This was the same method of many gentile Yahoshean’s creeds and those of ecumenical councils and all apostolic fathers base their religious conviction on the anti-Hebrew principles. They often agree on gentile practices except at few cases they were divided over Hebrew and Greek ideologies. Majority of the earliest apostolic fathers were Greek citizens. The acclaimed “hearers from the Apostles” as known to the Apostolic fathers that wrote in Greek were called the “Greek Assembly Fathers” and famous of Greek fathers of second century include the Irenaeus of Lyons and Clement of Alexander.
Irenaeus of Lyons was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul. He was a student of Polycarp who learnt directly from Yohannah the Evangelist. Irenaeus was one of the 2nd Century theologians that infuenced gentile Yahosheanism. He was known for his interest of having one doctrinal authority (Episcopal council) of the movement. He was equally known for his early proposal of canonization of the four good-news accounts of the New Testament.
For his interest of Pauline Yahosheanity, he was recognized as a saint by both the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. The most widely circulated work of Iranaeus was the “Against Heretics” that he published in 180 C.E.
Another famous Greek father was Clement of Alexandra who was a high degree Philosopher and Gnostic Yahoshean. He married many philosophied works that include Platonism with Yahoshean tradition. He was the head of Catechetual School of Alexandra where he taught many early scholars like Origen.
His writings was based on believer’s morality and conduct. As a pacifist, he was a compromiser of various faiths. Theologian Adolf Von Harnack described him as “one who knew how to replace the apologetic method by the constructive or systematic, to them the simple assembly tradition into a scientific dogmatic theology. He sees only superficial and transient disagreement where others find a fundamental opposition”.
By all historic records, Clement of Alexandra was a mixer of various faiths or tradition. Such character was never required to lead an uncompromising religious thought as Yahosheanism. He was one of the early influential fathers that admixed Yahosheanism with other non-related concepts and Paganism.
Another set of apostolic fathers were the “Latin Fathers” whose prominence started with the conversion of Tertullian in 197 Ad. Tertullian was the first Latin father in the 2nd century Ad. He was a son of a Roman Centurion and a lawyer in Rome. He was instrumental to introduction of “Trinitas” (Trinity) to the 2nd century Yahosheanism. Equally, he was identified as the apostolic father that firstly used the terms of two scriptural dispensations as the “Vetus Testamentum” as for “Old Testament” and “Novum Testamentum” being “New Testament”. History bear that Tertullian was the first Latin author who qualified Yahosheanism as the “true religion” and systematically relegated other classical Roman Empire religions and cults to the place of mere superstition.
He later backslide into a group called the “Montanists” which was a sect declared as heretic by the main line assembly at Rome because of their belief of absolute rigorism.
GENTILE STATIONS:
As the assembly of Yahoshea Meshiyach at Yerusalem suffered set back by the Hebrew – Roman wars (66-135), it did not regain strength to serve as a great station. This later changed during 4th century when Empress Helena (Mother of Emperor Constantine) undertook pilgrimage to the land.
During 2nd and 3rd centuries, the assembly overseers at Yerusalem became suffrages (subordinates) of the Metropolitan Overseers in Caesarea.The assembly stationed at Rome which was capital of Roman Empire until 380 Ad was the most influential of all other stations of the movement during 2nd and 3rd centuries. Although, the movement has not received formal state recognition but it enjoyed support from some powerful Roman citizens who acted as converts or supporters. Such made the overseer at the city of Rome to command authority over other stations. The Roman station claim to be established by Apostle Peter.
The next influential station was the Yahoshean community at Antioch which was found by Apostle Peter and Paul whose works were continued by St. Ignatius. Antioch, Alexandra and others were significant station of Yahosheanity in the Eastern Roman Empire. These stations were established by early apostles but grew with mixtures of cultures of the various tribes. They grew up independently as there were no much communication between the gentile stations and the embattled Yerusalem assembly that was the natural headquarter of the movement.
An apostle may open a station and abide with the converts for few months or years and migrate to other distanced land, the found station will be left at the hand of the “Apostle’s Appointed Overseer” who may be a native of the community and not properly rooted in the doctrine. This gave opportunity for a mix-up of the practices taught by the apostles and those of the native that took over from them.
This was one of the major factors that contributed to varieties of practices of many gentile stations until when Rome began to exercise Episcopal authority over all other stations. The Roman Episcopal power was contested by many other gentile stations who preferred their home arranged liturgical practices.
One of the famous gentile station of Yahosheanity that grew independently from the Greek and Latin stations in the Western Rome was the station at the East which later became the “Church of the East” or later “Assyrian Church.”
This Yahoshea’s movement as presently called the “Syriac Orthodox Church” spread throughout most of Asia and bearing the appellation “Nestorian” The name was derogatory name given to the assembly at the East by Romans. The appellation was drawn from “Nestorius” who was the Patriarch of Constantinople who was condemned by Roman Assembly as a heretic in 430Ad.
