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Historical Theology I : MMT201  /  The Apostolic Quadrilateral (Intensive Week – Day 1b)  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 7
He points to manuscript evidence and the massive number of early-church Scripture quotations (e.g., Clement’s 1,107 gospel quotes) to stir “awe” and confidence; if early Christians were saturated with Scripture like that, what does that imply about their assumptions for discipleship, memory, public reading, and argument—and what does it expose about how thin modern biblical literacy can be while still claiming strong confidence?
Another way to ask: If early Christians knew Scripture so well they quoted it constantly, what does that say about how they expected Christians to learn, memorize, hear it read, and argue from it? What does that reveal about how shallow modern Bible knowledge can be even when people say they’re confident in the Bible?

Direct Answer Clifton’s examples imply early Christians assumed discipleship meant deep, repeated exposure to Scripture—hearing it read publicly, remembering it, and using it as the main material for argument and correction. It also exposes a modern gap: we may claim confidence in the Bible while not being saturated enough to naturally reason and speak the way the early church did.

Support from Transcript:

  • He calls students to “awe about what we’re giving in the Word of God,” tied to how Scripture is received.
  • He stresses early-church method: they “constantly” argue from “the scriptures,” not primarily from councils or famous teachers.
  • He gives quotation statistics to show saturation: “Justin Martyr has 268 quotes from the gospel… Clement has 1,107 gospel quotes.”
  • He reports a striking claim: “someone said you could almost come up with a New Testament just from their quotes alone.”
  • He highlights public reading as apostolic practice: “devote yourself to public reading of scripture, to preaching and to teaching” (1 Tim. 4:13) and “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42).
Discussion Follow-ups What would have to change in church life if we expected believers to be able to ‘argue from Scripture’ naturally? How might strong feelings about the Bible mask weak habits of actually reading and hearing it?

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