First Christian Voices: Practices of the Apostolic Fathers

Introduction

7

Approximate Date (AD)

Key Characteristics of God the Son

Source

The Letter to Diognetus

160-181

The Son is the Word of God.

However, illiteracy did not mean ignorance as can be inferred by the depth of theological discussion in early Christian writings. All Christians were encouraged to study, even if that meant orally. Nevertheless, study required leadership, particularly educated leaders. So, the primary role of leaders in the early church was to ensure proper doctrine about Jesus Christ. To safeguard such doctrine meant that they themselves had to study and needed the skills to properly teach in the expected conversational method of the day (Didache 4). The sermon, as well as pulpit and pews, were foreign to believers in the late first to early second centuries (see Acts 20:7). Their learning took place in conversation as the community of Christ followers. The early heretical teachings about Jesus are often called Gnosticism. Gnosticism was not a single religious system. That is, some use the term “Gnosticism” as a specific religion like one would use the term “Christianity” as a specific religion. However, Gnosticism is best understood as a catch-all term describing a myriad of beliefs that are generally dualistic as they pit good against evil, light against dark, spiritual against physical. While there are most definitely Gnostic elements in early heresies about Jesus, we cannot think of Gnosticism as a single coherent belief system.