Were the 'Early Church Fathers' Heretics?
Should you ever agree with any of those referred to as early “church fathers”?
Do you know who those men were? Do you know what they believed?
The early church fathers are generally classified as men who claimed Christianity who wrote within a couple of centuries after the New Testament was finished.
Some among the Protestants (like David Cloud) have warned that reading the "church fathers" turns people into Roman Catholics. Hence, they denounce their writings.
But is that the case for all of those writings? Might some actually promote and explain early faithful Christianity such as now practiced by groups like the Continuing Church of God?
For our purposes, those called "church fathers" are broken down into two classifications, with some overlap.
One classification is the group that continued to hold to the teaching of the Bible. These men did “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). This group continued to do what Jesus did and were true Christians.
The other classification included men who often incorporated pagan Greek philosophy into their writings. They also tended to prefer more of an allegorical, and less literal, approach to understanding the scriptures. They and/or their teachings were opposed by those in the faithful group. However, as was mentioned earlier, there was some overlap in that this other group of people did accept some of the teachings of original Christianity.
Could there be value in writings from early Christian leaders that knew the apostles or knew people who knew the apostles? Men whose native language was koine Greek--the language that the New Testament was written in? Do writings from faithful early Christian leaders help demonstrate that they knew the books of the Old and New Testaments well before Greco-Roman councils decided on their canon of scripture?
Watch this video as Dr. Thiel shines the light of Biblical truth on the doctrines of the original church faithful writers and those that promoted heresies.
Read the full article to this video titled “Church Fathers, Protestants, and Rome: Were the ‘Early Church Fathers’ Heretics?” at URL https://www.cogwriter.com/news/church-history/church-fathers-protestants-and-rome/
Early Church Fathers, Heretical Departures, and Apostolic Truth with Dr. Bob Thiel
Steve Dupuis asks Dr. Bob Thiel whether the early church fathers were heretics, and Thiel examines evangelical critiques, exposing Greco-Roman apostasy while demonstrating how truly faithful apostolic leaders preserved original Christian doctrine.
The Evangelical Warning Against Church Fathers
Steve Dupuis opens the broadcast by asking Dr. Bob Thiel about the early church fathers and whether historical records justify labeling them heretics. Thiel begins by citing an article written by Protestant evangelical author David Cloud titled The Church Fathers: A Door to Rome. Cloud warns that modern evangelicals are being lured into Roman Catholicism by studying patristic literature, attending Mass, adopting contemplative prayer, and engaging in ecumenical ventures. According to Cloud, early church fathers were overwhelmingly heretics whose writings lack divine inspiration, arguing instead that genuine guidance rests exclusively in inspired biblical scriptures like Jude and Second Timothy. Thiel explains that while Cloud rightly rejects uninspired tradition and correctly identifies numerous heretical compromises among prominent figures, Cloud makes a serious mistake by dismissing every early Christian writer entirely. Thiel stresses that examining the earliest post-apostolic writers provides indispensable historical context, showing how Christians who directly knew the apostles understood New Testament teachings and the original faith.
Ancient Greek Context and the True Biblical Canon
Dupuis asks how early patristic writings aid modern believers, prompting Thiel to highlight the linguistic and historical advantages of contemporaneous writers. Thiel explains that early Christian authors possessed a native grasp of Koine Greek, the precise language in which New Testament manuscripts were composed. By disregarding these early witnesses, modern Protestants frequently distort original apostolic doctrines while mistakenly projecting twenty-first-century evangelical assumptions onto ancient texts. Thiel notes that Cloud only identified Ignatius of Antioch as a genuine Christian leader, criticizing him merely for advocating hierarchical governance. However, Thiel emphasizes that Cloud ignored other faithful apostolic leaders who steadfastly defended New Testament truth without yielding to Rome. Citing Melito of Sardis, Thiel points out that Melito documented the original Old Testament canon and celebrated Passover rather than Easter. Furthermore, early faithful witnesses recognized the New Testament canon long before fourth-century Greco-Roman ecumenical councils met, demonstrating that the true Church of God preserved scriptural authority from the beginning.
Philosophical Corruption and Alexandrian Allegorizers
Thiel reviews specific historical figures whom Cloud accurately categorized as heretics, starting with Justin Martyr. Thiel explains that Justin mixed pagan philosophy with scripture, advocated for the sun god in writing, interpreted prophecy allegorically, and rejected the millennium. Turning to Irenaeus of Lyons, Thiel concurs that Irenaeus placed ecclesiastical tradition beyond biblical authority, citing Pope Benedict XVI's declaration that Irenaeus was the true founder of Catholic theology. Thiel also details how Clement of Alexandria led an influential school in Egypt that blended Platonic philosophy with Christian theology. Yet Thiel stresses that Cloud overlooks the faithful leaders who boldly opposed Alexandrian errors. Specifically, Nepos of Arsinoe wrote a treatise titled The Refutation of the Allegorizers to defend the literal millennial kingdom against Clement's influence. Similarly, when Origen propagated severe allegorical heresies in Alexandria, Macarius of Edessa established a literalist theological school to resist philosophical drift, demonstrating that faithful Christian teachers actively combated early Greco-Roman corruption.
Anti-Judaism, Pagan Traditions, and Augustine of Hippo
Examining fourth- and fifth-century figures, Thiel focuses on John Chrysostom, the prominent patriarch of Antioch who attacked Jewish observances and preached aggressively against biblical holy days. Thiel notes that Chrysostom played a decisive role in persuading the Greek Orthodox world to adopt the Roman Catholic observance of Christmas on December twenty-fifth. Turning to Augustine of Hippo, Thiel describes him as an apostate whose writings laid foundational doctrines for Roman Catholicism and justified religious persecution. Augustine rejected the literal thousand-year millennium, allegorized biblical prophecy, claimed the Catholic Church represented the kingdom of God, and incorporated Platonic philosophy into Christian thought. On a personal level, Thiel highlights that Augustine abandoned his common-law wife and failed to provide familial support. While Roman Catholicism reveres Augustine as a doctor of the church and many Protestant reformers praised his works, Thiel rejects him as unfaithful to genuine Christianity, warning that his theological innovations led believers away from apostolic obedience.
Marian Titles and Faithful Witnesses of Asia Minor
Thiel addresses Cyril of Alexandria, who died in 444 and promoted Marian veneration by officially designating Mary as Theotokos, the bearer of God. Thiel observes that while earlier centuries saw faithful writers warn against excessive veneration of Mary, apostates steadily integrated such devotion into ecclesiastical orthodoxy. Thiel argues that David Cloud threw out the baby with the bathwater by condemning all early Christian writers indiscriminately. Thiel underscores that first- and second-century apostolic leaders such as Papias and Polycarp of Smyrna learned directly from the original apostles. Polycarp vigorously confronted rising heresies and kept the biblical faith, while Papias taught the millennial reign of Christ. Thiel lists other faithful leaders across Asia Minor, including Thraseas of Eumenia, Sagaris of Laodicea, Papirius of Smyrna, and relatives of Jesus such as Judah Cyriacus. These teachers observed the Passover on the fourteenth of Nisan, maintained biblical truths regarding the Godhead, and rejected idolatrous practices, firmly demonstrating apostolic continuity.
Guarding Commandments and Recovering True Church History
Thiel concludes that anyone carefully reading genuine apostolic fathers would never convert to Roman Catholicism, because early Christians condemned the veneration of images and kept the prohibition against idolatry as the distinct second commandment. In contrast, Rome modified commandment numbering and filled sanctuaries with icons, while Protestant groups retained Catholic traditions regarding Sunday worship, Easter, Christmas, and the Godhead. Because modern evangelicals adopted post-apostolic compromises, Thiel argues that teachers like Cloud feel compelled to condemn all early church history to avoid confronting Protestantism's own doctrinal deviations from the New Testament. Thiel encourages listeners to study early church history with biblical discernment to recognize who remained faithful to scripture. Referencing Continuing Church of God publications like Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church and Hope of Salvation, Thiel asserts that understanding early history equips believers against deception. Dupuis concludes the broadcast by pointing listeners to biblenewsprophecy.net for audio programs and related historical literature.
