Predictably, Continuing Church of God and self-proclaimed prophet, Bob Thiel has taken our humble little anti-Armstrong Church of God blog to task for daring to question his credentials as a historian of early Church history. In a post entitled Banned from the Truth About Church History, Bob accuses us of not telling the truth about him or the early history of the Church (see Is Our Favorite Crackpot Prophet A Real Historian?).
For Bob, a response to my post was an imperative, because it went to the heart of his claim to fame - that he is an "authority" on the early history of Christianity. In short, his narrative about the First Century ekklesia is the bedrock of his defense of the teachings of Armstrongism. More particularly, he repeats the story that Sabbath observance was the norm within the ekklesia of the First and Second Centuries of the Common Era, and that the celebration of Sunday was a late, pagan, and heretical corruption of primitive Christianity. Thus, any contradiction of this false narrative naturally excites "Dr" Thiel's passions.
True to form, Bob began his little diatribe by quoting a Scripture from Proverbs: Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes. (Proverbs 26:4-5) Hence, we will attempt to craft an answer to Bob's response which precludes him from appearing wise in his own eyes!
Next, Bob attempted to refute my assessment of his own statement that "The Church of God has the Right Name and the Right Size." He wrote: "Well, most scholars do believe that Church of God was a name used by Christians–and that is not limited to 'the King James Version of the New Testament.' And while the term assembly could be used as well, it basically meant the same thing." Actually, the body of believers/disciples of Christ is most often called, simply, ekklesia in the original Greek (or Church in English). The phrase "Church of God" appears just eight times in the King James Version of the New Testament. Whereas "ekklesia" or "church" appears about thirty-five times! Moreover, according to Blue Letter Bible, the word means "a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly." We should also note that the Church is often tied to a particular geographic location in Scripture (as in the Church of the Laodiceans, Church of Ephesus, etc.). Bob ignored my comments about the "right size" of the Church.
As for those writings from the First and Second Centuries that I mentioned in my post, Bob directed his reader's attention to a number of articles penned by him which attempted to discredit them as proof/evidence that his narrative is false. I am happy to let the reader peruse these passages and decide for him/herself whether Bob's commentary on their meaning fits the context:
But every Lord's day gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure. But let no one who is at odds with his fellow come together with you, until they be reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be profaned. For this is that which was spoken by the Lord: "In every place and time offer to me a pure sacrifice; for I am a great King, says the Lord, and my name is wonderful among the nations." (Early Christian Writings: The Didache (Roberts translation) - Chapter 14
14:1 And on the Lord's own day gather yourselves together and break bread and give thanks, first confessing your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure.
14:2 And let no man, having his dispute with his fellow, join your assembly until they have been reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be defiled;
14:3 for this sacrifice it is that was spoken of by the Lord;
14:4 {In every place and at every time offer Me a pure sacrifice;
14:5 for I am a great king, saith the Lord and My name is wonderful among the nations.} (Early Christian Writings: The Didache (Lightfoot translation) - Chapter 14
Further, also, it is written concerning the Sabbath in the Decalogue which [the Lord] spoke, face to face, to Moses on Mount Sinai, "And sanctify ye the Sabbath of the Lord with clean hands and a pure heart." And He says in another place, "If my sons keep the Sabbath, then will I cause my mercy to rest upon them." The Sabbath is mentioned at the beginning of the creation [thus]: "And God made in six days the works of His hands, and made an end on the seventh day, and rested on it, and sanctified it." Attend, my children, to the meaning of this expression, "He finished in six days." This implieth that the Lord will finish all things in six thousand years, for a day is with Him a thousand years. And He Himself testifieth, saying, "Behold, to-day will be as a thousand years." Therefore, my children, in six days, that is, in six thousand years, all things will be finished. "And He rested on the seventh day." This meaneth: when His Son, coming [again], shall destroy the time of the wicked man, and judge the ungodly, and change the-sun, and the moon, and the stars, then shall He truly rest on the seventh day. Moreover, He says, "Thou shalt sanctify it with pure hands and a pure heart." If, therefore, any one can now sanctify the day which God hath sanctified, except he is pure in heart in all things, we are deceived. Behold, therefore: certainly then one properly resting sanctifies it, when we ourselves, having received the promise, wickedness no longer existing, and all things having been made new by the Lord, shall be able to work righteousness. Then we shall be able to sanctify it, having been first sanctified ourselves. Further, He says to them, "Your new moons and your Sabbath I cannot endure." Ye perceive how He speaks: Your present Sabbaths are not acceptable to Me, but that is which I have made, [namely this,] when, giving rest to all things, I shall make a beginning of the eighth day, that is, a beginning of another world. Wherefore, also, we keep the eighth day with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose again from the dead. And when He had manifested Himself, He ascended into the heavens. (Early Christian Writings: Epistle of Barnabas (Roberts translation) - Chapter 15
But if any one preach the Jewish law unto you, listen not to him. For it is better to hearken to Christian doctrine from a man who has been circumcised, than to Judaism from one uncircumcised. But if either of such persons do not speak concerning Jesus Christ, they are in my judgment but as monuments and sepulchres of the dead, upon which are written only the names of men. Flee therefore the wicked devices and snares of the prince of this world, lest at any time being conquered by his artifices, ye grow weak in your love. But be ye all joined together with an undivided heart. And I thank my God that I have a good conscience in respect to you, and that no one has it in his power to boast, either privately or publicly, that I have burdened any one either in much or in little. And I wish for all among whom I have spoken, that they may not possess that for a testimony against them.
If any one preaches the one God of the law and the prophets, but denies Christ to be the Son of God, he is a liar, even as also is his father the devil, and is a Jew falsely so called, being possessed of mere carnal circumcision. If any one confesses Christ Jesus the Lord, but denies the God of the law and of the prophets, saying that the Father of Christ is not the Maker of heaven and earth, he has not continued in the truth any more than his father the devil, and is a disciple of Simon Magus, not of the Holy Spirit. If any one says there is one God, and also confesses Christ Jesus, but thinks the Lord to be a mere man, and not the only-begotten God, and Wisdom, and the Word of God, and deems Him to consist merely of a soul and body, such an one is a serpent, that preaches deceit and error for the destruction of men. And such a man is poor in understanding, even as by name he is an Ebionite. If any one confesses the truths mentioned, but calls lawful wedlock, and the procreation of children, destruction and pollution, or deems certain kinds of food abominable, such an one has the apostate dragon dwelling within him. If any one confesses the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and praises the creation, but calls the incarnation merely an appearance, and is ashamed of the passion, such an one has denied the faith, not less than the Jews who killed Christ. If any one confesses these things, and that God the Word did dwell in a human body, being within it as the Word, even as the soul also is in the body, because it was God that inhabited it, and not a human soul, but affirms that unlawful unions are a good thing, and places the highest happiness in pleasure, as does the man who is falsely called a Nicolaitan, this person can neither be a lover of God, nor a lover of Christ, but is a corrupter of his own flesh, and therefore void of the Holy Spirit, and a stranger to Christ. All such persons are but monuments and sepulchres of the dead, upon which are written only the names of dead men. Flee, therefore, the wicked devices and snares of the spirit which now worketh in the children of this world, lest at any time being overcome, ye grow weak in your love. But be ye all joined together with an undivided heart and a willing mind, "being of one accord and of one judgment," being always of the same opinion about the same things, both when you are at ease and in danger, both in sorrow and in joy. I thank God, through Jesus Christ, that I have a good conscience in respect to you, and that no one has it in his power to boast, either privately or publicly, that I have burdened any one either in much or in little. And I wish for all among whom I have spoken, that they may not possess that for a testimony against them. (Early Christian Writings: The Epistle of Ignatius of Antioch to the Philadelphians)
Let us not, therefore, be insensible to His kindness. For were He to reward us according to our works, we should cease to be. Therefore, having become His disciples, let us learn to live according to the principles of Christianity. For whosoever is called by any other name besides this, is not of God. Lay aside, therefore, the evil, the old, the sour leaven, and be ye changed into the new leaven, which is Jesus Christ. Be ye salted in Him, lest any one among you should be corrupted, since by your savour ye shall be convicted. It is absurd to profess Christ Jesus, and to Judaize. For Christianity did not embrace Judaism, but Judaism Christianity, that so every tongue which believeth might be gathered together to God.
Let us not, therefore, be insensible to His kindness. For were He to reward us according to our works, we should cease to be. For "if Thou, Lord, shalt mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? " Let us therefore prove ourselves worthy of that name which we have received. For whosoever is called by any other name besides this, he is not of God; for he has not received the prophecy which speaks thus concerning us: "The people shall be called by a new name, which the Lord shall name them, and shall be a holy people." This was first fulfilled in Syria; for "the disciples were called Christians at Antioch," when Paul and Peter were laying the foundations of the Church. Lay aside, therefore, the evil, the old, the corrupt leaven, and be ye changed into the new leaven of grace. Abide in Christ, that the stranger may not have dominion over you. It is absurd to speak of Jesus Christ with the tongue, and to cherish in the mind a Judaism which has now come to an end. For where there is Christianity there cannot be Judaism. For Christ is one, in whom every nation that believes, and every tongue that confesses, is gathered unto God. And those that were of a stony heart have become the children of Abraham, the friend of God; and in his seed all those have been blessed who were ordained to eternal life in Christ. (Early Christian Writings: The Epistle of Ignatius of Antioch to the Magnesians)
But we, after we have thus washed him who has been convinced and has assented to our teaching, bring him to the place where those who are called brethren are assembled, in order that we may offer hearty prayers in common for ourselves and for the baptized [illuminated] person, and for all others in every place, that we may be counted worthy, now that we have learned the truth, by our works also to be found good citizens and keepers of the commandments, so that we may be saved with an everlasting salvation. Having ended the prayers, we salute one another with a kiss. There is then brought to the president of the brethren bread and a cup of wine mixed with water; and he taking them, gives praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and offers thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy to receive these things at His hands. And when he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all the people present express their assent by saying Amen. This word Amen answers in the Hebrew language to genoito [so be it]. And when the president has given thanks, and all the people have expressed their assent, those who are called by us deacons give to each of those present to partake of the bread and wine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving was pronounced, and to those who are absent they carry away a portion.
And this food is called among us Eukaristia [the Eucharist], of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. For the apostles, in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered unto us what was enjoined upon them; that Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, said, "This do ye in remembrance of Me, this is My body;" and that, after the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said, "This is My blood;" and gave it to them alone. Which the wicked devils have imitated in the mysteries of Mithras, commanding the same thing to be done. For, that bread and a cup of water are placed with certain incantations in the mystic rites of one who is being initiated, you either know or can learn.
And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things. And the wealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration. (Early Christian Writings: The First Apology of Justin Martyr)
In response to my assertion that the events of 70 CE were of much greater significance for Jews and Christians, Bob went on to say: "The historical fact is that until c. 135 A.D. the Christians in Jerusalem did keep the Sabbath, Holy Days, avoiding unclean meat etc. When they were not allowed to, they once again fled." Once again, Mr. Thiel avoids the events of 70 CE because they destroy his narrative about the celebration of Sunday amongst early Christians!
After all, Jesus Christ had prophesied the events of 70 CE during his earthly ministry. In the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, we read: "Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, 'You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.' (Matthew 24:1-2, ESV) Speaking of these events, Josephus wrote: "These Romans put the Jews to flight, and proceeded as far as the holy house itself. At which time one of the soldiers, without staying for any orders, and without any concern or dread upon him at so great an undertaking, and being hurried on by a certain divine fury, snatched some what out of the materials that were on fire, and being lifted up by another soldier, he set fire to a golden window, through which there wion, passage to the rooms that were round about the holy house, on the north side of it. As the flames went upward, the Jews made a great clamor, such as so mighty an affliction required, and ran together to prevent it; and now they spared not their lives any longer, nor suffered anything to restrain their force, since that holy house was perishing...thus it was the holy house burnt down...Nor can one imagine any thing greater or more terrible than this noise; for there was at once a shout of the Roman Legions, who were marching all together, and a sad clamor of the seditious, who were now surrounded with fire and sword... the people under a great consternation, made sad moans at the calamity they were under...Yet was the misery itself more terrible than the disorder; for one would have thought that the hill itself, on which the Temple stood, was seething hot, as full of fire on every part of it." (Jewish Virtual Library: The Destruction of the Second Temple - Flavius Josephus - Antiquities, xi. 1.2)
Most historians readily acknowledge that the events of 70 CE marked a decisive turning point in the history of both Judaism and Christianity. Notice what one article had to say on the topic: "The fall of Jerusalem had dire immediate consequences for the Jewish people. Thousands had been killed during the siege, and those who survived faced enslavement, exile, or life in a ruined city. The loss of the Second Temple was particularly devastating, as it was not only the center of religious worship but also a symbol of national identity. It marked the beginning of a long diaspora for Jewish people. With the city in ruins and the Second Temple destroyed, many Jews were displaced, sold into slavery, or chose to leave the region. They established communities throughout the Roman Empire and beyond, profoundly shaping the Jewish experience and identity. With the destruction of the temple, the practice of Judaism had to adapt, necessitating a major shift in religious practice and thought, leading to the development of Rabbinic Judaism...The destruction of Jerusalem also had a profound impact on the early Christian movement. Many followers of Jesus had fled the city before the siege, spreading their beliefs to other parts of the Roman Empire. The destruction of the Temple and the city validated, for some, Jesus' prophetic warnings about Jerusalem's fall. Without a central Jewish authority in Jerusalem, and with Jewish communities scattered, Christianity began to evolve as a distinct religion, increasingly separate from its Jewish roots." (The Cataclysmic Siege of Jerusalem in AD 70 and Its Impact on Judaism and Christianity)
Like most Armstrongites, "Dr" Thiel also ignores and distorts what happened at the great Council of Jerusalem (see Acts 15). The same group responsible for the previous article had this to say about the significance of that event (which happened some twenty years before the destruction of the city and Temple by the Romans): "As the Christian mission expanded, particularly among Gentiles, a crucial question arose: Did non-Jewish converts need to follow all of the Jewish laws? The original disciples of Jesus in Jerusalem were ethnically Jewish and continued to observe the Torah, so when Gentiles started joining the movement in significant numbers, this became a pressing question. Some Judean Christians that were often called ‘Judaizers’ by historians argued that Gentile believers should undergo circumcision and keep kosher laws. Paul and others, however, contended that this was not necessary, since they taught that faith in Christ was sufficient for Gentiles. To resolve this dispute, the apostles and elders convened a meeting known as the Council of Jerusalem around AD 49 or 50. At it, leaders like Peter and James discussed the status of Gentile converts. The council reached a landmark decision: Gentile Christians would not be required to fully observe the Mosaic Law. This was a turning point in Christian history, as it opened the door for a much broader Gentile inclusion and helped Christianity develop its own identity distinct from Judaism. Over the next decades, the Gentile proportion of the Church grew rapidly." (The History of Christianity in the First Century)
Finally, the Scriptures of the New Testament affirm the importance of the day we call "Sunday" to early Christians (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1-2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1, Acts 2:1, Acts 20:7, I Corinthians 16:2, and Revelation 1:10). I have also noted in previous posts that there wasn't any pagan tradition of weekly "Sunday" observance for Christians to inherit!
Hence, for anyone willing to do a modicum of research into the subject of the early history of Christianity, Bob's narrative will appear false and self-serving. "Dr" Thiel has looked for writings, explanations, and historians who support his narrative - that all Christians observed the Sabbath for the first two or three hundred years of the Church's existence. Wrong Bob! This is only a small slice of the evidence which discredits your narrative!
No comments:
Post a Comment