2nd CenturyDoctrinal Development

from Pastors and Philosophers

There is one Physician who is possessed both of flesh and spirit; both begotten and unbegotten; God existing in flesh; true life in death; both of Mary and of God; first passible and then impassible— even Jesus Christ our Lord. - Bishop Ignatius to the Ephesians, 7

Church Fathers

Apostolic SuccessionRome• Upon the death of Clement in 99, Evaristus was elected Bishop

Alexandria•Avilius elected bishop in 83 upon death of Anianus•Elected by other Bishops

Antioch•Ignatius martyred in 110, no appointment of a successor

Important WorksFirst Clement• Written about 96 from Rome to Corinth• Considered Canonical by some until 8th

Century• Did not proclaim Roman authority, but

stressed the need for continuing authority

Letters of Ignatius • Written to 6 Churches and Polycarp• Written on the away to martyrdom• Stressed the Episcopal nature of the Church• Considered the Bishops the unifying factor

of the Church• Apostolic and Catholic

1. Epistle to Diognetus1. Assumed by some to be written by Polycarp2. C. 125

3. Written to an unknown, likely Roman Emperor4. Focused on establishing Christianity as the

successor of Judaism2. To the Philippians

1. C 1102. Stressed holding to the right doctrines3. Encourages a strong stand against Valens

3. Martyrdom of Polycarp1. C 180

2. Eyewitness account of Polycarp’s death

POLYCARP

Shepherd of Hermes• Written in early to middle of century• Considered Canonical until 3rd century• Written by the brother of a bishop of Rome• Christology is Economic to Adoptionist

She said to me, “Lo! do you not see opposite to you a great tower, built upon the waters, of splendid square stones?” For the tower was built square by those six young men who had come with her. But myriads of men were carrying stones to it, some dragging them from the depths, others removing them from the land, and they handed them to these six young men. They were taking them and building; and those of the stones that were dragged out of the depths, they placed in the building just as they were: for they were polished and fitted exactly into the other stones, and became so united one with another that the lines of juncture could not be perceived.

Early Creeds and ConfessionsWherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. (1 Corinthians 12:3 KJV)

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9 KJV)

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Timothy 3:16 KJV)

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8 KJV)

•Memorized by the baptismal candidates as a measure against the Gnostics•Held to the Scriptures as the source of Tradition•Believed that Tradition was necessary when Scriptures were not around•Wrote, as the Rule of Faith for barbarians without the Scriptures:

believing in one God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and all things therein, by means of Christ Jesus, the Son of God; who, because of His surpassing love towards His creation, condescended to be born of the virgin, He Himself uniting man through Himself to God, and having suffered under Pontius Pilate, and rising again, and having been received up in splendour, shall come in glory, the Saviour of those who are saved, and the Judge of those who are judged, and sending into eternal fire those who transform the truth, and despise His Father and His advent. (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, book 3, 4, 1-2)

Irenaeus and the Rule of Faith

To which course many nations of those barbarians who believe in Christ do assent, having salvation written in their hearts by the Spirit, without paper or ink, and, carefully preserving the ancient tradition:

The Gnostic Valentinus1. Valens (Valentinus) of Rome (100-160)

1. Originally a Hellenist from Alexandria 2. Stood as a possible successor to bishop of Rome, but another

chosen3. Taught three kinds of people (spiritual, psychical, and material)

1. Spiritual people, his followers, has gnosis, had a greater salvation

2. Psychical people, ordinary Christians, has a lesser salvation 3. Material people were doomed to perish

4. Combined the dualism of Platonic thought with Christian theology5. Taught that God is three natures called the Father, the Son and the

Holy Spirit6. Expressly Denounced by Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna

2. Theodotus of Byzantium (the Tanner or the Showmaker)1. Late second century2. Taught adoptionism

1. Jesus born of Mary and Spirit, but still a mortal man until adopted by God

2. Become God after the Resurrection3. Excommunicated by Victor I of Rome.

The Apostles Doctrine Ignatius of Antioch

Freely called Jesus Christ GodNever called the Son God

Ignatius was really an ‘economic trinitarian’, i.e., regarded God as an undifferentiated monad in His essential being, the Son and the Spirit being merely forms or modes of the Father’s self-revelation, only distinguished from Him in the process of revelation – RND Kelly (Early Christian Doctrines (Kelly, p.93) )

1. Papias1. Condemned anything outside of the Apostle’s words

2. Polycarp1. Condemned the godhead of Valens2. Death ended Apostolic Era

3. Theophilius of Antioch1. Bishop of Antioch 169-1832. One work survives, Autolycus3. First used the word ‘trinity’4. Consistently saw God as One

Theophilus’ TrinityIn like manner also the three days which were before the luminaries, are types of the Trinity of God, and His Word, and His wisdom. And the fourth is the type of man, who needs light, that so there may be God, the Word, wisdom, man. Wherefore also on the fourth day the lights were made. The disposition of the stars, too, contains a type of the arrangement and order of the righteous and pious, and of those who keep the law and commandments of God. For the brilliant and bright stars are an imitation of the prophets, and therefore they remain fixed, not declining, nor passing from place to place. And those which hold the second place in brightness, are types of the people of the righteous. And those, again, which change their position, and flee from place to place, which also are called planets, they too are a type of the men who have wandered from God, abandoning His law and commandments

1. Melito of Sardis1. First to use Hebrew Old Testament

exclusively2. Christ equated with God with no

apology2. Athenagoras

1. Notes the oneness of the Father and Son

2. God is indivisible3. The Word/Son is an Emanation from

the Father

Irenaeus1. Knew Polycarp as a youth in Asia Minor2. Denied Doctrinal Development3. God was one hypostasis

1. Word and Wisdom were two hands of God4. Fought the Gnostics

1. Attempted to use words that the Gnostics did not1. Emanation became a Gnostic word

Justin Martyr/Philosopher 1. Conversion

1. Philosopher2. Saw Plato, Socrates as divinely inspired

1. Referred to 11/36 of Plato’s works2. School in Rome3. Development of Logos

1. Another God

Justin, after he became a Christian, continued to wear the pallium, or cloak, as Eusebius and Jerome inform us, which was the singular badge of a philosopher. Aristides, the Athenian philosopher and a Christian, did the same; so did Heraclas, even when he was bishop of Alexandria.

Plato sets forth the doctrine of the Trinity in his Phaedon, written four hundred years BC. His terms conform striking Justin’s doctrine on the Godhead. Plato's first term for the Trinity was in Greek, the Agathon, the supreme God or Father. Next was the Logos meaning the Word and then Psyche meaning the soul, spirit or ghost, the Holy Ghost.