Steve Morrison and Larry Wessels Pre-Nicea: Evidence of What Early Christians Taught The Early Church and the Bible Steve Morrison and Larry Wessels

The Early Church Recognition of Scripture The Bible is primary to teach us God’s truth, but the early Church is a secondary witness of God’s truth. However, it is not either/or, but both have the same testimony. The concept of “Scripture”, meaning the Old Testament, was taught many times by Jesus. The concept of “Scripture”, including specifically Paul’s letters, was taught by the Apostle Peter. “as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the scriptures.” (2 Peter 3:15b-16 NKJV)

Early Church mention of “Scripture” These early church writers specifically mentioned “scripture” though 304 A.D. Clement of Rome Origen Adamantius Epistle of Barnabas Novatian Victorinus P. 2 Clement Treatise on Rebaptism Polycarp Treatise Against Novatian Justin Martyr Cyprian of Carthage Theophilus of Antioch 7th Council of Carthage Irenaeus Dionysius of Alexandria Caius Gregory Thaumaturgus Clement of Alexandria Dionysius of Rome Tertullian Archelaus Hippolytus Theonas of Alexandria

Early Church mentioning the New Testament These early church writers specifically mentioned the words “New Testament” though 304 A.D. Justin Martyr Novatian Irenaeus Treatise on Rebaptism Clement of Alexandria Cyprian of Carthage Tertullian Dionysius of Rome Asterius Urbanus Archelaus Hippolytus Victorinus of Pettau Origen

How We Know Our Text is like Theirs Chester Beatty II papyrii (p46) 100-150 A.D. 1,680 verses 70% Paul + Hebrews Bodmer II papyrii (p66) c.125-175 A.D. 808.5 verses 92% John p4 + p64 + p67 c.150-175 A.D. 95 verses from Matthew and Luke p75 175-225 A.D. 1,1166 verses from Luke and John p45 200-225 A.D. 833 verses from the gospels & Acts p47 c.250-300 A.D. 31% of Revelation p72 ca.300 A.D. 191 verses. All of 1 & 2 Peter & Jude

No Denomination Gave Us the Bible Some have claimed the Catholic Church gave us the Bible. No it did not, God did. But was the Catholic church the one to recognize the Bible? The Catholic church has no more claim to that than the Greek-speaking Coptic and Orthodox churches. In fact, if you could put an early Christian, a Catholic a Protestant, an Orthodox, and a Coptic Christian in the same room, the early Christian would ● Not be any more different from the others than they are from themselves ● Not be particularly closer to one modern group than another (except they would abhor bowing to any statues)

Conclusion The early church (not later Coptic, Orthodox, or Catholic groups) recognized scripture. The early church did not give us Scripture, God and the Bible writers did. But we owe a debt to the early church for recognizing scripture. The Apostle Peter used the term scripture, of Paul’s letters, in 2 Peter 3:15-16.