Prayers for the Dead
On purgatory and prayers for the dead, I doubt that many Catholic theologians would argue that all the church fathers believed in prayers for the dead and in purgatory. That would be a rather odd…
Timeline of Roman Emperors
Timeline of Roman Emperors This Timeline of Roman Emperors includes the names of the "official" Roman Emperors, joint rulers, together with the "usurpers" and "pretenders" who were also proclaimed…
Trinitarian Formulas in Scripture
One of the key questions in Christian thought is, how does the language of the New Testament fit into the later developed language of Trinitarianism? And then as we read through the New Testament, it…
John and Patmos
We are not told specifically why John was on Patmos, but the Roman Empire used the island as a place for exiles. In Revelation 1:9 John related that he was on Patmos as a "fellow partaker in the…
Lent
Lent has traditionally been a time of fasting and spiritual preparation preceding Easter Sunday on the liturgical calendar. Our word "lent" comes from the Anglo-Saxon words "lencten" and "lenctentid"…
Paul's Execution
We have no biblical record of Paul's death. However, there are some mentions of it in the writings of the early church. For example, the apocryphal book The Acts of Peter and Paul mentions that both…
Paul's Influence
Paul in particular was quite instrumental in shaping western churches and Christianity, especially during and after the Reformation. Initially, of course, he was the apostle appointed to take the…
Calvinism a Catholic Invention
First and foremost, Calvinists believe that the Bible itself teaches the doctrines of grace, and of course the Bible predates all the church fathers including Augustine. Also, the Calvinistic…
Genesis of the Church
From a sociological and political perspective, generally the "Christian church" is undestood to be the people of God subsequent to Christ's first coming. That is, while it is still the same religion…
Is Valentine's Day biblical?
The term “valentine" comes from the from the Latin word valens meaning to be in good health. Valentine’s Day occurs every year on February 14 in the United States. It’s also celebrated in Australia…
Old Hebrew
Actually, the Hebrew language was always in flux. There was no particularly rapid change or influence on the language in the first century that differed tremendously from changes in other time…
Roman Facilitation
The organization of the Roman Empire contributed to Paul's success in many ways. First, Roman roads enabled Paul to travel extensively over land, crossing large distances with relative ease. Romans…
New Testament Temple Worship
Actually it was Jordan who drew my attention to the "holy convocations." I think that from the time of Moses there was some kind of Sabbath meeting. I presume that such meetings were held locally in…
Paul's Martyrdom
According to church tradition as recorded in the Acts of Peter and Paul , Paul died a martyr's death, beheaded beneath a stone pile at Aquae Salviae near the third milestone of the Ostian Way. He was…
God's Fatherhood and the Trinity
The Scriptures often call God our Father. In the well-known Lord's Prayer: "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name." Jesus often speaks of when you prayer, call up your Father God as…