The Ancient Witnesses

Chapter 7: The Last Times • 253

Shepherd of the universal ( catholikos ) Church throughout the world.” 50 These words, explained Mentor, contained the earliest use of the Greek term, catholikos , which referred to the Church throughout the world. “ Apostolic is the final mark,” announced Mentor. “This is our rule,” said Tertullian, who had returned to the lectern, “the Lord Jesus Christ sent the apostles to preach and, therefore, none should be recognized as authoritative except those whom Christ appointed. As to what they preached, in other words what Christ revealed to them, this is known only by those churches which the apostles founded, declaring the gospel to them in person or, afterward, by their letters. If this rule is accurate, then it must also be the case that if any other church’s doctrine matches the apostolic churches, it too must be considered true, holding to all that the apostolic churches received from the apostles, and the apostles from Christ, and Christ from God.” 51 Tertullian’s rule of the apostolic Church, I summarized in my journal as follows: “An apostolic Church is an authoritative or true church, whose teaching come from or matches the twelve apostles, since their teaching in turn comes from Christ himself.” Tertullian reminded Mentor that, aside from the four marks of the Church mentioned in the Nicene Creed, the witnesses often spoke of the Church as their mother .

50 The Martyrdom of Polycarp (about AD 160). See Michael W. Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers , 3rd edition (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), 315; 327.

51 Tertullian, Prescription against Heretics , 21 (ANF 3:252).