Letter from a District Overseer

I recently came across this letter from one District Overseer to an Elder:

"You did well in silencing the unspeakable teaching of the Apostates. From these are the "wandering stars" referred to in the prophecy, who wander from the narrow road of the commandments into a bondless abyss of the carnal and bodily sins. For, priding themselves in knowledge, as they say, " of the deep things of Satan," they do not know that they are casting themselves away into the nether world of the darkness of falsity, and boasting that they are free, they have become slaves of servile desires. Such men are to be opposed in all ways and altogether. For, even if they should say something true, one who loves the truth should not, even so, agree with them. For not all true things are the truth, nor should that truth which merely seems true according to human opinions be preferred to the true truth."

Scary.

By the way, the District Overseer was Bishop Clement of Alexandria and the Elder was one "Theodore." The letter was written because the early Church had taken out a fragment of the book of Mark that was embarrassing to the teachings of the Alexandrine Church. If you substitute the word "Carpocrations" for "Apostate" it is verbatim as written.

The year? 195 A.D.

Not much has changed over the Centuries, has it?

Farkel

Clever Farkel,

I think you have a paradox though. Your point was well made but then the deception you used in the opening actually gave some credence to the letter you were criticizing. Paradox.

Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, Luther ... visionaries or apostates?  Troublemaking rebels or leaders of a new way?  Apostacy all depends on whose ox is getting gored.  History is inevitably written by the winners.

yes BT, in the eyes of the pharisees Jesus was an apostate. he condemned their cohabitation with Rome and their money making in the temple. he charged them because of their hypocricy and   --- in their eyes he lost.

But we know that he has won.

So I am convinced that really truth never could be apostacy, but it is the denying of facts that are true and yet rejected - eg the cohabitation with the UN as NGO.

 

Good find, Farkel, that was revealing. Thanks.

 And the wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round.

sKally

For information on this text:

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/secretmark.html

Same o same o

We are only to listen to gods opinions.....not mans. Only problem is.....man can't find a way to bypass himself to give us gods message. Only Joey Smith was smart enough to come up with somethin direct from god that he discovered.......Golden Plates!  If Russell hadn't been a dumbshit,  he would have told the other idiots his "Miracle Wheat" fell from the sky.

Gumby

Farkel,

Was Armageddon "just around the corner" way back then as well?

Ian