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Ambassador College Polycrates/Justin Martyr/Iranaeus/Clemet of Rome Ch. Hist. BISHOPS AT ROME, CATHOLIC CHURCH FATHERS
TRUE CHRISTIANS
I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: "...There is a firm tradition that persecution broke out against us
sporadically in one city at a time as a result of popular risings. In the course of it Symeon, son of Clopas, the
second to be appointed Bishop of Jerusalem, as already stated, is known to have ended his life by martyrdom...
Some of these [heretics] charged Simon son of Clopas with being a descendant of David and a Christian; as a result
he suffered martyrdom at the age of 120, when Trajan was emperor and Atticus consular governor... And it would
be reasonable to suggest that Symeon was an eyewitness and ear witness of the Lord, having regard to the length
of his life and the reference in the gospel narrative to Mary, wife of the Clopas whose son he was, as explained
in an earlier section. The same historian tells us that other descendants of one of the 'brothers' of the Saviour
named Jude lived on into the same reign, after bravely declaring their faith in Christ, as already recorded, before
Domitian himself. He writes: Consequently they came and presided over every church, as being martyrs and members
of the Lord's uncle, the aforesaid Simon son of Clopas, was similarly informed against by the heretical sects and
brought up on the same charge before Atticus, the provincial governor. Tortured for days on end, he bore a martyr's
witness, so that all, including the governor, were astounded that at the age of 120 he could endure it; and he
was ordered to be crucified." "Polycrates was thirty-eight years old when Polycarp died, about 167
A.D." "... All the Asian diocese thought that in accordance with ancient tradition
they ought to observe the fourteenth day of the lunar month as the beginning of the Paschal festival -- the day
on which the Jews had been commanded to sacrifice the lamb: on that day, no matter which day of the week it might
be, they must without fail bring the fast to an end. But nowhere else in the world was it customary to arrange
their celebrations in that way: "PAPIAS, of Hierapolis in Phrygia, one of the 'Apostolic Fathers'. His
EXPOSITION OF THE LORD'S ORACLES, the prime early authority as to the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, is known only
through fragments in later writers, chiefly Eusebius of Caesarea. The latter had a bias against Papias on account
of the influence, which his work had in perpetuating, through Iranaeus and others, belief in a millennial reign
of Christ upon earth. He calls him a man of small mental capacity, who took the figurative language of apostolic
traditions for literal fact.... we have the witness of Iranaeus that he was 'a companion of Polycarp,' who was
born not later than A.D. 69.... the fact that Irenaeus thought of him as Polycarp's contemporary and 'a man of
the old time', together with the affinity between the religious tendencies described in Papias's Preface...all
point to his having flourished in the first quarter of the 2nd century." "HADRIAN, Roman emperor A.D. 117-138 was born on the 24th of January
A.D. 76, at Italica in Hispania Baetica (according to others, at Rome).... On his father's death in 85 or 86 he
was placed under the guardianship of two fellow-countrymen.... About 95 he was military tribune in lower Moesia.
In 97 he was sent to upper Germany to convey the congratulations of the army to Trajan on his adoption by Nerva;
and, in January of the following year, he hastened to announce the death of Nerva to Trajan at Cologne. Trajan,
who had been set against Hadrian by reports of his extravagance, soon took him into favour again, chiefly owing
to the goodwill of the empress Plotina, who brought about the marriage of Hadrian with (Vibia) Sabina, Trajan's
great-niece.... When Trajan, owing to a severe illness, decided to return home from the East, he left Hadrian in
command of the army and governor of Syria. On the 9th of August 117, Hadrian, at Antioch, was informed of his adoption
by Trajan, and, on the 11th, of the death of the latter at Selinius in Cilicia. According to Dio Cassius the adoption
was entirely fictitious, the work of Plotina and Attianus, by whom Trajan's death was concealed for a few days
in order to facilitate the elevation of Hadrian. Whichever may have been the truth; the army and the senate confirmed
his succession.... He was without doubt one of the most capable emperors who ever occupied the throne, and devoted
his great and varied talents to the interests of the state." " Clement has left us one recognized epistle, long an wonderful, which
he composed in the name of the church at Rome and sent to the church at Coring, where dissension had recently occurred.
I have evidence that in many churches this epistle was read aloud to the assembled worshippers in early days, as
it is in our own. That it was in Clements's time that the dissension at Corinth broke out is plain from the testimony
of Hegesippus." p. 124-125 "PLINY, THE YOUNGER. Latin author of the LETTERS and the PANEGYRIC ON
TRAJAN, was the second son of Lucius Caecillius Cilo, by Plinia, the sister of the Elder Pliny... It was probably
in 104, and again in 106, that he was retained for the defense of a governor of Bithynia, thus becoming familiar
with the affairs of a province, which needed a thorough reorganization. Accordingly, about 111, he was selected
by Trajan as governor of Bithynia, under the special title of 'legate proprietor with consular power....' In his
LETTERS Pliny presents us with a picture of the varied interests of a cultivated Roman gentleman. The etiquette
of the imperial circle, scenes from the law-courts and the recitation-room, the reunions of dilettanti and philosophers,
the busy life of the capital or of the municipal town, the recreations of the seaside and of the country--all these
he brings vividly before our eyes...Pliny's CORRESPONDENCE WITH TRAJAN supplies us with many interesting details
as to the government of Bithynia, and as to the relations between the governor and the central authority. It reflects
the greatest credit on the strict and almost punctilious conscientiousness of the governor, and on the assiduity
and the high principle which animated the emperor." From Vol.VI of The Fathers of the Church, by Thomas B. Falls, we read: "Justin Martyr's conversion took place around 130 A.D. apparently in
the city of Ephesus. He was a Samaritan by birth and categorized himself with the Gentiles to whom the Gospel was
revealed when the House of Israel rejected it. Prior to his conversion he had gained quite an extensive education
in Greek philosophy of the day. He studied in schools of the Stoics, the Perepatetics, the Pythagoreans and finally
the Platonists where he remained, finding temporary peace until his conversion."P.350. From L. W. Barnard's Justin Martyr--His Life and Thought, we read: "...He retained his philosopher's cloak, the distinctive badge of the wandering professional teacher of philosophy, and went about from place to place discussing the truths of Christianity in hope of bringing educated pagans, as he himself had been brought, through philosophy to Christ."p. 21-22. 7. Known for his writings - Three Major Works: "There is proof that he wrote three books and very likely that he wrote more. The FIRST APOLOGY and SECOND APOLOGY deal defending Christians from accusations made by Romans. The DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO is basically a conversation Justin had with a Jew concerning different aspects of Christianity. "The FIRST APOLOGY was addressed to Emperor Antonius Pius around 10 A.D. This work of seventy-one chapters, Justin justifies Christians against three accusations: atheism, immorality, and disloyalty. The SECOND APOLOGY seems to be a continuation of the first. This piece deals with two objectives to Christians. They are: Why don't the kill themselves if they are so willing to accept martyrdom? And why doesn't God protect them? Justin answers the first by saying that God's creation is good and to kill themselves would prevent the gospel from be preached. The reply to the second question is those who have followed have always been persecuted. Christians use this as proof of their right religion. The DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO talks of moral decency, Old Testament prophecies of Christ and conversion of Gentiles."pp. 12-21. d. Believed in the resurrection
and millennial reign. Blunt's The Apologies of Justin Martyr, we read: "The Logos proceeded from the Father and His mission images had been
to interpret the Father to man. Thus, the Testament manifest at were given by the Logos." p. xxi H. Iranaeus - 130-200 A.D. The Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition, says: "Very little is known of his early history. His childhood was spent
in Asia Minor, probably at or near Layma; for he himself tells us (Adv. haer. iii. 3, 4, and Euseb. ill Eccl. v.
20) that as a child he heard the preaching of Polycarp, the aged bishop of Smyrna (d. Feb. 22, 156). But we do
not know when this was. He can hardly have been born very long after 130, for later on he frequently mentions having
met certain Christian presbyters who had actually seen John, disciple of our Lord. "He was the cause of the
wide spread of Christianity in Lyons and its neighborhood. He devoted particular attention to trying to reconcile
the numerous sects, which menaced the existence of the church. In the dispute of the question of Easter, which
for a long time disturbed the Christian church in both the East and West, he endeavored by means of any letters
to effect a compromise, and in particular to exercise a moderation influence on Victor, the bishop of Rome, and
his unyielding attitude towards the dissentient churches of Africa, us justifying his name of 'peacemaker' (Eirenaios).
The date of his death is unknown. His martyrdom under Septimius Severus is related by Gregory of Tours but by no
earlier writer. "He himself was especially influenced by John and Paul. Before him the Fourth Gospel did not
seem to exist for the Church; Irenaeus made it a living force." "Only toward the end of the second century was greater clarity introduced
into the doctrine of God. Of importance here was, first of all, Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons. In his doctrine of God
two basic features are evident. First, he spoke of God's inner being, and, second, of his progressive self-disclosure
in the history of salvation. Sometimes Irenaeus emphasizes the unity of God so strongly that he does not shrink
from using expressions, which showed modalistic, as is Son and Spirit were only appearances of the one God. In
his PROOF OF THE APOSTOLIC PREACHING he says, 'Thus God is shown to be one according to the essence of His being
and power' even though 'as the administrator of the economy of our redemption, He is both Father and Son....' In
this way Irenaeus hoped to avoid every pluralistic expression with reference to God. He knew, of course, how to
differentiate between God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit... [But] In this way Irenaeus developed the basic features
of a doctrine of the Trinity. It is, in fact, the most fully developed doctrine of the Trinity during the first
and second centuries. Its characteristic feature is that it does not begin with three co-eternal persons, as does
the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity in the fourth century, but with the person of the Father who has with and
beside himself his Word and his Wisdom...." TERTULLIAN (c. 155-c. 222), whose full name was QUINTUS SEPTIMIUS FLORENS
TERTULLIANUS, is the earliest and after Augustine the greatest of the ancient church writers of the West... Tertullian
in fact created Christian Latin literature; one might almost say that that literature sprang from him full-grown,
alike in form and substance, as Athena from the head of Zeus...His writings in tone and character are always alike
'rich in thought and destitute of form, passionate and hair-splitting, eloquent and pithy in expression, energetic
and condensed to the point of obscurity...What he was he was with his whole being. Once a Christian, he was determined
to be so with all his soul, and to shake himself free of all half measures and compromises with the world... he
struggled for years to reconcile things that were in themselves irreconcilable... It is easy to convict him of
having failed to control the glowing passion that was in him... Not only was he master of the contents of the Bible:
he also read carefully the works of Hermas, Justin, Tatian, Miliades, Melito, Irenaeus, Proculus, Clement, as well
as many Gnostic treatises, the writings of Marcion in particular... His special gift lay in the power to make what
had been traditionally received impressive, to give to it its proper form, and to gain for it new currency... It
was his desire to unite the enthusiasm of primitive Christianity with intelligent thought, the original demands
of the Gospel with every letter of the Scriptures and with the practice of the Roman church, the sayings of the
Paraclete with the authority of the bishops, the law of the churches with the freedom of the inspired...After having
done battle with heathens, Jews, Marcionites, Gnostics, Monarchians, and the Catholics, he died an old man, carrying
with him to the grave the last remains of primitive Christianity in the West, but at the same time in conflict
with himself. His activity as a Christian fall between 190 and 220, a period of very great moment in the history
of the Catholic church; for within it the struggle with Gnosticism was brought to a victorious close, the New Testament
established a firm footing within the churches, the 'apostolic' rules which thenceforward regulated all the affairs
of the church were called into existence, and the ecclesiastical priesthood came to be developed." pp. 661-663 'It is the right of every individual,' says Tertullian, 'to choose his own
religion. It is not a religious act to force men into religion.' From Euripus' History of the Church, we read: "When the flames of persecution were fanned to great blaze and untold
numbers were being wreathed with martyrs' crowns, such a longing for martyrdom possessed the soul of Origen, boy
as he was, that his one ambition was to come to grips with danger and charge headlong into the conflict...when
the news that his father had been arrested and imprisoned filled his whole being with a craving for martyrdom...(but
when his mother saw that he was more) determined than ever, she hid all his clothing and compelled him to stay
at home...This may serve as the first evidence of Origen's boyish sagacity and the perfect sincerity of his devotion
to God. For already he had laid firm foundations for the understanding of the Faith, trained, as he was from early
childhood in the divine Scriptures. He had toiled at these assiduously, his father insisting that in addition to
the normal curriculum he should pursue the study of Holy Writ with equal vigor. He constantly urged him not to
give any time to secular subjects till he had steeped himself in religious studies, and every day required him
to learn passages by heart and repeat them aloud. This was not at all distasteful to the boy: indeed, he gave himself
up too completely to these tasks and, not content to read the sacred words in their simple and natural sense, looked
for something more, and young as he was devoted himself to profounder investigation; so that he worried his father
with questions as to the meaning and intention that underlay the inspired Scripture." pp. 240 241 "For very many years he persisted in this philosophic way of life, putting
away from him all inducements to youthful lusts, and at all times of the day disciplining himself by performing
strenuous tasks, while he devoted most of the night to the study of Holy Scripture. He went to the limit in practicing
a life given up to philosophy; sometimes he trained himself by periods of fasting, sometimes by restricting the
hours of sleep, which he insisted on taking never in bed, always on the floor. Above all, he felt that he must
keep the gospel sayings of the Saviour urging us not to carry two coats or wear shoes and never to be worried by
anxiety about the future. He displayed an enthusiasm beyond his years, and patiently enduring cold and nakedness
went to the furthest limit of poverty, to the utter amazement of his pupils and the distress of the countless friends,
who begged him to share their possessions in recognition of the labors that they saw him bestow on his religious
teaching. Not once did his determination weaken; it is said that for several years he went about on foot without
any shoes at all, and for a much longer period abstained from wine and all else beyond the minimum of food, so
that he ran the risk of upsetting and even ruining his construction." p. 244 "About the same time, while responsible for the instruction at Alexandria,
Origen did a thing that provided the fullest proof of a mind youthful and immature, but at the same time of faith
and self-mastery. The saying 'there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake' he
took in an absurdly literal sense, and he was eager both to fulfill the Saviour's words and at the same time to
rule out any suspicion of vile imputations on the part of unbelievers. For in spite of his youth he discussed religious
problems before a mixed audience. So he lost no time in carrying out the Saviour's word, endeavoring to do it unnoticed
by the bulk of his pupils." p. 247
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