Equally, what were termed as the “heresies” by the church were never acts that were contrary to traditions of the Hebrew Yahosheans but those deeds that were opposing to the Roman Catholic creeds and observables. The Roman church became the definer of doctrines and its oppositions were labeled as heretics that were punished severely.
The Catholic Church used the idea of orthodoxy to control the heredity and coverage of various stations for reason of achieving uniformity. To achieve church uniformity, the Roman church through the Bishops and their writings were primarily aimed at refuting heresies and charging non-conformists as heretics. Some of the early acclaimed heretics were pacifists who held that Yahoshea’s humanity was mere illusion thus denying his incarnation.
Dualists held that reality was composed into two radically opposing part as “matter” usually viewed as “evil” and “spirit” that is seen as “good.” The Church of Rome opposed all dualists and proposed its own thought that both material and spiritual worlds were created by Yahweh and therefore both good and bad were represented in the unified divine and human nature of the saviour.
The early church fathers had severe contest with the Gnostics. For example Irenaus argued that the Proto-Orthodox was in line with Yahoshea Meshiyach’s teachings that was handed to the apostles and their successors. Irenaus maintained that all teachings of the Saviour were all well known public knowledge. The opponents of Irenaus claimed to have received secret teachings (gnosis) which were not publicly known. Many Gnostics claim to have received the knowledge from the earliest apostles.
For example, Valentines claimed to have received his secret knowledge from Paul. Gnosticism is a belief of the existence of hidden knowledge which they associate with publicly accepted teachings of the saviour that are obtainable in the canonized scriptures. The Gnostics held that the fountains of divine inspiration were not dried up and such give use to the doctrine of “continuing revelation”. There were equally opposing groups that were led by Nontanus and his female disciples with the Marcion concept that hold to the continuing revelation.
The apostolic fathers attacked those holding to opposite doctrines to their speculations and such prompted Tertullian to write the “Prescriptions Against Heretics”. Irenaus wrote the “Against Heresies” and letters of Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp of Symrna to various Yahoshean stations warned against false techings.
There were other apocryphal books like the “Epistle of Barnabas” which was taken as equal to canonized books in the 2nd century that warned against mixing of doctrines of orthodox Hebrew and Yahosheanism. The Epistles of Barnabas was in reality a handwork of Anti-Hebrew Church Fathers because all true apostles of Yahoshea were observant to the Hebrew religious practices.
The dichotomy of teachings among successors of the apostles extended to 4th century when Constantine the Great convocted the First Ecumenical Council of Niceea in 325 to address the problem of multiple practices among Yahosheans. Definition of accurate doctrines and polity brought about many denominations as well as numerous councils and synods.
The development of these doctrines, the position of orthodoxy and relationship between various opinions became a matter of continuing debates as against the prescription of the simple religious guidelines that were put in place by Yahoshea Meshiyach and his immediate apostles.
DOCTRINAL DIFFERENCES:
As there was no strong ecclesiastical authority in Yerusalem that exercise control over other stations of the movement, many stations operated as independent assemblies during 2nd century. This development prompted all stations to evolve their various versions of the tradition. Some of the stations copied the Yerusalem assembly on Hebrew continuing traditions while others especially Antioch and Rome started mixing up the practices with their native pagan traditions.
One of the numerous additions to the original doctrines of the movement was about the usage of the holy names of Yahweh and Yahoshea Meshiyach. While Yahosheans of first century worshipped by the name Yahweh and such was one of their differences with the worshippers at Yahudea (Judaism). They equally reverenced the saviour by his personal name – Yahoshea Meshiyach.
This tradition changed during 2nd century as many stations began to impute the names of Gods of nations into worship and equally change the saviour’s name to Zeus in Antioch assembly. The next major change was about Sabbath rest which was a scriptural observation of the Hebrew and continued by Yahosheanism. The seventh day Sabbath was one of the principal practices of the Hebrew Yahosheans as established by Yahoshea Meshiyach.
The tune also changed during 2nd century among gentile Yahosheans who began identifying with “first day rest” in worship.
As confirmed by “Patristic writers”(apostolic fathers) the gentile Yahosheans of 2nd century began to identify first day (Sunday) as the “Lord’s Day” and such prompted mixture of Sabbath rest of the seventh day along that of the first day.
With passage of time, the Sunday rest took eminence and Sabbath day become anathematic practices that attracted death penalty in 4th and 5th centuries.
One of the greatest evidences of mixing of seventh day Sabbath and first day rest by 2nd century is found in the letter of Ignatius to the Magnesians in 110 Ad as thus “Those who had walked in ancient practices attained unto newness of hope, no longer observing Sabbath, but living according to the lord’s life”.
The expanded version of the letter from the middle of 3rd century put it this way, “let us therefore no longer keep the Sabbath after the Jewish manner, and rejoice in days of idleness… But let everyone of you keep the Sabbath after a spiritual manner, rejoicing in meditation on the
Meshiyach Yahzitere Yahmarabhi
(+234) 7066195260
Email: okohmeshiyach@yahoo.com
