| BibleFacts |
Law of Moses
|
On the early
church |
All of the early church fathers taught the entire Law of Moses
has been done away with. Here are just a few quotes:
-
Ignatius - 30 to 107 AD
-
Trallians 9 - Christians do not observe the Sabbath but the
Lord's day and some people denied that Jesus resurrected
-
Mathetes 130 AD
- Epistle to Diognetus 3,4 - Christians do not offer sacrifices, nor abstain from meets,
nor observe the Sabbath or new moon festivals, nor become circumcised like
the Jews do.
- Epistle to Diognetus 5 - Christians follow the customs of their native lands in regard
to marriage, food, clothing, and conduct. They marry and have children but
they never have abortions. They obey all the laws of their country.
- Epistle to Diognetus 7 - Jesus, who is God come in the flesh, came to persuade not
compel us to salvation, because violence has no part in the character of
God.
- Epistle to Diognetus 11 - He (Mathetes) was taught directly by the apostles. Jesus is
uncreated (from everlasting)
-
Justin Martyr 110-165 AD
-
First Apology 13 - Christians do not offer sacrifices of
blood or incense but by praise. God is triune.
-
First Apology 67 - Christians meet together on Sunday.
- Dialogue 10 - Christians live like all other gentiles, not observing the
festivals, Sabbaths, new moon, or the rite of circumcision.
-
Dialogue 11 - Christ did away with the entire law of Moses,
and circumcision.
- Dialogue 15 - True fasting is giving your food to the hungry.
-
Dialogue 19 to 23 - Circumcision, food laws, and Sabbaths
were for a teaching. Circumcision began with Abraham and the Sabbath and the
rest began with Moses.
-
Dialogue 43 - Circumcision began with Abraham. The Sabbath,
sacrifices, offerings, and feasts began with Moses.
-
Irenaeus 178 AD
- Against Heresies 3.15 - Jesus and the Father are the only true God. Jesus
gave Moses the dispensation of the Law.
-
Against Heresies 4.4 - The Law started with Moses and ended
with John.
-
Against Heresies 4.34 - Jesus fulfilled the Law and
prophets, then did away with it, and gave a new covenant.
-
Against Heresies 5.8 - In the dispensation of Law the clean
animals represented spiritual man and the unclean animals represented the
carnal man
-
Against Heresies 5.17 - "He has destroyed the
handwriting" of our debt, and "fastened it to the cross;"
-
Tertullian 190-210 AD
-
Marcion 1.20 - Paul in Galatians means the Law given by god
then fulfilled and done away with in Christ.
-
Marcion 1.21 - Some disputed about eating idol sacrifices,
others about the veiled dress of women, others again about marriage and
divorce, and some even about the hope of the resurrection; but about God no
one disputed.
-
Marcion 4.12 - Jesus annulled the Sabbath
-
Marcion 5.2 - Galatians proves the Mosaic Law is fully
abolished.
-
Marcion 5.11 - 1 Corinthians, the veil of Moses refers to the
complete doing away with the old dispensation. Christ being messiah and
abrogation of Moses Law. Heretics try to say the epistle to the Ephesians is
the epistle to the Laodeceans.
-
Jews 1.3 - Circumcision was temporary.
-
Jews 1.4 - Sabbath was temporary
-
Jews 1.5 - Sacrifices were temporary.
-
Nations 1.13 - Christians worship on Sunday, this has nothing to
do with paganism.
- Origen 230 AD
- OFP 4:1:17 - Notes goat-stags and griffins and other examples
of the Law of Moses that can’t be followed.
- Against Celsus 1:22 The rite of circumcision began with Abraham and was discontinued by
Jesus.
- Against Celsus 5:47 - The circumcision practiced by the Egyptians is not that same as the
circumcision of the Jews.
- Against Celsus 5:48 - Christians are forbidden to practice circumcision;
he quotes Gal. 5.2 54.
- Victorinus 270 AD
- Creation of the world 1 - There was a literal 7 day creation, but Jesus
abolished the Sabbath.
- Lactantius 285 AD
- Divine Institutes 4.17 - Jesus abolished circumcision; law against eating
pork, and the Sabbath. Agrees with the Epistle of Barnabas on swine’s
flesh.
Note: some groups will try
to say that meeting on the first day of the week is really the Havdalah service
on Saturday night. But as we can see the entire Sabbath from morning services to
the evening "Havdalah" service has been annulled, and no longer
observed. In other words the whole Sabbath day. So the LORD's day is the first
of the week or Sunday.