Olketa Church Father Saportim Bible Truth?

Nomata iu sei iu wanfala Christian or nomoa, olketa hia maet affectim idea bilong iu abaotem God bilong Bible, abaotem Jesus, and abaotem Christian Wei. Wanfala long olketa garem nem Golden-Mouthed; narawan, Great. Olsem wanfala sekson, samfala storyim olketa hia olsem “olketa wea stand for laef bilong Christ long nambawan wei.” Hu nao olketa? Olketa man bifor wea ting raonem religion, wea raet, olketa savveman bilong religion, and olketa nara savveman wea affectim planti “Christian” tingting bilong distaem—Olketa Church Father.

“BIBLE hem no evri toktok bilong God,” hem nao Greek Orthodox professor bilong olketa religion study Demetrios J. Constantelos hem talem. “Datfala Holy Spirit wea showimaot toktok bilong God kanduit for stap nomoa long olketa page bilong wanfala buk.” Bat, waswe, eni nara wei stap wea iumi savve trustim wea God maet iusim for showimaot samting long iumi? Long buk bilong hem Understanding the Greek Orthodox Church, Constantelos hem sei: “Pipol tingse Holy Kastom and Holy Scripture tufala difren wei wea God iusim for showimaot sem samting.”

Insaed faondeson bilong datfala “Holy Kastom” hem olketa teaching and raeting bilong Olketa Church Father. Olketa man hia olketa important savveman bilong religion and olketa “Christian” savveman wea stap midolwan long mek-tu and mek-faev century C.E. Long wanem wei nao olketa affectim “Christian” tingting bilong distaem? Waswe, olketa loyal long Bible long teaching bilong olketa? Wanem nao shud strongfala faondeson bilong Christian truth for man wea followim Jesus Christ?

History Bifor

Long midol bilong mek-tu century C.E., olketa wea sei olketa Christian defendim faith bilong olketa againstim pipol bilong Rome wea persecutim olketa and pipol wea againstim teaching bilong church tu. Bat, datfala taem bilong history hem taem wea staka pipol tumas garem olketa difren tingting saed long religion. Wei for argue abaotem religion saed long Jesus “olsem God” and wanem nao holy spirit and waka bilong hem, kosim bigfala wei for divaed no long saed long savve nomoa. Strongfala wei for no agree and for divaed abaotem “Christian” teaching hem affectim tu olketa long politik and saed long kastom, and long samfala taem diswan kosim raf fasin, bighed fasin, raoa, and war midolwan long pipol. Man for raetem history Paul Johnson hem sei: “[Apostate] Christian Wei start witim wei for konfius, raoa, and wei for divaed and hem go ahed olsem. . . . Central and east saed long Mediterranean long first and mek-tu century AD kamap big witim staka tumas idea bilong religion, and evriwan hia stragol for mekem hemseleva moa big. . . . So, from start, staka difren kaen Christian Wei stap wea difren from each other.”

Long datfala taem, namba bilong olketa man for raet and tingting, wea tingse hem important tumas for minim olketa “Christian” teaching long wei for iusim spesol toktok bilong olketa savveman, start for kamap big. For mekem olketa heathen wea garem education and wea niu member bilong “Christian Wei” for satisfae, olketa man hia for raet abaotem religion depend long bigfala wei long olketa Greek and Jew buk from bifor. Start from Justin Martyr (c. 100-165 C.E.), wea raet long Greek languis, olketa wea sei olketa Christian kasem moa and moa savve long wei wea olketa tekem olketa idea bilong olketa Greek kastom.

Wei wea olketa duim diswan garem frut long raeting bilong Origen (c. 185-254 C.E.), wanfala Greek man for raet from Alexandria. Buk bilong Origen On First Principles hem firstfala raeting wea trae for minim olketa main teaching bilong “Christian” teaching long wei for iusim olketa idea bilong olketa Greek savveman. Datfala Council bilong Nicaea (325 C.E.), taem hem trae for minim and strongim wei wea Christ hem “olsem god,” hem wanfala important taem wea start for muvim pipol moa for minim “Christian” teaching. Datfala council markem start bilong wanfala taem wea olketa main church council lukaotem eni wei for mekem teaching moa klia.

Olketa for Raet and Givim Tok

Eusebius bilong Caesarea, wea raet long taem bilong firstfala Council bilong Nicaea, joinim hemseleva witim Emperor Constantine. For lelebet winim 100 year bihaen Nicaea, olketa savveman bilong religion, wea raet long Greek languis, disaedem long wanfala longfala and nogud raoa, samting wea bae kamap barava main teaching bilong Christendom, datfala Trinity. Main wan long olketa man hia hem Athanasius, datfala bishop bilong Alexandria wea no hol bak for talemaot tingting bilong hem, and thrifala church leader from Cappadocia, Asia Minor—Basil the Great, brata bilong hem Gregory bilong Nyssa, and fren bilong tufala Gregory bilong Nazianzus.

Olketa for raet and preach long datfala taem barava savve tumas. Gregory bilong Nazianzus and John Chrysostom (minim “Golden-Mouthed”) long Greek languis and tu Ambrose bilong Milan and Augustine bilong Hippo long Latin languis, olketa savve tumas for givim tok, wea hem nao samting wea pipol respectim and laekem tumas long datfala taem. Nambawan man for raet long datfala taem hem nao Augustine. Religion raeting bilong hem kasem evriwea and gogo sheipim “Christian” tingting bilong distaem. Jerome, bigfala savveman long olketa buk long datfala taem, hem main wan wea wakem datfala Latin Vulgate transleison bilong Bible from olketa firstfala languis.

Nomata olsem, samfala important kwestin stap: Waswe, Olketa Church Father followim Bible long klos wei? Waswe, olketa hol strong long olketa Scripture wea kam from God insaed long teaching bilong olketa? Waswe, man savve trustim samting wea olketa raetem for lanem stretfala savve bilong God?

Olketa Teaching Bilong God or Man?

No longtaem go nomoa, Greek Orthodox Bigman Methodius bilong Pisidia hem raetem buk The Hellenic Pedestal of Christianity for showimaot hao Greek kastom and tingting provaedem faondeson bilong “Christian” tingting bilong distaem. Long datfala buk, hem no hol bak for talemaot: “Klosap evri important Church Father ting long olketa Greek idea from bifor kam olsem best wan for iusim, and olketa iusim for helpem olketa minim and talemaot olketa Christian truth long stretfala wei.”

Olsem example, tingim datfala idea hao Father, Son, and holy spirit join for mekem datfala Trinity. Bihaen long Council bilong Nicaea planti long Olketa Church Father barava strong for bilivim Trinity. Samting wea olketa raetem and talem hem barava important part for mekem datfala Trinity wanfala important teaching bilong Christendom. Bat waswe, Trinity stap insaed long Bible? Nomoa. So from wea nao Olketa Church Father tekem diswan? A Dictionary of Religious Knowledge talem hao planti sei datfala Trinity “hem wanfala difren samting wea olketa tekem from olketa heathen religion, and joinim long Christian faith.” And The Paganism in Our Christianity talem: “Start bilong datfala [Trinity] hem heathen evribit.”a—John 3:16; 14:28.

Or tingim datfala teaching hao soul no savve dae, wanfala biliv wea sei wanfala part bilong man hem stap laef bihaen body hem dae. Olketa Church Father nao olketa wea tekem disfala idea kam long wanfala religion wea no garem teaching wea sei soul hem laef bihaen dae. Bible showimaot klia hao soul savve dae: “Soul wea hem sin—hem nao bae dae.” (Ezekiel 18:4) Wanem nao faondeson for Olketa Church Father bilivim hao soul no savve dae? New Catholic Encyclopedia hem sei: “Datfala Christian idea abaotem wanfala spirit soul wea God creatim and putim insaed long body taem man hem smol seed yet for mekem full man, hem frut bilong Christian tingting wea grow for longfala taem. Bikos Origen stap long East and St. Augustine long West, diswan strongim hao soul hem wanfala spirit samting and olketa wakem olketa idea abaotem wanem nao really soul. . . . [teaching bilong Augustine]. . . . hem kam (and samfala mistek tu) from Neoplatonism.” And datfala magasin Presbyterian Life hem sei: “Soul no savve dae hem wanfala Greek idea wea kam from olketa secret cult bifor and wea datfala savveman Plato nao storyim go moa.”b

Strongfala Faondeson Bilong Christian Truth

Nomata bihaen disfala smolfala lukluk long history bilong Olketa Church Father, and start bilong teaching bilong olketa tu, hem fitim for ask olsem, Waswe, samting wea olketa honest Christian bilivim shud kam from olketa teaching bilong Olketa Church Father? Letem Bible ansarem.

Wanfala samting, Jesus Christ seleva tambuim wei for iusim “Father” olsem title insaed religion taem hem sei: “No kolem eniwan father bilong iufala long earth, from wanfala nomoa hem Father bilong iufala, Datwan long heven.” (Matthew 23:9) For iusim datfala word “Father” for minim eniwan saed long religion hem no Christian and hem againstim Bible. Raeting bilong Word bilong God hem finis long samting olsem 98 C.E. taem aposol John finisim raeting bilong hem. So, olketa tru Christian no need for luk long eni man olsem wan for showimaot moa samting from God. Olketa careful for no ‘mekem word bilong God olsem iusles’ from kastom bilong man. Wei for letem kastom bilong man for changem Word bilong God hem savve killim man dae long spiritual wei. Jesus warnim: “Sapos wanfala blind man leadim narafala blind man, tufala evriwan bae foldaon insaed long hol.”—Matthew 15:6, 14.

Waswe, wanfala Christian needim eni extra samting winim toktok bilong God wea stap long Bible? Nomoa. Buk bilong Revelation givim warning againstim wei for addim eniting long Bible: “Sapos eniwan joinim go eni samting long olketa toktok hia, God bae joinim go long hem olketa trabol wea olketa raetem insaed long disfala scroll.”—Revelation 22:18.

Christian truth hem stap insaed long raeting long Word bilong God, Bible. (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 John 1-4) Stretfala wei for minim hem no depend long tingting bilong world. Abaotem olketa wea trae for iusim tingting bilong man for minim klia samting from God, hem fitim for talem moa olketa kwestin bilong aposol Paul: “Wea nao wisefala man? Wea nao scribe? Wea nao savveman bilong disfala system? Waswe, God no mekem wisdom bilong disfala world olsem krangge samting?”—1 Corinthians 1:20.

And tu, trufala Christian kongregeson hem “wanfala post and saport bilong truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15) Olketa overseer careful for protectim klinfala teaching bilong olketa seleva insaed long kongregeson, for stopem eni teaching wea no klin for isisi kam insaed. (2 Timothy 2:15-18, 25) Olketa stopem olketa ‘false profet, giaman teacher, and olketa nogud sect’ for kam insaed long kongregeson. (2 Peter 2:1) Bihaen olketa aposol dae, Olketa Church Father letem “olketa giaman toktok from antap and teaching bilong olketa demon” for grow insaed long Christian kongregeson.—1 Timothy 4:1.

Samting wea kamaot from disfala wei for apostate hem showaot klia long Christendom distaem. Samting wea olketa bilivim and duim hem barava difren from truth bilong Bible.

[Olketa Footnote]

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OLKETA CAPPADOCIAN FATHER

“Datfala Orthodox Church . . . garem spesol respect for olketa wea raet long mek-foa century, and especially for olketa wea church kolem ‘thrifala Great Hierarchs,’ Gregory bilong Nazianzus, Basil the Great, and John Chrysostom,” hem nao toktok bilong man for raet Kallistos, wea hem wanfala monk. Waswe, Olketa Church Father hia iusim olketa Scripture from God olsem faondeson for teaching bilong olketa? Datfala buk The Fathers of the Greek Church hem sei abaotem Basil the Great: “Olketa raeting bilong hem showimaot hao for full laef bilong hem, hem laekem tumas Plato, Homer, and olketa man for raetem history and givim tok, and olketa barava affectim wei bilong hem for raet. . . . Basil hem no change bat stap olsem wanfala ‘Greek.’” Gregory bilong Nazianzus hem olsem tu. “Long tingting bilong hem, sapos Church acceptim evribit olketa kastom and idea bilong olketa Greek bifor, hem best wei for showimaot hao hem win and moa hae.”

Taem hem storyim thrifala evriwan hia, Professor Panagiotis K. Christou hem raet: “Nomata olketa samfala taem warn againstim ‘olketa idea and giaman trik’ [Colossians 2:8]—for mekem hem luk olsem olketa agree witim komandment bilong New Testament—olketa, long semtaem, go ahed strong for studyim olketa idea and rul bilong man and encouragem narafala pipol for studyim tu.” Hem klia hao olketa church teacher olsem tingse Bible hem no inaf for saportim evri idea bilong olketa. Waswe, maet wei wea olketa lukaotem saport from nara ples minim samting wea olketa teachim hem nating join witim Bible? Aposol Paul warnim olketa Hebrew Christian: “No letem samfala teaching wea difren evribit for pullim iu go difren.”—Hebrews 13:9.

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CYRIL BILONG ALEXANDRIA​—CHURCH FATHER WEA MEKEM RAOA KAMAP

Wanfala long Olketa Church Father wea mekem planti raoa kamap hem Cyril bilong Alexandria (c. 375-444 C.E.). Man for raetem history bilong church Hans von Campenhausen storyim hem olsem “no willing for lisin long eniwan, raf, and kleva, fulap witim bighed fasin abaotem waka and position bilong hem,” and talem tu hao “hem tingim samting hem stret only sapos datwan savve apim go moa paoa and position bilong hem . . . Hem nating sorre long wei bilong hem for raf tumas and no honest.” Taem hem bishop bilong Alexandria, Cyril iusim wei for givim bribe, tokspoelem man, and laea toktok for aotem bishop bilong Constantinople. Pipol ting hem nao guilty for killim dae long barava raf wei wanfala savveman long 415 C.E. wea nem bilong hem Hypatia. Abaotem olketa raeting bilong Cyril saed long religion, Campenhausen hem sei: “Hem nao startim wei for disaedem olketa kwestin bilong biliv no long faondeson bilong Bible nomoa, bat witim help bilong samfala toktok and word bilong olketa man wea pipol acceptim olsem olketa savveman.”

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Jerome

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Garo Nalbandian