Presentism

“It is important to avoid falling into the trap of presentism, or assuming that some of the concepts and issues of the present time were operative in the past, especially a pst two millennia distant” (30)

“The whole restorationist movement over the centuries hinges on this. Two main hypotheses of the nature and intentions of the first century Christianity confront each other. On the one hand, there is the view that the primitive church was just that - a primitive form or expression of the faith that would evolve, develop and mature in time and space. It began with a largely evangelistic mission conducted by an apostolic ministry and grew into a primarily pastoral mandate under the episcopacy while retaining some missionary responsibility. On the other hand, there is the view that the primitive church of the apostolic age was the model for all time and all peoples and its ministry was an exemplary model for all Christian service” (31)

— model of what? and “Christian service” doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive to the first hypothesis

Jaenen says his book is only a “documentary history”. It is “not a theological study of the evolution of Christian doctrine and praxis…there is absolutely no pretention to engage in the scholarly debates of the Jesus Seminar, the papal encyclicals or biblical exegesis” (33)

— I get it, the book is already over 500 pages long. Added theological debates to his argument would make it even longer. However, it weakens his argument by focusing on the exterior similarities between historical groups which does not prove anything. If anything, he proves that humans have desired to be close to Jesus and rightfully reacted against clerical excesses over history when they occurred.

Jaenen, C.J. The apostles’ doctrine and fellowship: a documentary history of the early church and restorationist movements. Legas Publishing. 2003. ISBN 1-894508-48-3