A Pledge of the Truth: Theophilus of Antioch’s Doctrine of Scripture and Its Role in His Ad Autolycum
Ebook
Persecution, false accusations, and philosophical criticisms were all a common part of the life of the church in the second century. Many Christian writers took up the mighty pen to defend the Christian faith. Though often overlooked, Theophilus of Antioch was one of these apologetic writers who boldly identified himself as a Christian and a believer in God's word. In his only remaining work, Ad Autolycum, Theophilus shows the irrationality of the pagan worldview and defends the Christian faith with a firm commitment to the authority of Scripture. The Scriptures are foundational to his defense of the Christian faith. He presents the Scriptures, both from the Old and New Testaments, as a faithful guide and guarantee of truth on the nature of God, the world, and ethics. The Scriptures were efficacious in his own conversion to Christianity, and so he uses those same divine words in order to call his pagan friend from idolatry to the truth of the one God. In this book, Taylor Evan Walls offers a systematic presentation of Theophilus' understanding of the nature of Scripture, and shows how this doctrine provided the foundation and structure for his defense of Christianity.
“Taylor Walls presents a clear and balanced introduction to the status and role of Scripture in the apology for Christianity by Theophilus, the second-century bishop of Antioch. It is informed by healthy recourse to scholarly voices. Its strengths include its clarity, thoughtfulness, and soundness of analysis. Modern readers curious about how Christians used Scripture a century after the days of the apostles will find surprising lessons here.”
—Stuart E. Parsons, professor of Bible and theology, Trinity College of Florida
“Taylor Evan Walls has composed a summative, helpful, and handy assessment of Theophilus’s perspective on Scripture. It contributes in important ways to current discourse on the reception of Scripture in early Christianity, to contemporary comprehension of second-century theological constructs, and to understanding defensive agendas among early Christians as they sought to define themselves within a diverse world.”
—D. Jeffrey Bingham, research professor of historical theology, Southwestern Seminary
“Like a meticulous archaeologist, Taylor Walls carefully and systematically uncovers Theophilus of Antioch’s view of Holy Scripture contained in the church father’s surviving apologetic work, Ad Autolycum. In doing so, Walls demonstrates that the notion of Scripture as the foundation of theology (principium congnoscendi theologiae) is not a late product of the Protestant Reformation but is found in nascent form among the early apologists for Christianity.”
—Robert Gonzalez, academic dean, Reformed Baptist Seminary
- Title: A Pledge of the Truth: Theophilus of Antioch’s Doctrine of Scripture and Its Role in His Ad Autolycum
- Authors: Michael A. G. Haykin, Taylor Evan Walls
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9798385208890, 9798385208883, 9798385208876
- Resource ID: LLS:9798385208890
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-04-16T01:35:45Z
Taylor Evan Walls serves as missionary and pastor of Iglesia Bautista Gracia Soberana and director of the Escuela Pastoral de Preparación Pastoral in Santo Domingo, Ecuador. He serves in various pastoral training programs in Latin America where he teaches on Scripture, hermeneutics, and early church history.