Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Murphysboro Centuries, 2nd sacred

Epistle of Barnabas
- condemns abortion and equates it with murdering a child after birth

The Shepherd of Hermas
- c. 150, a story about Hermas, an old man bothered by sins - very clear picture of what the church in Rome was like in the second century, the good and bad of it
- maintains that there is forgiveness only once after baptism, otherwise no forgiveness for sin - for the first time talked of difference between “commandments” and “counsels,” the former being things all Christians had to do, and the latter what the 'better' Christians will do (celibacy, fasting, martyrdom, etc.)
  
Athenagoras of Athens
- c. 177, also wrote a defense of Christianity to Marcus Aurelius - as to the charge that Christians were cannibals, eating flesh and drinking blood, he pointed out that Christians regarded abortion as murder

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