church-history
Historical studies on the development of Christian doctrine, early church writings, councils, and controversies.
EARLY CHURCH & PRAYERS OF SAINTS Paid Members Public
The citations presented here document the widespread belief in the prayers/intercessions of angels and saints for believers on earth. All emphasis will be mine. Shepherd of Hermas (AD 89-145) Chapter 4 I prayed him much that he would explain to me the similitude of the field, and of the
PRAYING TO SAINTS Paid Members Public
The following is taken from this post: Prayers to Saints in the Pre-Nicene Era – Energetic Procession. It is commonly claimed that the practice of praying to departed saints and to angels is a late development in Christianity, probably post-dating the Council of Nicea. In this post, I will try to
The Holy Spirit: Jesus’ Divine Mother? Paid Members Public
In his commentary on Isaiah, St. Jerome quotes a Gospel attributed to certain Jewish sects that identified the Holy Spirit as a female and thought that the Spirit was Jesus’ mother. This Gospel also claims it was the Holy Spirit who spoke to Christ at the latter’s baptism, where
PS. 2:7 & ETERNAL GENERATION PT. 1 Paid Members Public
In this post I am going to examine the [N]ew [T]estament use of Psalm 2:7 in respect to the eternal begetting/generation of the Son. I will provide some of the exegetical reasons why so many of the early church fathers/writers saw this as an [O]
JEROME, TRADTION & APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION Paid Members Public
Here’s what St. Jerome wrote to the Luciferians in respect to the authority of unwritten traditions and apostolic succession in proving and preserving Christian doctrines and the correct meaning of Scripture. All emphasis will be mine: 8. L. Thirsty men in their dreams eagerly gulp down the water of
APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION & TRADITION Paid Members Public
In this post I will cite from a Church father and two early Christian writers, all of whom affirm that it is the sacred unwritten tradition found in the churches that go back the Apostles which preserve the correct meaning and application of the Scriptures and the Faith. All emphasis
IRENAEUS, CLEMENT & JESUS AS THE ANGEL Paid Members Public
I will cite from two great saints of the Church, Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria, who both taught that it was Christ in his prehuman existence that appeared throughout the OT as the divine Angel of God. All emphasis will be mine. Irenaeus of Lyons The Holy Ghost, throughout the
HILARY ON JESUS BEING THE ANGEL Paid Members Public
In this lengthy post, I quote the words of another great saint, Hilary of Poitiers, from his writing On the Holy Trinity, Book IV. This holy saint not only argued that Jesus is that very divine Angel that appeared throughout the OT, but even quoted texts such as Genesis 1,