Prayer Of Remembrance - St John'S School: Fill & Download for Free

Christian doctrine is not drawn from Scripture alone. That is a Protestant idea dating only from Luther in about 1519.In the earliest years of Christianity, the New Testament did not exist. The Church which Jesus founded upon St Peter the Rock, did exist. The early Christians did not have a copy of the New Testament to refer to. They relied upon the preaching of the Apostles, their associates and successors."The apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time. This living transmission, accomplished in the Holy Spirit, is called Tradition, since it is distinct from Sacred Scripture, though closely connected to it."[49]Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God in which, as in a mirror, the pilgrim Church contemplates God, the source of all her riches."[50]Members of the Church wrote the books which eventually, by decision of the Catholic bishops guided by the Holy Spirit, made up the canonical list of New Testament books.The New Testament is the Lectionary of books approved for reading during the Eucharistic Liturgy.As to Mary and the saints praying for us, here is the witness of the first five centuries of Christianity:The Bible directs us to invoke those in heaven and ask them to pray with us.Thus in Psalm 103, we pray, "Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will!" (Ps. 103:20-21). And in Psalm 148 we pray, "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host!" (Ps. 148:1-2)Not only do those in heaven pray with us, they also pray for us. In Revelation, John sees that "the twenty-four elders [the leaders of the people of God in heaven] fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev. 5:8). Thus the saints in heaven offer to God the prayers of the saints on earth.Angels do the same thing: "[An] angel came and stood at the altar [in heaven] with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God" (Rev. 8:3-4).Jesus himself warned us not to mess with small children because their guardian angels have guaranteed intercessory access to the Father: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 18:10).Because he is the only God-man, Jesus is the only Mediator between man and God (1 Tim. 2:5), but this in no way means we cannot or should not ask our fellow Christians to pray with us and for us (1 Tim. 2:1-4), including those Christians in heaven, who have already had their sanctification completed, for "[t]he prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects" (Jas. 5:16).As the following passages show, the early Church Fathers clearly recognized the Biblical teaching that those in heaven can and do intercede for us, and they applied this teaching in their practice.Hermas"[The Shepherd said:] 'But those who are weak and slothful in prayer, hesitate to ask anything from the Lord; but the Lord is full of compassion, and gives without fail to all who ask Him. But you, [Hermas,] having been strengthened by the holy angel [you saw], and having obtained from Him such intercession, and not being slothful, why do not you ask of the Lord understanding, and receive it from Him?'" (The Shepherd 3:5:4 [A.D. 80]).Anonymous"Hail, Mary!" (inscription at the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth [A.D. 200]).Clement of Alexandria"In this way is he [the true Christian] always pure for prayer. He also prays in the society of angels, as being already of angelic rank, and he is never out of their holy keeping; and though he pray alone, he has the choir of the saints standing with him [in prayer]" (Miscellanies 7:12 [A.D. 208]).Origen"But not the high priest [Christ] alone prays for those who pray sincerely, but also the angels . . . as also the souls of the saints who have already fallen asleep" (Prayer 11 [A.D. 233]).Cyprian of Carthage"Let us remember one another in concord and unanimity. Let us on both sides [of death] always pray for one another. Let us relieve burdens and afflictions by mutual love, that if one of us, by the swiftness of divine condescension, shall go hence the first, our love may continue in the presence of the Lord, and our prayers for our brethren and sisters not cease in the presence of the Father's mercy" (Letters 56 [60]:5 [A.D. 253]).Anonymous"Atticus, sleep in peace, secure in your safety, and pray anxiously for our sins" (funerary inscription near St. Sabina's in Rome [A.D. 300]).Anonymous"Pray for your parents, Matronata Matrona. She lived one year, fifty-two days" (ibid.).Methodius"Hail to you for ever, Virgin Mother of God, our unceasing joy, for unto thee do I again return. Thou are the beginning of our feast; you are its middle and end; the pearl of great price that belongs unto the kingdom; the fat of every victim, the living altar of the Bread of Life [Jesus]. Hail, you treasure of the love of God. Hail, you fount of the Son's love for man. . . . You gleamed, sweet gift-bestowing mother, of the light of the sun; you gleamed with the insupportable fires of a most fervent charity, bringing forth in the end that which was conceived of thee . . . making manifest the mystery hidden and unspeakable, the invisible Son of the Father--the Prince of Peace, who in a marvelous manner showed himself as less than all littleness" (Oration on Simeon and Anna 14 [A.D. 305]).Methodius"Therefore, we pray thee, the most excellent among women, who glories in the confidence of your maternal honours, that you would unceasingly keep us in remembrance. O holy Mother of God, remember us, I say, who make our boast in thee, and who in hymns august celebrate the memory, which will ever live, and never fade away" (ibid.).Methodius"And you also, O honoured and venerable Simeon, you earliest host of our holy religion, and teacher of the resurrection of the faithful, do be our patron and advocate with that Savior God, whom you were deemed worthy to receive into your arms. We, together with thee, sing our praises to Christ, who has the power of life and death, saying, Thou art the true Light, proceeding from the true Light; the true God, begotten of the true God" (ibid.).Anonymous"Mother of God, [listen to] my petitions; do not disregard us in adversity, but rescue us from danger" (Rylands Papyrus 3 [A.D. 350]).Cyril of Jerusalem"Then [during the Eucharistic prayer] we make mention also of those who have already fallen asleep: first, the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, that through their prayers and supplications God would receive our petition . . . " (Catechetical Lectures 23:9 [A.D. 350]).Hilary of Poitiers"To those who wish to stand [in God's grace], neither the guardianship of saints nor the defenses of angels are wanting" (Commentary on the Psalms 124:5:6 [A.D. 365]).Ephraim the Syrian"Remember me, you heirs of God, you brethren of Christ; supplicate the Savior earnestly for me, that I may be freed through Christ from him that fights against me day by day" (The Fear at the End of Life [A.D. 370]).Ephraim the Syrian"You victorious martyrs who endured torments gladly for the sake of the God and Savior, you who have boldness of speech toward the Lord himself, you saints, intercede for us who are timid and sinful men, full of sloth, that the grace of Christ may come upon us, and enlighten the hearts of all of us that so we may love him" (Commentary on Mark [A.D. 370]).The Liturgy of St. Basil"By the command of your only-begotten Son we communicate with the memory of your saints . . . by whose prayers and supplications have mercy upon us all, and deliver us for the sake of your holy name" (Liturgy of St. Basil [A.D. 373]).Pectorius"Aschandius, my father, dearly beloved of my heart, with my sweet mother and my brethren, remember your Pectorius in the peace of the Fish [Christ]" (Epitaph of Pectorius [A.D. 375]).Gregory Nazianzen"May you [Cyprian] look down from above propitiously upon us, and guide our word and life; and shepherd this sacred flock . . . gladden the Holy Trinity, before which you stand" (Orations 17 [24] [A.D. 380]).Gregory Nazianzen"Yes, I am well assured that [my father's] intercession is of more avail now than was his instruction in former days, since he is closer to God, now that he has shaken off his bodily fetters, and freed his mind from the clay that obscured it, and holds conversation naked with the nakedness of the prime and purest mind . . . " (ibid., 18:4).Gregory of Nyssa"[Ephraim], you who are standing at the divine altar [in heaven] . . . bear us all in remembrance, petitioning for us the remission of sins, and the fruition of an everlasting kingdom" (Sermon on Ephraim the Syrian [A.D. 380]).John Chrysostom"He that wears the purple [i.e. a royal man] . . . stands begging of the saints to be his patrons with God, and he that wears a diadem begs the tent-maker [Paul] and the fisherman [Peter] as patrons, even though they be dead" (Homilies on 2 Corinthians 26 [A.D. 392]).John Chrysostom"When you perceive that God is chastening you, fly not to his enemies . . . but to his friends, the martyrs, the saints, and those who were pleasing to him, and who have great power [in God]" (Orations 8:6 [A.D. 396]).Ambrose of Milan"May Peter, who wept so efficaciously for himself, weep for us and turn towards us Christ's benign countenance" (The Six Days' Work 5:25:90 [A.D. 393]).Jerome"You say in your book that while we live we are able to pray for each other, but afterwards when we have died, the prayer of no person for another can be heard . . . But if the apostles and martyrs while still in the body can pray for others, at a time when they ought still be solicitous about themselves, how much more will they do so after their crowns, victories, and triumphs?" (Against Vigilantius 6 [A.D. 406]).Augustine"A Christian people celebrates together in religious solemnity the memorials of the martyrs, both to encourage their being imitated and so that it can share in their merits and be aided by their prayers" (Against Faustus the Manichean [A.D. 400]).Augustine"There is an ecclesiastical discipline, as the faithful know, when the names of the martyrs are read aloud in that place at the altar of God, where prayer is not offered for them. Prayer, however, is offered for the dead who are remembered. For it is wrong to pray for a martyr, to whose prayers we ought ourselves be commended" (Sermons 159:1 [A.D. 411]).Augustine"At the Lord's table we do not commemorate martyrs in the same way that we do others who rest in peace so as to pray for them, but rather that they may pray for us that we may follow in their footsteps" (Homilies on John 84 [A.D. 416]).Augustine"Neither are the souls of the pious dead separated from the Church which even now is the kingdom of Christ. Otherwise there would be no remembrance of them at the altar of God in the communication of the Body of Christ" (The City of God 20:9:2 [A.D. 419]).Sozomen"Gregory of Nazianzen presided over those who maintain the consubstantiality of the Holy Trinity, and assembled them together in a little dwelling, which had been altered into the form of a house of prayer, by those who held the same opinions and had a like form of worship. It subsequently became one of the most conspicuous in the city, and is so now, not only for the beauty and number of its structures, but also for the advantages accruing to it from the visible manifestations of God. For the power of God was there manifested, and was helpful both in waking visions and in dreams, often for the relief of many diseases and for those afflicted by some sudden transmutation in their affairs. The power was accredited to Mary, the Mother of God, the holy virgin, for she does manifest herself in this way" (Church History 7:5 [A.D. 444]).Pope Leo I"Let us rejoice, then, dearly beloved, with spiritual joy, and make our boast over the happy end of this illustrious man in the Lord [the martyr Laurentius] . . . By his prayer and intercession we trust at all times to be assisted . . ." (Sermons 85:4 [A.D. 450]).So whoever rejects the practice of asking the prayers of Mary and the Saints is rejecting the practice of the first 500 years of Christian history, and putting themselves outside of the apostolic Church.

Let’s look at what several first century Christians had to say with a couple of cautions. Some refer to the Father simply as “God” and so they do not call Jesus “God”, understanding that the two were different Persons of the Trinity. That does not mean that they did not believe Jesus to be God. They also understood that God had become man and manifest Himself in Jesus Christ, so they speak of the power of God through Jesus. They also emphasize that Jesus is the Son of God, not just as a messianic title, but as a literal begetting, making Him of the same essence. Overall, I think the belief that Jesus Christ is equal to God the Father as well as the Holy Spirit comes shining through along with basic Trinitarian theology that has been present from the very beginning of Christianity (See Evan Rodick's answer to Why are some Christians/Christian denominations so adamant about the Trinity being central to the faith despite the fact that it's never specifically mentioned in the Bible?) You’ll even see similar language to what was used at the Nicene Council and in the Nicene Creed, where the bishops fought Arianism, the belief that Jesus was a Creature and not truly God.St. Cement of Rome: He lived during the first century and served as Bishop of Rome from 92–101 AD.The First Epistle to the Corinthians“Grace unto you, and peace, from Almighty God through Jesus Christ, be multiplied.” (Ch. 1)“Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sceptre of the majesty of God, did not come in the pomp of pride or arrogance, although He might have done so, but in a lowly condition, as the Holy Spirit had declared regarding Him.” (Ch. 16)“This is the way, beloved, in which we find our Saviour, even Jesus Christ, the High Priest of all our offerings, the defender and helper of our infirmity. By Him we look up to the heights of heaven. By Him we behold, as in a glass, His immaculate and most excellent visage. By Him are the eyes of our hearts opened. By Him our foolish and darkened understanding blossoms up anew towards His marvellous light. By Him the Lord has willed that we should taste of immortal knowledge, "who, being the brightness of His majesty, is by so much greater than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." For it is thus written, "Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire." But concerning His Son the Lord spoke thus: "Thou art my Son, to-day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me, and I will give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession." And again He saith to Him, "Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool." (Ch. 26)Let him who has love in Christ keep the commandments of Christ. Who can describe the [blessed] bond of the love of God? . . . Love unites us to God. . . In love has the Lord taken us to Himself. On account of the Love he bore us, Jesus Christ our Lord gave His blood for us by the will of God; His flesh for our flesh, and His soul for our souls.” (Ch. 49)St. Polycarp of Smyrna: He was born 69–81 AD and died 155–167 AD. He served as the Bishop of Smyrna and communicated with St. John the Theologian.The Epistle to the PhilippiansMercy to you, and peace from God Almighty, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, be multiplied."Wherefore, girding up your loins," "serve the Lord in fear" and truth, as those who have forsaken the vain, empty talk and error of the multitude, and "believed in Him who raised up our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, and gave Him glory," and a throne at His right hand. To Him all things in heaven and on earth are subject. Him every spirit serves. He comes as the Judge of the living and the dead. His blood will God require of those who do not believe in Him. (Ch. 2)But may the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ Himself, who is the Son of God, and our everlasting High Priest, build you up in faith and truth, . . . who shall believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, and in His Father, who "raised Him from the dead.” (Ch. 12)The Encyclical Epistle of the Church at SmyrnamHe prays at his martyrdom “ . . . I bless Thee, I glorify Thee, along with the everlasting and heavenly Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son, with whom, to Thee, and the Holy Ghost, be glory both now and to all coming ages. Amen.” (Ch. 14)St. Ignatius of Antioch: He was born sometime before 33 AD since he was the child mentioned in Matthew 18. He was martyred by Emperor Trajan in 107 AD.The Epistle to the Ephesians. . . elected through the true passion by the will of the Father, and Jesus Christ, our God: Abundant happiness through Jesus Christ, and His undefiled grace.. . . according to the faith and love in Jesus Christ our Saviour. Being the followers of God, and stirring up yourselves by the blood of God, ye have perfectly accomplished the work which was beseeming to you. (Ch. 1). . . For even Jesus Christ, our inseparable life, is the [manifested] will of the Father . . . (Ch. 3)Nor indeed do ye hearken to any one rather than to Jesus Christ, the true Shepherd and Teacher. And ye are, as Paul wrote to you, "one body and one spirit, because ye have also been called in one hope of the faith. Since also "there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all." (Ch. 6)For our God, Jesus Christ, was, according to the appointment of God, conceived in the womb by Mary, of the seed of David, but by the Holy Ghost. He was born and baptized, that by His passion He might purify the water.The cross of Christ is indeed a stumbling-block to those that do not believe, but to the believing it is salvation and life eternal. "Where is the wise man? where the disputer? " Where is the boasting of those who are called mighty? For the Son of God, who was begotten before time began, and established all things according to the will of the Father, He was conceived in the womb of Mary, according to the appointment of God, of the seed of David, and by the Holy Ghost. (Ch. 18)The Epistle to the Magnesians. . . entrusted with the ministry of Jesus Christ, who was with the Father before the beginning of time, and in the end was revealed. (Ch. 6)As therefore the Lord did nothing without the Father, being united to Him, . . . There is one Jesus Christ, than whom nothing is more excellent. Do ye therefore all run together as into one temple of God, as to one altar, as to one Jesus Christ, who came forth from one Father, and is with and has gone to one. (Ch. 7)Mary the Mother of God: Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ as a virgin and lived in holiness for the rest of her life under the care of St. John.The Epistle to the Virgin MaryThe things which thou hast heard and learned from John concerning Jesus are true. Believe them, cling to them, . . . let thy spirit be strong and rejoice in God thy Saviour. Amen.Barnabas: Wrote around 100 AD.The Epistle of BarnabasThis meaneth, that we indeed descend into the water full of sins and defilement, but come up, bearing fruit in our heart, having the fear [of God] and trust in Jesus in our spirit. (Ch. 11)Behold again: Jesus who was manifested, both by type and in the flesh, is not the Son of man, but the Son of God. Since, therefore, they were to say that Christ was the son of David, fearing and understanding the error of the wicked, he saith, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool." And again, thus saith Isaiah, "The Lord said to Christ,my Lord, whose right hand I have holden, that the nations should yield obedience before Him; and I will break in pieces the strength of kings." Behold how David calleth Him Lord and the Son of God. (Ch. 12)Wherefore, also, we keep the eighth day with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose again from the dead. And when He had manifested Himself, He ascended into the heavens. (Ch. 15)Of course we can’t ignore the Scriptures. Tim O’Neill does indeed give a detailed and scholarly answer, but I am afraid he misses the forest for the trees.The Synoptic Gospels: The Book of Matthew (~70 AD) was written shortly after the fall of Jerusalem over a period of a few years in Antioch where St. Matthew resided and where the church was a mixture of Jewish and Gentile Christians. It emphasizes the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament, the revelation of the kingdom, and the call to discipleship. The Book of Mark (~64–70 AD) was written by St. Mark shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem, likely to comfort the Christians in Rome suffering under Nero, and was based largely on the testimony of St. Peter. It emphasizes the suffering of Christ, the messianic secret, and discipleship. The Book of Luke (70–80 AD) was written by St. Luke to reassure the new Gentile believer Theophilus that God was still working in the Christian community. It emphasizes prayer, the activity of the Holy Spirit, and concern for sinners. Looking at the whole picture of these Gospels we see:Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit—Matt. 1:18–25; Luke 1:35–38Jesus received worship, which He accepted—Matt. 2:2, 8:2, 9:18, 14:33, 15:25, 28:9; Mark 5:6; Luke 25:42Jesus was revealed as the Son of God at His baptism by both the Father and the Spirit—Matt. 3:16–17; Mark 2:9–11, Luke 3:21–22Jesus is able to perform miracles of healing—Matt. 8:1–17, 9:6–9, 9:18–35, 20:33–34; Mark 1:21–34, 1:40–42, 2:1–12, 7:31–37; Luke 4:38–41, 5:12–14, 5:17–26, 8:26–37, 8:40–55, 13:10–13, 14:4, 17:11–19, 18:42–43,Jesus has power over nature—Matt 8:23–27, 14:22–33, 21:18–22; Mark 4:35–41, 6:45–52, 11:19–26; Luke 8:22–25Jesus can forgive sins—Matt. 9:1–8; Mark 2:1–12; Luke 5:17–26, 7:48Jesus knows the hearts and thoughts of men—Matt. 9:4, 12:25; Mark 2:8; Luke 5:22, 11:17Jesus is revealed in the glory of God, “the kingdom of God present with power” (Mark 9:1) at the Transfiguration—Matt. 17:1–8; Mark 9:2–13; Luke 9:28–36Jesus can raise people from the dead—Matt. 27:52–53; Luke 7:11-17, 8:41–56Jesus Himself rises from the dead—Matt. 28–1–7; Mark 16:1–8; Luke 24:1–12Jesus literally means “God saves”, and Jesus is described as being our Savior—Matt. 1:21, 18:11; Luke 2:11, 9:56, 19:10St. John the Theologian: As an Apostle, he spent many years preaching the Gospel until his exile to Patmos where he wrote The Book of Revelation and then he returned to Ephesus. He lived to be over 100, dying around 97–100 AD. The Gospel of John (~96 AD) has many themes including, the Trinity, the glory of God, spirituality, the sacraments, the Church, the Pashal Throne, and the redemption of the world. He proclaims the Godhood of Jesus unequivocally.In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:1–4)But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. . . For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. (John 5:17-18, 22–23)Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58)“I and My Father are one.” . . . The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” (John 10:30, 33)He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. (John 14:9–11). . . You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. (John 17:21)And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” . . . Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man . . . (Revelation 1:10–13)St. Paul the Apostle: St. Paul persecuted the Christian Church as a Jew, but was blinded by Christ and became on of His most prolific Apostles, being willing to even die with St. Peter as a martyr for the faith.Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5–11)He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. (Colossians 1:15–20)For in Him [Christ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. (Colossians 2:9)And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:God was manifested in the flesh,Justified in the Spirit,Seen by angels,Preached among the Gentiles,Believed on in the world,Received up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time,He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:14–16). . . looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ . . . (Titus 2:13)God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.For to which of the angels did He ever say:“You are My Son,Today I have begotten You”?And again:“I will be to Him a Father,And He shall be to Me a Son”?But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says:“Let all the angels of God worship Him.”And of the angels He says:“Who makes His angels spiritsAnd His ministers a flame of fire.”But to the Son He says:“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;Therefore God, Your God, has anointed YouWith the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”And:“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,And the heavens are the work of Your hands.They will perish, but You remain;And they will all grow old like a garment;Like a cloak You will fold them up,And they will be changed.But You are the same,And Your years will not fail.”But to which of the angels has He ever said:“Sit at My right hand,Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”?Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1)The idea that the Early Church was divided into two perspectives—St. Paul and the early Gospel writers on one side proclaiming Jesus as Messiah but not God before the Destruction of the Temple and St. John and a later generation of Christians on the other side proclaiming Jesus as God only after the Jewish perspective was weakened—is unfounded. All of the Apostles were united in faith. St. Paul warns “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). How then could we believe St. John if he teaches something different? Yet St. John was actually at the foot of the Cross and we are reminded of the words of the Mother of God herself, who acted as mother and guide to all the Apostles, “The things which thou hast heard and learned from John concerning Jesus are true. Believe them, cling to them . . .”.St. Athanasius the Great—who fought ceaselessly against the heresy of Arianism, which would be closest to the idea of a Jewish non-God Messiah—had no problem putting St. Paul’s epistles and the Gospels of Saints Matthew, Mark, and Luke right next to the Gospel and writings of St. John, saying they are all “handed down, and accredited as divine; to the end that anyone who has fallen into error may condemn those who have led them astray; and that he who has continued steadfast in purity may again rejoice, having these things brought to his remembrance” (Athanasius on the Canon). Indeed, we can rest assured that “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).Before we look to atheists and agnostics like Professor Bart Ehrman for our theology, history, and faith, we should heed the words of St. John: “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds” (2 John 9-11). Again, “ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines” (Hebrews 13:8-9).