Apostolic Fathers: Dates they lived and other information.

Apostolic Fathers: Five kinds of Tradition.

1. "I follow the laws and rules of the apostles. I test my teaching by applying to it, like a rule and measure, the faith laid down by the holy and blessed Fathers at Nicaea. If any one maintain that I hold any contrary opinion, let him accuse me face to face; let him not slander me in my absence." (Theodoret, letters, 40)
   
   As we have seen from Athanasius (Athanasius, de Synodis, Part 1, 6), the church viewed the every phrase of the Nicene creed as being based directly upon scripture, not some unwritten oral tradition. So when Theodoret about 125 years later that he follows the "laws and rules of the apostles" AND "the faith at Nicea" it surely doesn't provide the proof Catholic and Orthodox defenders are looking for. Yes Theodoret has a two fold authority: 1. the Bible and 2. the Nicene creed. But the creed is viewed by Theodoret as a condensed version of the Bible. We point out the folly of creed making. For although most of the Nicene creed is indeed accurate, the creeds that followed became progressively "less based upon the Bible" while men's allegiance increased. Creed are wrong because they complete with the authority of the Bible. Today Roman Catholics and Orthodox common folk, don't even both with the Bible, they just obey the creeds.

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