Early Christainity

[Chancellare]

I saw a CNN program entitled “After Jesus”. It was mentioned that the there were rival Christian sects such as the ones who hid the Qumran texts. These sects (the term Gnostics were mentioned) and many others obviously held different versions of Christian doctrines and beliefs on salvation and how it is going to be achieved by the church. These sects were (as alleged) either banned, banished, suppressed, etc., by the mainline church during the first Christian centuries. Now these assertions will undoubtedly be used by many anti-Catholic sects to undermine official church teachings. One thing I noticed in the program was it traced the growth of Christianity up to Constantine period with nary any mention of the Early Fathers. This kind of documentary are eventually taken on a mantle of authenticity by ordinary viewers, especially uninformed Catholics, who may not have any clue at all. The other danger is many might lose their Catholicism if the very foundation of their faith is questioned with no one to give any clue as to what or who has the answer. What’s the best source or teachings to use in countering this?

 

[thommie]

These sort of unbalanced documentaries are aimed at all of us (I’m Protestant).

There were indeed doctrinal controversies starting early on, but a balanced presentation of church history will show that these controversies were key in the development and systemization of doctines like the Trinity and other important doctrines that are held by Catholics and Protestants alike.

There may be different works favored by Catholic scholars, but ones I have used a lot are Phillip Schaff’s History of the Christian Church, and an early work by Eusibius.

I would not expect CNN to present anything but a negative view of Christianity - Catholic or otherwise. Even if what they say is true, they are probably accentuating the negative.

 

[Fidelis]

The first answer to give is to remind people the common sense principle that you shouldn’t believe everything you hear until you can investigate it yourself. To draw conclusions from mainstream media television programs or popular novels on an issue as serious and complex as religion (and especially religious history) is just *begging *to be woefully misinformed. The aim of these programs is only secondarily to inform: they stay in business by presenting the most sensationalistic aspects of a subject in the least possible timeframe (usually an hour, minus inumerable commercials).

There probably isn’t a one-stop source to refute all the possible errors presented in a single show like this. It is often said that one sentence of misinformation can take a page to refute. **The best thing, if you know someone who is influenced by misinformation is to find out the specific information that they need and provide it to them. **

What’s the best source or teachings to use in countering this?

On this whole subject of gnosticism and an early Christian “conspiracy,” I think certain chapters of the Carl Olsen and Sandra Miesel’s book “The Da Vinci Hoax” would be very helpful. If you remember, that was one of the major erroneous themes (among several) of Dan Brown’s novel.

 

[Janet_S]

I saw a CNN program entitled “After Jesus”. It was mentioned that the there were rival Christian sects such as the ones who hid the Qumran texts. These sects (the term Gnostics were mentioned) and many others obviously held different versions of Christian doctrines and beliefs on salvation and how it is going to be achieved by the church. These sects were (as alleged) either banned, banished, suppressed, etc., by the mainline church during the first Christian centuries. Now these assertions will undoubtedly be used by many anti-Catholic sects to undermine official church teachings. One thing I noticed in the program was it traced the growth of Christianity up to Constantine period with nary any mention of the Early Fathers. This kind of documentary are eventually taken on a mantle of authenticity by ordinary viewers, especially uninformed Catholics, who may not have any clue at all. The other danger is many might lose their Catholicism if the very foundation of their faith is questioned with no one to give any clue as to what or who has the answer. What’s the best source or teachings to use in countering this?

There are many sources you can use to counter the idea that the present Church is only one of many versions of Christianity which began as a group of competing sects.

1. Use the Bible, particularly the New Testament epistles and letters. The early Church saw it as their duty to defend the teachings handed to them by Christ through the Apostles. It is clear that the Apostles recognized there were false teachers at the time the New Testament was written (See 2 Peter 2:1-3, 1 John 4:2-3, 2 John, 3 John, Jude for example). It is also clear that the Apostles had the authority to settle disputes (See Acts 15:1-2.)
2. Use the writings of the Church Fathers, available in many books and online as well.

newadvent.org/fathers/

1. Here are some books which might be helpful. You might want to start with the Rod Bennett book. You can probably find these at the local library:

An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine by John Henry Newman

amazon.com/Essay-Development-Christian-Doctrine/dp/1428651365/sr=1-1/qid=1167796054/ref=sr_1_1/102-8170168-6868107?ie=UTF8&s=books

The History of the Church by Eusebius

amazon.com/History-Church-Constantine-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140445358/sr=1-1/qid=1167796203/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-8170168-6868107?ie=UTF8&s=books

Four Witnesses by Rod Bennett

amazon.com/Four-Witnesses-Early-Church-Words/dp/0898708478

1. From the Catholic Encyclopedia, this is a good general view of Heresy:

newadvent.org/cathen/07256b.htm

Just start reading, and the more you read, the more sources you will find. God be with you.

 

[Chancellare]

Thanks for all the sources and suggestions. I just find it frustrating that sex and controversies sell faster than one can mumble “Early Fathers”.