Quote:
Originally Posted by Campbell34
That understanding has been clear for the last 2,000 years. Your beliefs and teachings counter what has been understood from the very beginning. My ideas do differ from yours. And that is because my ideas are the same ideas that have been accepted as Biblical truth from the ancient of times. Your ideas are a departure from that understanding.
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For more than the first 500 years after Christ, universalism was the prevailing doctrine believed and taught by the Christian church.
Contents - Universalism: The Prevailing Doctrine of the Early Church
The author, J.W. Hanson wrote “The purpose of this book is to present the evidence of the
prevalence in the early centuries of the Christian church, of the doctrine of the final holiness of all mankind. The author believes that the following pages show that Universal Restitution was
the faith of the early Christians for at least the First Five Hundred Years of the Christian era. He has aimed to present
irrefragable proofs that the doctrine of Universal Salvation was the
prevalent sentiment of the primitive Christian church.
The salient statements and facts in all which will be found in these pages show that the most and ablest of the early fathers found the deliverance of all mankind from sin and sorrow
specifically revealed in the Christian Scriptures.”
And they were reading the Bible in its original language!!
TRACING UNIVERSALIST THOUGHT THROUGH CHURCH HISTORY
Well known Christian church leaders who believed and taught Biblical universalism.
Including
a link to a separate list of famous people embracing Christian universalism.
Christian Universalism: Universalist Thought Through Church History
CHURCH LEADERS WHO BELIEVED AND TAUGHT UNIVERSALISM DURING THE EARLIEST CENTURIES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
1. THE SIBYLLINE ORACLES – 150 A.D. – composed by Christian universalist writers
2. THE BASILIDIANS – 130 A.D.
3. THE CARPOCRATIANS – 140 A.D.
4. IRENAEUS -- 130A.D.
5. CLEMENS ALEXANDRIUS – 150 A.D.
6. THEOPHILUS – 169 A.D.
7. ORIGEN – 185 A.D.
8. GREGORY THAUMATURGUS – 220 A.D.
9. EUSEBIUS OF CAECAREA – 265 A.D.
10. ATHANASIUS – 296 A.D.
11. MARCELLUS OF ANCYRA – 315 A.D.
12. DIDYMUS OF ALEXANDRIA – 300 A.D.
13. GREGORY NYSSEN – 332 A.D.
14. HILLARY OF POICTIERS – 354 A.D.
15. ISADORE OF ALEXANDRIA – 370 A.D.
16. EVAGRIUS PONTICUS – 390 A.D.
17. AMBROSE OF MILAN – 339 A.D.
18. JEROME – 340 A.D.
19. TITUS OF BOSTRA – 340 A.D.
20. JOHN CASSIAN – 360 A.D.
21. DIODORE OF TARSUS – 370 A.D.
22. GREGORY OF NANZIANZUS – 370 A.D.
23. THEODORUS OF MOPSUESTIA – 380 A.D.
24. RUFINUS – 390 A.D.
25. THEODORET OF CYPRUS – 393 A.D.
26. THE MONKS OF NITRIA – 399 A.D.
27. PALLADIA OF GALLATIA – 400 A.D.
28. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA – 412 A.D.
29. MAXIMUS OF TURIN – 422 A.D.
30. THE MONKS OF CESAREA IN PALESTINE - 430-450 A.D.
31. PETER CHRYSOLOGUS OF RAVENNA – 435 A.D.
32. GENNADIUS OF CONSTANTINOPLE – 458 A.D.
33. BARSUDAILI HIEROTHEUS – 490 A.D.
34. ALEXANDER OF ABYLA – 540 A.D.
35. MAXIMUS – 645 A.D.
36. CLEMENT OF IRELAND – 740 AD
Quotes by these Christian church leaders are recorded in Bob Evely’s book called
AT THE END OF THE AGES – THE ABOLITION OF HELL
Due to the influence of the reasoning of Augustine the church council voted to make eternal torment an official church doctrine in the sixth century.
But even Augustine himself said, “There are very many in our day, who
though not denying the Holy Scriptures, do not believe in endless torments.”
And they were reading the Bible in its original language!!
The argument was introduced by Augustine, and since his day incessantly repeated, that if aionios kolasis does not mean "endless punishment," then there is no security for the believer that aionios zoe means "endless life," and that he will enjoy the promise of endless happiness.
But Matt. 25:46 shows the "eonian chastisement" and "eonian life" are of the same duration-lasting during the eons, and when the eons end, as Scripture states they will (1 Cor. 10:11; Heb. 9:26), the time called "eonian" is past and the life called "eonian" is finished, but life continues beyond the eons, as Paul teaches at 1 Cor. 15:26: "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." That is, the last, the final one in order.
How will it be destroyed? First Corinthians 15:22 gives the answer: "For as IN ADAM ALL are dying, even so IN CHRIST ALL shall be made alive." Death is destroyed when ALL have been vivified, or made alive, IN CHRIST. There will then be no more death. Just as life is destroyed by death, so death is destroyed by life. Our present bodies are mortal and corruptible (1 Cor. 15:44-55), but when mankind is made alive IN CHRIST they will be raised immortal and incorruptible.