Men and Movements in the Primitive Church, by F.F. Bruce

No doubt you have already read this book.  I read it years ago when the somewhat academic style exercised what is laughingly called my brain.  Recently, in need of some stimulus I opened it once again and found it easy to read and very satisfying at that.

F.F. Bruce came from a 'Plymouth Brethren' background, he became professor at Manchester, and was a famous biblical scholar grounded in biblical truth.  Therefore not all people liked him, many prefer to have itchy ears and hear what suits them as opposed to what the bible teaches.  

This book is not new, my copy first appeared in 1979, long before most of you were born, and come from a series of lectures delivered in the years previous.  

As 'Rylands Professor of Biblical Studies,' Bruce found himself more and more absorbed with the Apostle Paul.  To study Paul however, you must also study what was going on around him at the same time, therefore, this study comprises the messages, as far as they can be obtained, from Peter, James, John and Stephen and those around them.

The early church quickly had different shades.  James became the one leading the 'Jewish' Jerusalem church, many of whom may well have come from the Pharisee background.  Another Apostle led church was influenced by non Judean Jews, Stephen came from this section.  These were Jews who had accepted Jesus as Messiah but lived in far flung areas, well away from the stricter Jerusalem Jews.  Then Peter introduced Gentiles into the church, Antioch being one of the main areas here, and so a third strand arose.  

All this teaches us that nothing is easy in the church, differences arise, often leading to conflict, yet all suppose to follow Jesus.  This is not different today.

Bruce discusses all these differences, often reflected solely through Paul's letters and the Book of Acts, far too little genuine documentary evidence to be found elsewhere.  What can be discovered is the underlying truth that all proclaimed, the similar gospel, the unity in spite of the outside influences, and the genuine support one for the other.  Some like to create differences between Paul and Peter, but it was from Peter that Paul learned much about his Lord.  I fail to see them not appreciating one another.

While Bruce tries to write in an open readable fashion he cannot get away from the academic style which appears here and there.   However, I found this an interesting and wise investigation into his subject and wish more people would read such books and understand the background to what we possess today.  Like all church life it is not easy.  Problems of doctrine and style, personality and fashion, taste and discernment always arise.  Then we have ambition, pride, sin and outside influences both fashionable and political attempting to dictate what believers believe.  And then believers failure to believe what they believe and act upon it ruining everything on top of the rest.  

This is an interesting book, and all books by F. F. Bruce, as I may have mentioned before, are worth reading.