Christian Evidences CA312 LESSON 11 of 12 Victor M. Matthews, STD Former Professor of Systematic Theology Grand Rapids Theological Seminary This is lecture number 11 in the course entitled Christian Evidences. Our theme in these lectures revolves around the concept that if Christianity is genuine, then what would we expect by way of supernatural evidence. In these last few lectures we ve considered the origin and the character of the Jewish religion as an evidence for the truthfulness of Christianity, the evidence of fulfilled prophecy, the evidence found in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the evidence found in the resurrection of our Lord, the evidence found in archeology, and now, in this eleventh lecture I want to talk for a moment or two about the evidence for Christianity found in early Christian and secular literature. Some time ago I asked the question in this lecture series as to what you would do if you were God to make yourself known. Perhaps one way is that you would take a group of people, a nation, and make them very different in many many ways, particularly in their religion, and that is what God has done with the Jewish people. Perhaps you would enter into the area of literature and cause some of your prophets to make prophecies that could be fulfilled only by supernatural intervention, and that s what God has done in literature. Perhaps you would send your Son into the world, and the only way that people could explain His person and work and His profound influence upon every generation would be by recognizing that you were there and that your Son was genuinely your Son. Perhaps you would allow your Son to be crucified, and then as a great token of supernatural power you would bring Him forth out of the grave. That s what God has done. Perhaps you would cause that in every way in which the word, your Word, the Bible, would touch history. You would cause it to be an exact reference that could be demonstrated by archaeology, and that s what you have done and that s what God has done. Perhaps you would also cause many early Christians to write about the nature of Christianity in such a way that the truthfulness of Christianity would be clearly seen and would clearly demonstrate the supernatural source of biblical Christianity. And now that s 1 of 10
what we find in early Christian and secular literature. The importance of the study of the literature of this early period is that here we have a testimony to the existence and the nature of Christianity in its very earliest days. In this literature we have a non-canonical, that is, a non-biblical source of information as to what the early church believed and practiced. If Christianity does not have a historical foundation and if it is without a supernatural origin, then such factors would be abundantly clear from a study of the literature of this period. One of the ways of answering the questions, How do I know that Christianity is the only true religion? How do I know it s genuine? is to go back and study the literature surrounding that period. The Testimony of the Early Church Fathers There are three very simple points that I want to make in this lecture: first of all, the testimony of some of the early church fathers to the New Testament. It has been well pointed out that the quantity of the writings of the Fathers is enormous, and yet much has been lost in time. A mere fraction has come down to us, and yet it s sufficient to make a fairly good-sized library. Much of the Old Testament and practically all of the New Testament, for example, could be reproduced from the writings of the Fathers alone, that is, the writings that we have. If somehow all of the Bibles in the world would be destroyed, all the manuscripts, all of the versions, then from the writings of the early church fathers almost all of the Old and New Testament could be reproduced simply from their quotations. A person needs only to turn to that very fine set of books, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, that is, the Fathers who lived before the Council of Nicea, which was in 325. [The reference is to The Ante-Nicene Fathers: Translations of the Writings of the Fathers Down to AD 325, edited by James Donaldson and Alexander Roberts (reprint ed.; Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1987).] When you look at that set of books, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, you realize how often and copiously the Scriptures are quoted. Because of the questions which often revolve around the writing of the New Testament, I want to emphasize some of the quotations in the material in this lecture. When you look at charts that have been drawn up, for example, by a man such as H. S. Miller and his very familiar book General Biblical Introduction [Houghton, NY: Word-Bearer Press, 1937], when you look at such charts as he has concerning the many quotations found in the early church fathers as related to the New Testament, it causes one to stop and realize that they accepted the New Testament as their final authority. 2 of 10
For example, and I just want to give an illustration or two here, Justin the Martyr, that is, Justin who became one of the early martyrs for the faith, Justin died in AD 165. That s a very early date. Justin wasn t raised in a Christian home. He was saved in what we would think of as middle age. He was a university professor, as we d call him today, and he became an apologete for the church. In the few writings that we have of Justin the Martyr, he quotes the four gospels 268 times, according to Miller. Ten times he refers to the book of Acts, six quotations of the General Epistles, forty-three times he refers to the Pauline Epistles, he speaks of the book of the Revelation with a quotation three times, for a total of 330 clear designated quotations from the New Testament. There are 266 times that he just refers sort of off the cuff to the New Testament; 330 quotations where he designates the place and 266 other times. Clement of Alexandria, this great exegete and great apologete of the early church, I should say who died in 216 or 217, referred to the Gospels in the few writings that we have from Clement. He referred to the gospels 1,017 times. He referred, for example, to the Pauline Epistles 1,127 times. In total he referred to the New Testament by way of quotation 2,406 times. It s amazing when you look at the works of Irenaeus, Origen, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Eusebius, and other men like this and when it s recognized that these men accepted the New Testament as their final authority. They quoted it as final authority against the heretics of the day. They used it to support their denunciations of the immorality and the idolatry of their day, and they affirmed it as the only basis, along with the Old Testament, of the Christian faith. Then we gain an understanding of the wholehearted acceptance of the New Testament in that period. Such an acceptance of the New Testament and its use is again what we would expect if Christianity is true and if the Bible is the Word of God. Now, a person can throw Christianity out. He can deny that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He can deny that the Bible is the Word of God, but if he s going to be honest about it, how can he deny the profound effect that the New Testament had on the very period when the content of the New Testament could be tested? It s interesting that right at the time when the resurrection of our Savior could easily be checked, the early church believed more firmly in the resurrection than at any other time in its history. That s true with the content of the New Testament. Many of these that I have referred to lived only a few years after the death of the apostle John, who died somewhere around AD 100. These men were living at a time when the content of the New Testament 3 of 10
books could easily be checked out, and yet they believed the content and preached it as such. A person can throw Christianity out if he wants to, and many people do, but not many people are willing or honest enough to go back and to try to answer the material that I m presenting in this lecture. The second point in this lecture has to do with the testimony of some of the early church fathers to the nature of Christianity. This is only a brief sample: first of all, Clement of Rome and his epistle to the Corinthians. Clement is said to have been the pastor of the church at Rome from about AD 92 to 100. The dates of his birth and death are usually given as from 30 to 100. He was a man of great learning, ability, and influence. This letter or epistle was written either in AD 95 or 96. Notice now that he wrote the letter before the apostle John died. He wrote it before the gospel of John itself was written, or just about at the same time. This letter that the pastor of the church at Rome wrote to the church of Corinth, the people there at Corinth, is a brief statement of Christian doctrine as a practical exhortation to unity. The church at Corinth was being disrupted. The testimony was being marred by divisions within the church, and Clement as a pastor was concerned for them. And so he sat down and wrote a letter to them, a pastoral letter urging them on the basis of the truthfulness of the Word of God to live a better Christian life. It s interesting that we have this letter. It s now in the British Museums, a part of two fourthcentury Greek manuscripts. Let me read a couple of quotations from the letter. This is taken now from The Ante-Nicene Fathers in volume 1, and I m sure that any of you who listen to these lectures could have easy access to The Ante-Nicene Fathers. They re found in almost all libraries. Clement said, From Him also, that is from God, was descended our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh and we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus are not justified by ourselves nor by our own wisdom or understanding or godliness or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart but by that faith through which from the beginning Almighty God has justified all men to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Another quote: The apostles have preached the gospel to us from the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has done so from God. Christ therefore was sent forth by God and the apostles by Christ. Both these appointments then were made in an orderly way according 4 of 10
to the will of God. Having therefore received their orders and being fully assured by the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and established in the Word of God with full assurance of the Holy Ghost, they went forth proclaiming that the Kingdom of God was at hand. It s interesting to stop and ask: What do these two quotations indicate about Clement s belief and about the belief of the early church? And I want to remind you that he did not write the letter to prove Christianity. He wrote the letter to try to get the Christians at Corinth to live a better Christian life. He talks about Jesus Christ as our Lord. He talks about the Lord Jesus Christ being sent from God and Christ sending the apostles. He talks about the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. He talks about justification by faith. He talks about the Word of God. He spoke of the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the apostles proclaiming the kingdom of God. All of this was written about AD 95 or 96. A person can throw Christianity out if you want to, or you can write Christianity off by saying that the New Testament and its doctrines came into existence by a long process of religious evolution. But, my friend, here is a very strong statement from AD 95 or 96, just a few years after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and here almost all of the basic content of Christianity is referred to as literary asides within the letter written by Clement of Rome. How are you going to answer that if you do not believe in the genuineness of Christianity? If you do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and if you do not believe in the miraculous intervention of God into human affairs of the person of the Lord Jesus, if you don t believe in the truthfulness of the Word and the character of the early church as stated in the Bible, how do you explain Clement s letter? It would be very hard indeed to do that. The letter of Clement stands as a great testimony from the days of the early church of the truthfulness of the early church. Secondarily, the letter of Ignatius, and I would refer to his letters to the Ephesians, the Magnesians, the Trellyans, the Romans, the Philadelphians, the Smyrnians, and Polycarp. Ignatius was the pastor of the church in Antioch. His dates are generally given as being born about 30 and dying at about 107, just about as the same span of time as Clement of Rome. During a period of persecution, Ignatius was condemned to die for his faith in Christ. While being taken to Rome for execution, he wrote the letters that I ve just referred to. Ignatius was thrown to the wild beasts in the reign of Trajan the emperor. 5 of 10
Now I want to quote from just one of his books, and this is the book entitled To the Ephesians. When he was on his way to Rome, he wrote a number of quite lengthy letters, and one of these letters was sent to the Christians at Ephesus, so let me quote a couple times: Ignatius said, The cross of Christ is indeed a stumbling block to those that do not believe but to the believing it is salvation and life eternal. Where is the wise man? Where is the dispute? Where is the boasting of those who are called mighty? For the Son of God who was begotten before time began and established all things according to the will of the Father, He was conceived in the womb of Mary according to the appointment of God of the seed of David, and by the Holy Ghost. For says the Scripture, Behold a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son, and he shall be called Emmanuel, and there he ends the quotation from the book of Isaiah. Ignatius goes on to say, Jesus Christ was born and baptized by John that He might ratify the institution committed to that prophet. Another quotation: Ignatius said, Stand fast brother in the face of Jesus Christ and in His love, in His passion, in His Resurrection. Do ye all come together in common and individually through grace and one faith of God the Father and of Jesus Christ His only begotten Son and the firstborn of every creature but of the seed of David according to the flesh being under the guidance of the Comforter in obedience to the bishops and Presbytery with an undivided mind breaking one in the same bread which is the medicine of immortality and the antidote which presents us from dying but a cleansing remedy driving away evil which causes that we should live in God through Jesus Christ. What did Ignatius believe? What did the early church of that day believe? They believed in the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. They believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Ignatius says, That He was begotten before time, conceived in the womb of Mary according to the seed of David and by the Holy Spirit. He refers to Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son. He speaks of the structure of the church: bishop and presbyter. He speaks of the Lord s Table, and he calls it the medicine of immortality. Again, Ignatius died in 107. He died only a few years after the apostle John. Here again we have a letter that shows that the early church believed the doctrines that we had referred to from the New Testament earlier in this lecture series. A person can reject Christianity if he desires, but here within early church literature we have a very early reference to almost all of the doctrines found in the New Testament. How are we going to account for this if we deny the truthfulness of Christianity? 6 of 10
Let me refer to another one. It s by Polycarp in his epistle to the Philippians. Polycarp was born about AD 70, and he died as a martyr in Rome about 155. He was the pastor of the church in Smyrna. He had been personally acquainted with the apostle John and had talked with many who had known the Lord Jesus Christ. Now from his book To the Philippians, which is found in The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Polycarp said, I have greatly rejoiced with you and our Lord Jesus Christ because you have followed the example of true faith as displayed by God and have accompanied as becomes you those who are bound in chains, the fitting ornaments of saints and which are indeed the diadems of the true elective God and of our Lord and because the strong root of your faith spoken of in days long gone by endureth even until now and bringeth forth fruit to our Lord Jesus Christ who for our sins suffered even unto death but whom God raised from the dead having loosed the bands of the grave. He believes in Jesus Christ as our Lord. He speaks of election, faith. He speaks of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he speaks of His resurrection. Again, here s an early reference by Polycarp of the nature of biblical Christianity, just as we find it in the New Testament. Let me refer again to Justin the Martyr. Justin was born about AD 100, and he died as a martyr in 165. He was one of the earliest and best known of the apologists for Christianity. It was seen that Justin was born into a wealthy family. After an extensive education he was recognized as a philosopher. In about 130 he was converted to Christianity through the personal work of an aged Christian. You will find his testimony in the book entitled Dialogue with Trypho, which is also in the first volume of The Ante-Nicene Fathers. In the first apology, which is found also in that volume 1 of The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Justin made the statement, Our teacher of these things is Jesus Christ who also was born for this purpose and was crucified under Pontius Pilot in the times of Tiberius Caesar and that we reasonably worship Him having learned that He is the true Son of God Himself and holding Him into second place and the prophetic spirit into third, we will prove. These are important and interesting quotations from very early in the history of the church. Justin, who had this fine education, Justin who was recognized as a philosopher, who was not raised in the church, who did not become a Christian until he was about thirty years of age he makes a statement that he believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and His crucifixion. He believed that Jesus Christ was the true Son of God. He looked upon the Lord Jesus Christ as the second person of the Trinity and the Holy Spirit as the third 7 of 10
person of the Trinity. Another quotation referring to the Bible: In these books then of the prophets, we found Jesus our Christ foretold as coming born of a virgin, growing up to man s estate and healing every disease and every sickness and raising the dead and being hated and unrecognized and crucified and dying and rising again and ascending into heaven and being called the Son of God. Again, I want to say here was a man who was converted at middle age, and here is a man who had a good training as a philosopher and was teaching in one of the schools as a philosopher; even after becoming a Christian, he continued to wear the philosopher s cloak in that period of time. What did he believe about the Lord Jesus Christ? He believed that He was born of a virgin, that He was crucified, and that He rose again from the dead, and that Jesus Christ was verily the Son of God. Then there s a quotation. This is an interesting one because he speaks of the early churches worshiping on the Lord s Day, or Sunday. He states, And on the day called Sunday all who live in cities or in the country gather together in one place and the memoirs of the apostles [that s the Gospels] or the writing of the prophets [some of the Old Testament] are read and as long as time permits then when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. That sounds like a good gospel service, doesn t it? Then he goes on to say, 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 Savior on the same day arose from the dead. Here s an interesting statement by a man who died in 165. Sometimes we are told that the early church did not start the worship on the Lord s Day or on Sunday until the third or the fourth century, but here s a man who died in 165 and said, On the day called Sunday, and he refers to the early churches worshiping on Sunday. What else does he believe? He believed in the authority of the apostles and the prophets, the Word of God. He speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God as our Savior and as having been raised from the dead by God on Sunday. These are important statements from the early church. A person can throw Christianity out if he desires, but if he s going to be honest how can he explain the content in the writings of Justin the Martyr? 8 of 10
And then again the writings of Aristides and his apology. Not very much is known of Aristides. He was a Christian philosopher in Athens, and he addressed a defense for Christianity to the Emperor Antonides. This apology is generally dated about AD 140, again, a very, very early record of the early church. Allow me to quote from his apology. This is found in volume 10 of The Ante- Nicene Fathers. He states, The Christians traced their origin from the Lord Jesus Christ and He is acknowledged by the Holy Spirit to be the Son of the Most High God who came down from heaven for the salvation of men and was born of a pure virgin unbegotten and immaculate, He assumed flesh and revealed Himself among men that he might recall them to Himself from their wanderings after many gods and having accomplished his wonderful dispensation by a voluntary choice he tasted death on the cross fulfilling an Auguste dispensation, and after three days He came to life again and ascended into heaven and if you ll would read, O King, you may judge the glory of His presence from the holy gospel writings as it is called among yourselves. What is Aristides, who died in 140? What did he believe? He believed that the Lord Jesus Christ was the Son of God born of a virgin, that He tasted death on the cross, that He was resurrected from the grave after three days, and he believed in the holy gospel writings. Testimony from Non-Christians The third point in this lecture is the testimony to Christianity found in the interchange of letters between Emperor Trajan and Governor Pliny. Here we have a record of the nature and the existence of Christianity by two non-christians. Pliny, that s Pliny the Younger, was asked by the Emperor Trajan, emperor of Rome by the way, in about AD 111, 111, that s very early, to accept the governorship of Bithynia in northern Asia Minor. Bithynia, you ll find, is referred to in 1 Peter 1:1 as one of the early mission fields. This interchange of letters between these two concerning the condition in Bithynia of Christians is important for the study of early Christianity. Pliny, the governor, wrote to Trajan and said, here s a quote, In the examination of Christians I have never taken part. Therefore, I do not know what crime is usually punished or investigated or to what extent. Meanwhile, I have taken this course with those who were accused before me as Christians. I have asked them whether they were Christians. Those who confessed, I asked a second and third time threatening punishment. Those who persisted I ordered led away to execution. Just think of that. On this account I believed it 9 of 10
the more necessary to find out from two maidservants who were called deaconesses and that by torture what was the truth, and I found nothing else then a perverse and excessive superstition. I therefore adjourned the examination and hastened to consult you. The matter seems to me to be worth deliberation especially on account of the number of those in danger for many of every rank, every age, and even of both sexes are brought into danger and will be in the future. The contagion of that superstition [that is, he calls the gospel superstition] has penetrated not only the cities but also the villages and the country places. Let me quote a bit now from the emperor Trajan, who wrote back to Pliny. Emperor Trajan said, You have followed, my dear Secundus, the proper course of procedure in examining the cases of those who are accused to you as Christians. They are not to be sought out. If they are accused and convicted they are to be punished. Papers, however, which are presented anonymously, ought not to be admitted in any accusation. You will find this in the fine book edited by Anne Fremantle entitled A Treasury of Early Christianity [New York: Viking, 1953]. You ll find it in almost any edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. You can reject Christianity if you want to, but how can you explain away the letters written by these two important non-christians in AD 111? All of this material stands as a testimony to the genuineness of the early church and the truthfulness of the Word of God. Christ-Centered Learning Anytime, Anywhere 10 of 10