Category Archives: Early Christianity

The “Broader Framework” of Salvation at the Heart of the Apostle Paul’s Teaching

Posted on 02/13/2021 by Paul Pavao

Today I wrote on Facebook that I would pay my entire retirement account if by doing so I could magically impart an understanding of the preface of Matthew J. Thomas’ new edition of Paul’s “Works of the Law” in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Early Christianity, Evangelicals, Gospel, Holiness, Modern Doctrines, Rebuilding the Foundations | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

When Christians Conquered an Empire (in current English)

Posted on 01/26/2021 by Paul Pavao

Tertullian’s Christians Conquer Empire reworded This is a rewording of yesterday’s blog. “To the Rulers of the Roman Empire: “… If we are commanded to love our enemies, as I have pointed out earlier, whom do we Christians have to … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Christianity, History, Modern Doctrines, Protestants | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

When Christians Conquered a Nation

Posted on 01/25/2021 by Paul Pavao

This was written very close to the year 200, to the Roman emperors, who almost certainly never read it, but the words have been preserved. This is what conquest of an empire by real Christians looks like: This is long, … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Early Christianity, Evangelicals, History, History (Stories), Modern Doctrines, Rebuilding the Foundations, Teachings that must not be lost | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How the Church Was One: The Only True Source of Unity

Posted on 11/11/2020 by Paul Pavao

The early churches were united as God’s family. Jesus was Lord and the Father was, well, the Father of the family. The one thing to do in that family was to love and obey the Father through the Lordship of … Continue reading →

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The Judgment by Works: The Most Important Doctrine to Learn from the Early Church Fathers

Posted on 11/02/2020 by Paul Pavao

I wrote the following in a comment on Patristics for Protestants about what is the most important thing to learn from the early church fathers. There are several quotes from the earliest fathers in my comment, but I give you … Continue reading →

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Wisdom in Proverbs, Daniel’s Son of Man, the Trinity, and Jesus the Messiah and Son of God

Posted on 09/08/2020 by Paul Pavao

This article argues for the early Christian/Nicene concept of the Trinity (still held among the Eastern Orthodox), that Wisdom in Proverbs should be understood throughout as referring to the Son of God, who is also called the Word, and provides … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Dealing with Scripture Honestly, Early Christianity, Modern Doctrines, Roman Catholic & Orthodox, Teachings that must not be lost | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jude 3: Over-Agonizing for the Once for All Delivered Faith

Posted on 05/19/2020 by Paul Pavao

Dear saints, Jude, our Lord’s brother, commanded us long ago to epagonizomai for the faith once for all delivered to us. Epagonizomai means to “over agonize.” In Colossians 1:29, Paul said he was agonizomai, agonizing, with God’s energeo, God’s energy, … Continue reading →

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The Differences Between Early Christianity and Modern Christianity

Posted on 01/22/2020 by Paul Pavao

When I first read the early church fathers, I had one major question. I wanted to know what the churches believed about the Bible back when they all agreed with one another. This was critically important to me. I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Christianity | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Consensus: Why We Read the Early Church Fathers

Posted on 12/26/2019 by Paul Pavao

Today I answered the charge that the early church fathers are unreliable because Irenaeus, one of the most trustworthy early fathers, said Jesus lived to be over 40 and ministered for at least a decade. I was writing to someone … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Christianity | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

How I Became a Heretic (to the Evangelicals)

Posted on 12/14/2019 by Paul Pavao

I was raised Catholic, gave up on Catholicism, explored eastern mysticism as a teenager, and wound up agnostic at age 20. The prayers and daily witness of my first Air Force supervisor and some reading of the Gospels led to … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Dealing with Scripture Honestly, Early Christianity, Evangelicals, Modern Doctrines | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments