Search — Theology Explorer

Papias Hierapolis early church history

Introduction of Papias: Bishop of Hierapolis in the early second century

First major evidence: the testimony and writings of Papias.

Acts 21:8-9 eyewitness testimony Papias early church history

Acts 21:8-9 — Philip the Evangelist and his prophesying daughters

Biblical and extra-biblical verification of Philip the Evangelist's daughters as contemporaries of Papias.

Richard Bauckham Papias eyewitness hierarchy

Four categories of worthy sources in Papias's framework

Mike breaks down what Papias considered authoritative sources for Jesus tradition.

1 Timothy 1 Richard Bauckham elders (early church) apostolic appointment

Richard Bauckham's identification of elders vs. disciples and the function of elders in preserving doctrine

Scholarly framework for understanding Papias's use of "elders."

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-13

Pre-trib rapture and early church fathers: Mike acknowledges not knowing the answer and references Brian Brodersen's book.

Ian Connolly asks whether the pre-trib rapture was a recent invention not believed by early church fathers.

Pre-tribulation rapture Early church fathers Brian Brodersen

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-03

Mark 13:9 — Jesus's prediction of persecution for his disciples as evidence that persecution was anticipated from the beginning

Biblical evidence for the normalcy of persecution

Mark 13:9 early Christian persecution Mark 13:9 Jesus' predictions

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-10

Historical parallel: early church marginalized by accusation that Jesus wanted to destroy the temple — same dynamic as "faith is irrational" accusation today

Historical analogy for communication breakdown

early church persecution destroying the temple accusation dialogue between Christians and atheists

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-01

The cumulative case for the resurrection: what evidence we actually have

Mike assembles the positive evidence for the resurrection after dismantling the slogan's objections.

James the brother of Jesus Paul the Apostle Resurrection of Jesus James the brother of Jesus

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

The Sabbath is Saturday; Gentile Christians are free to observe or not observe it; the Sabbath did not move to Sunday; early church gathered on both days for different reasons

Response to question about whether the Sabbath is Saturday or Sunday and whether it matters for Gentiles

Colossians Romans 14 Colossians Romans 14 Christian freedom

hermeneutics Torah observance Jewish believers

Two analytical questions for surveying Acts: (1) Did Jewish Apostles feel compelled to stop obeying the law? (2) Were Gentile converts taught to obey the law?

Analytical framework for the Acts survey

Acts 2:46 Torah observance temple worship Acts 2:46

Key point: the 3,000 converts in Acts 2 did not take on Mosaic law as a result of following Jesus -- they were already observing it as Jews or proselytes

Analysis of early church composition

Acts 2:36 Acts 2:36 Peter (Apostle) Jewish audience

Acts 2:36 confirms Peter is addressing a Jewish audience (house of Israel), reinforcing that Acts 2 has no bearing on Gentile Torah observance

Analysis of Peter's Pentecost sermon audience

Torah observance Jewish believers early church

Church grows to ~5,000 in Acts 3-4, still entirely Jewish or proselyte. The default assumption is: continue doing what you were already doing regarding the law.

Summary observation from Acts 3-4

Acts 5:12 progressive revelation temple worship early church

Acts 5:12 -- Apostles gather at Solomon's Portico (temple area), reinforcing the entirely Jewish character of the early church. No abandonment of the law is visible.

Survey of Acts chapter 5

Acts 6:1 early church Acts 6:1 Hellenistic Jews

Acts 6: the Hellenistic Jews (Greek-speaking Jews) vs. native Hebrews dispute -- still entirely a Jewish internal matter; no Gentiles involved yet

Survey of Acts chapter 6

Acts 6:5 proselytes early church Acts 6:5

The seven deacons chosen in Acts 6 all have Greek names; one (Nicholas) is explicitly a proselyte. The Jerusalem church remains predominantly Jewish.

Acts 6:5 analysis

Acts 6:10-14 Stephen Law of Moses Acts 6:10-14

Stephen is falsely accused of speaking against Moses and the law -- the witnesses are explicitly called false (Acts 6:13), meaning Stephen is not actually teaching against the law

Survey of Acts 6, Stephen controversy

Acts 9:31 Jewish believers early church Acts 9:31

Acts 9:31 summary: the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria is at peace and growing -- still entirely Jewish in composition

Survey of Acts 9:31, state of the early church

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-05

Jewish believers who come to faith in Jesus should expect to continue being very Jewish

Q&A: Rachel asks about present-day Jews and circumcision/law observance

Acts circumcision Acts Jewish believers

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-26

Cessationism defined: miraculous gifts belonged to the apostolic era only, served a unique founding purpose, and ceased before the canon closed.

Winger reads a definition from Theapedia. He contrasts it with continuationism, which holds the gifts are normative and available today.

cessationism continuationism spiritual gifts

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-26

Historical question: sign gifts did not begin at Azusa Street; early church fathers (Justin Martyr, later Augustine) attest to prophecy and miracles continuing post-apostolically.

Q&A — viewer claims modern tongues/gifts stem from the 1906 Azusa Street revival. Winger corrects the historical record.

cessationism continuationism church history

crucifixion cross early church history

Alexamenos Graffito: earliest known artwork depicting Christ on a cross shows a T-shaped cross

The Alexamenos Graffito is a piece of graffiti mocking a Christian named Alexamenos, dated between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD (possibly as early as 80 AD). It shows a person with a donkey's head on a T-shaped cross, and a man worshiping below.

Moses typology crucifixion

Epistle of Barnabas (early 2nd century) depicts the cross as a capital-T shape

The Epistle of Barnabas, written in the early second century (within ~100 years of Jesus's death), represents the cross of Christ using the capital letter T, implying a crossbeam.

apologetics crucifixion cross

Justin Martyr (2nd century) explicitly describes two beams on the cross

Justin Martyr, one of the earliest Christian apologists, writing in the second century, describes Christ's cross as having two beams — ruling out the single-stake theory.

crucifixion cross early church history

Early NT manuscripts (P75, P66) abbreviate stauros with Tau-Rho symbol depicting a cross with crossbeam

In some of the earliest New Testament manuscripts, the Greek word stauros is abbreviated using the letters Tau (T) and Rho (P-shape), superimposed on each other to form a visual symbol. This combination appears to depict a man on a cross with a crossbeam.