01.2.2 Ignatius’ Epistles Call For Unity against False Doctrine under the Catholic Hierarchy of Bishops

The epistles of Ignatius, most probably written on his path to martyrdom, sound in a lot of ways like the epistles of Paul. He opens with loving greetings, he gives praise to the believers he writes to. He has a theme in his writings of calling for unity. And this call for unity is centered on being subject to your bishop as you would be subject to Christ.

“For we ought to receive everyone to whom the master of the house sends to be over his household, as we would do Him that sent him.”[1]

Ignatius says that anyone who doesn’t worship under the hierarchy of the God’s appointed bishops cuts himself off from the church. Also “any activity or service that takes place without either his [the bishop’s] presence or permission has no validity”[2]:

He, therefore, that does not assemble with the Church, has even by this manifested his pride, and condemned himself. For it is written, “God resisteth the proud.” (Pro_3:34; Jam_4:6; 1Pe_5:5) Let us be careful, then, not to set ourselves in opposition to the bishop, in order that we may be subject to God.[3]

It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God, so that everything that is done may be secure and valid.[4]

The above concepts are also part of the start of the Catholic movement, discussed in II.0 The Catholic Movement. This represents a major shift from the loose confederation of fellowships that most agree is the picture painted in Acts and the Epistles. Ignatius’ emphasis on the authority and structure of church government is beyond anything previously written. Ignatius makes the first reference to the Catholic Church in this focus of his on the authority of the bishop:

Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic (Emphasis added) Church.[5]

Ignatius’ emphasis is reasonable, but we must always remember that just because it is reasonable it isn’t right, or what God chose. Solomon wrote, ” Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but Jehovah weigheth the hearts. [Pro 21:2]

This is less than fifty years after some of the apostle’s passing, and there is a definite change from the apostles’ epistles and their emphasis on apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers being the offices in the body of Christ that build up the body:

He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; (Eph 4:11-14 WEB)

Ignatius wrote as if that verse no longer exists. Bishops replaced the apostles in this perspective. Additionally, baptism is presented as something only a bishop can do, with the implication that it is a water baptism ritual. And, Jesus never commanded that only certain leaders could remember the sacrifice of the Lord in the last supper. Now there is a regulation that only bishops can oversee that service.

One other major theme is present in the epistles of Ignatius, that of martyrdom. Ignatius wrote his epistles on his way to be martyred. As the views of Ignatius concerning martyrdom them are unusual in some ways, that is the subject of the next article.

[1] Introductory Note to the Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians, Chap. VI. — Have Respect to the Bishop as to Christ Himself, E-Sword Program

[2] THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS, edited by Michael W. Holmes, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, 1999, p. 129

[3] The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians, Chap. V. — The Praise of Unity, E-Sword Program

[4] The Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans, Chap. VIII. — Let Nothing Be Done Without the Bishop. , E-Sword Program

Original Christianity

This web is a look at primitive, original Christianity, how it developed over time into innumerable denominations and divisions, and how original Christianity compares to current practices. It is a resource for looking systematically at the beliefs and practices in the original Christian church, numerous movements and churches since, and the modern Christian church, with discussion about how all these changes happened and especially focusing on how well each of these compares to scripture.

Why?

"Jesus Christ is Lord" is the common belief of billions of Christians. But there are tens of thousands of denominations. (Denominations are not just the big guys like Roman Catholic and Southern Baptist; they include all the little groups of churches under the same authority, even if they claim to be nondenominational.) While ancient denominations like the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox claim to be the original and consequently "true" church, innumerable churches and denominations have started citing errors in these ancient bastions or the leading of the spirit to reform or restore the church.

There are numerous disputed issues. Cessation doctrine (prophecy and the gifts of the spirit ended with the apostles), infant baptism, the inerrancy of Scripture, the form of Church government, the role of women in the church, and currently, the acceptance of homosexuality are just some of the many disputed doctrines that cause the Christian body to be so divided.

The Reformation movement performed an invaluable service. But instead of simply reforming the church or creating one more correct alternative church, the Reformation movement increased the number of disputes over scripture, and consequently, the number of splits has increased exponentially.

The problem with examining all the denominations is that it can become confusing to compare this church or denomination to that one. The complexity of examining all the theological implications can become overwhelming. For many busy people, that means making the best, less-than-fully educated decision they can and staying with the church of their heritage or finding a church where they feel they can grow. Just finding the information can be an overwhelming task. Putting it into some understandable framework is an even more complicated task.

This website, rather than trying just to compare all the current positions on the differences, goes back to the beginning (primitive, original Christianity) and evaluates Christianity starting at that point. This includes looking at the gospel accounts, early church documents, and other secular and religious ancient documents. (There is also a section on Philosophy because its profound impact on Christian theological development.) The articles have numerous references to works both in print and online.

Next, the website looks at the developments in Christianity from original Christianity forward to see how the church developed over time, comparing each development with what we know about original Christianity. The goals are:

To trace the development of the church from start to now to see how the church at large wound up with all these competing churches/denominations today, and

To equip people with the knowledge of original Christianity to enable people to make an informed decision on what is the true faith and practice of the church Jesus Christ started.

"The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:10-11)
This website looks to apply the same approach as the Bereans discussed above, who compared what all the apostles were preaching to the then-known Scriptures, which, at that time, were all Old Testament references. Some New Testament churches, utilizing the philosophies and writings of different writers and councils since the apostles, have developed numerous doctrines, some acknowledged to be beyond what Scripture says. These philosophies and extra-biblical doctrinal developments have all contributed to the a plethora of disagreements in the church.

For an overview of the articles by category, go to the Table of Contents Page.

This is a work in progress. I pray that sharing my journey is helpful to you and that together, we can grow in the faith that Jesus Christ made available some two thousand years ago.

Also, Please Pardon our Dust. There are hundreds of posts, some of which still have typos. If you find any typos, you can contact Mark at webmaster@originalchristianity.net. Please be so kind as to mention the name of the post. if you could kindly copy and paste the section with errors in your message, that would be fantastic. Thank you, and God Bless You.

01.2.2 Ignatius’ Epistles Call For Unity against False Doctrine under the Catholic Hierarchy of Bishops

Original Christianity

Recent

Categories

Links

RSS

Site Admin