< Differences in What Christians Teach on Unusual Teachings - Video
July 24, 2026
Recap of Intro to the Analytical Study of Early Church History
Pre-Nicene Christians had a consensus of at least 4 authors taught and none denied on over 1,237 teachings.
All but 7 were taught by at least one writer between 325-431 A.D. too.
All Christian churches today, would agree on all of these except for about 44.
At least one church today would agree with every teaching except six.
See www.biblequery.org; under “Church History”.
Details: www.biblequery.org/History/ChurchHistory/WhatEarlyChristiansTaughtOnDoctrine.html
www.biblequery.org/History/ChurchHistory/WhatEarlyChristiansTaughtOnExperienceAndPractice.html.
Legend
White background – A consensus of 4 or more writers taught prior to 325 A.D., and none denied. There are over 1,237 teachings; a few are shown here.
Pale yellow – No consensus
Bright yellow – Nobody taught this before 325 A.D.
UNUSUAL TEACHINGS
-Un1. Use truths in Greek philosophy besides Plato for evangelism (9.5-2.5)
-Un2. High View of Origen (8-1)
-Un3. People should want to suffer (1-0)
-Un4. Emphasis on numerology besides 666 (6-1)
-Un5. The church can be called our mother (8-1)
-Un6. Christians turn to the east in prayer (2-0)
-Un7. Causing yourself pain can be good (0)
-Un8. 40-day Advent fast before Christmas (0) (Copts)
-Un9. Stylites spending years on top of a pillar (0) (Eastern Orthodox)
-Un10. “The holy fools of Russia” (0) (Russian Orthodox)
-Un11. St. Christopher the dog-headed saint (0) (East. Orthodox, historic Roman Catholic)
-Un12. St. Isidora the blessed fool (0) (Eastern Orthodox)
Di25. Reliance on Platonic philosophy (4-0)
Di7. Against jewelry or false/dyed hair (8-0)
Di8. Christians must fast on certain days (6-0)
Di9. No drinking or eating blood (8-0)
Er5. Atoms do not really exist (11-0)
Un13. Mother earth/ Universal Mother (0)
Acts 17:23,28
Titus 1:12-23
X Colossians 2:8
X 1 Timothy 6:20 (implied)
p32 Titus 1:1-15; 2:3-8 (21 verses) (150-200 A.D.) Tt 1:12-13
Justin Martyr (c.135-165 A.D.) said that Socrates tried to use true reason to turn people from idols. First Apology of Justin ch.5 p.164
Athenagoras (177 A.D.) said that like Christians, even some Greek poets said there is only one God. A Plea for Christians ch.5,6 p.131
Melito of Sardis (170-177 A.D.) mentions that the Sibyl says the gods they worship are really dead kings. Discourse to Antonius Caesar in Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.8 p.752
The Octavius of Minucius Felix (210 A.D.) ch.34 p.194 uses truths in Greek philosophy
Irenaeus of Lyons (182-188 A.D.) says that Plato was closer to God’s truth than the Gnostics, for Plato taught that the same God is just and good. Irenaeus Against Heresies book 3 ch.25.5 p.459
Clement of Alexandria (193-202 A.D.) in the Stromata book 1 ch.2 p.302-303 says “Our book will not shrink from making use of what is best in philosophy and other preparatory instruction”
Tertullian (198-220 A.D.) A Treatise on the Soul 20 p.200 “Just as Seneca says, whom we so often find on our side:”
X Tertullian (198-220 A.D.) “Writing to the Colossians, he says, "See that no one beguile you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, and contrary to the wisdom of the Holy Ghost.’ He had been at Athens, and had in his interviews (with its philosophers) become acquainted with that human wisdom which pretends to know the truth, whilst it only corrupts it, and is itself divided into its own manifold heresies, by the variety of its mutually repugnant sects. What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What concord is there between the Academy and the Church? what between heretics and Christians? Our instruction comes from ‘the porch of Solomon,’ who had himself taught that ‘the Lord should be sought in simplicity of heart.’ Away with(25) all attempts to produce a mottled Christianity of Stoic, Platonic, and dialectic composition! We want no curious disputation after possessing Christ Jesus, no inquisition after enjoying the gospel! With our faith, we desire no further belief. For this is our palmary faith, that there is nothing which we ought to believe besides.’ said ‘what does Athens have to do with Jerusalem’” Prescription Against Heretics ch.7 p.246
X AGAINST Hippolytus of Portus (222-235/6 A.D.) was against all philosophy in Refutation of All Heresies book 10 ch.1 p.140. I found no statements by Hippolytus supporting learning truth from any human philosophy.
Origen (225-265/254 A.D.) &&&
X AGAINST Cyprian of Carthage (c.246-258 A.D.) &&&
Gregory Thaumaturgus (240-265 A.D.) (partial) was taught by Origen to study the Greek philosophers. Oration and Panegyric Addressed to Origen argument 11 p.32
Dionysius of Alexandria (246-265 A.D.) speaks of the wisest of Greek philosophers. From the Books on Nature ch.2.1 p.84
Lactantius (c.303-320/325 A.D.) mentions that while philosophers have some truth, without the knowledge of God they are like limbs without a head. The Divine Institutes book 6 ch.9 p.172. See also book 1 ch.5 p.14
Lactantius (c.303-320/325 A.D.) positively mentions various Sibyls in The Divine Institutes book 4 ch.6 p.105.
From the Council of Nicea I to the Council of Ephesus (325-431 A.D.)
Augustine of Hippo (388-430 A.D.) “And this shows us that, though the verses of the poets are mythical, they are not altogether devoid of truth, but describe the manners of the demons in a sufficiently fit style.” City of God book 3 ch.11 p.48
Origen (225-254 A.D.) (obviously)
Gregory Thaumaturgus (240-265 A.D.) wrote an entire work The Oration and Panegyric Addressed to Origen (ANF vol.6) p.21-39
Dionysius of Alexandria (246-265 A.D.) &&&
Theognostus of Alexandria (260 A.D.) &&&
Pierius of Alexandria (275 A.D.) &&&
Pamphilus (martyred 309 A.D.) &&&
X (against) Methodius (270-311/312 A.D.) corrected some of Origen’s teaching &&&
Alexander of Alexandria (312-326 A.D.) &&&
Eusebius of Caesarea (318-325 A.D.) was a disciple of Pamphilus. He has three chapters of glowing praise of Origen, and a fourth chapter of his pupils that became Martyrs. Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History book 6 ch.1-4 p.249-252
From the Council of Nicea I until the Council of Ephesus I (325-431 A.D.)
Athanasius of Alexandria (346-356 A.D.) “And concerning the everlasting co-existence of the Word with the Father, and that He is not of another essence or subsistence, but proper to the Father’s, as the Bishops in the Council said, you may hear again from the labour-loving Origen also. For what he has written as if inquiring and by way of exercise, that let no one take as expressive of his own sentiments, but of parties who are contending in investigation, but what he definitely declares, that is the sentiment of the labour-loving man.” In Defense of the Nicene Definition ch.27 p.168
Basil of Cappadocia (357-378 A.D.) &&&
Gregory of Nazianzen (330-391 A.D.) &&&
Gregory of Nyssa (c.356-397 A.D.) was an Origenist. However, Gregory of Nyssa denied the pre-existence of souls and that all would eventually be saved.
(mixed) Jerome of Stridon, during his early career called Origen the “greatest teacher of the Church after the apostles” (Hebrew Names preface I Jerome’s Homilies on Ezekiel, a man endowed with “immortal genius” (Jerome Vir. Ill. 54.8) who was of “incomparable eloquence and knowledge.” (Jerome’s Letter to Paula 33.4) Origen “surpassed all previous writers, Latin or Greek” (Preface to Murphy’s translation of Origen’s Two Homilies on the Song of Songs (PL 23:1117A)) Homilies on Jeremiah General Introduction p.3
X Jerome Later after controversies about Origen Jerome reversed his opinion. Homilies on Jeremiah General Introduction p.3
(mixed) Augustine of Hippo (388-430 A.D.) &&&
Today
In Eastern Orthodoxy they call Origen “the teacher” but they do not call him a saint.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994) authoritatively quotes Origen. Part 1 section 3 137 p.37-38
God does not say this in His word, the Bible.
Theodotus the probable Montanist (ca.240 A.D.) (implied) says, “The ancients were exceedingly distressed, unless they had always some suffering in the body. For they were afraid, that if they received not in this world the punishment of the sins which, in numbers through ignorance, accompany those that are in the flesh, they would in the other world suffer the penalty all at once. So that they preferred the curative treatment here.” ch.11 p.44
God does not say this in His word, the Bible.
Epistle of Barnabas (c.70-130 A.D.) ch.9 p.142-143 “For [the Scripture] saith, “And Abraham circumcised ten, and eight, and three hundred men of his household.” What, then, was the knowledge given to him in this? Learn the eighteen first, and then the three hundred. The ten and the eight are thus denoted-Ten by I, and Eight by H. You have [the initials of the name of] Jesus. And because the cross was to express the grace [of our redemption] by the letter T, he says also, “Three Hundred.” He signifies, therefore, Jesus by two letters, and the cross by one. He knows this, who has put within us the engrafted gift of His doctrine. No one has been admitted by me to a more excellent piece of knowledge than this, but I know that ye are worthy.”
Justin Martyr (135-165 A.D.) &&&
X Irenaeus of Lyons (182-188 A.D.) “3. I well know, my dear friend, that when thou hast read through all this, thou wilt indulge in a hearty laugh over this their inflated wise folly! But those men are really worthy of being mourned over, who promulgate such a kind of religion, and who so frigidly and perversely pull to pieces the greatness of the truly unspeakable power, and the dispensations of God in themselves so striking, by means of Alpha and Beta, and through the aid of numbers.” Irenaeus of Lyons Against Heresies book 1 ch.16.3 p.341
Clement of Alexandria (193-202 A.D.) “as also certainly in the universe overleaping the nine divisions, the first consisting of the four elements put in one place for equal interchange; and then the seven wandering stars and the one that wanders not, the ninth, to the perfect number, which is above the none, and the tenth division, we must reach to the knowledge of God, to speak briefly, desiring the Maker after the creation.” Stromata book 2 ch.11 p.359
Victorinus of Petau (martyred 307 A.D.) “Behold the seven horns of the Lamb, the seven eyes of God -the seven eyes are the seven spirits of the Lamb; seven torches burning before the throne of God seven golden candlesticks, seven young sheep, the seven women in Isaiah, the seven churches in Paul, seven deacons, seven angels, seven trumpets, seven seals to the book, seven periods of seven days with which Pentecost is completed, the seven weeks in Daniel, also the forty-three weeks in Daniel; with Noah, seven of all clean things in the ark; seven revenges of Cain, seven years for a debt to be acquitted, the lamp with seven orifices, seven pillars of wisdom in the house of Solomon.” On the Creation of the World p.342
God does not say this in His word, the Bible.
Clement of Alexandria (197-217/220 A.D.) “The mother draws the children to herself; and we seek our mother the Church.” The Instructor book 1 ch.5 p.214
Tertullian (c.203 A.D.) “For as Adam was a figure of Christ, Adam's sleep shadowed out the death of Christ, who was to sleep a mortal slumber, that from the wound inflicted on His side might, in like manner (as Eve was formed), be typified the church, the true mother of the living.” A Treatise on the Soul ch.42 p.222
Tertullian (213 A.D.) “For our one Father, God, lives, and our mother, the Church; and neither are we dead who live to God, nor do we bury our dead, inasmuch as they too are living in Christ.” On Monogamy ch.7 p.64
X Martyrdom of the Holy Martyrs (before 250 A.D.) (ANF vol.1) ch.3 p.306 “Rusticus says to Hierax, ‘Where are your parents?’ And he answered, and said, ‘Christ is our true father, and faith in Him is our mother; and my earthly parents died; and I, when I was driven from Iconium in Phrygia, came here.’ Rusticus the prefect said to Liberianus, ‘And what say you? Are you a Christian, and unwilling to worship [the gods]?’ Liberianus said, ‘I too am a Christian, for I worship and reverence the only true God.’”
Anonymous Treatise on Rebaptism (c.250-258 A.D.) ch.1 p.668 “contrary to what is good and proper--rashly to be flung like a stain upon our mother the Church;”
Cyprian of Carthage ( 246-258 A.D.) “For as our unanimity and concord ought by no means to be divided, and because we cannot forsake the Church and go outside her to come to you, we beg and entreat you with what exhortations we can, rather to return to the Church your Mother, and to our brotherhood.” Epistles of Cyprian Epistle 43 p.322
Munnulus of Girba at the Seventh Council of Carthage (258 A.D.) p.567 speaks of “our Mother the Catholic church”
Methodius (260-312 A.D.) “Now she who brings forth, and has brought forth, the masculine Word in the hearts of the faithful, and who passed, undefiled and uninjured by the wrath of the beast, into the wilderness, is, as we have explained, our mother the Church.” Banquet of the Ten Virgins Discourse 8 ch.11 p.338
Letter of the Council of Arles I to Pope Silvester (Aug. 314 A.D.) p.389 mentions Pope Silvester and the one mother church.
Eusebius of Caesarea (c.318-325 A.D.) “And the Word announces this to the daughter of Sion, calling the Church of God by this name, through her seeming to be the daughter of the heavenly Jerusalem, she that is the mother of the Saints, according to the holy apostle.” Demonstration of the Gospel ch.17
From the Council of Nicea I until the Council of Ephesus I (325-431 A.D.)
Ambrose of Milan (370-390 A.D.) speaks of the “church, our mother”. Concerning Repentance book 2 ch.10.92 p.356
Venantius (lived 530-609) (Implied) speaks of the milk of the church, implying both one church and the church is our mother. Poem on Easter p.330
In later times
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994) calls the church out mother. Part 1 section 3 169 p.46; Part 2 1163 p.301
(Roman Catholic) The Lateran Catechism 1.3.36 p.15 says the Church is our mother.
God does not say this in His word, the Bible.
Tertullian (198-217 A.D.) “The idea no doubt has originated from our being known to turn to the east in prayer.” Apology ch.16 p.31
Tertullian (198-217 A.D.) “Others, with greater regard to good manners, it must be confessed, suppose that the sun is the god of the Christians, because it is a well-known fact that we pray towards the east, or because we make Sunday a day of festivity.” To the Nations ch.13 p.123
Origen (233-235 A.D.) “A few words may now be added in reference to the direction in which one ought to look in prayer. Of the four directions, the North, South, East, and West, who would not at once admit that the East clearly indicates the duty of praying with the face turned towards it with the symbolic suggestion that the soul is looking upon the dawn of the true light? Should anyone, however, prefer to direct his intercessions according to the aperture of the house, whichever way the doors of the house may face, saying that the sight of heaven appeals to one with a certain attraction greater than the view of the wall, and the eastward part of the house having no opening, we may say to him that since it is by human arrangement that houses are open in this or that direction but by nature that the East is preferred to all the other directions, the natural is to be set before the artificial. Besides, on that view why should one who wished to pray when in the open country pray to the East in preference to the West? If, in the one case it is reasonable to prefer the East, why should the same not be done in every case?” Origen on Prayer ch.20
From the Council of Nicea I to the Council of Ephesus (325-431 A.D.)
Apostolic Constitutions (375-380 A.D.) ch.44 p.447 “But let him pray towards the east. For this also is written in the second book of the Chronicles, that after the temple of the Lord was finished by King Solomon, in the very feast of dedication the priests and the Levites and the singers stood up towards the east, praising and thanking God with cymbals and psalteries, and saying, "Praise the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever.’”
God does not say this in His word, the Bible. However, some see Paul disciplining his body in 1 Corinthians 9:27 as justification for this.
No writers prior to Nicea I (325 A.D.).
The Benedictine monk Peter Damien taught self-flagellation in the 11th century.
There was the flagellant order in the 13th century. However, Pope Clement VI ex-communicated them in 1349.
Francis of Assisi
Opus Dei today
Pope John Paul II used to practice self-flagellation.
God does not say this in His word, the Bible.
No writers prior to Nicea I (325 A.D.).
God does not say this in His word, the Bible.
No writers prior to Nicea I (325 A.D.).
Simeon/Symeon the Stylite (390-459 A.D.) was considered a great saint for spending 36 years on top of a pillar near Aleppo, Syria to commune with God and get away from people. In the next century many hermits imitated his life and stayed on Stylites (pillars) too. He is venerated by Eastern Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Eastern Catholic and the Roman Catholic churches.
&&& bugs in your mouth. Let the worms stay in your flesh.
God does not say this in His word, the Bible.
No writers prior to Nicea I (325 A.D.).
These were monks who travelled around naked, ate sausage of Friday, danced with prostitutes, and basically did as they pleased, because they were considered insane for God. They were officially known as “the holy fools of Russia”
God does not say anything about a dog-headed race in His word, the Bible.
No writers mentioned a dog-headed race prior to Nicea I (325 A.D.).
In pagan literature there was a legend of dog-headed people, called cynocephali, who were good at war.
St. Christopher was supposedly one of their fierce, cannibalistic people that was converted to Christianity.
X In the Russian Orthodox Church in the 18th century St. Christopher the dog-headed was forbidden to be an icon.
X In the Roman Catholic Church, Vatican II removed the feast day of St. Christopher.
St. Isidora (died c.365 A.D.) was in a monastery (convent?). She was not a fool or insane, but she pretended to be insane and demon-possessed so that the other nus would not see her spiritual devotion. So the other nuns beat her and gave her the worst kitchen tasks. She fled fro them. When a monk was guided to find her and bow before her, then the other nuns all reverenced her. She fled from the nunnery to the desert and presumably died there.
See https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/1999/05/10/101345-blessed-isidora-the-fool-of-tabenna-in-egypt, http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/isadora_tabenna.html, and https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2018/05/venerable-isidora-fool-for-christ-of.html#google_vignette for more info by Eastern Orthodox.
God does not say this in His word, the Bible.
Plato’s Timaeus is not included here.
Clement of Alexandria (193-202 A.D.) “Plato too, recognizing the world as God’s temple, pointed out to the citizens a spot in the city where their idols were to be laid up. ‘Let not, then, any one again,’ he says, ‘consecrate temples to the gods. For gold and silver in other states, in the case of private individuals and in the temples, is an invidious possession;…” The Stromata book 5 ch.11 p.462.
Dionysius of Alexandria (246-265 A.D.) says that Plato, Pythagoras, the Stoics and Heraclitus are the wisest of Greek philosophers. From the Books on Nature ch.1 p.84-85
Alexander of Lycopolis (301 A.D.) (partial, Manichaeus’ view) “But he [Manichaeus] calls matter not that which Plato calls it, which becomes everything when it has received quality and figure, whence he terms it all-embracing-the mother and nurse of all things; nor what Aristotle calls an element, with which form and privation have to do, but something beside these.” Of the Manichaeans ch.2 p.241
Arnobius of Sicca (297-303 A.D.) says that 10,000 years ago men from the island called the Atlantis of Neptune exterminated numerous tribes as Plato tells us. Arnobius Against the Heathen book 1 ch.5 p.415
Lactantius “Let us now pass to the other part of philosophy, which they themselves call moral, in which is contained the method of the whole of philosophy, since in natural philosophy there is only delight, in this there is utility also.” The Divine Institutes book 3 ch.7 p.74
From the Council of Nicea I to the Council of Ephesus (325-431 A.D.)
Augustine of Hippo (388-430 A.D.) used the truths of Plato in evangelism. City of God book 2 ch.14 p.30
Among corrupt or spurious works
pseudo-Justin Martyr (200-351-? 165 A.D.) “And not only Plato, but Homer also, having received similar enlightenment” Justin’s Hortatory Address to the Greeks ch.28 p.284
pseudo-Justin Martyr (200-351-? A.D.) “And Plato, too, when he says that form is the third original principle next to God and matter, has manifestly received this suggestion from no other source than Moses, having learned, indeed, from the words of Moses the name of form,…” Justin’s Hortatory Address to the Greeks ch.29 p.285
1 Peter 3:3-4
Didache (=Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) (before 125 A.D.) vol.7 &&&
Clement of Alexandria (193-217/220 A.D.) is against women being fond of gold and jewelry, or staining the cheeks or painting their eyes. The Instructor book 3 ch.2 p.272
Tertullian (198-220 A.D.) was against precious stones, pearls, and “little pebbles” On the Apparel of Women book 1 ch.6 p.16-17
Theodotus (probable Montanist (ca.240 A.D.) (implied) women who were punished account of their hair and finery.
Commodianus (c.240 A.D.) “Hear my voice, thou who wishest to remain a Christian woman, in what way the blessed Paul commands you to be adorned. Isaiah, moreover, the teacher and author that spoke from heaven, for he detests those who follow the wickedness of the world, says: The daughters of Zion that are lifted up shall be brought low. It is not right in God that a faithful Christian woman should be adorned. Dost thou seek to go forth after the fashion of the Gentiles, O thou who art consecrated to God? God’s heralds, crying aloud in the law, condemn such to be unrighteous women, who in such wise adorn themselves. Ye stain your hair; ye paint the opening of your eyes with black; ye lift up your pretty hair one by one on your painted brow; ye anoint your cheeks with some sort of ruddy colour laid on; and, moreover, earrings hang down with very heavy weight. Ye bury your neck with necklaces; with gems and gold ye bind hands worthy of God with an evil presage. Why should I tell of your dresses, or of the whole pomp of the devil? Ye are rejecting the law when ye wish to please the world. Ye dance in your houses; instead of psalms, ye sing love songs. Thou, although thou mayest be chaste, dost not prove thyself so by following evil things.” Instructions of Commodianus ch.60 p.215. See also ibid ch.59 p.214.
Origen (233/234 A.D.) speaks against jewelry. Origen On Prayer ch.2.2 p.18
Cyprian of Carthage (c.246-258 A.D.) “And although it is written, ‘Ye shall not mar the figure of your beard,’ he plucks out his beard, and dresses his hair; and does he now study to please any one who displeases God? Or does she groan and lament who has time to put on the clothing of precious apparel, and not to consider the robe of Christ which she has lost; to receive valuable ornaments and richly wrought necklaces, and not to bewail the loss of divine and heavenly ornament? Although thou clothest thyself in foreign garments and silken robes, thou art naked; although thou adornest thyself to excess both in pearls, and gems, and gold, yet without the adornment of Christ thou art unsightly. And you who stain your hair, now at least cease in the midst of sorrows; and you who paint the edges of your eyes with a line drawn around them of black powder, now at least wash your eyes with tears. If you had lost any dear one of your friends by the death incident to mortality, you would groan grievously, and weep with disordered countenance, with changed dress, with neglected hair, with clouded face, with dejected appearance, you would show the signs of grief. Miserable creature, you have lost your soul; spiritually dead here, you are continuing to live to yourself, and although yourself walking about, you have begun to carry your own death with you. And do you not bitterly moan; do you not continually groan; do you not hide yourself, either for shame of your sin or for continuance of your lamentation? Behold, these are still worse wounds of sinning; behold, these are greater crimes-to have sinned, and not to make atonement-to have committed crimes, and not to bewail your crimes.” Treatises of Cyprian Treatise 3 ch.30 p.445-446
Arnobius of Sicca (297-303 A.D.) “Was it for this He sent souls, that, forgetting their importance and dignity as divine, they should acquire gems, precious stones, pearls, at the expense of their purity; should entwine their necks with these, pierce the tips of their ears, bind their foreheads with fillets, seek for cosmetics to deck their bodies, darken their eyes with henna; nor, though in the forms of men, blush to curl their hair with crisping-pins, to make the skin of the body smooth, to walk with bare knees, and with every other kind of wantonness, both to lay aside the strength of their manhood, and to grow in effeminacy to a woman’s habits and luxury?” Arnobius Against the Heathen book2 ch.41 p.450
From the Council of Nicea I until the Council of Ephesus I (325-431 A.D.)
&&&John Chrysostom (martyred 407 A.D.)
God does not say this in His word, the Bible.
Didache (before 125 A.D.) vol.7 ch.1.5 p.377 Bless, pray for, and fast for your enemies.
Didache ch.2.7 p.378 (before 125 A.D.) “Thou shalt not hate any man” ch.8 p.379 mentions fasting on the fourth day and preparation day, not the second and fifth day.
Irenaeus of Lyons (182-188 A.D.) For the controversy is not merely as regards the day, but also as regards the form itself of the fast. For some consider themselves hound to fast one day, others two days, others still more, while others [do so during] forty: the diurnal and the nocturnal hours they measure out together as their [fasting] day. And this variety among the observers [of the fasts] had not its origin in our time, but long before in that of our predecessors, some of whom probably, being not very accurate in their observance of it, handed down to posterity the custom as it had, through simplicity or private fancy, been [introduced among them]. And yet nevertheless all these lived in peace one with another, and we also keep peace together. Thus, in fact, the difference [in observing] the fast establishes the harmony of [our common] faith.” Irenaeus fragment 3 p.568-569
Tertullian (198-220 A.D.) “If this savours more of the spirit of Christian religion, while it celebrates more the glory of Christ, I am equally able, from the self-same order of events, to fix the condition of late protraction of the Station; (namely), that we are to fast till a late hour, awaiting the time of the Lord’s sepulture, when Joseph took down and entombed the body which he had requested. Thence (it follows) that it is even irreligious for the flesh of the servants to take refreshment before their Lord did.” Tertullian On Fasting ch.10 p.109
Dionysius of Alexandria (246-265 A.D.) “You have sent to me, most faithful and accomplished son, in order to inquire what is the proper hour for bringing the fast to a close on the day of Pentecost. For you say that there are some of the brethren who hold that that should be done at cockcrow, and others who hold that it should be at nightfall.” letter 5: Letter to Bishop Basilides Canon 1 p.94
Victorinus of Petau (martyred 304 A.D.) mentions that Christians fast on the fourth day. Fragment p.341
Methodius (270-311/312 A.D.) speaks of the fast which prepares for the Easter celebration” The Banquet of the Ten Virgins discourse 3 ch.12 p.321
From the Council of Nicea I until the Council of Ephesus I (325-431 A.D.)
Athanasius of Alexandria (335 A.D.) “We begin the fast of forty days on the twenty-third of Mechir (Feb. 17), and the holy fast of the blessed feast on the twenty-eighth of Phamenoth (Mar. 24); and having joined to these six days after them, in fastings and watchings, as each one is able, let us rest on the third of the month Pharmuthi (Mar. 29), on the evening of the seventh day. Also that day which is holy and blessed in everything, which possesses the name of Christ, namely the Lord’s day, having risen upon us on the fourth of Pharmuthi (Mar. 30), let us afterwards keep the holy feast of Pentecost. Let us at all times worship the Father in Christ, through Whom to Him and with Him be glory and dominion by the Holy Ghost for ever and ever. Amen. All the brethren who are with me salute you: salute one another with a holy kiss.” Easter Letter 7 335 A.D ch.10 p.527.
Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 7:26-27; 17:10-14; 19:26; Deuteronomy 12:16,23-25; Acts 15:19-20,29; 21:25
This would include blood soup and blood sausage.
Justin Martyr (c.150 A.D.) Christians were falsely accused of killing people and drinking blood. Second Apology of Justin Martyr ch.12 p.192
Christians of Vienna and Lugdunum (177 A.D.). p.780 says that Christians do not think it lawful to partake of blood of even animals.
Minucius Felix (210 A.D.) says Christians did not even use blood of eatable animals in their food. The Octavius of Minucius Felix ch.30 p.192
Clement of Alexandria (193-217/220 A.D.) says it is unlawful to drink blood. The Instructor book 3 ch.3 p.277
Tertullian (198-220 A.D.) Christians were forbidden to eat the blood of even animals. Tertullian’s Apology ch.9 p.25
Tertullian (198-220 A.D.) “To clench the matter with a single example, you tempt Christians with sausages of blood, just because you are perfectly aware that the thing by which you thus try to get them to transgress they hold unlawful.” Tertullian’s Apology ch.9 p.25
Origen (225-253/254 A.D.) quotes Acts 15:28029. Then he says, “As to things strangled, we are forbidden by Scripture to partake of them, because the blood is still in them; and blood, especially the odour arising from blood, is said to be the food of demons.” Origen Against Celsus book 8 ch.30 p.650.
Origen (225-253/254 A.D.) (partial) discusses that a) the Jews could not eat certain foods and blood, b) Christ in order not to hinder anyone pronounced everything clean, c) but because of obscurity in this manner, the apostles forbade them to take of food offered to idols or blood, d) probably because the odor of the blood was said to be the food of demons. Origen Against Celsus book 8 ch.29-30 p.650
Lactantius (c.303-320/325 A.D.) (implied) says that some evil men would rather imbibe blood than hear the words of the righteous. The Divine Institutes 5 book 1 p.135
Eusebius of Caesarea (329-339/340 A.D.) Blandina says that they would not eat even the blood of irrational animals. Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History book 5 ch.1.26 p.214
From the Council of Nicea I until the Council of Ephesus I (325-431 A.D.)
The Council of Gangra (325-381 A.D.) canon 2 p.92 (implied) speaks against eating blood.
Pacian of Barcelona (342-379/392 A.D.) says we are not to drink blood. Penance 9 p.1
John Chrysostom (400-401 A.D.) in discussing the Council of Jerusalem says we are not to eat blood. Homilies on Acts homily33 p.207
Among heretics
The Ebionite Clementine Homilies (-188 A.D.- uncertain date) says Christians are not to drink blood. homily 7 ch.4 p.268
The Ebionite Recognitions of Clement (c.211-231 A.D.) book 4 ch.36 p.142-143 “And the things which pollute at once the soul and the body are these: to partake of the table of demons, that is, to taste things sacrificed, or blood, or a carcase which is strangled,”
The Ebionite Recognitions of Clement (c.211-231 A.D.) book 1 ch.30 p.85 forbids eating blood.
God does not say this in His word, the Bible.
Justin Martyr (c.138-165 A.D.) discusses the opinions of Epicurus on atoms and the void being indestructible. On the Resurrection ch.6 p.297
Theophilus of Antioch (168-181/188 A.D.) “For some said that they were composed of atoms; and others, again, that they eventuate in atoms;” Theophilus to Autolycus book 3 ch.7 p.112-113
Irenaeus of Lyons (182-188 A.D.) “Again, adopting the [ideas of] shade and vacuity from Democritus and Epicurus, they have fitted these to their own views, following upon those [teachers] who had already talked a great deal about a vacuum and atoms, the one of which they called that which is, and the other that which is not. In like manner, these men call those things which are within the Pleroma real existences, just as those philosophers did the atoms; while they maintain that those which are without the Pleroma have no true existence, even as those did respecting the vacuum. They have thus banished themselves in this world (since they are here outside of the Pleroma) into a place which has no existence.” Irenaeus Against Heresies book 2 ch.14.3 p.376-377
Minucius Felix (210 A.D.) (partial, not for or against) “Neither do I refuse to admit what Caecilius earnestly endeavoured to maintain among the chief matters, that man ought to know himself, and to look around and see what he is, whence he is, why he is; whether collected together from the elements, or harmoniously formed of atoms, or rather made, formed, and animated by God.” The Octavius of Minucius Felix ch.17 p.181
Minucius Felix (210 A.D.) (partial, not for or against) “It was delivered to him by God. You see that the opinion of this original philosopher absolutely agrees with ours. Afterwards Anaximenes, and then Diogenes of Apollonia, decide that the air, infinite and unmeasured, is God. The agreement of these also as to the Divinity is like ours. But the description of Anaxagoras also is, that God is said to be the motion of an infinite mind; and the God of Pythagoras is the soul passing to and fro and intent, throughout the universal nature of things, from whom also the life of all animals is received. It is a known fact, that Xenophanes delivered that God was all infinity with a mind; and Antisthenes, that there are many gods of the people, but that one God of Nature was the chief of all; that Xeuxippus acknowledged as God a natural animal force whereby all things are governed. What says Democritus? Although the first discoverer of atoms, does not he especially speak of nature, which is the basis of forms, and intelligence, as God?” The Octavius of Minucius Felix ch.19 p.184
Clement of Alexandria (193-202 A.D.) “The elements are worshipped,-the air by Diogenes, the water by Thales, the fire by Hippasus; and by those who suppose atoms to be the first principles of things, arrogating the name of philosophers, being wretched creatures devoted to pleasure.” Stromata book 1 ch.11 p.312
Tertullian (c.203 A.D.) “But even if I could take in my hand the ‘atoms’ of Epicurus, or if my eye could see the ‘numbers’ of Pythagoras, or if my foot could stumble against the ‘ideas’ of Plato, or if I could lay hold of the ‘entelechies’ of Aristotle, the chances would be, that even in these (impalpable) classes I should find such animals as I must oppose to one another on the ground of their contrariety.” A Treatise on the Soul ch.32 p.212
Hippolytus of Portus (222-235/236 A.D.) “Epicurus, however, advanced an opinion almost contrary to all. He supposed, as originating principles of all things, atoms and vacuity. He considered vacuity as the place that would contain the things that will exist, and atoms the matter out of which all things could be formed; and that from the concourse of atoms both the Deity derived existence, and all the elements, and all things inherent in them, as well as animals and other (creatures); so that nothing was generated or existed, unless it be from atoms.” Refutation of All Heresies book 1 ch.19 p.21
Origen (225-253/254 A.D.) “We show, accordingly, that the holy Scriptures represent God as unchangeable, both by such words as ‘Thou art the same,’ and ‘I change not;’ whereas the gods of Epicurus, being composed of atoms, and, so far as their structure is concerned, capable of dissolution, endeavour to throw off the atoms which contain the elements of destruction.” Origen Against Celsus book 4 ch.14 p.502
Dionysius of Alexandria (246-265 A.D.) appeals to the complexity of nature to speak against the foolish philosophy of atoms. Fragment 1 ch.4 p.83
Dionysius of Alexandria (246-265 A.D.) speaks against the view of “atoms, as they are borne along causally in the void, and clash all fortuitously against each other in an unregulated whirl, and become commingled one with another in a multitude of forms” as the opinion of Epicurus and Democritus. From the Books on Nature fragment 1 ch.2,3 p.85-86, 87. see also From the Books on Nature ch.2.1 and 2.2 p.85.
Dionysius of Alexandria (246-265 A.D.) “And are we to suppose that the wisdom of man was made up by these atoms, as the myth of Hesiod tells us that Pandora was fashioned by the gods?” From the Books on Nature ch.4 p.89
Anatolius (270-280 A.D.) (partial, not for or against) “Thus it is said that Democritus used a hypothesis, namely, that of atoms and a vacuum; and Asclepiades that of atoms and pores.” Fragments of the Books on Arithmetic p.153
Arnobius of Sicca (297-303 A.D.) lists as a form of madness to “construct the whole fabric of the universe by chance accidents and by random collision, and fashion it by the concourse of atoms of different shapes”. He calls these “perverse convictions”. Arnobius Against the Heathen book 1 ch.31 Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.6 p.421 See also book 1 ch.10 p.437.
Arnobius of Sicca (297-303 A.D.) (partial) discusses, without a recommendation that that some teach the world is made up for four elements, or two elements, or one elements, or none but instead is made up of atoms. None of these opinions are certain. Arnobius Against the Heathen book 2 ch.56 p.455
Lactantius (c.303-320/325 A.D.) “They therefore are in error, who have said either that all things were produced of their own accord or from an assemblage of atoms; since so great a world, so adorned and of such magnitude, could neither have been made nor arranged and set in order without some most skillful author, and that very arrangement by which all things are perceived to be kept together and to be governed bespeaks an artificer with a most skillful mind.” The Divine Institutes book 7 ch.7 p.204
Lactantius (c.303-320/325 A.D.) “Whence, then, did the world derive its origin, if God takes no care of anything? There are, he says, minute atoms, which can neither be seen nor touched, and from the fortuitous meeting of these all things arose, and are continually arising. If they are neither seen nor perceived by any part of the body, how could you know of their existence? In the next place, if they exist, with what mind do they meet together to effect anything? If they are smooth, they cannot cohere: if they are hooked and angular, then they are divisible; for hooks and angles project, and can be cut off. But these things are senseless and unprofitable. Why should I mention that he also makes souls capable of extinction?” Epitome of the Divine Institutes ch.36 p.236
Eusebius of Caesarea (318-325 A.D.) mentions against Democritus’ concept of atoms. Preparation for the Gospel book 3 ch.10 p.18
Eusebius of Caesarea (318-325 A.D.) “Or do atoms, O ye blind, bring you winter and rains, that the earth may send up food for you and all the living creatures there one?” Preparation for the Gospel book 14 ch.25 p.47. See also ibid book 14 ch.45 p.44,45.
From the Council of Nicea I until the Council of Ephesus I (325-431 A.D.)
Athanasius of Alexandria (359 A.D.) says that atoms are false. On the Councils ch.35 p.469
Basil of Cappadocia (357-379 A.D.) “others imagined that atoms, and indivisible bodies, molecules and ducts, form, by their union, the nature of the visible world. Atoms reuniting or separating, produce births and deaths and the most durable bodies only own their consistency to the strength of their mutual adhesion;” The Hexaemeron homily 1 ch.2 p.53
Gregory Nazianzen (330-391 A.D.) “And how shall we preserve the truth that God pervades all things and fills all, as it is written “Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord,” [Jer. 23:24] and “The Spirit of the Lord filleth the world,” [Wisdom 1:7] if God partly contains and partly is contained? For either He will occupy an empty Universe, and so all things will have vanished for us, with this result, that we shall have insulted God by making Him a body, and by robbing Him of all things which He has made; or else He will be a body contained in other bodies, which is impossible; or He will be enfolded in them, or contrasted with them, as liquids are mixed, and one divides and is divided by another;—a view which is more absurd and anile than even the atoms of Epicurus and so this argument concerning the body will fall through, and have no body and no solid basis at all.” Oration 28 ch.8 p.291
Gregory of Nyssa (382-397 A.D.) “Let these grand talkers inform us what man is, in comparison with the universe, what geometrical point is so without magnitude, which of the atoms of Epicurus is capable of such infinitesimal reduction in the vain fancy of those who make such problems the object of their study,…” Answer to Eunomius’ Second Book p.262
X Macrina (c.380 A.D.) (sister of Basil and Gregory of Nyssa) discusses how God governs the atoms. Gregoy of Nyssa On the Soul and the Resurrection p.437-438.
Gregory of Nyssa (382-397 A.D.) “But I will pass over both this and their reading of Epicurus’ nature system, which he says is equivalent to our conception, maintaining that the doctrine of atoms and empty space, and the fortuitous generation of things, is akin to what we mean by conception. What an understanding of Epicurus! If we ascribe words expressive of things to the logical faculty in our nature, we thereby stand convicted of holding the Epicurean doctrine of indivisible bodies, and combinations of atoms, and the collision and rebound of particles, and so on.” Answer to Eunomius’ Second Book p.291
Augustine of Hippo (410 A.D.) ridicules the absurdity of Cicero’s writing on atoms. Letters of Augustine Letter 118 p.449
Among heretics
The Ebionite Recognitions of Clement (c.211-231 A.D.) book 8 ch.17-19 p.170 says the foolishness of Greeks who claim everything was made of atoms. If everything were, it would fall apart at once.
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 40:1 “Great labour is created for all men, and a heavy yoke is upon the children of Adam, from the day of their coming out of their mother’s womb, until the day of their burial into the mother of all.” (Douay)
Irenaeus of Lyons (182-188 A.D.) (partial) “For as by the disobedience of the one man who was originally moulded from virgin soil, the many were made sinners, and forfeited life; so was it necessary that, by the obedience of one man, who was originally born from a virgin, many should be justified and receive salvation.” Irenaeus Against Heresies, book 3 ch.18.7
From the Council of Nicea I to the Council of Ephesus I (325-431 A.D.)
Eusebius of Caesarea (c.324-c.337 A.D.) “Having ordained this earth to be at once the home, the nurse, and the mother of all the creatures it contains, and watered it both with rain and water-springs, (God) caused it to abound in plants and flowers of every species, for the enjoyment of life.” Oration in Praise of Constantine, ch.6 Paragraph 7
Basil of Cappadocia (357-378/379 A.D.) “The fertility of the earth is its perfect finishing; growth of all kinds of plants, the upspringing of tall trees, both productive and sterile, flowers’ sweet scents and fair colours, and all that which, a little later, at the voice of God came forth from the earth to beautify her, their universal Mother.” Hexameron, Homily 2
Gregory Nanzianzus (330-391 A.D.) “…traverse the length and breadth of earth, the common mother of all….” Second Theological Oration, Oration 28, paragraph 27)
Ambrose of Milan (370-390 A.D.) “One may see the mother of all at one time disfigured with mould, at another bare of produce, at another green and full of flowers, at another dried up.” On the Death of Satyrus, book 2, paragraph 61
Ambrose of Milan (370-390 A.D.) “And what more suitable example can we take than one from our common mother? For the earth itself, from which we are all taken, when it is not worked and cultivated, seems to be desert; and the field dies to the vines or olive-trees with which it was planted, and yet it does not lose its own nutritive power, which is, as it were, its life.” Concerning Repentance, book 1 ch.17, paragraph 96
John Chrysostom (died 407 A.D.) “For the laws of nature are common to all men, that he who departs this life should be hidden in the earth, and delivered over for burial, and be covered up in the bosom of the earth the mother of all….” On Saint Babylas, 2
Augustine of Hippo (301 A.D.) “For many things plucked from trees, or pulled out of the ground, are the better of some interval of time before we use them for food, as leeks and endive, lettuce, grapes, apples, figs, and some pears; and there are many other things which get a better color when they are not used immediately after being plucked, besides being more wholesome for the body, and having a finer flavor to the palate. But these things should not possess all these excellent and agreeable qualities, if, as you say, they become more destitute of good the longer they are kept after separation from their mother earth.” Of the Manichaeans, paragraph 43
Augustine of Hippo (413-426 A.D.) “Nay, not even the earth itself do we call a creator, though she seems to be the prolific mother of all things which she aids in germinating and bursting forth from the seed, and which she keeps rooted in her own breast; for we likewise read, ‘God gives it a body, as it has pleased Him, and to every seed his own body.’ City of God, Book 12 ch.25
From the Fourth Lateran Council on (1215 A.D.-)
Francis of Assisi (1209-1226 A.D.) “Praised be You my Lord through our Sister, Mother Earth who sustains and governs us, producing varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.” Canticle of Brother Sun (See https://www.patheos.com/blogs/davearmstrong/2019/12/is-mother-earth-a-catholic-concept-church-fathers.html for more info)
Pope Benedict XVI (12/28/2005) also referred to “mother earth” in a general audience on the topic of Psalm 139 [138]
Pope Francis II (May 11, 1988) Letter “”
Pre-Nicene Differences on Unusual Teachings Grid – May 2026
|
|
|
Legend for Cells |
|
-Un1+Di25. Use Greek philosophy in evangelism (9.5-2.5) |
-Un7. Causing yourself pain can be good (0) |
W = wrote explicitly on this |
|
-Un2. High view of the teacher Origen (8-1) |
-Un8.40-day Advent fast before Christmas (0) |
I = Implied |
|
-Un3. People should want to suffer (1-0) |
Di7.Against jewelry or false/dyed hair (8-0) |
m = Mixed or Inconsistent |
|
-Un4. Emphasis on numerology besides 666 (4-1) |
Di8.Christians must fast on certain days (6-0) |
P = partial |
|
-Un5. The church can be called our mother (8-2) |
Di9.No drinking or eating blood (8-0) |
- = no reference found |
|
-Un6. Christians turn to the east in prayer (2-0) |
Er5. Atoms do not really exist (11-0) |
X = Disagree |
Rows: white=Christian writer, orange=schism, pink=strange writer
|
Christian writer |
Pages |
Date A.D. |
Un 1 |
Un |
Un |
Un |
Un |
Un |
Un |
Un |
Di |
Di |
Di |
Er |
|
+Di25 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
5 |
|||
|
Clement of Rome (wrote 1 Clement) |
16.25 |
96/98 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Papias of Hierapolis, disciple of John |
2 |
95-110 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
“Presbyters” (Papias?) |
0.5 |
-95-117 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Ignatius disciple of John (shortest version) |
13 |
c.100-117 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Didache (=Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) |
4.75 |
c.60-120 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
W |
- |
- |
|
Apology of Aristides (Greek version) |
4 |
125-161 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Quadratus of Athens fragment (apologist) |
.125 |
126 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Epistle of Barnabas |
12.5 |
c.70-130 |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
2 Clement (anonymous writer) |
5.75 |
120-140 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Polycarp to the Philippians |
3.5 |
100-155 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Mathetes to Diognetus – teaching a disciple |
5.25 |
c.130-200 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Apostolic fathers totals: all symbols except P |
67.5 |
-155 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Shepherd of Hermas (= Hermas, = The Pastor) |
46.5 |
c.115-155 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Justin Martyr, philosopher, apologist |
116.5 |
c.138-165 |
W |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
W |
|
Evarestus Martyrdom of Polycarp |
5 |
c.169 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Tatian's Diatessaron |
86 |
c.172 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Christians of Vienna and Lugdunum (Lyons) |
6.5 |
177 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
|
Athenagoras (apologist) |
33.5 |
177 |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Melito/Meleto of Sardis (Quartodecimian) |
11 |
170-177 |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Hegesippus (chronicler) |
2.5 |
170-180 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Theophilus of Antioch (to Autolycus) |
32 |
168-181/188 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
|
Irenaeus of Lyons, disciple of Polycarp |
284.75 |
182-188 |
W |
- |
- |
X |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
W |
|
Passion of the Scillitan Martyrs -died 180 A.D. |
0.75 |
180-202 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Caius and the Muratorian Canon (Latin) |
3 |
190-217 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas |
7 |
c.201/205 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Serapion of Antioch against |
1.333 |
191/200-210 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
The Octavius of Minucius Felix |
25 |
210 A.D. |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
|
Clement of Alexandria |
389 |
193-202 |
W |
- |
- |
W |
W |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
W |
W |
|
Tertullian |
891 |
198-220 |
m |
- |
- |
- |
W |
W |
- |
- |
W |
W |
W |
W |
|
Hippolytus, pupil of Irenaeus (undisputed) |
218 |
222-235/236 |
X |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
|
Theodotus the probable Montanist |
7.75 |
ca.240 |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
- |
|
Instructions of Commodianus |
16 |
ca.240 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
- |
|
Julius Africanus (undisputed writings) |
9 |
232-245 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Martyrdom of the Holy Martyrs |
5.5 |
< 250 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
X |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Origen (heterodox teacher) |
1005.15 |
225-253/254 |
W |
W |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
W |
- |
W |
W |
|
Novatian (his schism lasted over 200 years) |
38.5 |
250/254-257 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Treatise Against Novatian |
6.5 |
254-256 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Treatise on Rebaptism |
11 |
c.250-258 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Cyprian of Carthage (against Novatian) |
250.5 |
c.246-258 |
X |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
- |
|
Roman church leaders (letters 2,29,30) |
1+4.75 |
250-251 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Lucian et al. (letters 16, 21) |
.875 |
250-251 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Moyses, et al. to Cyprian (letter 25) |
2.5 |
250 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Maximus, et al. to Cyprian (letter 49) |
0.25 |
c.246-256 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Firmilian of Caesarea to Cyprian (letter74) |
7.25 |
256 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Seventh Council of Carthage (85 bishops) |
7.25 |
258 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Pontius’ The Life and Passion of Cyprian |
7.5 |
258 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Theognostus of Alexandria (Origenist) |
0.5 |
260 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Gregory Thaumaturgus (undisputed works) |
28.5 |
240-265 |
P |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Dionysius of Alexandria (Origenist) |
39.5 |
246-265 |
W |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
W |
|
Malchion (Against Paul of Samosata) |
0.25 |
270 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Pierius of Alexandria (fragment) |
0.5 |
275 |
- |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Adamantius Dialog on the True Faith in God |
42 |
c.300 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Arnobius Against the Heathen (undisputed) |
126.5 |
297-303 |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
W |
|
Victorinus of Petau, Austria –commentator |
18.5 |
-304 |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
|
Pamphilus disciple of Pierius (Origenist) |
2.75 |
309 |
- |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Creed of Lucian of Antioch |
0.3 |
c.300-311 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Peter of Alexandria (undisputed) |
8.5 |
306-311 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Hesychius [Egypt],Pachomius,Phileas,Theodorus |
1 |
-311 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Methodius (corrected Origen’s followers) |
79.5 |
270-311/312 |
- |
X |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
|
Council of Arles I, France. 26-44 bishops. |
0.333 |
Aug. 314 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Council of Neocaesarea (Basil and c.19 others). |
1.333 |
c.315 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Martyrdom of Habib the Deacon by Theophilus |
5.5 |
event c.315 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
X |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Athanasius Against the Heathen & Incarnation |
56 |
318 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Lactantius, tutor of Constantine’s son |
305.5 |
303-325 |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
W |
|
Alexander of Alexandria-Origenist, undisputed |
11.5 |
313-326 |
- |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Eusebius of Caesarea |
1055.4 |
318-325 |
- |
W |
- |
- |
W |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
W |
W |
|
25 others that do not have references. |
49.11 |
170-325 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
92 Christian writer totals: all symbols except P’s + Eusebius of Caesarea prior to 325 A.D. |
4425+ 1055.4 |
up to 325: |
9.5-2.5 |
8-1 |
1-0 |
4-1 |
8-1 |
2-0 |
0 |
0 |
8-0 |
6-0 |
8-0 |
11-0 |
|
Christian writer |
Pages |
Date A.D. |
Un |
Un |
Un |
Un |
Un |
Un |
Un |
Un |
Di |
Di |
Di |
Er |
|
1+Di25 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
5 |