The Rise of Heresy in the 2nd Century (Part 2)

By Kelly McDonald, Jr.

Last week, we summarized the false teachings that infiltrated Christianity in the mid-second century (click HERE to read part 1). In this article, we will discuss specific teachers and their doctrines. Some of their teachings have lasted down to our present time in some form.

Among the first false teachers to arise in the second century were Saturninus and Basilides, who began to spread heresy during the time of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD) and continued to do so into the reign of Antonius (138-161 AD). A Christian witness of this time, Irenaeus, wrote about their errors:

“Arising among these men, Saturninus (who was of that Antioch which is near Daphne) and Basilides laid hold of some favourable opportunities, and promulgated different systems of doctrine — the one in Syria, the other at Alexandria…He has also laid it down as a truth, that the Saviour was without birth, without body, and without figure, but was, by supposition, a visible man; and he maintained that the God of the Jews was one of the angels; and, on this account, because all the powers wished to annihilate his father, Christ came to destroy the God of the Jews, but to save such as believe in him…This heretic was the first to affirm that two kinds of men were formed by the angels — the one wicked, and the other good. And since the demons assist the most wicked, the Saviour came for the destruction of evil men and of the demons, but for the salvation of the good” (Against Heresies, 1.24.1-2; emphasis mine throughout).

Because Saturninus was a Gnostic, he taught that marriage was prohibited, clean animal meat was forbidden, and that some prophetic words in the Old Testament were from angels and others were from satan. He considered himself to be an angel. He denied that Christ had come in the flesh and that He only appeared as an apparition (ibid, sec. 2). He thought marriage and procreation were from satan (Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies, 7.16). Moreover, he promoted the idea that Christ was sent to destroy the God of the Jews.

Basilides was another false teacher of this time. His beliefs are summarized below:

“Basilides again, that he may appear to have discovered something more sublime and plausible, gives an immense development to his doctrines…Those angels who occupy the lowest heaven, that, namely, which is visible to us, formed all the things which are in the world, and made allotments among themselves of the earth and of those nations which are upon it. The chief of them is he who is thought to be the God of the Jews; and inasmuch as he desired to render the other nations subject to his own people, that is, the Jews, all the other princes resisted and opposed him. Wherefore all other nations were at enmity with his nation. But the father without birth and without name, perceiving that they would be destroyed, sent his own first-begotten Nous (he it is who is called Christ) to bestow deliverance on those who believe in him, from the power of those who made the world. He appeared, then, on earth as a man, to the nations of these powers, and wrought miracles. Wherefore he did not himself suffer death, but Simon, a certain man of Cyrene, being compelled, bore the cross in his stead…” (Irenaeus, Against Heresy, 1.24.3-4; emphasis mine throughout).

Basilides had viewpoints similar to Saturninus. He taught that Christ was sent to save the world from the God of the Jews. He also denied Christ’s suffering in the flesh and affirmed that salvation came to the soul alone (ibid, 1.24.4). His followers engaged in idolatry, magic, and sorcery, yet claimed it was part of his worship of the true god.

The attack of these heretics was clear: they sought to portray the God of the Old Testament as a separate God than that of the New Testament. They went so far as to say that Jesus came to destroy the God of the Jews! How could anyone read the New Testament and come to such conclusions? When we read the New Testament, we learn that through Christ all things were created (John 1:1-3, Col. 1:15-17). Saturninus operated out of Syria and Basilides in Alexandria.

Heresy in Rome

The most popular and dangerous of the gnostic teachers were Valentinus, Cerdon, and Marcion. They greatly influenced people in the city of Rome. We will review their beliefs below. Irenaeus is also one of our chief sources about them.

“For Valentinus came to Rome in the time of Hyginus, flourished under Pius, and remained until Anicetus. Cerdon, too, Marcion’s predecessor, himself arrived in the time of Hyginus…Marcion, then, succeeding him, flourished under Anicetus, who held the tenth place of the episcopate” (ibid, 3.4.3; emphasis mine throughout).

Irenaeus listed the bishops of Rome under which these false teachers proposed. To give you an idea of the period we are discussing, we will list the years that these bishops served:

– Hyginus (136-140 AD)

– Pius (140-154 AD)

– Anicetus (155-166 AD)

It is interesting to note that Anicetus’ time as the bishop of Rome was fruitful for these heretics. As reviewed in another article, Anicetus was the first bishop of Rome to defect from the observance of Passover (CLICK HERE to read more). This event initiated the Quartodeciman Controversy.

Many of these Gnostic teachers claimed to have derived their doctrine from Simon Magus. If you recall from Act chapter 8, he was the man who tried to buy the power of the Holy Spirit. Irenaeus wrote: “…declaring at the same time the doctrine of Simon Magus of Samaria, their progenitor, and of all those who succeeded him. I mentioned, too, the multitude of those Gnostics who are sprung from him…” (Against Heresies, 2.Preface).

We will start with the Valentinians. They blended Bible verses with other common sayings from their day to present what they portrayed as a more perfect truth. They were known for creating fables in the moment to justify whatever belief was convenient (Tertullian, Against the Valentinians, 1). The Valentinians were very numerous and influential. Below, we have quotes from Tertullian and Irenaeus about this group.

“The Valentinians, who are no doubt a very large body of heretics–comprising as they do so many apostates from the truth, who have a propensity for fables…” (Tertullian, Against the Valentinians, 1).

“They gather their views from other sources than the Scriptures; and, to use a common proverb, they strive to weave ropes of sand, while they endeavour to adapt with an air of probability to their own peculiar assertions the parables of the Lord, the sayings of the prophets, and the words of the apostles, in order that their scheme may not seem altogether without support. In doing so, however, they disregard the order and the connection of the Scriptures, and so far as in them lies, dismember and destroy the truth. By transferring passages, and dressing them up anew, and making one thing out of another, they succeed in deluding many through their wicked art in adapting the oracles of the Lord to their opinions” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 1.8.1).

“…he did not invent Scriptures to square with his own subject-matter, but adapted his matter to the Scriptures; and yet he took away more, and added more, by removing the proper meaning of every particular word, and adding fantastic arrangements of things which have no real existence…” (Tertullian, Prescription Against Heretics, 38).

“But those who are from Valentinus, being, on the other hand, altogether reckless, while they put forth their own compositions, boast that they possess more Gospels than there really are. Indeed, they have arrived at such a pitch of audacity, as to entitle their comparatively recent writing ‘the Gospel of Truth,’ though it agrees in nothing with the Gospels of the Apostles, so that they have really no Gospel which is not full of blasphemy. For if what they have published is the Gospel of truth, and yet is totally unlike those which have been handed down to us from the apostles…” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3.11.9).

The Valentinians melded Christianity with pagan festivals and encouraged breaking the commandments of God. They believed it was necessary to satisfy the lusts of the flesh in addition to satisfying their spiritual needs (ibid, 1.6.3). They accused God of creating a defective earth and that mankind was not made from the earth as described in Genesis (ibid, 4.33.3, 5.15.4). Moreover, they declared birth as an evil event, which subsequently led them to deny the bodily birth, suffering and resurrection of Christ (Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, 3.17.102).

Archaeology Confirms Irenaeus

In the mid-twentieth century, several ancient works were found compiled in a codex, which has been called the Nag Hammadi Library. Within this codex are a spectrum of works, some of which are non-gnostic, some are semi-gnostic, and others are certainly gnostic. Even some of Plato’s writings were found in it. Among these works are several books titled as ‘gospels’, including one titled ‘the gospel of truth.’ The Codex Tchacos, which contains similar content, was found later in the same century.

These archaeological findings confirm Irenaeus’ statement that there were more gospels in circulation than originally composed in the first century, especially the ‘the gospel of truth.’ Some of these other gospels propose to have sayings of Jesus and contain some quotes which are found in the original gospels, but they also contain much content which is not found there. This also corroborates with the description of them given by Irenaeus and Tertullian.

Cerdo and Marcion

The last heretics we will discuss are Cero or Cerdon and his apprentice Marcion. Cerdon taught that there were two gods: one of the Old Testament and one of the New Testament. He taught Jesus was the son of an entirely different deity than the Father discussed in the Old Testament. He came to Rome during the time of Hyginus (which was the same time Valentinus arrived). Initially, he professed loyalty to the Roman church and spread his false teachings secretly. As time passed, he taught these things publicly.

Marcion succeeded him and deepened the heresy even further. In about 144 AD, Marcion came to Rome. His teachings diffused throughout the Christian world. Justin the Martyr remarked that his heretical doctrine had influenced people of every nation (First Apology, Chapter 26). We will briefly look at the primary sources from this time which discuss his work.

“Cerdon was one who took his system from the followers of Simon…He taught that the God proclaimed by the law and the prophets was not the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… Marcion of Pontus succeeded him, and developed his doctrine. In so doing, he advanced the most daring blasphemy against Him who is proclaimed as God by the law and the prophets, declaring Him to be the author of evils, to take delight in war, to be infirm of purpose, and even to be contrary to Himself” (Irenaeus, Adv. Haer., 1:27:1-2; emphasis mine).

Marcion developed Cerdon’s doctrine even further, which we will briefly discuss. He taught that Christ’s statements in Matthew chapter 5 forbidding adultery, murder, and swearing were an indication that they had been overturned and no longer applied (Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, 4.13.1). He prohibited marriage (Tertullian, Against Marcion, 5.7). He taught that Christ’s actual body was not crucified – but a phantom body (ibid, 4.40). He did not believe that the resurrection of the flesh was possible, but only the salvation of the soul (ibid, 5.10).

Among the doctrines more specific to his teaching was a hatred for the Law of God. Tertullian related the following about him:

“Marcion’s special and principal work is the separation of the law and the gospel… [his works] aim at committing the gospel to a variance with the law, in order that from the diversity of the two documents which contain them, they may contend for a diversity of gods also. Since, therefore, it is this very opposition between the law and the gospel which has suggested that the God of the gospel is different from the God of the law…Marcion, the author of the breach of peace between the gospel and the law. Now this peace, which had remained unhurt and unshaken from Christ’s appearance to the time of Marcion’s audacious doctrine, was no doubt maintained by that way of thinking, which firmly held that the God of both law and gospel was none other than the Creator, against whom after so long a time a separation has been introduced by the heretic of Pontus” (ibid, 1.19).

Tertullian contended that before Marcion, the law and the gospel were taught in harmony with each other. Marcion caused this breach, which unfortunately has continued down to our present day. He had a much greater influence than the other heretics in dividing the two testaments, which are truly one.

The Sabbath

Marcion and other Gnostics had a special hatred for the Sabbath. He claimed that Christ broke the Sabbath and rescinded it (ibid, 4.12). Consider the following quote attributed to Marcion:

“Since that day is the rest of the God of the Jews, who made the world and rested the seventh day, we therefore fast on that day, that we may not do anything in compliance with the God of the Jews” (Epiphinaus, Panarion, 42; english translation from Bingham, p 52).

Why did they have such a disdain for the Sabbath? One chief feature of the seventh day is that it is a memorial of creation. Since they viewed the material world as being created by an evil god, it led to their rejection of the Sabbath.

Marcion was also known to take verses out of the Bible that were inconvenient to his doctrine. For instance, He removed statements that refer to Christ as an Israelite so that Christ would not have any connection to Israel (Tertullian, Against Marcion, 4.7). He removed Matthew 5:17 from the gospel (ibid). He also removed the section from Ephesians 6:2 that explained honoring one’s father and mother was the first one with a promise (ibid, 5.18). He rejected the book of Revelation (ibid, 4.5). He attempted to compile a canon of the New Testament, which included one gospel (Luke), but it was greatly edited (ibid, 4.7). He admitted only 10 of Paul’s letters.

Conclusion

Over a twenty-year period, these heretics flooded Christian communities with false doctrine. They mixed the teachings of the first Apostles with their own ideas and Greek philosophy. Valentinus, Cerdon, and Marcion had their greatest impact in the city of Rome. Among the scarier parts of these heretical teachers is that they all viewed themselves as Christians! “…All who take their opinions from these men, are, as we before said, called Christians…”  (Justin, First Apology, Chapter 26). People who lived in the ancient world had to be very confused concerning the definition of a Christian.

These heretical teachers tried to diminish the Old Testament. They decried Biblical practices, including the Sabbath, and laid the foundation for anti-Sabbatarian doctrine. They sought to edit the New Testament to remove anything that was contrary to their doctrine and then mixed the remaining text with common sayings to create a mutilated text.

With these events going on in the city of Rome, who would intervene? Who would stand up to this rising tide of heresy in Christendom? God preserved a man to stand against them all. His name was Polycarp – we will discuss him more next week.

Kelly McDonald, Jr.

Bible Sabbath Association (BSA) – http://www.biblesabbath.org

Bibliography

To view the Bibliography, see pp 84-87 from the book The Life of Polycarp. It can be downloaded for free – just CLICK HERE.

How China Almost Became a Sabbath-keeping Nation! (Part 2)

by Leon J. Lyell

“In southern China in the late 1840’s, a unique brand of Christianity emerged — the Taiping Movement. Millions accepted its leadership, but foreign “Christian” missionaries rejected it. The Taipings revered the Torah and adopted the seventh-day Sabbath! This is the story of one man’s search for God. It is the corruption of that search by the counsel of politically motivated associates. It is also the story of an attempt to bring a better life to the people of China and how that quest was thwarted. In Part 1 we examined the history of the Taiping Movement. In Part 2 we will review some of the major beliefs of the Taiping Christians.

There is no doubt that the Taipings sought to create a theocracy. Their constitution insisted on high moral standards, church attendance, and compassion towards the needy. For example, opium smoking, the use of tobacco and wine, prostitution, foot binding, the sale of slaves, gambling and polygamy were all forbidden. Hong tried to model his government on the precepts of the Books of Moses to the extent that he understood these.

But what exactly was Hong’s message? Do we have enough evidence to make our own judgement about whether his form of religion was biblical? Where his beliefs differ from ours, how much of that is due to difference of culture and how much is about a substantial difference of understanding of the Word of God?…”

(this article is an excerpt from the November-December 2001 edition of the Sabbath Sentinel)

To read the rest of this article, which starts on page 15, click this link: https://biblesabbath.org/tss/492/tss_492.pdf

The Rise of Heresy in the 2nd Century (Part 1)

By Kelly McDonald, Jr.

In the second century, Christianity was influenced by many outside influences, including other religions, Greek philosophy, and anti-Semitism. Heretical teachings were also mixed with the Bible. These influences stained much of Christianity in a way that has lasted until modern times. In this two-part series, we are going to discuss the rise of heresy in the second century.

The first apostles warned about a time when false teachers would come to deceive many in the faith. Consider the words of Paul and Peter:

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times* some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” (I Tim. 4:1-2).

*The underlying Greek in I Timothy 4:1-2 translated as ‘later times’ refers to the time after Paul. This detail will become more apparent over the course of this two-part series.

“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves” (2 Peter 2:1).

Notice that both Paul and Peter warned about a future time when deception would rise. People in the world are already deceived. The attacks described by them were designed to deceive those in the Christian faith. Paul said some will “abandon the faith” and Peter said false teachers will be “among you” – meaning among believers.

In the second century, their prophetic warnings started to come to pass.

Below, we have quotes below from two Christian writers in the second century who lived in these turbulent times. Hegesippus is the first one we will examine. He is considered the earliest Christian chronicler. The second quote is from Clement of Alexandria, who wrote in the late second century. Though he was tainted to a degree with these false teachings, he did not wholly subscribe to them and denounced some of their errors.

Hegesippus

“And, after profound peace had been established in every church, they remained down to the reign of Trajan Caesar [98-117 AD]…Symeon son of Clopas, was informed against [accused] by the various heresies, and subjected to an accusation like the rest…He was finally condemned to be crucified. Up to that period the Church had remained like a virgin pure and uncorrupted…But, when the sacred band of apostles had in various ways closed their lives, and that generation of men to whom it had been vouchsafed to listen to the Godlike Wisdom with their own ears had passed away, then did the confederacy of godless error take its rise…And the church of the Corinthians continued in the orthodox faith up to the time when Primus was bishop in Corinth. I had some intercourse with these brethren on my voyage to Rome…in every city, the state of affairs is in accordance with the teaching of the Law and of the Prophets and of the Lord…After James the Just had suffered martyrdom [62 AD], as had the Lord on the same account, again Symeon son of Clopas, descended from the Lord’s uncle, is made bishop [of Jerusalem]… Therefore was the Church called a virgin, for she was not as yet corrupted by worthless teaching. Thebulis it was who, displeased because he was not made bishop, first began to corrupt her by stealth. He too was connected with the seven sects which existed among the people…from these have come false Christs, false prophets, false apostles – men who have split up the one Church into parts through their corrupting doctrines, uttered in disparagement of God and of His Christ…” (fragments of Hegesippus)

Clement of Alexandria

“The Tradition of the Church Prior to that of the Heresies… For the teaching of our Lord at His advent, beginning with Augustus and Tiberius, was completed in the middle of the times of Tiberius. And that of the apostles, embracing the ministry of Paul, ends with Nero. It was later, in the times of Adrian [Hadrian] the king [117-138 AD], that those who invented the heresies arose…” (Stromata, 7.17)

Hegesippus noted that Christianity held to the true faith until the reign of the Roman Emperor Trajan (98-117 AD). What event or events might have caused him to say such a thing? Two significant details can be gleaned from his quote.

Firstly, Christians were persecuted during the reign of Trajan (see Pliny the Younger’s letter exchange with Trajan). They were put on trial and tortured unless they recanted the name of Christ. As these events transpired, strong Christian leaders were martyred. Hegesippus specifically mentioned how Simeon, the Bishop of Jerusalem, was falsely accused by the heretics.

A second factor noted by Hegesippus was the death of the first Apostles. The last of them, John, passed away in approximately 100-105 AD. This also happened during the reign of Trajan. Additionally, many of their followers had either passed away or were older by this time. Said another way, the individuals with the freshest memories of Christ’s life were no longer alive or they were sparsely found. These two factors played a significant role in the rise of heretics who would try to alter Christianity in the second century.

Clement of Alexandria, who lived a little later, said that heretics came to prominence during the reign of Hadrian (117-138 AD). What event contributed to his conclusion on this subject? During Hadrian’s reign, the Romans defeated the Jewish people in a war commonly known as the Bar-Kokhba rebellion. As a result, Hadrian banned all the Jewish people from Jerusalem. This included the Christian Bishop of the city who was Jewish by birth.

This incident caused confusion among Christians. Why is this the case? In the book of Acts, we learn that the Christian leadership established in Jerusalem made it the de-facto headquarters of the faith. For some examples of this, see the following verses: Acts 1:4-8, 11:1- 2, 11:19-22, 11:26-27, 12:24-25, 13:13, 15:2, 16:4, and Gal. 2:1- 2.

The bishop of Jerusalem was considered the bishop of all Christendom. Towards the end of Hadrian’s reign, the leadership of the faith was scattered. Christianity began to fragment and polarize around different cities such as Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome.

Passover was among the first subjects impacted by the removal of Jewish people from Jerusalem (see Epiphanius, Panarion, 70.9.1-2). To read more about this subject, see the article “The Quartodeciman Controversy (Part 1)” – Click here to read. Also read our free E-Book The Quartodeciman Controversy – CLICK HERE to download.

The information provided by Hegesippus and Clement help us understand that heresy began to rise from 98-138 AD. It started by stealth and then came out in the open. During this time, there was a precipitous rise of the false teachers foretold by Paul and Peter. They sought to blend some of the New Testament with other ideas. Some of them tried to edit the New Testament in a way that was convenient to their viewpoint.

There are at least five common beliefs shared among these false teachers. We have listed these below with a more detailed explanation for each.

1) Many were influenced by Gnosticism.

2) They were very anti-Semitic.

3) They devalued or disregarded the Old Testament as the chief background source for the New Testament.

4) They sought to replace and/or mix the Old Testament with Greek philosophy, cultural influences, Stoicism or Gnostic sources.

5) They tried to replace or edit the writings that we call the New Testament.

Gnosticism is a belief system which blended Greek and Middle Eastern influences. Many teachers who received this label believed that physical matter was evil and spiritual things were good. Pursuant to that view, they thought that an inferior, evil god made the material world, and that a superior, good god made the spiritual realm. They placed a strong emphasis on secret knowledge as essential to the salvation of one’s immortal soul.

The heretics of the second century also had a hatred for the Jewish people. This was partly motivated by an anti-Semitic trend in the Empire which existed at that time. This view was also influenced by the fact that the God of the Old Testament created everything. Some of them believed that Christ came to destroy the God of the Jews.

Lastly, they wanted to devalue or disregard the Old Testament, which was the source material for God’s covenant with Israel and Judah. This part of the Bible also required submission of the human body to a holy lifestyle abhorred by Gnostics. They wanted Greek philosophy or some other belief system to replace the Old Testament since they thought an evil god inspired it. This produced a twisted view of Christ’s life and the lives of the early disciples.

These false teachers wrote their own gospels and/or edited existing ones with their agenda. These actions added confusion within the Christian community and among the public. Those who sought the True God would be confused when comparing the original Christian teachings and the hybrid ones presented by these false teachers.

In the late second century, several Christian writers wrote extensive works refuting these heretics – including Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Hippolytus. Unfortunately, many of them were influenced to one degree or another by these heretical teachings, but they were not completely corrupted.

In part two of this series, we will look at quotes from second-century authors who described these Gnostic teachers and their false doctrine.

Stay tuned!

Bibliography

Catholic Encyclopedia: Hadrian, Publius Ælius; Trajan

Clement of Alexandria. Stromata, 7.17. Translated by William Wilson. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 2. Edited by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Company, 1885, pp 554-555.

Epiphanius of Salamis, Panarion, 70.9.1-2,9, 10.4-5. Translated by Frank Williams. The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis. Books II and III, De Fide. 2nd ed. Boston: Brill Publishers, 2013. pp 420-422.

Eusebius of Caesarea. Church History, 4.5.2, 4.6.3-4. Translated by Arthur Cushman McGiffert. Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, vol. 1. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. New York: The Christian Literature Company, 1890. pp 176-177.

Hegesippus. Fragments. Translated by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 8. Edited by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson. Buffalo, NY: The Christian Literature Company, 1886. pp 762-764.

Jewish Encyclopedia: Hadrian

Pliny the Younger. Letter 97. Translated by Melmoth. Revised by Rev. F. C. T. Bosanquet, London: George Bell and Sons, 1905. pp 393-397

How China Almost Became a Sabbath-keeping Nation! (Part 1)

by Leon J. Lyell

“In southern China in the late 1840’s a unique brand of Christianity emerged — the Taiping Movement. Millions accepted its leadership, but foreign “Christian” missionaries rejected it. The Taipings revered the Torah and adopted the seventh-day Sabbath! This is the story of one man’s search for God. It is the corruption of that search by the counsel of politically motivated associates. It is also the story of an attempt to bring a better life to the people of China and how that quest was thwarted. Who were the Taipings? Is it easier for us to see their mistakes than our own? What might the world be like today if they had been successful?

Many regard China as a homogenous society, which has existed in monolithic security for millennia. Such is not the case. In many ways it can be compared to Europe as both “nations” encompass many cultural and dialect groups, which while related are not homogenous. Recent research supports the view that the various Chinese “dialects” are more like separate languages than is commonly supposed.

Many may be surprised to learn that Confucius (551- 479 BC), who worked for the King of Zhou as an advisor on good government, decried the “barbarians” outside of his own province. The parallel in European history would be the traditional animosity between various European “countries.” The major difference in this regard is that Europe has never been able to sustain forced “unification” for long…”

(this article is an excerpt from the Sept-Oct 2001 edition of the Sabbath Sentinel)

To read the rest of this article, which starts on page 11, click this link: https://biblesabbath.org/tss/491/tss_491.pdf

Nero’s Persecution of Christians

By Kelly McDonald, Jr.

In about 64 AD, Christians were persecuted by the Roman Emperor Nero. This historical event is recorded by both Roman and Christian authors. In this article, we will review some of the sources that attest to this event.

Historical Background

In the mid-60s AD, Nero was Roman Emperor. He sought to build a new city called Neronia (obviously named after himself). Part of the problem is that it required tearing down part of the existing city of Rome! Not long after these plans were made, a fire damaged the city. It was the worst fire that had occurred up to that point!

It was discovered that the fire began on a property owned by one of Nero’s advisors. There was a rumor that he sang about the fall of Troy (another ancient city) while the city burned. To stop rumors that he started the fire, Nero tried making sacrifices to the Greco-Roman gods and giving out gifts to the common people. None of these actions worked.

To divert the people’s suspicion away from himself, Nero blamed Christians for the event. Believers were mistreated in many terrible ways. Tacitus, a Roman historian who lived from 56-120 AD, wrote about these events:

“A disaster followed, whether accidental or treacherously contrived by the emperor, is uncertain, as authors have given both accounts, worse, however, and more dreadful than any which have ever happened to this city by the violence of fire…a rumour had gone forth everywhere that, at the very time when the city was in flames, the emperor appeared on a private stage and sang of the destruction of Troy, comparing present misfortunes with the calamities of antiquity…”

“And to this conflagration there attached the greater infamy because it broke out on the Aemilian property of Tigellinus [Nero’s Chief Advisor], and it seemed that Nero was aiming at the glory of founding a new city and calling it by his name. Rome, indeed, is divided into fourteen districts, four of which remained uninjured, three were levelled to the ground, while in the other seven were left only a few shattered, half-burnt relics of houses…”

“…But all human efforts, all the lavish gifts of the emperor, and the propitiation of the gods, did not banish the sinister belief that the fire was the result of an order. Consequently, to get rid of the report [that Nero started the fire], Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular…”

“…Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths.  Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed by the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired. Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car.  Hence, even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man’s cruelty, that they were being destroyed” (Tacitus, The Annals, 15.39-40, 44).

This historical account is important for many reasons, including that it is one of the earliest non-Biblical records of Christianity. It attests to key details about the foundations of Christianity that we read about in the New Testament, including that Christians lived in Rome. Tacitus recorded that an immense multitude was convicted of being a Christian.

This record is an indication that Christianity had spread considerably in the city and even perhaps the surrounding areas. Paul’s letter to the Romans is another way we can confirm a significant Christian presence in the city. It is usually dated to about 57 (NIV Study Notes, page 1743). Some sources attest that Paul was martyred during the reign of Nero (such as Tertullian).

Christians stood out in Roman culture for a number of reasons, one of which was their monotheistic worship. It is interesting that the language Tacitus used to describe Christians in the account above is very similar to his description of Jewish people in another work titled The Histories (idem, 5.5).

The Roman historian Suetonius (69-122 AD) also mentioned this persecution. “He likewise inflicted punishments on the Christians*, a sort of people who held a new and impious superstition” (Life of Nero, 16.2). *Latin word is Christiani. Suetonius does not add much more to the discussion of this topic than what we have already learned.

In Tertullian’s work Apology (composed about 200 AD), he explained the Christian faith and defended it against Roman accusations. In this work, he described how the suffering of Christians during the time of Nero was recorded in Roman history.

“Consult your histories; you will there find that Nero was the first who assailed with the imperial sword the Christian sect, making progress then especially at Rome. But we glory in having our condemnation hallowed by the hostility of such a wretch…” (idem, 5).

Nero was the first Roman official to target Christians and this event is recorded first by Roman sources. In the attempt to harm Christians, the persecutors preserved the record of their existence. Like our Lord and Savior, these innocent Christians gave their lives amid false accusations. Let us always remember their example of faith.

Kelly McDonald, Jr.

Bible Sabbath Association (www.biblesabbath.org)

Bibliography

Suetonius. The Life of Nero, 16.2. Translated by Alexander Thomson. Revised by T. Forester, London: G. Bell and Sons, LTD, 1911. pp 347.

Tacitus. Annals, 15.39-40, 44. Translated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb, MacMillan and Co., 1894, pp 301 -305.

Tacitus. The Histories, 5.4-5. Translated W. Hamilton Fyfe. vol 2. Oxford: 1912, pp 205-208.

Tertullian. Apology, 5. Translated by Rev. S. Thelwall. Roberts, Rev. Alexander and Donaldson, James, eds. The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Vol. 3. Buffalo: Christian Literature Publishing Co, 1918. p 21-22.

Zondervan NIV Study Bible (Fully Revised). Copyright 1985, 1995, 2002 by the Zondervan Coporation. Grand Rapids, MI. 2002. pp 1743.

Recapturing Excellence

By Kenneth Ryland

“We have heard many times the scripture that refers to “the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.” Have you ever thought about what that means?

Excellency has to do with surpassing the current standard, exceeding the norm. That is certainly true of Jesus’ work on this earth. The norm was for a man or woman to present an animal to the priest for sacrifice to atone for sins. But, Jesus presented Himself. He not only exceeded the norm; He surpassed it to the ultimate. After His sacrifice, no other was necessary. In doing so, He took upon Himself the very worst of every man and every woman, so that they might be freed from the penalty of their own sins and cleansed to the core of their being. The exchange was that God would die for man — the highest and best for the lowest and worst. There is no more excellent thing in all of God’s creation than this.

This is our example, and I use it to show the quality of God’s work as well as the efficacy of it. All the work that God has ever done for mankind has this same mark of excellence, this unsurpassed quality. It is forever both thorough and complete. There is nothing lacking in it…”

(this article is an excerpt from the March-April 2002 edition of the Sabbath Sentinel)

To read the rest of this article, which starts on page 3, click this link: https://biblesabbath.org/tss/494/tss_494.pdf

What is the Meaning of Ephesians 2:11-15?

By Kelly McDonald, Jr.

In Ephesians 2:11-15, Paul wrote “11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace…” (NKJV)

Common Argument: These verses have been used by some to say that the entire law of God, including the Sabbath, was torn down when Christ was sacrificed.

Think it Through: Christ did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it (CLICK HERE to see article on Matthew 5:17-18). He died because we transgressed/violated God’s Law (I John 3:1-5).

Short Answer: Christ tore down man-made laws so that Gentiles and Israelites could be one in Christ (click here see article on Acts 10 and 11). These verses do not negate God’s laws and commandments.

Longer Answer: In Ephesians 2:11-15, Paul explains that Gentiles were at one time excluded from citizenship in Israel. However, through the blood of Christ they have been made one with Israel and the covenants of promise. For Gentiles and Israelites to be unified, Christ had to die to abolish the ‘law of commandments contained in ordinances’ that separated us from citizenship in Israel. What is Paul saying?

The Greek word translated as ‘ordinances’ is dogmasin, and it refers to a man-made ordinance or decree. The phrase “law of commandments contained in ordinances” refers to the laws and commandments in man-made ordinances of certain Jewish sects, which separated Gentiles from becoming members of Israel.

The man-made rules of the Pharisees, Essenes, and other groups often treated Gentiles as second-class human beings. For instance, some Jewish people had a rule which stipulated that any fellowship with Gentiles would make them unclean. God never said this in the Bible. Peter struggled with this for years; the Lord had to correct Him (click here to read more about this subject – Acts 10 and 11).

These kinds of rules separated Gentiles from covenant with God and becoming citizens in Israel. It excluded them and diminished their value. This is the wall of regulations that were built to create enmity between Israelites and Gentiles. According to the Law of God, Gentiles were allowed to enter into covenant with God (Leviticus 24:22). They just simply had to take the sign of the covenant, circumcision, and obey the terms of the covenant, which is the Law.

When the Israelites left Egypt, they left a mixed multitude (Exodus 12:38). The Gentiles that left Egypt with the Israelites became members of the community. They were baptized into Moses by the sea and cloud (I Cor. 10:1-4). Rahab and Ruth are examples of Gentiles allowed to be part of God’s covenant people.

Through Christ’s death, we have access to all the promises God made to the patriarchs and citizenship in Israel without having to go through man-made rules.

Kelly McDonald, Jr.

BSA President – www.biblesabbath.org

Why Were Early Christians Persecuted?

By Kelly McDonald, Jr.

Why were early Christians persecuted? This is a question that has been visited by volumes of literature over the centuries. In this article, we will answer this question. 

In the New Testament, we have a record of Jesus’ ministry and the disciples that followed Him. Among their teachings was that those who follow Him would encounter persecution. What is persecution?

The root Greek word often translated as persecution is dioko. It means to pursue, harass, or mistreat. In general, we would say that persecution is mistreatment or harassment expressed towards someone because of their faith. It involves pressure to perform or abstain from certain behaviors.

For the early disciples, persecution could include rejection or exclusion from family/social groups, pressure to forsake Jesus’ teachings, confiscation of property, bodily harm, and/or death. Many of the early disciples endured these forms of persecution, yet they stayed loyal to the faith.

Jesus and the early disciples instructed present and future generations that they would experience pressure and/or threats because of their faith. Consider the following verses:

Matthew 10:22-23, 32-33

“22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. 23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next…32 Every one therefore who shall confess me [m] before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

Mark 10:29-30

“29 Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for my sake, and for the gospel’s sake, 30 but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”

Acts 14:21-22

“21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, and to Iconium, and to Antioch, 22 confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God…”

Philippians 1:28-29

“28 and in nothing affrighted by the adversaries: which is for them an evident token of perdition, but of your salvation, and that from God; 29 because to you it hath been granted in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer in his behalf…”

Jesus was persecuted. He was excluded, threatened, and eventually falsely accused and put to death for His teachings. He told His followers that they would experience similar treatment.

The Book of Acts preserves the first examples of persecution in the early Church. Because Jesus is Jewish, the earliest followers of the movement tended to be Jewish. Sometimes thousands of Jewish people at a time accepted Jesus as their Messiah (see Acts 2:37-42 for an example).

This caused conflict with the Jewish authorities of that time. The disciples threatened to deprive these leaders of power, wealth, and control. Stephen was among the first people to die for the faith (see Acts chapters 6 and 7). Other early disciples, such as Peter, John, and Paul were rejected, beaten, and jailed for their profession of faith.

History also records some of these persecutions. Josephus recorded the martyrdom of Jesus’ half-brother, James. It follows what we would expect to read based upon Jesus’ trial and the book of Acts:

“…But this younger Ananus, who, as we have told you already, took the high priesthood, was a bold man in his temper, and very insolent; he was also of the sect of the Sadducees, who are very rigid in judging offenders, above all the rest of the Jews, as we have already observed; when, therefore, Ananus was of this disposition, he thought he had now a proper opportunity [to exercise his authority]. Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned…” (Antiquities, 20.9.1)

James and others were falsely accused of breaking the law in a manner like Jesus. The high priest at that time, Ananus, had them stoned. Some of the people were outraged at this behavior; Ananus was deposed from the priesthood and replaced (ironically by a man named Jesus, son of Damneus).

What about Gentiles?

As the book of Acts progresses, we learn that the gospel message spread into predominately Gentile cities and regions. This brought the beliefs of early Christians into conflict with the Greco-Roman culture around them. Why did this conflict exist?

In most ways, the two groups had opposing religious views. We will review these differences, which I think will clarify why there was a clash of religious mindsets.

The Judeo-Christian mindset was and still is monotheistic. There is one God who alone is to be worshiped. This mindset is exclusive in that no other gods can be added. Moreover, Jewish people and early Christians did not try to represent the one True God with images, idols, or statues. Furthermore, there was only one Temple on earth, the one in Jerusalem (which was destroyed in 70 AD).

The Greco-Roman mindset was very different. They were polytheists who worshiped many gods. These gods had temples spread throughout the Mediterranean world and were depicted by statues, images, and idols. Their mindset tended to be inclusive. That is to say – they were open to including other gods in their worship. Some polytheists honored some gods higher than another.

The sale of idols, images, and statutes were a source of income and a way to honor their gods. These gods were viewed as important to maintaining order in the world. If there was a catastrophe, they looked to these gods for help. To teach against this ancient trade would impact the economy, cultural/religious traditions, and possibly upset their gods! This resulted in conflict between the two mindsets. Acts 19:23-41 is an example of the persecution that came from the gospel message spreading to the Gentiles.

The Term Atheist

The mindset of Jewish people and early Christians was an enigma to the Greco-Roman mind. Polytheists did not understand why monotheists were unable to add other gods to their one God. For this reason, monotheists were sometimes labeled atheists because they denied or were without the traditional gods.

The Greek word a added to a word means ‘without.’ The Greek word theos means God or ‘a god.’ In modern Western culture, we use this term to refer to those who do not believe in God at all. However, the Romans applied it differently. It meant those that did not have any part with the accepted Greco-Romans gods, even if they believed in a god or gods outside of them.

The accusation of atheism was levied against Jewish people and Christians. The ancient historian Cassius Dio mentioned that numerous people were arrested during the reign of Domitian for atheism. Jews and those who practiced Jewish ways were included in this number. It is important to realize that Jewish people suffered persecution for some of the same reasons as Christians.

“…And the same year Domitian slew, along with many others, Flavius Clemens the consul, although he was a cousin and had to wife Flavia Domitilla, who was also a relative of the emperor’s. The charge brought against them both was that of atheism, a charge on which many others who drifted into Jewish ways were condemned. Some of these were put to death, and the rest were at least deprived of their property…” (Cassius Dio, Roman History, 67.14.1-3, emphasis mine).

The accusation of atheism is found in the Martyrdom of Polycarp. The crowd shouted for the atheists to be taken away. The Roman authorities tried to force Polycarp to confess that Caesar was his Lord and then to shout “Away with the Athiests.” This was an attempt to force him into solidarity with the crowd (to read more about this subject, CLICK HERE).

Because early Christians and Jewish people were exclusive in their worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, it created conflict between them and the culture around them. There are other reasons that early Christians were persecuted, but this gives us the foundation for many specific historical examples.

In general, I have identified at least three categories of reasons that Christians were persecuted by Gentile authorities. I have listed them below, with examples of each.

3 Categories of Persecution

1) False Accusations – Christians could be falsely accused of committing a crime. For an example, consider that Nero falsely accused Christians of burning down part of Rome. This led to persecution.

2) The confession of being a Christian – During the reign of Trajan (98-117), a legal precedent was set where Christians could be punished if they did not denounce Christ and offer incense to the image of the emperor. Pliny’s letter to Trajan is an example of this kind of persecution.

3) Refusing to perform acts of sacrifice – There were times in the Roman Empire when sacrifices to the gods were commanded on a local, regional, or empire-wide scale. This initiated persecution because Christians would not comply. This was the case during the Decian persecution (249-251 AD).

Some Christians viewed the last two of these as connected to the Mark of the Beast in Revelation (click here to learn more about the Mark of the Beast).

In my conversation with Sabbatarians over the years, many seem to think that early Christians were persecuted for keeping the Sabbath. In early Christianity (27 AD – 400 AD), there are no records of Christians persecuted solely for or because of keeping the Sabbath. Most Christians kept the Sabbath during this time (CLICK here to read more), the Sabbath was protected by Roman law (CLICK here to read more), and many unconverted Romans knew about the Sabbath (CLICK HERE to read more).

Over the course of this year, we will have articles with specific examples of Christian persecution from early Christian History.

God bless!

Kelly McDonald, Jr.

BSA President – www.biblesabbath.org

On Being a Christian in Troubled Times

by Brian Knowles

“For a wide variety of reasons, it is becoming, in our time, ever more challenging to live life as a Christian. The long accepted order of things is being destabilized. Old boundaries are disappearing and paradigms are shifting — sometimes abruptly. We live in a world in which it is hard to know what one can count on.

As I write, the United States and the United Kingdom are at war with Iraq. US forces are present in more than 40 nations around the world. The world is an unstable place with a small but growing army of dictators, tyrants and usurpers opportunistically competing for power at every turn.

The United Nations is anything but united. As a peacemaking organization, it is virtually useless. It is morally and ethically bankrupt. As a forum for anti-US sentiment, it reigns supreme. As a threat to the sovereignty of nations, it has no equal. The UN actively and overtly pursues a new global order in which it provides the basis for what will undoubtedly be a socialist style world government (though it pays lip service to the idea of democracy).

Christians of all stripes are under siege throughout much of the world — especially in communist and Islamic nations. Tens of thousands of Christians are murdered each year in socialist police states and by religious fanatics. As Christians suffer and die for their faith, the world stands largely mute….”

(this article is an excerpt from the May-June 2003 edition of the Sabbath Sentinel)

To read the rest of this article, which starts on page 8, click this link: https://biblesabbath.org/tss/501/tss_501.pdf

Marriage for Life

by Richard C. Nickels

“What divine institution was ordained and blessed by God at creation? If your answer is “the Sabbath,” you are correct. If your answer is “marriage,” your answer is also correct. The Sabbath and Marriage are two foundational Bible doctrines.

Importance of Marriage

Marriage is the theme of the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, the Eternal teaches us the importance and spiritual significance of marriage. In Eden, God taught mankind two doctrines: the Sabbath and Marriage. These are related, for the Sabbath is the avenue for our relationship with God, and human Marriage is a God-plane relationship with another human being, to help us build our relationship with God.

At the institution of marriage, there was no provision for divorce. However, mankind quickly departed from God. Sin made the marriage relationship more difficult, Genesis 3:16-19. Cain departed from the presence of the Lord, Genesis 4:16, married, had a son named Enoch, and built a city named after Enoch. Cain’s descendant Lamech was the first recorded polygamist. The line of Cain continued to be divorced from God’s presence.

Genesis 6 shows that wrong marriages and wrong sexual relationships led to God’s judgment of the Flood. The word translated “violence” is Strong’s #2555, chamas, the same word for Abraham and Sarah’s sin involving Hagar, Genesis 16:5. See also Malachi 2:16. Marriage is not a contract, but a covenant, verse 14. As in the days of Noah, sexual sins will abound just prior to our Lord’s return, Matthew 24:37-38…”

(this article is an excerpt from the July-August 2004 edition of the Sabbath Sentinel)

To read the rest of this article, which starts on page 4, click this link: https://biblesabbath.org/tss/508/tss_508.pdf