The Pre-Nicene Christian writings, circa 100-340 A.D., are EXCELLENT resources when questions concerning Scriptures ... or timeframes, in this instance... are needing clarification. The Pre-Nicene writings (i.e., written before the Council of Nicea ) are written from the "earliest" of the Early Christian apologists, during the first couple of centuries when the Christian church was still UNIFIED as one church... whether in Jerusalem, Rome, Damascus, or Alexandria. These writers were generally writing to CRITICS of the Christian church, explaining to them both Christianity and the critics' wrong thinking.
They also wrote AGAINST the heretics, showing from Scriptures how or why the heresies were wrong. In so doing, these worthy Christian men recorded for posterity the clear doctrines of the Early Church... AND THE CLEAR, ANCIENT WORDS OF HOLY SCRIPTURE. This has proven of great value to us in this generation, so that we might be able to have an unrefutable reference and guide to the New Covenant... and to how Christianity was understood by those who were taught by the Apostles and then, by those men who received THEIR teaching.
Here are the Time-Frames:
1. Irenaeus -- ( c. 120--202 AD )
2. Clement
of Alexandria ( c.140--200 AD)
3. Tertullian -- ( c. 160--240 AD )
4. Hippolytus -- ( c. 170--236 AD )
5. Origen --- ( c. 185--254 AD )
6. Cyprian ----- ( c. 200--258 AD )
7. Novatian --- ( c. 210--280 AD)
8. Peshitta ---- ( about c. 411 AD )
Some sources point to as early a date as 150 AD of a Syriac Gospel; see discussion which follows later.
Of utmost importance when comparing these dates is to keep in mind that these Pre-Nicene Christian apologists WERE NOT IN DIFFERING NOR CONFLICTING CAMPS.
Unlike Christianity today, the Pre-Nicene Christians stood solidly together, teaching the same doctrines and living the same life-style.
Thus, the Church at Lyons would teach the same thing as the Church at Ephesus, which would share with the Church at Jerusalem, which would agree with the Church at Damascus, which would receive writings from the Church at Alexandria, which would be in accord with the Pre-Nicene Church at Rome.
In other words, the Pre-Nicene Church was a unified ONE. Each locale had struggles, but the church stood as ONE with the other , clinging to the same doctrines and fighting against the heresies which broke forth during these centures.
So, roughly, for 250 years, the Primitive Church spoke the same Word. No writer in ANY LOCALE ... be it Lyons, Ephesus, Damascus, Rome, Jerusalem, or Alexandria... would have written anything DIFFERENTLY. [Except the bona fide heretics, of course.] The Pre-Nicene writings, then, contain a wealth of information about those 250 first years of the church during that season of "one-ness" .
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Thus , at a glance, the reader can see where the Peshitta fits into the timeframe of the extant manuscripts of the Early Christian writings.
Now, in the current pertinent issue of the meaning of the Paraclete as found in those 4 verses in John and one time in I John (see previous blogs), these Early writings provide readers a way TO KNOW FOR SURE what was the original intent, the original meaning, of those verses written by the Apostle John.
That reduces the amount of "guess" work that a translator must employ. Translating the Holy Word is difficult enough simply trying to issue the same thoughts from one language and culture into another language and culture... for even the most conscientious person.
Any person (or committee, perhaps) who does NOT avail himself of such substantial RESOURCES for checking the accuracy of his translation is in danger of putting strange fire on the altar.
Whether out of dishonest scholarship, stubborn ignorance, arrogance, or ulterior motives, any one such person who exports a purposefully ill-engineered translation will cause "confusion in the camp."
(And, we all know how THAT is viewed in Scripture! )
For whatever the reasons, then, the rendering of Paraqlita as "REDEEMER+" in a modern, popular, "golden, historic, and best" translation of the Peshitta into English will be shown to be in GRIEVOUS ERROR according to the historical church, the Pre-Nicene "Early" Church, as recorded in a variety of their writings WHICH WE STILL HAVE... in the volumes called The Ante-Nicene Fathers*.
* (Note: We at the Order of the GOOD SHEPHERD+ follow Y'SHUA'S+ command to NOT to call any man "father;" this simply is the publisher's title of the volumes of the writings Pre-Nicene apologists.)
We will start with the earliest apologist, Irenaeus.
(See next blog.)
