church-history
Historical studies on the development of Christian doctrine, early church writings, councils, and controversies.
The Signing of the Cross in Early Christianity Paid Members Public
In this post I am going to cite an early source attesting to the Christian practice of doing the sign of the cross with the hand. I will be quoting from a document called the Odes of Solomon. Scholars date this work as early to the beginning of the second
The Signing of the Cross in Early Christianity Pt. 2 Paid Members Public
In a previous post (/2020/05/26/the-signing-of-the-cross-in-early-christianity/) I showed that the signing of the cross was a very early Christian practice. I provide additional evidence from the early church fathers showing that the practice of making the sign of the cross with the hands was both early and quite
The Biblical Canon of the 5th-6th Centuries Paid Members Public
The following excerpt is taken from William Webster’s article The Canon: Why the Roman Catholic Arguments for the Canon are Spurious (https://christiantruth.com/articles/articles-roman-catholicism/canon/). All bold and underline emphasis mine. Jerome’s views are as follows: These instances have been just touched upon by me (the
Christian Apocryphal Writings Paid Members Public
In this post, I am going to mention some of the books that specific early Christian writers deemed to be inspired and/or canonical. I also include Enoch in this list since this is a writing that has been cherished by Christians for the most part, not the Jews. All
The Synod of Laodicea’s Biblical Canon Paid Members Public
The synod or council of Laodicea has been dated anywhere from 343 to 381 AD. It contains the list of biblical books that were deemed to be canonical, and therefore the only authoritative writings that could be read in the churches. Canon 59 No psalms composed by private individuals nor
The Biblical Books of the Apostolic Canons Paid Members Public
The following list of biblical books is taken from the Apostolic Canons (https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3820.htm); which is believed to be a fourth-century Syrian Christian text. All bold emphasis is mine. Canon 60 If any one reads publicly in the church the falsely inscribed books of impious
John of Damascus’ Biblical Canon Paid Members Public
The following is an excerpt from the writings of the eighth-century church father John of Damascus who delineates the list of books that the church at that time, particularly the churches in the east, accepted as canonical and authoritative. All bold and capital emphasis will be mine: Chapter 17. Concerning
Gregory of Nazianzus’ Biblical Canon Paid Members Public
The following is an English translation of the works of Gregory of Nazianzus (fourth century AD) as listed in Migne’s Patrologia Graeca, Volume 37, columns 471-474 (Carmina Dogmatica, Book I, Section I, Carmen XI). All bold and capital emphasis will be mine. Concerning the Genuine Books of Divinely Inspired