I call upon You, Lord, God of Abraham and God of Isaac and God of Jacob and Israel, You who are the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God who, through the abundance of your mercy, was well-pleased towards us so that we may know You, who made heaven and earth, who rules over all, You who are the one and the true God, above whom there is no other God; You who, by our Lord Jesus Christ gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit, give to every one who reads this writing to know You, that You alone are God, to be strengthened in You, and to avoid every heretical and godless and impious teaching.

St Irenaeus of Lyons, Against the Heresies 3:6:4


Wednesday, March 3, 2010

YOUNG EARTH CREATIONISM IS NOT NEW

These quotes are not from YE creationists Ken Ham or Dr. Morris but Patristic Church apologetes Origen (c. A.D. 248) and Methodius (c. A.D. 290).

“After these statements, Celsus, from a secret desire to cast discredit upon the Mosaic account of the creation, which teaches that the world is not yet ten thousand yours old, but very much under that, while concealing his wish, intimates his agreement with those who hold that the world is uncreated!...And if he demands of us our reasons for such a belief, let him first give grounds for his own unsupported assertions, and then we shall show that this view of ours is the correct one.”

Origen, Against Celsus, chapter 19.

“For it is a dangerous thing wholly to despise the literal meaning, as has been said, especially of Genesis, where the unchangeable decrees of God for the constitution of the universe are set forth, in agreement with which, even until now, the world is perfectly ordered, most beautifully in accordance with a perfect rule, until the Lawgiver Himself having re-arranged it, wishing to order it anew, shall break up the first laws of nature by a fresh disposition.”

Methodius, The Banquet or the Ten Virgins, chapter 2.

No comments:

Post a Comment