The Watchtower Society has often quoted either the writings of the early church fathers (often referred to as the Apostolic Fathers) or from other authors who have made quotes from these sources. Many of these quotes were from the writings of the men who were second generation Christians e.i. Men who were disciples of those who sat under the teachings of the Apostles.
While the Society is willing to quote these they prefer not to accept it when others make quotes from these very same writings which are in opposition to the Society's teachings. Then they disclaim them as 'not being the Bible.'
They are quite correct. These writings are not the Bible, but they ARE the writings of those who were taught by the Apostles! What they DO tell us is how they understood what the apostles taught them.
If I want to know how the Watchtower Society understands the Bible I look at what they have written. Similarly, if I want to know how Mormons understand
the Bible, I look at the writings of the Mormon church. In the same way, if I want to know how the first and second generation of Christians understood the Bible I look at the writings of the early church, especially those who were entrusted with positions in the church by the apostles who walked with Christ Jesus.
THE LINE OF AUTHORITY IN THE CHURCHES
In the writings of Ireneaus, he listed the line of succession of the Overseers or Bishops in each of the main churches. He names some of the men mentioned in this chapter such as Polycarp and Clement.
THEIR FIGHT AGAINST HERESY OR APOSTACY
Most of the writings were against the apostacy that was creeping into the Church. In answer to these heresies the congregation leaders of that time wrote letters to the various churches to counteract the erroneous teachings.
Some of those early teachings were similar to what we hear about today. For instance, on group were denying that Jesus existed before he cam to this earth. This is what the Christadelphians teach now. Other groups were teaching that Jesus was not raised in his fleshly body, which the Watchtower no teaches. When reading these early writings you find that almost every heresy being taught today was taught back then.
WHAT DID THOSE EARLY CHRISTIANS BELIEVE?
The Watchtower Society would have us believe that the Apostolic Fathers did not believe in the Deity of Christ; His death on a Cross with a cross-beam; His bodily resurrection from the dead; That man has a soul or spirit within; That there is a place of eternal, conscious punishment and that early Christians only celebrated Communion (the Memorial) once a year. In support of their stand, they often write articles such as:
TRINITY-FROM WHAT SOURCE?
A principal teaching of the majority of the churches of Christendom is the Trinity doctrine, the unity and equality of the Father, the Son (the Word or Logos and the holy ghost. Modern adherents to this doctrine often claim that it is based on the Scriptures, and that it thus was a Christian doctrine from the earliest history.
However, Alvan Lamson, D.D., examined the evidence for this view and in particular whether Justin Martyr and the other early writers accepted and taught that doctrine. Dr. Lamson observes:
'For the origial and distinctive features of the doctrine of the Logos, as held by the learned Fathers of the second and third centrues, we must look, not to the Jewish Scriptures, nor to the teachings of Jesus and his apostles, but to Philo [the Jewish philosopher of the first centruy C.E.] and the Alexandrine Platonists. In consistency with this view, we maintain that the doctrine of the Trinity was of gradual and comparitively late formation; that it had its origin in a source entirely foreign from that of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures; that it grew up, and was ingrafted on Christianity, through the hands of the Platonizing Fathers; that in the time of Justin [c. 100-165 C.E.] and long after, the distict nature and inferiority of the Son were universally taught; and thaat only the frist shadowy outline of the Trinity has then become Visible.' - The Church of the First Three Centuries. p. 34" Watchtower, October 15 1978 page 32
The book from which the Society quoted states that the early Church Fathers didn't teach that Jesus Christ was Deity. Obviously, they cite Lamson's work because it agrees with their own theology.
Rather than debate the writer, Alvan Lamson, or the Watchtower Society on this issue, we will let the early Church Fathers speak for themselves, especially those who wrote within the first 200 years of church history.
IGNATIUS (30 - 107? A.D.)
Ignatius was appointed as Overseer or Bishop of Antioch in 69 A.D. He was a Christian during most of the Apostle John's lifetime and one of John's disciples. It was probably the Apostle John who appointed Ignatius as Overseer of Antioch.
It has been proven that the longer versions of Ignatius' writings have been tampered with, therefore these excerpts are taken from his shorter versions which have been proven authentic.
WHAT IGNATIUS SAID ABOUT JESUS CHRIST
LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS
"The source of unity and election is genuine suffering which you undergo by the will of the Father and of Jesus Christ, our God .....You are imitators of God; and it was God's blood that stirred you up once more....I received your large congregation in the person of Onesimus, your bishop in this world..." (Possibly the Onesimus Paul wrote about in the book of Philemon).
"There is only one Physician: He who in the flesh and Spirit alike, begotten and unbegotten, is God come in the flesh. He who in death is true life, who sprang from Mary and from God, who first suffered and then did not suffer pain anymore, Jesus Christ our Lord ......."
Our God, Jesus the Christ, was conceived of Mary of the seed of David and yet of the Holy Spirit according to God's plan of salvation.....God was revealing Himself in human form to bring newness of eternal life."
LETTER TO THE ROMANS
"with the love of Jesus Christ our God.......abundant greetings in blamelessness in Jesus Christ our God.......Our God Jesus Christ, indeed, has revealed himself more clearly by returning to the Father....Pray to Christ for me that through these means I may be found a sacrifice to God ....let me be an imitator of the sufferings of my God. If anyone has him within himself, he must understand what I want......
My love has been crucified. That fire which burns for earthly things is not in me. There is, however, living water speaking in me and saying within me, 'God up there, go to the Father !'."
LETTER TO THE SMYRNAEANS
"I extol Jesus Christ, the God who has granted you such wisdom......For He suffered all this so that we might be saved and he truly suffered just as he truly raised himself......
For I know and am confident that even after the resurrection he was in the flesh.....And after the resurrection he ate and drank with them as a being of flesh though he was spiritually united with the father.......
How does anyone help me if he praises me but blasphemes my Lord and does not acknowledge that he is clothed in flesh.
I bid you farewell as always in our God, Jesus Christ. May you abide in him and so share in the divine unity and be under God's care....."
LETTER TO POLYCARP
"Wait for him who is above a moment of time - Eternal; Invisible, for our sakes visible; Intangible; impassable, for our sake passable - him who in every way endured on our behalf.....I bid you farewell always in our God Jesus Christ...."
Without doubt, Ignatius, a man who was taught directly by the apostles, believed that Jesus Christ was God! This was 200 years before the Nicene Council!
POLYCARP (65 - 155/6 A.D.)
Polycarp was Overseer of Bishop of Smyrna. His own statement that he had served the Lord for 86 years indicates that he was a Christian from his childhood. It is known that he was a close associate of the Apostle John and was mentioned in the writings of Ireneaus as having been appointed by the apostles as Bishop of Smyrna (most likely John).
Towards the close of his life Polycarp visited Rome to discuss important church matters with Anicetus, Bishop of Rome. There was a controversy over which date should be kept to remember Christ's death. The Roman church was keeping one appointed Sunday per year, whereas the Eastern churches were actually keeping the Passover day. While neither agreed to change, there was no break in fellowship and before leaving Rome, Polycarp celebrated the Communion meal with them as was their custom as the weekly meeting. They separated in agreement that each would keep to their own traditions. They both took to heart the words of Paul in Col 2:16 and Romans 14.
This letter was written to the church at Philomelium about how their beloved Polycarp was arrested, tried and martyred.
THE MARTYRDOM OF POLYCARP
"What harm is there to say 'Lord Caesar' and to offer incense and all that sort of thing, and to same yourself?.....I shall have you consumed with fire, if you despise the wild beasts, unless you change your mind'.
But Polycarp said: 'The fire you threaten burns but an hour and is quenched after a little; for you do not know the fire of the coming judgement and everlasting punishment that is laid up for the impious. But why do you delay? Come, do what you will......."
"They do not know that we can never forsake Christ, who suffered for the salvation of the whole world of those who are saved, the faultless for the sinners, nor can we ever worship any other. For we worship this One as Son of God....."
Polycarp, a first generation Christian, and a disciple of the Apostle John,
believed that it was perfectly scriptural to worship the Lord Jesus Christ.
CLEMENT (Written about 96 A.D.)
Clement was Overseer of Bishop of Rome at the time of writing his letter. For many years the letter was so highly esteemed that it was reckoned as part of the canon (New Testament) in Egypt and Syria and was read publicly in the Corinthian Church on Sundays (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. IV, 23:11). It formed part of the Codex Alexandrinus (one of the ancient Biblical Greek texts).
Clement is mention in the writings of Ireneaus (quoted later in this chapter) as having been the third Overseer of Rome, having been appointed by Linus (second overseer), who in turn had been appointed by Paul.
In this letter we find Clement talking about the apostles Peter and Paul
receiving their reward upon their death.
TO THE CHURCH IN CORINTH
"Peter, ........bearing his witness, went to the glorious place which he merited. .....Paul showed how to win the prize for patient endurence...And so, released from this world, he was taken up into the holy place and became the greatest example of patient endurence."
Here Clement is speaking about how Peter and Paul were martyred for their faith and taken immediately into the "glorious place" and the "holy place". This indicates that Christians living in John the Apostle's lifetime believed that there was continuing existence after death. This is NOT negating the resurrection of the physical body, which all Christians now and then, believed would occur at the second coming of Christ.
IRENAEUS - (c. 130 - 200 A.D.)
Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp in his youth and was appointed Overseer or Bishop of Lyons. It was his generation of Christians who were to take the stand for the faith against heresy. His works are one of the first in-depth discussion of doctrine which were designed to refute heresy. It was during his lifetime that Justin and Athenagoras wrote their explanations of Christian beliefs. Justin wrote his to a Jew; Athenagoras to the Emporer of Rome.
Irenaeus, in his refutation of heresy, went so far as to even name the Overseers or Bishops in the various churches in their line of succession from the apostles. Christians were warned not to follow the doctrines of anyone who did not sit under the teachings of these men. As he points out, it was to these men the truths taught by the Apostles were handed down, and it was these men who were the keepers of the letters written by the apostles.
IRENAEUS AGAINST HERESIES
THE NAME OF GOD
"The name of God or Lord is given only to him who is God and Lord of all; who said to Moses 'My name is I AM. And you shall say to the Israelites, 'HE WHO IS has sent me to you' The name of God and Lord is given also to His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who makes men the sons of God if they believe in his name. And the Son said to Moses, 'I have come down to rescue this people'. For it is the Son who descended and ascended for the salvation of men. Thus through the Son who is in the Father, and has the Father in Himself, HE WHO IS has been revealed. The Father bears witness to the Son; The Son proclaims the Father. So Isaiah says, 'I am witness says the Lord God, and so is the child whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe and understand that I AM.`"
"Since, therefore, the Father is truly LORD, and the Son truly LORD, the Holy Spirit has fitly designated them both by the title LORD.....And this (test following) does declare that same truth; 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; The sceptre of your kingdom is a right sceptre. You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity: Therefore, God, your God, has anointed you.' For the Spirit designated both (of them) by the name of God - both him who is designated as Son and him who does anoint, that is the Father."
Ireneaus is teaching that the Father and the Son have the same name, HE WHO IS or YHWH, and that it was the Son who was the complete revelation of God to man.
JESUS BOTH GOD AND MAN
"There is one God, who by his Word and Wisdom made and ordered all things .....His Word is our Lord Jesus Christ who in these last times became man among men, that he might unite the end with the beginning, that is, Man with God. ......For the Word of God foretold from the beginning that God would be seen by men and would live with them on earth and converse with them; that he would be present with his creatures to bring salvation to them and to be perceived by them;......"
"God became man, and it was the LORD himself who saved us......"
"How can they be saved unless he was God who wrought their salvation on earth? And how shall man pass to God unless God has passed into man.....?
Clearly, Irenaeus is teaching here that Jesus Christ was both God and man. Like those who went before him, those who were taught by the Apostle', Ireneaus is speaking about the Deity of Christ.
JESUS NOT A CREATED BEING
"If anyone asks us how the Son was 'produced' from the Father, we reply that no one understands that 'production' or 'generation' or 'calling' or 'revelation' or whatever term anyone applies to his begetting which in truth is indescribable. ........Only the Father knows who begat him, and the Son who was begotten. Thus, since his generation cannot be described, no sensible man exerts himself to talk lf 'begattings' and 'productions', or undertakes to explain what is indefinable."
It seems that Ireneaus was saying that NO man can describe how the WORD, the Lord Jesus Christ, came into being. To talk of him being 'created' is pure folly.
JESUS - THE WORD - HAD NO BEGINNING
"For we have shown that the Son of God did not then begin to be: he existed always with the Father. But he was incarnate and made Man; and then he summed up in himself the long line of the human race, procuring for us a comprehensive salvation, that we might recover in Christ Jesus what in Adam we had lost, namely, the state of being in the image and likeness of God."
This follows on from the previous quote, that Jesus as the Word of God was NOT a created being, but had always existed with the Father.
THOSE BORN AGAIN RECEIVE FLESHLY RESURRECTION
"Utterly foolish are those who despise the divine scheme for man; who deny the salvation of the flesh and scorn the notion of re-birth, alleging the flesh incapable of immortality. If the flesh is not to be saved, then the Lord did not redeem us by his blood, nor is the 'cup of blessing' (Communion) the partaking of his blood' nor is the 'bread which we break the partaking of his body......"
This passage is clear. All who partake of Communion (Memorial) are not only re-born, but will receive a FLESHLY resurrection. This is totally the opposite to what the Watchtower teaches, that those who are "spirit-begotten" (re-born) only receive a 'spiritual resurrection'.
JESUS WAS RAISED IN THE FLESH - AS WILL HIS FOLLOWERS
"`I will no more drink of the fruit of the vine until I drink it new in my Father's Kingdom` He will certainly himself renew the inheritance of the earth and restore the mystery of the glory of his sons: as David says, `he shall renew the face of the earth`. He promised to `drink of the fruit of the vine` with his disciples and he thus indicated two things; the inheritance of the earth in which the new fruit of the vine will be drunk, and the physical resurrection of his disciples. For we cannot understand him as drinking the fruit of the vine when he has taken his place with his followers in the region above the heavens; and those who drink it are not disembodied: for to drink wine belongs to the body rather than the spirit."
"Knowing Jesus Christ to be one and the same, to whom the gates of heaven were opened, because of his taking upon him flesh; who shall also come in the same flesh in which he suffered, revealing the glory of the Father."
"For I know, and believe that even after his resurrection he was in his physical body; And when he came to Peter and his companions he said: 'Take, hole and feel me, and see that I am not a bodiless phantom.' And immediately they touched him and believed, when they had had contact with his risen flesh and blood. Therefore, also, they despised death and proved superior to death. And after his resurrection he ate and drank with them as being in a physical body, although in spirit he was united with the Father.......
If these acts of our Lord were mere appearance then so are my bonds..." This clearly shows that the earliest Christians believed that Jesus was raised in the physical body, and that his immediate disciples (John, Matthew, Peter etc) would also receive a physical resurrection, not a 'spiritual' one. In the last quote, Ireneaus was saying exactly what Ignatious had written to the Smyrneans (quoted earlier in this chapter).
JESUS DESCENDED INTO THE UNDERWORLD (PARADISE)
"Therefore the Lord descended into the kingdom of the underworld to speak there also, proclaiming his coming, for now there was forgiveness of sin for those who had believed him him. All those believed in him who had put their hope in him, all those who had proclaimed his coming beforehand and had served his plan: the righteous men, the prophets, and the patriarchs, whose sins he forgave in a befitting way as he forgave ours."
"Therefore the first elders, who were the disciples of the apostles, say that those who are being translated from the earth will be taken to Paradise, for Paradise has been prepared for the righteous and for those gifted with the Spirit. The apostle Paul was carried there too, where he heard unspeakable words, unspeakable for us in our present life. There those who were translated shall remain until the end of the world, and this shall be the beginning of their immortality."
Obviously, the belief that Jesus and the apostles went to Paradise immediately after death shows that these Christians believed that there was life after death, that there was something that continued to exist after the body had died as early as the second and third generation of the church. These were the men who were 'sticklers' for handing down what they had been taught by the apostles.
EARLY CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE IN A NUTSHELL
The following quote from Ireneaus' writings shows clearly what the early church believed as a unified body.
THEIR STATEMENT OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
"Now the church, although scattered over the whole civilized world to the end of the earth, received from the apostles and their disciples its faith in one God, the Father Almighty, who make the heaven, and the earth, and the seas, and all that is in them, and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who was made flesh for our salvation, and in the Holy Spirit, who through the prophets proclaimed the dispensations of God - the comings, the birth of a virgin, the suffering, the resurrection from the dead, and the bodily reception into the heavens of the beloved, Christ Jesus our Lord, and his coming from the heavens in the glory of the Father to restore all things, and to raise up all flesh, that is, the whole human race, so that every knee may bow, of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth, to Christ Jesus our Lord and God and Saviour and King, according to the pleasure of the invisible Father, and every tongue confess him, and that he may execute judgement on all........."
This is the basics of a Creed or Statement of Faith which was believed by the whole church even though their was no 'organizational unity' or a central 'governing body'.
THE UNITY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
"Having received this preaching and this faith, as I have said, the church, although scattered in the whole world, carefully preserves it, as if living in the one house. She believes these things everywhere alike, as if she had but one heart and one soul, and preaches them harmoniously, teaches them, and hands them down, as if she had one mouth."
THIS IS THE GOSPEL THAT WAS HANDED DOWN TO US
"For we learned the plan of our salvation from no others than from those through whom the gospel came to us. They first preached it abroad, and then later buy the will of God handed it down to us in Writings (the Gospels and letters of the apostles)to be the foundation and pillar of our faith ........All of these handed down to us that there is one God, maker of heaven and earth, proclaimed by the Law and the Prophets, and one Christ the Son of God. If anyone does not agree with them he despises the companions of the Lord, he despises Christ the Lord himself, he even despises the Father, and he is self-condemned, resisting and refusing his own salvation, as all heretics do.
SOME SAY "YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND IT WITHOUT OUR HELP"
"But when they (the heretics) are refuted from the Writings (the Gospels and letters of the apostles) themselves, saying that they are not correct, or authoritive, and that the truth cannot be found from them by those who are not aquainted with the tradition.........
Each of them utters a wisdom which he had made up, or rather a fiction.... Each one of them is wholly perverse, and is not ashamed to preach himself,
corrupting the rule of faith.
But when we appeal again to that tradition which has come down from the apostles and is guarded by the successions of elders in the churches, they oppose the tradition, saying that they are wiser not only than the elders, but even the apostles, and have found the genuine truth."
This is what heresy does today - says that you cannot understand the truth without their help. The Watchtower states quite clearly that you cannot understand the 'Writings' unless you have their assistance through the pages of their publications.
HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS DEAL WITH THIS?
"Therefore we must resist them on all sides, hoping that by cutting off their escape we may be able to bring them to turn to the truth. for although it is not easy for a soul which has been seized by error to turn back, still it is not absolutely impossible to put error to flight by putting the truth beside it.
This is the Christian's duty - to speak out against heresy and error. If we do so, then error will flee.
THE APOSTOLIC LINE OF SUCCESSION
"The tradition of the apostles, made clear in all the world, can be clearly see in every church by those who wish to behold the truth. We can enumerate those who were established by the apostles as bishops in the churches, and their successors down to our time, none of whom taught or thought of anything like their (the heretics) mad ideas.....
When the blessed apostles had founded and built up the church (in Rome) they handed over the ministry of the episcopate to Linus. Paul mentions Linus in his Epistles to Timothy. Aneccletus succeeded him. After him Clement received the lot of the episcopate in the third place from the apostles. He had see the apostles and associated with them and still had their preaching sounding in his ears and their tradition before his eyes - and not he alone, for there were many still left in his time who had been taught by the apostles.
(He then goes on to talk about Clement's letter to the Corinthian church
which is mentioned earlier in this chapter.)
Similarly Polycarp, who now only was taught by the apostles and associated with many who had seen Christ, but was installed by apostles for Asia, as bishop in the church in Smyrna - I say him myself in my early youth....... He always taught what he learned from the apostles, which the church continues to hand on, and which are the only truths.
JUSTIN (C. 95 - 165 A.D.)
Justin, born a Gentile, became a Christian in his mature years. He became one of the greatest defenders of the Christian faith and met his death as a martyr, Hence he is often referred to as Justin Martyr.
Justin primarily wrote two works, DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO THE JEW and his two
APOLOGIES, his defense of the Christian faith.
In the first, the dialogue with Trypho, Justin was writing to convince this Jew that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Jewish Messiah, and that he was also Deity. Trypho had requested that Justin do this without using metaphors.
ATHENAGORAS (Written 176 / 177 A.D.)
Athenagoras was a Christian during the time when the church was undergoing great persecution. Christians were being charged with atheism, incest and cannibalism by the authorities. The first charge was the result of their not worshipping the gods of the time, nor did they practice any sacrificial rites which was indicative of having a religious belief.
The charges of incest and cannibalism came about because only baptized believers were allowed to take part in the Communion and to the pagan mind, anything done secretly must be immoral. In addition, they heard that taking the Communion was eating and drinking Christ's blood which led them to suspect the cannibalism. The Christian's emphasis on brotherly love was understood to be incest.
It was in answer to these charges that Athenagoras wrote his Plea to the Roman Emporer and his court, to explain that Christianity had a high moral standard, and that the Christians did, in fact, have a religious belief. Much of the persecution for this was centered around "the Name" which Christians looked to because they would refuse to make sacrifice to any other name.
A PLEA REGARDING CHRISTIANS
"I have sufficiently shown that we are not atheists since we acknowledge
one God, who is uncreated, eternal, invisible, impassible, incomprehensible, illimitable. ......By him the universe was created through his Word, was set in order, and is held together. (I say 'his Word'), for we also think that God has a Son.
Let no one think it stupid for me to say that God has a Son ........ But the Son of God is the Logos of the Father, in idea and in operation; for after the pattern of Him and by Him were all things made, the Father and the Son being one. And the Son being in the Father and the Father in the Son, in oneness and Power of the Spirit, and understanding and reason is the Son of God............
But it, owing to your sharp intelligence, it occurs to you to inquire further what is meant by the Son, I shall briefly explain. He is the first offspring of the Father. I do not mean that he was created, for, since God is eternal mind, he had his Word within himself from the beginning, being eternally wise. Rather did the Son come forth from God to give form and actuality to all material things......
Indeed we say that the Holy Spirit himself, who inspires those who utter prophecies, as an effluence from God, flowing from him and returning like a ray of the sun. Who, then, would not be astonished to hear those called atheists who admit God the FAther, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and who teach their unity in power and their distinction in rank.
Thus Christ is Spirit of Spirit and God of God - as light of light is kindled. The material matrix remains entire and unimpaired, though you derive from it any number of shoots possessed of its qualities; so too, that which has come forth out of God is at once God and the Son of God, and the two are one. In this way also, as He is Spirit of Spirit and God of God, He is made a second in manner of existence - in position; and He did not withdraw from the original source......"
Again we see that the basis of the "Trinity" doctrine was being taught almost 200 years before the Nicene Council where it was finally formulated into a Creed or Statement of Faith. This totally debunks those who teach that the "Trinity" doctrine (the belief that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the one God) is of "pagan" origins. More likely is the pagans adopted or counterfeited the truth.
ON THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD
"The intention of the Creator in creating man was to make an intelligent being who should look upon the works of God and serve his Creator.
Since this destiny of man will never come to an end, the human being will never come to an end either. Body and soul together make up the human being, for the soul without the body is not man........
The salvation of the soul would be the final goal of only a part of the human being, not of the whole. In order that the final goal can be realized, the body must be united with the soul, which is possible only through a resurrection......
Therefore the resurrection of bodies which are without souls or even entirely disintergrated must most certainly take place. The same people must reappear in the twofold nature of their being."
Thus we have another of the early Christians who wrote about the early church's belief that there was more to man than just a body, and that man has a soul.
(There are many occasions in these writings and in the Bible where the words 'soul' and 'spirit' are used synonymously.)