Hippolytus:
“This shows that transgressions are blotted out and that reconciliation is made for sins. But who are the ones who have reconciliation made for their sins – except those who believe on His name and propitiate His countenance by good works?”
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.”
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…