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

2. 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)

3. 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

4. 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

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

6. 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)

7. 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.