Early Christian Discipleship

Archelaus, Disputation with Manes Direct teaching

...n Himself? Again, when He chose certain men who were loaded and burdened with sins for the honor of discipleship, twelve in number, whom He also named His apostles, He gave them this command: 'Leave father and mother, that you may be made worthy of me.' By this He meant that from there on the memory of father or mother should no longer weaken the steadfastness of their heart. "And on another occasion, when a different man said to Him, 'I will go and bury my father,' He answered, 'Let the dead bury their dead.' See, then, how my Lord Jesus Christ builds up His disciples for all things necessary, and gives His sacred words to each one in a way suited to what is fitting for him. And in just the same way here, when a certain man came in with the inconsiderate message about His mother, He did not take the event as an opportunity to leave His Father's commission unattended, even for the sake of having His mother with Him. "But to show you even more clearly that this is the true account of the matter, let me remind you that Peter, at a certain time, after receiving that declaration of blessedness from Him, said to Jesus, 'Be it far from You, Lord. This shall not be to You.' He said thi

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book I Direct teaching

...ndicated these two abilities: first, the sustaining power, when He said, “Whoever does not bear his cross (Stauros) and follow me cannot be my disciple;” and again, “Taking up the cross, follow me;” but the separating power when He said, “I came not to send peace, but a sword.” They also maintain that John indicated the same thing when he said, “The fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean the floor, and will gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.” By this statement, He demonstrated the ability of Horos. For that fan, they explain, is the cross (Stauros), which surely consumes all material things, as fire does chaff, but it purifies all those who are saved, as a fan does wheat. Moreover, they say that the Apostle Paul himself mentioned this cross in the following words: “The doctrine of the cross is foolishness to those who perish, but to us who are saved, it is the power of God.” And again: “God forbid that I should boast in anything except the cross of Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.”

Cyprian, Treatises Direct teaching

Luke 14:33 But he who has begun to be Christ's disciple, renouncing all things according to the word of his Master, ought to ask for his daily food, and not to extend the desires of his petition to a long period, as the Lord again prescribes, and says, Take no thought for the morrow, for the morrow itself shall take thought for itself.

Cyprian, Connection to Luke 14:33 Direct teaching

And lest any one should be retarded by any covetousness of wealth or attraction of his own people from following Christ, He adds, and says: "He that forsaketh not all that he hath, cannot be my disciple."

Archelaus, Connection to Luke 14:33 Direct teaching

and added, that no man could be His disciple unless he gave up all that he had.

Matthew 16:24 Background

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Mark 8:34 Background

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Luke 14:27 Background

Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

Luke 9:23 Background

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Luke 14:33 Background

So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

Justin Martyr, The Second Apology Direct teaching

And again, being conscious of his duty, and the nobility of it through the teaching of Christ, he confessed his discipleship in the divine virtue.

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching

...onomy 5. And so on. These things must be kept, along with whatever else is commanded in reading the Bible. And by Isaiah He commands us: "Wash yourselves, and make yourselves clean. Put away wickedness from your souls before my eyes. Learn to do good. Seek judgment. Rescue the wronged. Judge for the orphan, and justify the widow. And come, and let us reason together," says the Lord. And we will find many examples in other places also. For example, about prayer, Scripture says, "Good works are an acceptable prayer to the Lord." And the manner of prayer is described: "If you see the naked, cover him, and do not overlook those who belong to your own seed. Then your light shall break forth early, and your healing shall spring up quickly; and your righteousness shall go before you, and the glory of God shall surround you." What, then, is the fruit of such prayer? "Then you shall call, and God will hear you; while you are still speaking, He will say, 'I am here.'"

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching

...h illumination, shedding its beams around the mind, the moment we hear, we who were untaught become disciples. Does this, I ask, happen at the coming of this instruction? You cannot tell the time. For instruction leads to faith, and faith with baptism is trained by the Holy Spirit. That this faith is the one universal salvation of humanity, and that there is the same equality before the righteous and loving God, and the same fellowship between Him and all, the apostle showed most clearly when he spoke in this way: "Before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up to the faith which should afterwards be revealed, so that the law became our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith; but after that faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." Do you not hear that we are no longer under that law which came with fear, but under the Word, the master of free choice? Then he added the statement, free from all partiality: "For you are all the children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor fema

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness

...n.” He didn’t require our service when He asked us to follow Him; instead, He granted us salvation. Following the Savior is sharing in salvation, and following the light is receiving light. Those who are in the light do not illuminate the light themselves, but are illuminated and revealed by it, contributing nothing to it, but benefiting by being illuminated. Similarly, serving God does not benefit God, nor does God need human obedience; but He grants life, incorruption, and eternal glory to those who follow and serve Him, benefiting them because they serve and follow Him, but He doesn’t gain anything from them: for He is rich, perfect, and needs nothing. God requires service from people so that, as a good and merciful being, He can benefit those who continue serving Him. As God needs nothing, man needs fellowship with God. This is the glory of man: to continue and remain permanently in God’s service. Therefore, the Lord said to His disciples, “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you,” showing that they did not glorify Him by following Him; rather, in following the Son of God, they were glorified by Him. And again, “I will that where I am, they also may be, that they may b

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

The Christian is not impious. This is the point we needed to prove to the philosophers: that a Christian will never do anything evil or shameful in any way, because that would be unjust. Therefore, the Christian is not impious. Instead, he alone fears God and, with true piety, worships the true God in a holy and faithful way, as the universal Ruler, King, and Sovereign.

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching

Salvation, accordingly, is the following of Christ: For that which is in Him is life.

Cyprian, Connection to John 8:31 Direct teaching

and again, "If ye continue," saith He, "in my word, ye shall be truly my disciples; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

John 8:31 Background

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,

Luke 6:40 Background

A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Direct teaching

...wever, He was not supposed to suffer but should escape from Jesus, why did He urge His disciples to take up the cross and follow Him—when these people claim He did not take up the cross but abandoned the path of suffering? He did not say this regarding the acknowledgment of the cross above, as some among them dare to interpret, but in reference to the suffering He would undergo Himself and that His disciples would face. He implies this when He says, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." He suggested His disciples must suffer for His sake when He said to the Jews, "Behold, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify." And to the disciples, He often said, "You will stand before governors and kings for My sake; and they will scourge some of you, and kill you, and persecute you from city to city." He knew those who would suffer persecution, and those who would be scourged and killed because of Him. He spoke of no other cross than the suffering He would undergo first, and His disciples afterward. He gave them this exhortation: "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill t

Minucius Felix, Octavius Supporting witness

...y were true of yourselves. For when you attribute to our religion the worship of a criminal and his cross, you wander far from the neighborhood of truth. You think either that a criminal deserved to be believed God, or that an earthly being was able to be believed God. Miserable indeed is the man whose whole hope depends on a mortal man, for all his help comes to an end with that man's death. The Egyptians certainly choose a man for themselves to worship. Him alone they propitiate. They consult him about all things. They slaughter victims for him. And he who is a god to others is certainly a man to himself, whether he wants to be or not. For he does not deceive his own conscience, even if he deceives that of others. Moreover, false flattery shamefully flatters princes and kings, not as great and chosen men, as is right, but as gods. Yet honor is more truly given to an illustrious man, and love is more pleasantly given to a very good man. Thus they call on their deity. They beg before their images. They appeal to their Genius, that is, their demon. And it is safer to swear falsely by the genius of Jupiter than by that of a king. We neither worship crosses nor wish for them. But y

Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness

...for bloodshed, this endless lust for cruelty? Rather choose one of two alternatives. Either to be a Christian is a crime, or it is not. If it is a crime, why do you not put to death the man who confesses it? If it is not a crime, why do you persecute an innocent man? For I ought to be put to torture if I denied it. If, out of fear of your punishment, I should hide by a deceitful lie what I had previously been, and the fact that I had not worshiped your gods, then I might deserve to be tormented. Then I ought to be forced to confess my crime by the power of suffering, just as in other examinations the guilty, when they deny that they are guilty of the crime of which they are accused, are tortured so that the confession of the reality of the crime, which the voice refuses to make, may be wrung out by bodily suffering. But now, when of my own free will I confess, and cry out, and with frequent and repeated words bear witness that I am a Christian, why do you apply tortures to one who admits it, and who destroys your gods, not in hidden and secret places, but openly and publicly, and in the very marketplace, within hearing of your magistrates and governors? So, although what you bla

Justin Martyr, The Martyrdom of Justin Martyr Supporting witness

Then the prefect Rusticus said to Chariton, “Tell me more, Chariton, are you also a Christian?” Chariton replied, “I am a Christian by the command of God.” Rusticus the prefect asked the woman Charito, “What do you say, Charito?” Charito answered, “I am a Christian by the grace of God.” Rusticus asked Euelpistus, “And what about you?” Euelpistus, a servant of Caesar, responded, “I too am a Christian, having been freed by Christ; and by the grace of Christ, I share the same hope.” Rusticus the prefect asked Hierax, “And you, are you a Christian?” Hierax answered, “Yes, I am a Christian, for I revere and worship the same God.” Rusticus the prefect asked, “Did Justin make you Christians?” Hierax replied, “I was a Christian, and will be a Christian.” Then Pæon stood up and said, “I too am a Christian.” Rusticus the prefect asked, “Who taught you?” Pæon replied, “From our parents, we received this good confession.” Euelpistus said, “I willingly heard the words of Justin. But I also learned to be a Christian from my parents.” Rusticus the prefect asked, “Where are your parents?” Euelpistus replied, “In Cappadocia.” Rusticus asked Hierax, “Where are your parents?” And he answered, “Christ

Tertullian, Scorpiace Supporting witness

...hild; and children will rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death," He has clearly announced, with reference to the others, this kind of unrighteous conduct, which we do not find shown in the case of the apostles. For none of them experienced a father or a brother as a betrayer, which very many of us have. Then He returns to the apostles: "And you will be hated by all men for my name's sake." How much more will this be true of us, for whom there is the necessity of being handed over even by parents. Thus, by assigning this very betrayal now to the apostles, now to all, He pours out the same destruction on all the possessors of the name, on whom the name will rest together with the condition that it is an object of hatred. "But he who will endure to the end, this man will be saved." By enduring what, if not persecution, betrayal, and death? For to endure to the end is nothing else than to suffer the end. And therefore there immediately follow the words, "The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his own lord." Because, since the Master and Lord Himself stood firm in suffering persecution, betrayal, and death, much more it will be the duty

Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness

1 John 2:6 Peter also, upon whom by the Lord's condescension the Church was founded, Matthew 16:18 lays it down in his epistle, and says, Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow His steps, who did no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth;

Cyprian, Connection to 1 Peter 2:21 Supporting witness

in accordance with what Peter also exhorts and warns, saying, "Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example that ye should follow His steps."

Polycarp, Connection to 1 Peter 2:21 Supporting witness

Let us then be imitators of His patience; and if we suffer for His name's sake, let us glorify Him. For He has set us this example in Himself, and we have believed that such is the case.

1 Peter 2:21 Background

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

Origen, Commentary on Matthew Direct teaching

And immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, until He should send the multitudes away. Matthew 14:22 We should notice how often, in the same passages, the words "the multitudes" and "the disciples" are mentioned. By observing and comparing the passages about this matter, we can see that the aim of the Evangelists was to show, through the Gospel history, the differences among those who come to Jesus. Some are the multitudes and are not called disciples. Others are the disciples, who are better than the multitudes. For now, however, it is enough for us to present a few sayings, so that anyone who is stirred by them may do the same with the whole of the Gospels. So it is written—as if the multitudes were below, but the disciples were able to come to Jesus when He went up into the mountain, where the multitudes were not able to be—as follows: "And seeing the multitudes He went up into the mountain, and when He had sat down His disciples came to Him; and He opened His mouth and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit," and so on. Matthew 5:1-3 And again, in another place, since the multitudes needed healing, it says, "Many mu

Origen, Commentary on Matthew Supporting witness

...on we have taken up this subject is the passage under discussion. It tells that Jesus separated the disciples from the multitudes, and constrained them to enter into the boat and to go before Him to the other side, until He Himself should send the multitudes away, Matthew 14:22. For the multitudes were not able to go away to the other side, since in the mystic sense they were not Hebrews, which by interpretation means dwelling on the other side. But this was the work of the disciples of Jesus. I mean, to go away to the other side, and to pass beyond things seen and material, as temporal, and to go on to things unseen and eternal. To be dismissed by Jesus was a sufficient act of kindness bestowed on the multitudes by Jesus. For just because they were multitudes, they were not able to go away to the other side. And no one has the power to effect this kind of dismissal except Jesus only. And it is not possible for anyone to be dismissed unless he has first eaten of the loaves which Jesus blesses. Nor is it possible for anyone to eat of the loaves of blessing of Jesus unless he has done as Jesus commanded and sat down upon the grass, as we have said. Nor again was it possible for th

Tertullian, Apology Supporting witness

...an obstinate refusal to offer sacrifices, he found in their religious services nothing but meetings early in the morning for singing hymns to Christ and God, and sealing their way of life by a united pledge to remain faithful to their religion, forbidding murder, adultery, dishonesty, and other crimes. In reply, Trajan wrote back that Christians were by no means to be sought out. But if they were brought before him, they should be punished. O miserable deliverance. Under the necessities of the case, it is a self-contradiction. It forbids them to be sought out, as innocent, and it commands them to be punished, as guilty. It is at once merciful and cruel. It passes by, and it punishes. Why do you play this game of evasion with yourself, O Judgment? If you condemn, why do you not also inquire? If you do not inquire, why do you not also absolve? Military stations are set throughout all the provinces for tracking robbers. Against traitors and public enemies every man is a soldier. Search is made even for their confederates and accessories. The Christian alone must not be sought, though he may be brought and accused before the judge, as if a search had any other end than that! And so

Ignatius, Epistle to the Romans (Long Version) Supporting witness

...and outer strength, that I may not only speak, but truly will, so that I may not merely be called a Christian, but really found to be one. For if I am truly found a Christian, I may also be called one, and be deemed faithful, when I shall no longer appear to the world. Nothing visible is eternal. "For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." The Christian is not the result of persuasion, but of power. When he is hated by the world, he is loved by God. For says the Scripture, "If you were of this world, the world would love its own; but now you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it: continue in fellowship with me."

Justin Martyr, The First Apology Supporting witness

...ayer to the gods of my country. But, as they did not respond, I called upon those among us known as Christians. Upon investigation, I found a great number and multitude of them and initially acted against them, which was quite inappropriate, as I later understood their power. They began the battle, not with weapons, armor, or bugles, as such preparations are detestable to them because of the God they carry in their conscience. Therefore, it appears that those we think are atheists have God as their guiding force entrenched in their conscience. Throwing themselves on the ground, they prayed not only for me but for the entire army, that we might be saved from the current thirst and hunger. We had been without water for five days because there was none, being deep in Germany, in enemy territory. Simultaneously as they threw themselves on the ground and prayed to God (a God unknown to me), water poured from the sky, refreshingly cool upon us but as withering hail upon Rome's enemies. Immediately we acknowledged the presence of God following their prayer—a God unconquerable and indestructible. Based on this, let us pardon such individuals who are Christians, lest they pray for and ac

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

Equivocal terms have the same name, but not the same definition. For example, “man” can mean both the living animal and a picture of a man. Of equivocal terms, some get their shared name by chance, as with Ajax the Locrian and Ajax the Salaminian. Others receive it by intention. Of these, some are named from resemblance, as “man” means both the living person and the painted image. Some are named from analogy, as the foot of Mount Ida and our foot, because both are underneath. Some are named from action, as the foot of a vessel, by which the vessel sails, and our foot, by which we move. Equivocal terms are also named from the same source and for the same thing. For example, a book and a scalpel are both called surgical, both from the surgeon who uses them and in relation to the surgical matter itself.

Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness

Belief in Antinous, then, or in any other such person, whether among the Egyptians or the Greeks, is, so to speak, unfortunate. But belief in Jesus would seem to be either fortunate, or the result of thorough investigation. To the multitude, it has the appearance of the former; to exceedingly few, of the latter. And when I speak of a certain belief as, in the judgment of the multitude, unfortunate, I in such a case refer the cause to God, who knows the reasons for the different fates allotted to each person who enters human life. The Greeks, moreover, will admit that even among those considered to be most richly endowed with wisdom, good fortune has had much to do with it. This is seen in the choice of one kind of teacher rather than another, in meeting a better class of instructors, since there were teachers who taught the most opposite doctrines, and in being brought up in better circumstances. For many were brought up in surroundings of such a kind that they were prevented from ever receiving any idea of better things. Instead, from their earliest youth, they passed their life either as the favorites of licentious men or of tyrants, or in some other wretched condition that kept

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Direct teaching

For when certain men had come down from Judea to Antioch—where also, first of all, the Lord’s disciples were called Christians, because of their faith in Christ—and sought to persuade those who had believed on the Lord to be circumcised, and to perform other things after the observance of the law;

Polycarp, The Martyrdom of Polycarp Supporting witness

but the martyrs, as disciples and followers of the Lord, we worthily love on account of their extraordinary affection towards their own King and Master, of whom may we also be made companions and fellow-disciples!

Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness

while with Jesus there were not only at the time we speak of, the twelve disciples, but many more at all times, who, becoming a band of temperate men, speak in the following terms of their former lives: For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

Mathetes, Epistle to Diognetus Supporting witness

For who that is rightly taught and begotten by the loving Word, would not seek to learn accurately the things which have been clearly shown by the Word to His disciples, to whom the Word being manifested has revealed them, speaking plainly [to them], not understood indeed by the unbelieving, but conversing with the disciples, who, being esteemed faithful by Him, acquired a knowledge of the mysteries of the Father?

Ignatius, The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians (Short Version) Supporting witness

For now I begin to be a disciple, and I speak to you as fellow-disciples with me.