As I have said before, I read alot. I also find things to read that are old and new. I find alot of things old to find interesting story-lines of the scriptures, sorta like backstories to the stories. It will usually shed some light on the scriptures to tell us why,where, when and what’s of a time period of the bible.
I found one such as this in the book of “Defenders of the faith” -The Apologists. It was very interesting to read the going ons of society and their thoughts and meanings to their actions in the time of the scriptures. This small but ‘large’ book in detailing the people who were ‘fighting for their christian’ lives were doing to just live or be an martyr for their beliefs, is rather dark and somber to read. But it was the ‘Apologist’s’ that seemed to create a front to stop such hatred to the ‘christians’ of the 1st thru the 3rd century to calm the tide of destroying the christian stance in the world. Their were multiple apologists that were mentioned, but one seemed to be prevalent in his stance for the christian, and it was Tertullian and his standing up and speaking the cause of the christians and comparing them to their actual gods that they were serving without any proof that they were even actually a god itself, because of the non-existent of proving themselves.
This book is not to be found in the regular ways, but it is by way of public domain thru theological institutions and their reproducing digital copies of them. If you would like to find more of these kind of things, let me know.
My final thought on this book is not to credited to anybody, because it is not know for sure who said it, or wrote it. It is from the ‘Author of Epistle to Diognetus’ I find poignant coming from someone from the outside looking in, in to the mind of a Christian and says these kinds of things. It makes you wander if we are doing things right these days?
The Christians are distinguished from other men, neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. Their course of conduct has not been devised by any speculation of inquisitive men; nor do they proclaim themselves the advocates of any merely human doctrine. Inhabiting, as lot may determine, Greek as well as barbarian cities, following the customs of the natives with respect to clothing, food, and other matters, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly paradoxical mode of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share all things with others, and yet endure all things as aliens. Every foreign lan·d is to them as their native country, and every land of their
birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all others, and beget children, but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not an impure one. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life. They are poor, yet make many rich ; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all ; they are dishonoured, and yet in their very dishonour are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless ; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honour; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as ii quickened into life. They are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; and yet those who hate them are unable to assign any re .. son for their hatred. To sum up all in one word; what the soul is in the body, that are the Christians in the world. The soul is dispersed through all the members of the body, and Christians are dispersed through all the cities of the world. The soul dwells in the body, yet is not of the body; and Christians dwell in the world, yet are not of the world. The invisible soul is guarded by the visible body; and Christians are indeed known to be in the world, but their godliness remains invisible. The flesh hates . the soul, and wars against it, though itself suffering no injury, because it is preve~ted from enjoying
pleasures. The world, also, hates the Christians, though in no wise injured, because they abjure pleasures. The soul loves the flesh that hates it, ·and loves also the members ; Christians likewise love those that hate them. The soul is imprisoned in the body, yet preserves that very body; and Christians are confined in the world as in a prison, and yet they are the preservers of the world. The immortal soul dwells in a mortal tabernacle ; and Christians dwell as sojourners in c~rruptible bodies, looking for an incorruptible dwelling in the heavens. The soul, when but ill provided with food and drink, becomes better; in like manner, the Christians, though subjected day by day to punishment, increase the more in number. God has assigned them this illustrious position, which it were unlawful for them to forsake.” How had all this come to pass? No mere “earthly invention” or “human system of opinion” had been committed to them, but truly “God Himself had sent from heaven and placed among men, Hirn who is the Truth, and the holy and incomprehensible Word, and had firmly established Him in their hearts. He did not, as might have been supposed, send to men any servant, or angel, or ruler in heaven or earth, but the very Cre_ator and Fashioner of all things. Did He send Him for the purpose of exercising tyranny, or inspiring fear? By no means; but in clemency and meekness. As the king sends his son, so sent He Him. As God, He sent Him ; as to men, He sent Him : as a Saviour, He sent Him. As calling us, not vengefully pursuing us, as loving us, not judging us, He sent Hirn. He will yet send Him to judge
us, and who shall endure His appearing? Do you not see (the Christians) exposed to wild beasts, that they may be persuaded to deny the Lord, and yet not overcome ? Do you not see that the more of them are punished, the greater becomes the number of the rest? This does not seern to be the work of men. THIS IS THE POWER OF God.”
The Eternal Purpose 