Jumpstarter 9 of 10

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Question 9

Irenaeus describes consulting “the most ancient churches with whom the apostles had constant dealings,” emphasizing it was voluntary and about linking to past revelation, not present authority; what might a modern equivalent look like, and what would it cost us (pride, individualism, certainty) to actually practice it?

Another way to ask: What would it look like today to learn from the oldest churches the way Irenaeus describes, as a way to stay connected to what the apostles taught? What would it cost us—like pride, independence, or feeling sure we’re right—to actually do that?

Direct Answer Based on Bercot’s description, a modern equivalent would be voluntarily seeking guidance from the most historically connected witnesses to apostolic teaching—learning from early church testimony as a “link to past revelation,” not as a new authority. Practicing it would likely cost modern Christians some individualism and the confidence that our private interpretations are automatically sufficient.

Support from Transcript:

Irenaeus: in disputes we should have “recourse to the most ancient churches with whom the apostles had constant dealings.”
As late as AD 150 there were still elders “personally taught by one or more apostles,” and later leaders taught by “personal disciples of the apostles.”
Bercot says this was a sincere attempt “to avoid accidentally straying from the practice of the apostles.”
The practice was “entirely voluntary”—“No church had ecclesiastical authority over other churches.”
The rationale was not “present authority or revelation,” but “the best link to past revelation.”

Discussion Follow-ups What sources today function as our “ancient churches” (for example, the earliest Christian writings Bercot references)? How can we learn from them without turning them into an infallible second Bible or a new hierarchy?

Jumpstarter 9 of 10

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Jumpstarter 9 of 10