The Apologists185 – 250 A. D.

Key source: F. W. Mattox, The Eternal Kingdom: A History of the Church of

Christ, Delight, Arkansas: Gospel Light Publishing Company, 1961

Introduction

• Following the persecution of Nero, Christians had to worship in secret.

• This resulted in various false accusations, as we have seen.

• Various Christians began to defend themselves by writing what are known as “Apologies.”

Quadratus (125 – 129)

• He was one of the first apologists.

• His composition was addressed and presented to Hadrian, the emperor, in Athens about 129 A.D.

• Though copies did not survive, he was quoted by Eusebius.

Aristides (138 – 147)

• His is the first complete apologetic document.

• He shows familiarity with the four gospel accounts, Acts, Romans and 1 Peter.

Justin Martyr (103 – 165)

• A native of ancient Shechem in Palestine, Justin visited philosophical schools to find answers to deep questions about life.

• He met an aging Christian (133) and became a Christian.

• Only two of his works have been preserved.

Justin’s “Apology”• “Apology” is addressed to Antonius (150)

urging the emperor to learn the truth about Christianity.– He demonstrated/described how Christians met

for worship on the 1st day of the week, the Lord’s day.

– Baptism was referred to as washing because immersion was the common form.

– Baptism was for the remission of sins unto regeneration.

– He referred to the bishop in charge of the assembly as the president.

Justin’s “Dialogue with Trypho”

• He presented Jesus as the Messiah foretold in the prophecies of the O. T.

• He used Greek philosophy and the allegorical method to defend Christianity.

• He believed all Christians are priests.

• He presented Christ as God’s faculty of reason, the Logos, who by a voluntary process was caused to be generated as the Christ.

Tatian (125 – 200)• He traveled widely over Greece studying

Greek philosophy.• He met Justin who converted him (before

150)• Upon his return to Greece (152-155), he

wrote an “Address to Greeks.”– Ridiculed Greek superiority and the immorality

expressed by their sculpture and art– Showed the superiority of Christianity– He said Moses and the prophets were older than

Greek religions, therefore Christianity preceded them.

Tatian

• His greatest work was “Diatessaron,” which was an account of the life of Christ.– This was the first harmony of the gospels,

blending four gospels into one continuous story.

• After Justin’s death, he became over-exalted, finally resulting in his becoming a gnostic.

Melito (169 – 190)

• Melito was a bishop of Sardis.

• He wrote 18-20 compositions, with three (“On the Lord’s Day,” “On Baptism,” and “Apology”) being significant.

• He strongly influenced Apologists who followed.

Melito

• In “Apology” (c. 170), he shows the emperor that the church was a positive force and he should defend it.– He defending Christianity as God’s final

revelation to man.– That the final revelation was foreshadowed in

the O.T.– That the sacrifices were all typical of Christ’s

sacrifice.– That the Law was a forerunner of the gospel.

Athenagorus (177 – 180)

• He was a teacher in Athens and an early example of a person being converted to Christ through personal reading of Scripture.

• His “Supplication for the Christians” (180) refutes the charges against Christians.

• His “On the Resurrection of the Dead” sets forth reasons for believing in the resurrection and that resurrection is not only a reality but a necessity.

Theophilus (190)

• He became a Christian through his own study of Scripture and was the 6th bishop of Antioch.

• His defense of Christianity (190) was addressed to Autolycus, an educated pagan official he hoped to convert.– He first dealt with the existence of God,

absurdities of pagan gods/idolatry and a discussion of the fact of the resurrection.

Theophilus• In the second part,

– he contrasted the defense Greeks made of their gods/religion with that set forth in the Old Testament

• In the third part, – he went on to show Christianity is a true

development of God’s plan of which Judaism was the first phase

– Christianity is superior to paganism– Pagans were wrong in their attacks on Christianity– He quoted the OT and NT, saying both were

inspired by one Spirit of God.

The State of the Church

• Understanding the Apologists in light of developments affecting the state of the church.

• Last half of the 2nd Century was characterized by persecution from without and heresy from within

• Schismatic movement developed rapidly• Canon of Scripture was not yet established• Christian doctrine was being handed down

orally, which gave opportunity for personal views to be added to uninspired gospels

• Most were anonymous or pseudonymous and were confused for a time with inspired writings, leading to rapid growth of false ideas

Marcion

• Born in 85 A. D., the son of Sinope, an elder of the church in Pontus

• He eventually became an elder, but also became a wealthy ship owner

• He came to Rome from Asia Minor (138), rich, intelligent, zealous and good organizer

• He was benevolent—said to have given $10,000 to such work at the Roman church

Marcion• He felt the church was drifting into a cold

legalism• The Christians had fallen into the casuistry

they had practiced as Jews, putting the letter above the spirit

• He saw the Law as an enemy to the liberty and grace of the gospel

• He wanted to throw the OT out completely• He believed the God of the OT (defined by

justice) was different from the God of the NT (love and mercy)

Marcion

• He believed Paul was the only apostle who really understood the gospel, thinking the others had fallen into the errors of Judaism

• Today he would be called a “modernist” or “liberalist” because he rejected the commandments of Christ thinking they were no part of faith

• The church in Rome withdrew from him (144) because of his extremes

Marcionite Chruch

• Marcion formed the Marcionite Church following being withdrawn from.

• It lasted into the 5th Century• He accepted only the gospel of Luke and

the epistles of Paul as inspired• He even cut from these books all the

passages that seemed favorable to the Law

• About 150, he wrote a treatise called, “Antithesis,” or “Contradiction”

Gnosticism• Gnosticism comes from the Greek word for “to

know”• At first, Christians called themselves “true

Gnostics” because they had learned true wisdom

• Gnosticism is generally used to refer to those who rejected the revelation of God and relied on human wisdom

• They solved problems according to their own mental gymnastics and became to the early church what the Christian Scientists are today

Gnosticism• They believed in a dualism which pronounced

the material world evil and the spiritual good.– For man to get above the material to the spiritual he

must go through a heirarchy of intermediate beings—Christ was only one and angels are also a part—to be worshiped

– Man was to buffet his body, rise above the material– God is a spirit and therefore could not make a

material world– This great God breathed out emanations that

resulted in the formation of a lesser God, the Jehovah of the OT

Gnosticism• Gnostics had fertile imaginations and

many schools of thought– They mixed up a little Christianity, a little

Judaism, philosophy, some of the mystery religions, pagan religions and wild dreaming

– They held the spirit was imprisoned in the body

– They divided men into 3 classes: animal or material man predestined to destruction, psychic men who could attain salvation with the help of ordinary Christians, and spiritual men who were destined to eternal life

Gnosticism

• Gnostics put great emphasis on secret knowledge and traditions they claimed were handed down by Christ and the apostles (wrote many books ascribed to the inspired apostles)

• They led many astray.– Leaders had to carefully determine which books

were inspired and uninspired– Leaders had to expose secret doctrines as error

• Gnosticism reached its height about 150 and resulted in anti-Semitism, celibacy and monasticism.

Docetism• From the Greek word for “to seem”

– They believed Christ did not really suffer on the cross but just “seemed” to suffer.

– Theory based on conception that matter is essentially evil, therefore Christ was not corrupted with anything of the material world

– Neither the incarnation nor the crucifixion were actual facts, only the semblance of reality

• Led by Ignatius to feel the church would be better protected from this error if one elder (president) was exalted to a permanent position of authority

Montanism• Montanus reacted to a growing formalism

and reliance on human leadership.– He said the Holy Spirit was guiding the church in

a direct way.– He said the promises Jesus made to the

apostles applied to him, even claiming he was greater than the apostles.

– He even claimed he was the first to receive the Holy Spirit in its completeness.

– He was a priest in a pagan temple of Cybele in Arboda before his conversion and carried the emotionalism of paganism into Christian worship.

Montanism• Montanus’ doctrine spread to many lands,

even taking the brilliant Tertullian.– The possession of spiritual gifts was the test of a

true Christian.– He taught marriage was permissible but it was

lower than celibacy.– Second marriages and all worldly enjoyments

were forbidden.– The Christian who fell back into sin could not be

forgiven.– He set a date for Jesus’ return.– When it did not take place, his followers were

scattered.

Iranaeus (130 – 200)

• Iranaeus, who is considered one of the later “Apologists,” was an educated man converted following hearing Polycarp.

• He quoted from nearly every Christian writer.

• He traveled widely, but settled at Lyons in Gaul where he became bishop in 177.

Iranaeus• He wrote 5 books “Against Heresies” (c.

185).– He gave a description of Gnosticism.– He showed Mt., Mk., Lk. and Jn. are the only

inspired gospel accounts.– He defended the virgin birth of Jesus.– He established a continuation of God’s plan

from the OT to the NT and believed the OT sacrifices were continued in the Lord’s supper.

– In order to confirm the truth of Scripture, he traced the succession of bishops.

Iranaeus

• He said Peter and Paul established the church at Rome.

• He does not list Peter as the first bishop of Rome.

• He said congregations were independent.

• He said there was no organization outside the local church.

Clement of Alexandria (150-215)• Titus Flavius Clement, a native of Athens,

became known because of his writings while connected with the famous Alexandrian Bible School.– He defended Scripture.– He wrote instructions for the unconverted, “A

Hortatory Word to the Gentiles,” commonly called, “Address.”

– To the newly converted, he wrote, “Instruction.”– To mature Christians, he wrote, “Clothes-bags.”– He combined the study of Philosophy with the

gospel as an approach to reach the Greeks.

Tertullian (155 – 223) was born at Carthage c. 155

• While practicing law and teaching in Rome, he was converted and returned to Carthage to spread the gospel.

• When Christians were persecuted and martyred, he wrote a defense appealing for justice.– Common charges (cannibalism, etc.) not true– Although Christians could not call the Emperor

“God,” they did respect him and were loyal citizens.

– He said persecution would not destroy the church – “the blood of Christians is seed.”

Tertullian• He wrote to Christians in prison to strengthen

their faith and give encouragement in the face of torture.

• He wrote on many Biblical subjects to refute error.

• While Tertullian led to the exaltation of the church at Rome, he reacted in the opposite extreme toward Montanism.

• Note: This shift from one extreme to another will be seen repeated throughout the history of the church, even to this day.

Tertullian

• He left the traditional church and worked with the Montanists until 122, but also reacted to their extreme.

• He formed an independent church in Carthage that may have been close to the NT pattern.

• Through the persuasion of Augustine, he entered the Catholic Church.

Hippolytus (170 – 236)• He studied under Iranaeus in Gaul, but spent most

of his life in Rome.• He was a fiery preacher and a puritan in morals.• He opposed the laxity in the Roman church – the

church split, with one part choosing him as bishop• The rift was healed during persecution under

Maximin (c. 235).• His writing consisted of Biblical interpretation,

opposition to laxity in the church and opposition to heresy.

• He was the last writer in Rome who wrote in Greek.

Origen (185 – 254)• Origen was born into a pagan family of

Alexandria in 185.

• At the age of 8, his parents were converted and became steadfast Christians.

• He attend the Bible school of Alexandria under Clement.

• In 202, his father was put to death.

• In 203, he was placed in charge of the school to train new converts.

Origen

• He taught 12 years until another great wave of persecution, when he fled to Rome.

• He went on to teach in Palestine with great success.

• He went back to the school in Alexandria and taught another 13 years.– He converted Ambrose and obtained a wealthy

patron who encouraged him to write and publish.– He dictated to seven secretaries who replaced

each other as they tired.

Origen

• He had seven scribes and a number of young assistants.

• His great work was producing an OT in six languages in parallel columns and in writing a commentary on every book in the Bible.

• Though he was brilliant, his work is filled with much speculation and he looked with scorn on anyone who took Scripture literally.

Origen

• He had a philosophical approach to Christianity which fit his philosophical theories.

• Of special note are his works: – “Exhortation to Martyrdom,” which was written

to Ambrose who was in prison.– His treatise, “On Prayer,” displayed a rich

understanding of Scripture and complete trust in the providence of God.