An interesting examination of the teaching of the Church Fathers during the first four centuries shows how quickly they had departed from the doctrine of the apostle Paul. The partial rediscovery of the truth by those in the last century will benefit from the records of the "Church Fathers".
In 2 Thessalonians Paul exhorts his hearers to uphold the tradition he has delivered (2:15; 3:6) either by spoken or written word. We need to know where the traditions we uphold have come from and whether they are based on the Word of God.
How important then is this short account of the early centuries; that is, say A.D. 70 to A.O. 400, when the canon of New Testament Scripture was in the making and a church organization began to appear? If things went wrong then they may persist today. Come to this book with an unbiased mind and test how far your own church doctrine is based on the inspired Scriptures.
Author: Stuart Allen