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    by Published on 10-24-2011 05:26 PM     Number of Views: 2232 
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    2. Eusebius

    There is an increasing number of scholars who believe in an early dating for the NT. There are scholars who believe the Gospel of Matthew was written as early as ten years after the death of Christ. I believe it was written even sooner because of Acts. Acts was written by Luke, and he said it was part two of his former work the gospel of Luke. Acts makes no mention of Paul's death so it was written before Paul died around 65 AD in the Neronian persecutions of Christians. That's an important detail to leave out when you are writing a biography of someone. Therefore, Acts was written around 55 AD so that places Luke around 45 AD. But since Luke took from Mark that places Mark around 35 AD just 2 years after the cross. And because Mark worked closely with Peter, Peter's two books were very early as well.

    Those who hold to this earlier or actual dating of Matthew believe he first wrote his Gospel in Aramaic, and then it was later translated into Greek. Another one of the evidences of this earlier dating of Matthew’s Gospel is that early church leaders such as Irenaeus, Origen, and Eusebius recorded that Matthew first wrote his gospel for Jewish believers while he was still in Palestine. In fact Eusebius, a bishop of Caesarea and known as the father of church history, reported that Matthew wrote his Gospel before he left Palestine to preach in other lands, which Eusebius says happened about 12 years after the death of Christ if taken from 30 AD or 9 years removed if taken from 33 AD. Some scholars believe that this would place the writing of Matthew as early as A.D. 40-45 and as late as A.D. 55. Of course, I place it even sooner since there is no reason to suspect any delay in Matthew recording his perspective or account of the events surrounding the life, death, resurrection and appearances of our Lord Jesus Christ.
    by Published on 09-19-2011 09:44 PM     Number of Views: 4760 
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    2. Irenaus on the Millennium

    There is a false claim that dispensational doctrine was never taught in the early church.

    There are many concepts of dispensational doctrine in the most ancient non-scriptural documents of the church. Several of them are referred to in the following statements by Irenaeus, who wrote shortly before the year 200, and is the most ancient Christian who wrote any significant amount about end time prophecy and whose writings have been preserved.

    Irenaeus said:

    “The Lord also spoke as follows to those who did not believe in Him: ‘I have come in my Father’s name, and ye have not received Me: when another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive,’ calling Antichrist ‘the other,’ because he is alienated from the Lord. This is also the unjust judge, whom the Lord mentioned as one ‘who feared not God, neither regarded man,’ to whom the widow fled in her forgetfulness of God,—that is, the earthly Jerusalem,—to be avenged of her adversary. Which also he shall do in the time of his kingdom: he shall remove his kingdom into that [city], and shall sit in the temple of God, leading astray those who worship him, as if he were Christ.” (Against Heresies, by Irenaeus, book V, chapter XXV, section 4)

    “Moreover, he (the apostle) has also pointed out this which I have shown in many ways, that the temple in Jerusalem was made by the direction of the true God. For the apostle himself, speaking in his own person, distinctly called it the temple of God. Now I have shown in the third book, that no one is termed God by the apostles when speaking for themselves, except Him who truly is God, the Father of our Lord, by whose directions the temple which is at Jerusalem was constructed for those purposes which I have already mentioned; in which [temple] the enemy shall sit, endeavouring to show himself as Christ, as the Lord also declares: ‘But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, which has been spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him that readeth understand), then let those who are in Judea flee into the mountains; and he who is upon the house-top, let him not come down to take anything out of his house: for there shall then be great hardship, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall be.’” (Against Heresies, by Irenaeus, book V, chapter XXV, section 2)

    “And then he points out the time that his tyranny shall last, during which the saints shall be put to flight, they who offer a pure sacrifice unto God: ‘And in the midst of the week,’ he says, ‘the sacrifice and the libation shall be taken away, and the abomination of desolation [shall be brought] into the temple: even unto the consummation of the time shall the desolation be complete.’ Now three years and six months constitute the half-week.” (Against Heresies, by Irenaeus, book V, chapter XXV, section 4)

    In this series of statements,
    ...
    by Published on 01-01-2011 12:04 PM     Number of Views: 3271 
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    2. Martyrdom of the Apostles

    No less than 7 sources in the first century testify the disciples were willing to die for their convinctions and did so. Liars make poor martyrs. They did not die for a known lie. They really believed they saw Jesus alive from the dead. Three sources, one which is non-Christian, testify that James, the brother of Jesus, willingly died for his belief he saw Jesus raised from the dead.

    by Published on 12-15-2009 06:56 AM     Number of Views: 4176 
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    2. Clement of Rome

    CLEMENT OF ROME 1ST EPISTLE (1st century)

    CHAPTER 5 -- NO LESS EVILS HAVE ARISEN FROM THE SAME SOURCE IN THE MOST RECENT TIMES. THE MARTYRDOM OF PETER AND PAUL.

    But not to dwell upon ancient examples, let us come to the most recent spiritual heroes. Let us take the noble examples furnished in our own generation. Through envy and jealousy, the greatest and most righteous pillars [of the Church] have been persecuted and put to death. Let us set before our eyes the illustrious apostles. Peter, through unrighteous envy, endured not one or two, but numerous labours, and when he had finally suffered martyrdom, departed to the place of glory due to him. Owing to envy, Paul also obtained the reward of patient endurance, after being seven times thrown into captivity, compelled to flee, and stoned. After preaching both in the east and west, he gained the illustrious reputation due to his faith, having taught righteousness to the whole world, and come to the extreme limit of the west, and suffered martyrdom under the prefects. Thus was he removed from the world, and went into the holy place, having proved himself a striking example of patience.

    http://www.earlychristianwritings.co...t-roberts.html