Early Christian Writings

[Fawzo]

Here is a nice website with the writings of the early church fathers.

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/

Origen responding to Celsus I found interesting once one gets through the opening boasting.

[Fawzo]

Here are some of the more interesting sections I found while perusing Origen's rebuttal of the writtings of Celsus.

"But that there should be certain doctrines, not made known to the multitude, which are (revealed) after the exoteric ones have been taught, is not a peculiarity of Christianity alone, but also of philosophic systems, in which certain truths are exoteric and others esoteric."

So what might this secret teaching be that even most the Apostles weren't privvy to. Remember Yeshua pulled one of the Apostles (I forgot which one) to the side and gave him a secret teaching that he could not reveal to the others.

The following is the view of Celsus and the Epicureans: “Moses having,” he says, “learned the doctrine which is to be found existing among wise nations and eloquent men, obtained the reputation of divinity.” Now, in answer to this we have to say, that it may be allowed him that Moses did indeed hear a somewhat ancient doctrine, and transmitted the same to the Hebrews;

Sounds as if Origen is admitting to the accusations that Moses borrowed his stories from other cultures. These folks were a few thousand years closer to the facts and before the time of the great destruction of anything which would speak against the originality of Moses's teachings.

For he represents him disputing with Jesus, and confuting Him, as he thinks, on many points; and in the first place, he accuses Him of having “invented his birth from a virgin,” and upbraids Him with being “born in a certain Jewish village, of a poor woman of the country, who gained her subsistence by spinning, and who was turned out of doors by her husband, a carpenter by trade, because she was convicted of adultery; that after being driven away by her husband, and wandering about for a time, she disgracefully gave birth to Jesus, an illegitimate child, who having hired himself out as a servant in Egypt on account of his poverty, and having there acquired some miraculous powers, on which the Egyptians greatly pride themselves, returned to his own country, highly elated on account of them, and by means of these proclaimed himself a God.” Now, as I cannot allow anything said by unbelievers to remain unexamined, but must investigate everything from the beginning, I give it as my opinion that all these things worthily harmonize with the predictions that Jesus is the Son of God

The man who allegedly is the biological father of Yeshua in this instance is a roman soldier named Pantera. They have found a gravesite in Europe of a Roman soldier named Pantera from Sidon who lived during that time period and could have been the Pantera in the story but it is all speculation. I just thought it was an interesting rumor that was spread by non-believers of the time. Something we rarely get a glimpse of in the age of Orthodoxy.

[Bro. Hex]

Here are some of the more interesting sections I found while perusing Origen's rebuttal of the writtings of Celsus.

Origen is one of the more reliable of the Early Church Fathers.

So what might this secret teaching be that even most the Apostles weren't privvy to. Remember Yeshua pulled one of the Apostles (I forgot which one) to the side and gave him a secret teaching that he could not reveal to the others.

The very first Lines of The Gospel Of Thomas (GoT) read as follows:

"These are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas recorded. "

Many of the Secret Teachings are presented in the Gospel of Thomas, which can be viewed on-line at the following URL: http://www.webcom.com/gnosis/naghamm/gosthom.html

We know Didymous Judas Thomas as "the Apostle Thomas". The word Didymous means "the Twin". It is thought by many that he was a twin brother of Yeshua.

Fawso has alluded to an episode during which Yeshua (Jesus) communicated some Secret Teachings to one of the Apostles (it was Thomas). As for "what was said by Jesus during that encounter, here is what GoT tells us about that encounter:

13. Jesus said to his disciples, "Compare me to something and tell me what I am like."

Simon Peter said to him, "You are like a just messenger."

Matthew said to him, "You are like a wise philosopher."

Thomas said to him, "Teacher, my mouth is utterly unable to say what you are like."

Jesus said, "I am not your teacher. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring that I have tended."

And he took him, and withdrew, and spoke three sayings to him. When Thomas came back to his friends they asked him, "What did Jesus say to you?"

Thomas said to them, "If I tell you one of the sayings he spoke to me, you will pick up rocks and stone me, and fire will come from the rocks and devour you."

As for what Yeshua said to Didymos Judas Thomashim, "Teacher, my mouth is utterly unable to say what you are like."

Edited May 13, 2008 by Hexalpa

[Rev. Rob.]

Here is a nice website with the writings of the early church fathers

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/

Origen responding to Celsus I found interesting once one gets through the opening boasting.

I don't no what to say but Thank You..........Rev. Rob.