<TITLE>02. Par 7-10</TITLE>L-7 Now, the Smyrna age, I believe with all the--that I have been able to find, was Irenaeus. And now, I want to give you the reason why that I chose Irenaeus instead of Polycarp. Now, most all clergymen wants to think (and Bible teachers) that that angel was Polycarp. Now, Polycarp was a disciple of Saint John; that is true. And Polycarp sealed it; he was a martyr; they stabbed him under the heart and killed him. Now, but he was a great man, a notable man, a godly man, sweet, no doubt one of the greatest Christians we've ever had. And there was nothing you could say against his life.
The reason that I chose Irenaeus: because I believe that Irenaeus was more closer to the Scripture than Polycarp was. Because Polycarp leaned kindly towards the Roman idea of setting up an organization. And--and Irenaeus was firmly against it; he absolutely denounced it. And then, as we all know, the great issue was coming at the Nicene Council; one of the great issues was whether God was three or God was one. And Irenaeus took the side that God was God now and just One.

L-9 I might read from The Ante-Nicene Fathers, volume one, page 412, just a little quotation; if you want to put that down, volume one of The Ni--ice--Nicene Fathers." And on page twelve, and it's the... If you want the volume, it's the last part of volume three. You could might read the whole thing; there's several chapters of it, or several sentences. Now, I begin to read right at the last, about the last twenty, thirty verses of it. I won't read it all, but just part of it.
"All the other expressions likewise being--bring out the title of one and the same Being"; (See, he's trying to say what they called Him Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and he said, "That's titles, not names, titles of the One Being." That's exactly what we teach yet today.) "as, for the example" (and then in parenthesis) (in English), "The Lord of power, The Lord Father of all, God Almighty, Most High, Creator, The Maker, and such like. These are not the names and titles of succession of different beings, but of one and the same (Amen.) by the name of which the one God, Father, is... He--He Who all these things... grant to all the... of existence, the boon of all existence."

L-10 Irenaeus said that all these titles are summed up into one Name, under one God, and they are only titles of what He was. He was the Rose of Sharon. That's what He was. That's a title. He was the Morning Star. He was Alpha; He was Omega. That's titles of what He was. He was Father. He was Son. He was Holy Ghost. But there's one God, one God, and His Name is One. And that's one reason that I thought Irenaeus was correct in his--in his diagnosis here or interpretation of the Scripture.


<A HREF="P3">Next Page</A>