A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

Chapter IV. The Beginnings Of Catholic Theology 147have been handed down from the Apostles, because they werein the time of the Apostles, we can say: Let them producethe originals of their churches; let them unfold the roll of theirbishops, running down in due succession from the beginningin such manner that that first bishop of theirs shall be able toshow for his ordainer or predecessor some one of the Apostlesor of apostolic men—a man, moreover, who continued steadfastwith the Apostles. For in this manner the apostolic churchestransmit their registers; as the church of Smyrna, which recordsthat Polycarp was placed therein by John; as also the churchof Rome, which makes Clement to have been ordained in likemanner by Peter. In exactly the same way the other churcheslikewise exhibit their several worthies, whom, as having beenappointed to their episcopal places by the Apostles, they regardas transmitters of the apostolic seed.Chapter IV. The Beginnings Of Catholic TheologyThe theology of the Church, as distinguished from the currenttraditional theology, was the statement of the beliefs commonlyheld by Christians but expressed in the more precise and scien- [130]tific language of current philosophy, the co-ordination of thosebeliefs as so stated together with their necessary consequences,and their proof by reference to Holy Scripture and reason. In thisattempt to build up a body of reasoned religious ideas there weretwo lines of thought or interpretation of the common Christianityalready distinguished by the middle of the second century, anddestined to hold a permanent place in the Church. These were theapologetic conception of Christianity as primarily a revealed philosophy(§ 32), and the so-called Asia Minor school of theology,with its conception of Christianity as primarily salvation fromsin and corruptibility (§ 33). In both lines of interpretation theIncarnation played an essential part: in the apologetic as insuring