Are Second Century Christians Our Standard?

Author : Keith Sharp

David W. Bercot is an attorney in Pennsylvania who attends Shippensburg Christian Fellowship, an Anabaptist church. His hobby is early church history, and he has written genuinely well-documented, challenging books on the subject. His first such book, Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up, became a best seller and remains so after almost twenty years in publication. I have read the book and encouraged others to read it.

However, I think Mr. Bercot places too much emphasis on what he calls “early Christians.” He defines “early Christians” as “the Christians who lived between 90 and 199 A.D.” (Real Heretics. 5). Bercot’s contention is that, since these disciples lived closest in time to the apostles, and at least those in the East spoke Greek as their native tongue, the language in which the New Testament was written, they are the best ones to interpret the New Testament for us. He even asserts, “There was nothing wrong with early Christianity. It didn’t need fixing.”

This sounds good on the surface and has some merit, but it can be and is over emphasized. You see, it is also true that, since inspiration ceased around the end of the first century (1 Corinthians 13:8-13), second century Christians had no different divine guidance than you and I have. Since God has providentially preserved His word for all (1 Peter 1:22-25), we are able, with the use of a good, essentially literal translation of the Bible into our native tongue, to understand the Scriptures just as well as second or third century Christians (Ephesians 3:1-7; 5:17). Finally, there was a great apostasy (falling away) beginning even in the generation of the apostles that continued through the second century and far beyond (Acts 20:29-30; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10; 1 John 2:18). Bercot accuses forth century Christians of trying to “improve Christianity” (158). The changes were being made from the end of the first century on down. The apostles and the first century church revealed in the New Testament constitute our only standard (Philippians 3:17).

The study of second century Christians has value. They can help us on matters of opinion, such as when the book of Revelation was written. We rely on their testimony as to which books belong in the New Testament.

But they are not our standard of faith. Catholics claim to believe the Bible, but their standard is the interpretation of the Bible by “the Church” (Roman Catholic hierarchy). Presbyterians claim to follow the Bible, but their standard is the interpretation of the Bible found in The Westminster Confession of Faith. If our standard is the Bible as seen through the consensus of second century Christians, we have rejected the word of God as our only rule of faith and practice for the uninspired majority of third, fourth, and fifth generation Christians (cf. Romans 3:3-4).

I think I can show by a much greater historian than David W. Bercot that he has overlooked some practices that were also universally accepted during the second century. These examples are taken from History of the Christian Church, by Philip Schaff, volume 2, “Ante-Nicene Christianity, From the Death of John the Apostle to Constantine the Great, A.D. 100-325.” Professor Philip Schaff is considered the founder of church history in America. His eight volume History of the Christian Church is perhaps the greatest study of the history of Christendom ever published. Volume two alone is 877 pages long. Here are proofs of some sinful changes to New Testament Christianity begun in the second century as quoted from Schaff.

Clergy-Laity Distinction“the idea and institution of a special priesthood, distinct from the body of the people, with the accompanying notion of sacrifice and altar, passed imperceptibly from Jewish and heathen reminiscences and analogies into the Christian Church… the Levitical priesthood, with its three ranks of high-priest, priest, and Levite, naturally furnished an analogy for the threefold ministry of bishop, priest, and deacon, and came to be regarded as typical of it… the change is undeniable and can be traced to the second century… This appears first in Ignatius (martyred ca. A.D. 110 – KS), who… considers the clergy the necessary medium of access for the people of God… Tertullian was the first who expressly and directly asserts sacerdotal (priestly – KS) claims on behalf of the Christian ministry…” (123-6).

Rise of the Episcopate (Bishops)“…the rise and development of the episcopate (bishop – KS) as distinct from the presbyterate (elders – KS)… comes to view in the second century as the supreme spiritual office” (133).

“It is a matter of fact that the episcopal form of government (one bishop over the church – KS) was universally established in the Eastern and Western church as early as the middle of the second century” (144).

Rise of Church Related Charitable Organizations“Afterwards institutions were founded for widows and orphans, poor and infirm, and generally placed under the superintendence of the bishop; but personal responsibility was diminished by this organized charity, and the deacons lost their original significance and became subordinate officers of public worship” (143)

Holy Days and Seasons“Strictly speaking the ante-Nicene church had two annual festive seasons, the Passover in commemoration of the suffering of Christ, and the Penecoste in commemoration of the resurrection and exaltation of Christ, beginning with Easter and ending with Pentecost proper” (206)

“The Christian Passover… is certainly the oldest and most important annual festival of the church, and can be traced back to the first century, or at all events to the middle of the second, when it was universally observed…” (207)

“Easter was followed by the festival of PENTECOST… It was universally observed, as early as the second century…” (220).

Infant Baptism“No time can be fixed at which it was first introduced… The apostolic fathers (first generation after apostles – KS) make, indeed, no mention of it… The only opponent of infant baptism among the fathers is the eccentric and schismatic Tertullian, of North Africa… Tertullian’s opposition, moreover, had no influence, even in North Africa. His disciple Cyprian differed from him wholly. In his day it was no question, whether the children of Christian parents might and should be baptized – on this all were agreed, – but whether they might be baptized so early as the second or third day after birth, or, according to the precedent of the Jewish circumcision, on the eighth day” (259-62).

ConclusionWhen my dad was a boy, he helped his grandfather in the carpentry business. Once Grandpa Brewer cut a two by four as a pattern for Dad and told him to saw eleven more rafters the same length. After sawing the first rafter, Dad tossed aside the pattern and used the board he had sawed as his pattern. Next he threw aside his first rafter and used his second as the pattern. Any builder knows that each rafter was just a little farther away from the pattern than the one before.

Our only pattern of life and doctrine is that revaled in the New Testament, and we must remain true to it (2 Timothy 1:13). Each generation we get away from the church of the New Testament is a little farther away from the pattern. If we go back to the second century, we haven’t gone far enough. Only the first will do.