rakovsky said:
Francis Schaeffer has a nice directing and filmographic style in his documentary "The Early Church", showing ancient Christian and Roman ruins. But the teachings in the documentary have a major dose of how Schaeffar would like to imagine early Christianity as a Reformed Protestant. For example, Schaeffer shows a man in Roman garb reading a scroll, while he narrates in an academic tone:
"In the early church, the authority rested on the Bible alone, but in the Middle Ages there had come a change, with authority divided between the Bible and the Church."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=287midjlhl8
Shouldn't someone who has studied the early Church realize that the Bible hadn't even been completed until the end of the 1st century or so? Shouldn't he realize that in 44-200 AD, the Church's bishops and the Traditions would also have authority over the Church?
As far as these kinds of discussions go, one of my favorite passages is from Eusebius, who records something written by St. Melito of Sardis (d. 180):
"Melito, to his brother Onesimus, greeting! Since you have often, in your zeal for the Word, expressed a wish to have extracts made from the Law and the Prophets concerning the Saviour, and concerning our entire Faith, and have also desired to have an accurate statement of the ancient books, as regards their number and their order, I have endeavored to perform the task, knowing your zeal for the faith, and your desire to gain information in regard to the Word, and knowing that you, in your yearning after God, esteem these things above all else, struggling to attain eternal salvation.
Accordingly when I went to the East and reached the place where these things were preached and done, I learned accurately the books of the Old Testament, and I send them to you as written below" (
Ecclesiastical History, 4.26.13-14)
It reminds me of the humility of St. Paul as recorded in Galatians: even though they'd been going about things for years in a certain way, nonetheless they were still open to correction if they found out they were mistaken:
"Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain." (Gal. 2:1-2)