Investigate the historical accuracy and reliability of Christian writings. Build confidence in the authenticity of Scripture and early church documents through careful examination of the evidence.

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Course Content

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I Thought Mark, John Mark, and Marcus Were the Same Person, but Hippolytus Lists Them as Different. is There Early Church Support for This, and is Hippolytus's List Reliable?
Is the Recognitions of Clement an Authentic Work by Clement of Rome?
How Can We Be Sure Early Church Writings Are Reliable and Not Altered by Rome to Support Papal Primacy?
Do the Anabaptists Include Broader Canon in What They Consider Scripture? What Books Should I Use in My Study?
In Light of Melito of Sardis’ Old Testament List, Should Christians Accept the Apocrypha as Canonical Scripture?
Free Course Guide

What This Free Course Covers

This free course gathers five Q&A lessons on the historical reliability of Christian texts and early church sources. The lessons ask how students should weigh writings attributed to Hippolytus or Clement, how to recognize later or uncertain attributions, and how much confidence can be placed in pre-Nicene Christian writings.

The course also turns to the canon of Scripture, especially the Old Testament books used by early Christians, the Septuagint, the Council of Carthage, Melito of Sardis, and the books Protestants often call the Apocrypha. Rather than treating every ancient claim as equally reliable, the lessons model careful historical reasoning:

asking who wrote a text, when it appears to have been written, how early Christians used it, whether it was widely quoted, and how its theology fits with its claimed period. Students will find a cautious but accessible introduction to questions about authorship, canon, transmission, and the use of early Christian writings.

Textual reliability Early Christian writings Authorship and attribution Pre-Nicene theology Canon of Scripture Septuagint and Masoretic text Apocrypha Melito of Sardis Council of Carthage Papal primacy claims

What You Will Study

  • Why a list attributed to Hippolytus is treated cautiously and not relied on as a primary source for the seventy disciples
  • How the lesson evaluates whether Mark, John Mark, and Marcus should be treated as the same person or different people
  • Why the Recognitions of Clement is not presented as an authentic work of Clement of Rome, while still being treated as an early Christian writing
  • How early Christian quotations, circulation, and canon debates are used to test a writing’s authority and authenticity
  • Reasons given for trusting that pre-Nicene writings were not simply altered by Rome to support later claims
  • How the Septuagint, the Masoretic text, and the Council of Carthage relate to questions about the Old Testament canon
  • How Melito of Sardis’ Old Testament list is interpreted in relation to the Apocrypha and the Christian Old Testament

Questions This Course Helps Answer

  • Is the list of the seventy apostles attributed to Hippolytus reliable?
  • Does the label “pseudo-Hippolytus” mean someone intentionally forged a work under his name?
  • Were Mark, John Mark, and Marcus the same person, or can we know for sure?
  • Is the Recognitions of Clement an authentic work by Clement of Rome?
  • If the Recognitions of Clement were truly by Clement, why would that matter for the canon?
  • What does the limited early quotation of a work suggest about its authority?
  • How can readers know whether early church writings were altered to support papal primacy?
  • What features of pre-Nicene writings make later Roman Catholic editing unlikely in the lesson’s argument?
  • Did early Christians use the Septuagint as their Old Testament?
  • How does the Septuagint canon differ from the Masoretic text familiar to many Protestants?
  • What books are listed in the Council of Carthage’s Old Testament canon?
  • Does Melito of Sardis’ list settle the question of whether Christians should accept the Apocrypha as canonical Scripture?

Lesson-by-Lesson Guide

I Thought Mark, John Mark, and Marcus Were the Same Person, but Hippolytus Lists Them as Different. is There Early Church Support for This, and is Hippolytus's List Reliable?

This lesson evaluates a list of the seventy apostles attributed to Hippolytus and concludes that it should not be treated as reliable evidence. It also addresses the traditional view that Mark, John Mark, and Marcus may be the same person, while cautioning that the evidence does not allow certainty.

  • Is the list of the seventy apostles attributed to Hippolytus reliable?
  • What does “pseudo-Hippolytus” mean in discussions of patristic writings?
  • Were Mark, John Mark, and Marcus one person or three different people?
  • Should Christians speculate about the names of the seventy disciples when Scripture does not list them?

Is the Recognitions of Clement an Authentic Work by Clement of Rome?

This lesson explains why the Recognitions of Clement is not treated as an authentic work by Clement of Rome, especially because it was not widely quoted or discussed as Scripture by early Christians. It still presents the work as an early Christian writing, probably pre-Nicene, with theology that largely reflects early Christian concerns such as refuting Gnostic teachings.

  • Was the Recognitions of Clement written by Clement of Rome?
  • Why would an authentic work by Clement have been important for the canon?
  • What does Origen’s brief quotation of the work prove or not prove?
  • How can theology help place a writing in an early Christian setting?

How Can We Be Sure Early Church Writings Are Reliable and Not Altered by Rome to Support Papal Primacy?

This lesson responds to the concern that Rome may have altered early church writings to support papal primacy. It argues that the content of pre-Nicene writings, including their language about the Trinity, limited references to Mary, lack of later papal emphasis, and teachings that do not fit later post-Nicene patterns, gives strong reasons to see them as authentic rather than medievally doctored.

  • Were early church writings altered by Rome to support papal primacy?
  • Why does pre-Nicene language about the Trinity matter for judging authenticity?
  • What do limited references to Mary suggest about the age of these writings?
  • Why does the discovery and transmission of some writings outside Roman control matter?

Do the Anabaptists Include Broader Canon in What They Consider Scripture? What Books Should I Use in My Study?

This lesson introduces the question of the canon by comparing the Septuagint used by the apostles and early Christians with the later Masoretic text familiar to many Protestants. It also discusses the Council of Carthage’s canon list and explains why the early Christian Old Testament included books that many Protestants know as the Apocrypha.

  • What Old Testament did the apostles and early Christians commonly quote?
  • How did the Septuagint canon differ from the Masoretic text?
  • What books did the Council of Carthage list as canonical Scripture?
  • Were the books called the Apocrypha added later by the Catholic Church?

In Light of Melito of Sardis’ Old Testament List, Should Christians Accept the Apocrypha as Canonical Scripture?

This extended lesson examines Melito of Sardis’ Old Testament list, preserved through Eusebius, and asks whether it should be read as a Christian canon list or as a report on the Jewish books recognized in Palestine. The lesson argues that Melito’s list does not overturn the broader early Christian use of Septuagint books and points to the Council of Carthage as an official later Western list that includes the books Protestants call the Apocrypha.

  • What did Melito of Sardis list as the books of the Old Testament?
  • Was Melito trying to identify the Christian Old Testament canon or the Jewish books known in the East?
  • How should Eusebius’ quotation of Melito be used in canon discussions?
  • Does Melito’s list prove Christians should reject the Apocrypha?

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Historical Reliability of Christian Texts

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