Apostolic Tradition

Artykuł odpowiada na pytania o treść i źródła tzw. dekretu apostolskiego z Dz 15, w szczególności o sens terminu porneia. Przedstawiono najpierw skrótowo znaczenie jego hebrajskiego odpowiednika – rdzenia znh, a następnie użycie źródłosłowu porn- w Septuagincie, pismach deuterokanonicznych, apokryficznych i u Filona Aleksandryjskiego. Ponieważ powiązanie z mięsem ofiarowanym bogom (bożkom) pojawia się tylko w związku z dekretem apostolskim oraz 1Kor i późniejszą Ap 2, przeanalizowano wypowiedzi Pawła z 1Kor 5-10 dotyczące rozpusty i jedzenia mięsa złożonego w ofierze bożkom. Badania prowadzą do następujących wniosków: 1) Paweł szeroko rozumie słowo porneia, podążając najprawdopodobniej przede wszystkim za TestXII; 2) treść dekretu znajduje uzasadnienie jedynie w 1 Kor 5-10 – Pawłowa krytyka rozpusty i jedzenia mięsa złożonego w ofierze bożkom została połączona z ważnym dla judeochrześcijan zakazem spożywania krwi i mięsa nieznanego pochodzenia.

This article answers questions about the content and sources of the so-called apostolic decree in Acts 15, and in particular about the meaning of the term porneia. Starting with a brief presentation of the meaning of its Hebrew equivalent, the root znh , it continues with a discussion on the use of the root word pornin the Septuagint, the deuterocanonical and apocryphal writings and those by Philo of Alexandria. Since its association with meat sacrificed to gods (idols) only appears in connection with the apostolic decree, 1 Cor. and the later Rev. 2, Paul's statements in 1 Cor. 5-10 regarding fornication and eating meat sacrificed to idols are examined. The following conclusions can be drawn from the study: 1) Paul understands the word porneia broadly, probably following TestXII above all; 2

The created universe is the first revelation to us about what the Creator did but before the 16th century there was no natural science to investigate it adequately. All that was had was Scripture and tradition. In the last 200 years our understanding of what Creator did and what the plan must be. The natural sciences, as they impact what we know about ourselves and the social and physical world, must inform part of our theology.

How should a contemporary reader understand the complexities of the early church? Many scholars utilize a religious studies perspective to understand the early church concluding that the church grew as a direct result (synthesis) of group conflicts (in particular, the Pauline and Petrine communities). This essay approaches the early church from a different paradigm. Using theological analysis, the author concludes that although the early church contained elements of diversity, she exhibits significant unity. The Catholic Epistles (the letters of James, Peter, John, and Jude) are independent letters that are interconnected by the Jerusalem tradition, and the theologies of these letters reflect the unique character of the early church. Therefore, it is important that NT scholars should give more attention to the Catholic Epistles so that the early church can be understood from a more constructive perspective. Keywords: Religious Studies, Theological Analysis, Catholic Epistles, Jerusa...

The pioneer missionaries were churchmen and operated within confessional contexts. They adhered to the Ecumenical Creeds. They had not rejected the Apostolic Tradition. They were not innovators, but reformers. Part of being Confessionally Protestant (whether Anglican, Lutheran or Reformed) was the importance of proclaiming the Word of God. (Romans 10 and I Corinthians 1 & 2). While emphasizing the importance of the written text of the Bible, the missionaries translated theological works and Bible commentaries.

This work briefly reviews the thematic importance of the Ascension in the post-consecratory anamnesis of ancient liturgies as a legitimate summation of Biblical themes related to what is called "exaltation Christology." Contrary to the normal opinion, I find that exaltation Christology concerns the sitting of the Son of Man at the right hand and not merely a reference to the resurrection of Jesus.

This is a doctoral paper I wrote for Patristics scholar Dr. Joanne McWilliam of Trinity College at the University of Toronto (one of my minors was in Patristics).  My subject was how Pontius Pilate came to be in the Creed and what appeals to his name meant in the Early Church.  As it happened she liked the paper (which was no small thing; since she had roughed me up pretty good over the inadequacies of an earlier paper I did for her on Ignatius of Antioch, which naturally contributed to the shaping of this one), and she seemed to want to direct my dissertation.  But alas, I did not end up writing in her area.

In the preserved Greek text of Origen we cannot find the expressions 'apostolic tradition' and 'ecclesiastical tradition'. This absence draws our attention to the relationship between Origen and the earlier Christian tradition, that put in the apostolic tradition the rule of faith. In the apostolic origins Irenaeus had already found the seal of authenticity for the words, transmitted orally and in writing, and the rites and customs of the Christian Churches. Perhaps the controversy with the Gnostics, and above all with their conception of tradition as the source of truth, had provoked Origen to give greater attention exclusively to the Scriptures, globally and jointly read in Christological terms. The positions of the two greatest origenian translators, Jerome and Rufinus, are very different. They were friends but they became enemies precisely over their conception of the Scriptures: a fidele depositum of the Holy Spirit sent by the apostles themselves (Rufinus) or as a tool to seek the original sense iuxta Hebraicam veritatem (Jerome).