“We are philosophers – not in words – but in deeds. We do not speak great things; we live them.” – Cyprian

Justin Martyr:

“I hold further, that those of you who have confessed and known this man to be Christ, yet who have gone back for some reason to the legal dispensation [i.e., the Mosaic Law], and have denied that this man is Christ, and have not repented before death – you will by no means be saved.”

Polycarp:

“Into this joy, many persons desire to enter. They know that ‘by grace you are saved, not of works,’ but by the will of God through Jesus Christ. . . . But He who raised him up from the dead will raise up us also – if we do His will, and walk in His commandments, and love what He loved, keeping ourselves from all unrighteousness.”

Have you ever heard of Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Hermas, Papias, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, Mark Felix, Cyprian, or Lactantius?  If not, why not?  Were these men of no significance to Christianity?  Did they leave no writings behind?  Didn’t they grapple with the same issues that Christians face today?  Why have their views been hidden to the point that most Christians don’t even know their names?


Explore the beliefs of the early Christians (before AD 325) and compare them to what the Bible says and to what most churches teach today.  We think you will find the journey to be enlightening, disconcerting, troubling, alarming, and yet perhaps strangely reassuring.  Begin by exploring this site to see if the early Christians can help provide some answers to your questions – answers from men who actually learned at the feet of the Apostles or their disciples.  Let your journey begin

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