Here are a couple of helpful articles by John Ruthven for those with questions about Spiritual gifts today. One focuses on the biblical case. The other on the historical.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Themes and Transformations in Old Testament Prophecy by Samuel A. Meier
(Chapter 3 is interesting. "Is the future determined?" Open Theist perspective.)
Especially enjoyed chapter 15! "Reliable prophets in the context of change"
While recognizing that some degree of uncertainty cannot be eliminated, he gives some biblical earmarks of true prophets -- all with good biblical support.
1. They live in poverty.
2. They often bear bad news. Especially bad before good.
3. They give the minority report.
4. Their predictions come true (unless conditions change. And bearing in mind that this test is quite limited, since it takes time to "wait and see".)
Especially enjoyed chapter 15! "Reliable prophets in the context of change"
While recognizing that some degree of uncertainty cannot be eliminated, he gives some biblical earmarks of true prophets -- all with good biblical support.
1. They live in poverty.
2. They often bear bad news. Especially bad before good.
3. They give the minority report.
4. Their predictions come true (unless conditions change. And bearing in mind that this test is quite limited, since it takes time to "wait and see".)
Monday, May 14, 2012
A Study of Early Christianity: Jesus is Divine
Here Christianity parts ways with the monotheism
of the Israelites. Faithful Jews stumbled at the idea of Jesus as “God with
us”. How could it be that the “Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John
1:1) if there is only one God? The Christian church struggled long and hard to
understand this revelation.
In spite of the intellectual difficulty of simultaneously maintaining the belief that there is only one God (which belief we have seen that the church did indeed maintain), there was no delay in accepting the revelation that Jesus was worthy to be worshipped as God. Jesus had told his first followers that he was eternal (John 8:24-58, 17:5; Rev 1:8), and that he was God in flesh (Luke 22:70-71; John 10:30-36). The first generation of Christians boldly proclaimed that Jesus was divine (John 1:1; 20:28; Acts 3:15; 4:12; 20:28; Galatians 1:1; Colossians 1:17; Philippians 2:6; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:6-8; 13:8) and directed prayers and worship to him (Prayers: Acts 7:59-60; 9:10-17, 21; 22:16-19; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 16:22; 2 Corinthians 12:8-9; Worship: Matthew 14:33; 28:9,17; John 5:23; 20:28; Philippians 2:10-11; Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 5:8-14).
The oldest extant Christian sermon, outside of the New Testament, is generally known as 2 Clement (though written by an anonymous Christian rather than Clement of Rome).[1] That sermon begins “Brethren, we ought so to think of Jesus Christ, as of God, as of the Judge of quick and dead.”[2] The Apostolic Fathers constantly bear witness that Jesus is divine.[3] Ignatius addresses his epistle to the Ephesians to those who are elect by the will of “Jesus Christ, our God” and describes their hearts as “kindled in the blood of God.”[4] As if that were not clear enough, he then goes on to confess, "There is one Physician who is possessed both of flesh and spirit; both made and not made; God existing in flesh; true life in death; both of Mary and of God; first passible and then impassible, even Jesus Christ our Lord.”[5] Ignatius’ hope and aspiration, as he was being led to martyrdom, was not to be delivered from his death sentence. Rather, he wanted to become an “imitator of the passion of my God.”[6] The earliest pagan reference to Christian worship (by Pliny the Younger) portrays them as “singing a hymn to Christ as though to [a] god.” It was only much later (c 318) that the Arian controversy brought the deity of Christ into question.[7]
[1] Pelikan, The Christian Tradition,
173.
[2] J. B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers
(ed. J. R. Harmer; Baker Book House, 1997), 44.
[3]Shepherd of Hermas Ibid., 231.; Diognetus VII, ANF I p. 27; Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines,
90–101.; Pelikan, The Christian Tradition,
173–91.
[4]
ANF I p. 49
[5]
Ignatius, Epistle to the Ephesians
VII, ANF I p. 52; I followed Lightfoot’s translation in replacing possible
and impossible with passible and impassible.
[6]
Ig., Romans VI, ANF I p. 76
[7] A
key passage for the Arian controversy was Proverbs 8:22-31; Pelikan, The Christian Tradition, 173,
191–210.
Justo L. Gonzalez, Story of
Christianity: Volume 1, The: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation
(2 Rev Upd.; HarperOne, 2010), 181–92.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
A Study of Early Christianity: Creation from Nothing
Creation from Nothing – “Maker of All That Is”
Again it is helpful to remember the Jewish background of
Christianity. Though Christian responses to contemporary Judaism were sometimes
less than congenial[1],
and though as far as we know (in contrast to the writers of the New Testament)
all of the Apostolic Fathers were Greek, the church never lost sight of its
roots in the law and prophets. Christian doctrine did become increasingly
distinct from Judaism as it continued to develop in the centuries following its
birth.[2] Nevertheless, the religion
remained monotheistic and continued to affirm that the Almighty God created
everything out of nothing.
The oldest of Christian writings are found in the New Testament.
They declare that God “created all things by Jesus Christ” (Eph 3:9)[3]. Peter calls the Lord a “faithful
Creator” (1 Pet 4:19). Heavenly worship is described by John as including the
confession “You created all things” (Rev 4:11). There is no hint in the New
Testament of any competing Christian belief regarding creation. Gnostic views
ascribing the work of material creation to a lesser and evil deity only
developed later.[4]
Ante-Nicene Christians continued to affirm, in unmistakable terms,
that God created everything from nothing. Take Irenaeus’ statement (c 180) for
instance: “While men, indeed, cannot
make anything out of nothing, but only out of matter already existing, yet God
is in this point preeminently superior to men, that He Himself called into
being the substance of His creation, when previously it had no existence.”[5] Clement of Rome (writer of
I Clement) knows God as “Creator and
Lord of all.” [6] Hermas says that God not only created everything, He “brought all things
from non-existence into being.”[7] Here again, witnesses
could be multiplied.[8]
[1]
See Epistle of Barnabas
[2] Jaroslav Pelikan, The Christian
Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Vol. 1: The Emergence of
the Catholic Tradition (University Of Chicago Press, 1975), 11–27.
[3]
See also John 1:3
[4] González, A History of Christian
Thought, 126–41. Craig A. Evans, Fabricating Jesus: How
Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels (Expanded.; IVP Books, 2006)
[5] Irenaeus
Ag. Heresies 2,10,4 ANF II p. 370; see also Iren Frag. VI ANF II p.569
[6] I Clement, XXXIII, ANF I p. 13
[7] Shepherd of Hermas Book Second Commandment First, ANF II p. 20
[8] Theophilus
of Antioch Theophilus to Autolycus 2,4
ANF II p. 90 “all things God has made out of things that were not into things
that are”; Tertullian ANF III p. 493; Tatian ANF II p. 66
[1]
See Epistle of Barnabas
[2] Jaroslav Pelikan, The Christian
Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Vol. 1: The Emergence of
the Catholic Tradition (University Of Chicago Press, 1975), 11–27.
[3]
See also John 1:3
[4] Craig A. Evans, Fabricating Jesus: How
Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels (Expanded.; IVP Books, 2006)
[5] Irenaeus
Ag. Heresies 2,10,4 ANF II p. 370; see also Iren Frag. VI ANF II p.569
[6] I Clement, XXXIII, ANF I p. 13
[7] Shepherd of Hermas, Book Second Commandment First,
ANF II p. 20
[8] Theophilus
of Antioch Theophilus to Autolycus 2,4
ANF II p. 90 “all things God has made out of things that were not into things
that are”; Tertullian ANF III p. 493; Tatian ANF II p. 66
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
A Study of Early Christianity: Monotheism
Monotheism – “We believe in one God”
In its earliest days, Christianity was seen as a sect of
Judaism (Acts 3:13; 18:15; 23:29; 25:19; 26:3). Christians attended synagogue
and designated hours of prayer at the temple (Acts 3:1; 9:20; 13:5, 14; 14:1;
17:1-3, 17; 18:4; 19:8). Those first Christians, faithful Jews that they were,
likely repeated the Shema as part of their daily devotion to God. Shema, meaning “hear,” is the first word
of Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.”
[1]
This confession set Judaism apart from their polytheistic neighbors. Christians,
from the beginning, shared this doctrine with the Judaism.
The New Testament bears witness to the continuity between Judaism and the first generation of Christians regarding monotheism. There is no room for doubt that the New Testament authors recognized only one God (Mar 12:29; Joh 17:3; 1 Cor 8:4-6; Gal 3:20; 1 Tim 2:5; Jam 2:19).
This commitment to monotheism did not diminish in the post-apostolic period. Clement referred to God as the “great Creator and Lord of all,” elsewhere calling Him “the true and only God.” [2] Ignatius, writing to the Magnesians, insisted that Christians worshiped the same “one God” as the Old Testament prophets.[3] Such quotations could be multiplied.[4]
[1] Ferguson,
Everett. Backgrounds of early Christianity. (W.B. Eerdmans, 1987),
445-46
[2] 1 Clement XX, ANF I p. 11; I Clement XLIII, ANF I p. 17
[3] Ignatius to the Magnesians VIII, ANF I
p. 62
[4] “First
of all, believe that there is one God” Shepherd of Hermas, Book Second Commandment First, ANF II p. 20; “For who will not say that
there is one God? Yet he will not on that account deny the economy.” Hippolytus,
Ag. Noetus .4, ANF V, p. 224; “The
Jews then, if they abstain from the kind of service above described, and deem
it proper to worship one God as being Lord of all, [are right]; but if they
offer Him worship in the way which we have described, they greatly err.” Diognetus III, ANF I, p. 26; Arnobius, Ag. the Heathen III ANF VI pp. 464 ff.
(contrasts Christian monotheism with polytheism); Tatian IV, ANF II p. 66;
Tertullian Ag. Marcion III, ANF III
p. 273, etc.
A Study of Early Christianity
The Christian faith is ancient. Long before
your grandparents were born Christianity had been around for centuries. It is
much older than the United States. Yet, many of us know little to nothing about
the beliefs and practices of the Christians who have gone before us. Since
historical events such as the Incarnation, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus are
so essential to Christianity it seems that we should be quite interested in
history.
What you are about to read is a brief
introduction. It will focus on select writings from the earliest Christians, prior
to the first council at Nicaea in A.D. 325, especially the Apostolic Fathers.[1]
Why study early
Christianity?
By “Early
Christianity” I primarily have in mind the few generations immediately following
the Apostles. Some of those early Christians were taught by people who walked
and talked with our Savior during his earthly ministry. Ignatius and Polycarp
are traditionally believed to have been disciples of the Apostle John. Clement
was probably a disciple of Peter and Paul. Papias is reported to have received
teaching from the Apostle John and oral tradition from the daughters of the
Apostle Philip.
Some things found in these ancient writings
can seem strange to modern readers. So let me give you some reasons why we
should take these early Christians seriously.
They were closer to the source
Standing here, in 21st century
North America, we are separated from the world of Jesus of Nazareth and his apostles
by thousands of years and thousands of miles.[2]
Early Christian interpreters did not share our temporal and geographical
disadvantages. The culture of the Bible was not nearly as foreign to them as it
is to us. They, at least more than us, lived in the same world as the biblical writers.
Their language, racial views, concepts of honor and shame, values, and customs
were often shared with the writers of the New Testament. Early Christian writers
serve as helpful guides along our journey toward understanding the New
Testament Scriptures.
This is not to say that we should consider the
beliefs of the early church to be authoritative by default. The Church Fathers
were sometimes wrong. Only God and the Scriptures are never wrong. At times the
premodern outlook of the early Christians may seem quite foreign to the modern
or postmodern observer. Listening carefully to the voices of ancient Christian
witnesses (outside of Scripture) does not require that we slavishly accept every
detail of their beliefs and practices. All that is required of us is that we
patiently and respectfully seek to understand their perspectives.
Growing in unity and love
The first few hundred years of Christian
doctrine and practice is sometimes referred to as the “Great Tradition.” Those
first few centuries of Christianity are our common heritage – whether we
identify ourselves as Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, or something else. Recovering
an awareness of the Great Tradition may help us to cultivate and demonstrate
greater love and understanding for those who do not embrace the particulars of
our specific traditions. That would be a good thing.
A safeguard against deception
There is at least one more reason for learning
about the beliefs of the earliest Christians. In recent years there has been much
confusion about Christian origins. Some claim that heresy preceded orthodoxy,
that the original diversity of theological expression was silenced by political
power.[3]
Such ideas may sell well in our pluralistic culture, but historical support for
them is sorely lacking. This short overview of early writings will show that Christians
continued to believe and practice what Jesus and the apostles taught from the
beginning.
Early Christian Doctrines
Doctrine is simply “that
which is believed and taught.” Contrary to popular opinion, doctrine is quite
important and relevant to daily life. The things we learn, believe, and teach
are either true or they are not. They either guide us in virtue or they
encourage our tendency toward vanity and vice. If truth and virtue are
important then doctrine is important.
Though there are many Christian doctrines we
could examine, let us focus on the most central of Christian beliefs. These
core teachings received significant attention in the New Testament and are
delineated in the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed.[4]
Nicene Creed
the Father, the Almighty
of all that is, seen and unseen.
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he suffered death and was buried.
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
and his kingdom will have no end.
who proceeds from the Father.
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
[1]
These are the earliest extant Christian writings outside of the New Testament.
They include Clement of Rome, the Didache,
Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, Papias of Hierapolis, the Epistle of Barnabas, the Shepherd of Hermas, and the Epistle to Diognetus. For an brief
introduction to the Apostolic Fathers see Justo L González, A History of
Christian Thought: Volume 1: From the Beginnings to the Council of Chalcedon
(2nd,Revised ed.; Abingdon Press, 1987), 44–55. Unless otherwise noted, all
references to Apostolic Fathers and other Early Christian writings are from Roberts,
Alexander, James Donaldson, and Henry Wace, eds. The Early Church Fathers. Hendrickson Publishers, 1994.
[2] E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J.
O’Brien, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders
to Better Understand the Bible (IVP Books, 2012).
[3] Andreas J. Kostenberger and Michael
Kruger, The Heresy of Orthodoxy: How Contemporary Culture’s Fascination with
Diversity Has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity (Crossway
Books, 2010).
[4]
Most of this creed was written at Nicea in 325 and is often referred to as the
Nicene Creed in spite of the included additions added in 381 at Constantinople.
The main change introduced at Constantinople was the addition of the words
following “we believe in the Holy Spirit.” It will be seen that the doctrines
of the Nicene Creed were not imposed by imperial power. Rather, these beliefs
were cherished from the earliest days of Christianity.
Friday, April 27, 2012
This is my body, "broken"?
Yesterday I did an internet search on "communion liturgy." Here's where I landed. Good stuff. But, something there caught me by surprise. Ken advises us to avoid saying "this is my body, broken for you." The reason being textual and inter-textual evidence against the phrase "broken for you." Many manuscripts do not contain this phrase and Jesus fulfilled the OT type perfectly -- he was the sacrificial lamb without broken bones. So Ken recommends saying "this is my body, given for you" since that sounds better than "this is my body, for you." Not to mention Luke 22:19, which is a good verse to keep in mind.
Ken is in good company. Among the modern translations I regularly check (NAS, NIV, NAB, NET, NKJ, NLT, ESV, RSV, NRS) only one followed the reading of the KJV and that was the NKJ, which uses the same Greek as the KJV. Things don't look good for the "broken for you" phrase.
Still curious about it, I dug a little deeper. I can't tell you anything about the manuscripts Metzger mentions. I did, however, dig a bit into the Church Fathers. It looks like "broken for you" was part of some early (pre-nicene) writings and liturgies. I'm still not totally convinced that the phrase should be abandoned. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Here's some of what I dug up.
Metzger, Textual
Commentary on the NT
The
concise expression to.
u`pe.r u`mw/n, read by î46 a* A B C* 6 33 424c 1739* arm Origen Cyprian al, is characteristic of Paul’s style.
Attempts to explicate the meaning of the words resulted in the addition of
various participles: (a) qrupto,menon (Dgr*); (b)
klw,menon (ac
C3 Db, c G K P Y 81
614 1739mg Byz Lect itd, g syrp, h goth al),
derived from the preceding e;klasen; (c) dido,menon (vg copsa, bo eth Euthalius, it61
quod
tradidi pro vobis),
assimilated to Lk 22.19.
Constitutions Book
VIII Section ii
Being
mindful, therefore, of those things that He endured for our sakes, we give Thee
thanks, O God Almighty, not in such a manner as we ought, but as we are able,
and fulfil His constitution: “For in the same night that He was betrayed, He
took bread”3664 in His holy and undefiled
hands, and, looking up to Thee His God and Father, “He brake it, and gave it to
His disciples, saying, This is the mystery of the new covenant: take of it, and
eat. This is my body, which is broken for many, for the remission of sins.”
Pasted
from <http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf07.ix.ix.ii.html>
Cyprian Epistle LXII
Moreover, the
blessed Apostle Paul, chosen and sent by the Lord, and appointed a preacher of
the Gospel truth, lays down these very things in his epistle, saying, “The Lord
Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread; and when He had
given thanks, He brake it, and said, This is my body, which shall be given for
you: do this in remembrance of me. After the same manner also He took the cup,
when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do,
as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread
and drink this cup, ye shall show forth the Lord’s death until He come.”
Pasted
from <http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf05.iv.iv.lxii.html>
Then
having broken bread He gave it to them saying, Take,
eat, this is My body broken for you for the remission of sins149 . Likewise also He took the cup of wine and
water and gave it to them saying, Drink ye all of it: for this
is My blood, the blood of the New Testament which is shed for you for the
remission of sins. This do ye in remembrance of Me. For as often as ye eat this
bread and drink this cup, ye do shew the death of the Son of man and confess
His resurrection until He come150
Wherefore, I would
add, neither did He appoint the sacrament before this, but when henceforth the
rites of the law were to cease. And thus the very chief of the feasts He brings
to an end, removing them to another most awful table, and He saith, "Take,
eat, This is my body, Which is broken for many."
(Aloud.)
Take, eat.
The
Deacon: Pray earnestly.
The
Priest (aloud): For this is my body, which is broken for you, and divided for
the remission of sins.
The
People: Amen.
The
Priest prays: After the sam
Pasted
from <http://www.bible.ca/history/fathers/ANF-07/anf07-64.htm>
"The
bread that I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the
world,"420 and when He delivered the divine mysteries
and broke the symbol and distributed it, He added "This is my body which
is being broken for you for the remission of sins,
The Deacons say:34 For
the remission of sins and life everlasting.
Then
he says aloud: Take, eat: this is my body, broken for you, and given for
remission of sins.
The
People: Amen.
Pasted
from <http://www.bible.ca/history/fathers/ANF-07/anf07-63.htm>
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