Circumcision controversy in early Christianity

16,). In The Heresy of Orthodoxy, Kӧstenberger and Kruger (K2) provide a fair examination of the Bauer thesis which lays its foundation on the major urban centers of the first and early second centuries. The Bauer thesis, as popularized by Ehrman, argues that diversity – not unification - was present in early Christianity; “heresy preceded orthodoxy” (p. 17). K2 examines the Bauer-Ehrman thesis in three parts: pluralism…

36). Rea also noted that, "The early Christian believed that both the Scripture and the developing beliefs and practices of the apostolic church were given by the Holy Spirit, who as the source or guarantor of the truth, provided that truth through the apostles (p. 36). With these two…

Tradition is woven into the very fabric of humanity. Every family, nation and society has traditions that are passed down from generation to generation. Even within the church, there are traditions that have been passed down through the centuries. However, the big question becomes: What role does tradition play within theology? The Catholic Church has equated tradition’s authority with Scripture; and great thinkers like John Meyendorff and Don Thorsen affirm tradition, yet lessen its authority…

During the early church there were many controversies on how to determine the canon of the New Testament. How did some books make the “cut” to be determined to be put in the infallible, inherent Word of God? Why did the church accept some books and rejected the others. There were key events and movements that were influential in the recognition of the canonical books of the New Testament. The foundation of the Canon should be understood in a believer’s life. It is sad to say, but, there are…

of the church, and it brought a whole new understanding of the practice of prayer. “In the mid-fourth century, Basil drew up a set of monastic rules for regulating the daily life of urban monastic groups. He noted eight daily occasions for prayer: early in the morning, at the third hour, at the sixth, at the ninth, when the day’s work is ended, at nightfall, midnight, and before the dawn.” The monastic development responded to the desire to seek God and remain under the biblical counsel of…

Spirit of Early Christian Thought” demonstrates how the “Christian intellectual tradition came into being” (pg. xiv). Intellectualism isn’t disconnected from believing, rather, the function and belief of the Church established its pattern of intellectual thought. The Church was Christocentric and thus, their intellectualism was Christocentric as their tradition was in “thinking about the God who is known and seeking the One who is loved” (pg. 311). The hearts and attention of the early church…

are getting a nutritious meal as well as an education. She gets to help them grow up to be healthy children by doing what she loves: cooking. She has found a passion and is using it to make the world around her a better place to be in, just like the early disciples did in the Acts of the Apostles. The world has given her the opportunity to do what she loves in an environment that not only benefits her but makes a lasting difference in people's…

celibacy or bachelor- hood were Elijah, Joshua and Gideon, along with the Jewish Essenes. While there were other outside groups (such as; Hinduism, Buddhism and numerous monks in organizations, etc.), and individuals that practiced celibacy; still, Christianity noticeably elevates the sacred practice to a higher level. There are countless Christian stories relating to this; such as, one that is rather unknown concerns one of Jesus closest disciple, the Apostle Peter. Biblical scholars have no…

Perpetua is a Christian martyr from the days of early christianity, when it was still illegal to be a Christian. She writes about her experiences, about being arrested and having visions about heaven, as well as what her time in prison was like, because it was more similar to house arrest. When her story ends, it tells about her getting trampled by a female cow in the arena, and when she doesn’t die from that, where she guides the hand of the soldier who executes her. Throughout all of her…

Being immersed in a Christian environment for the last couple of years at Bryan College it has been difficult to see a different perspective on living a life for Christ that does not demonize socialism and endorse capitalism, until reading Christianity and the Social Crisis. Walter Rauschenbusch, the author, paints a picture of what it is to be politically liberal, yet religiously conservative on a scale that he calls the church to action by utilizing the influence it now has over the common…