Discussing "8 Myths of the Great Apostasy" with Errol Amey
Update: Errol shared with me the following:
On the reliability of Irenaeus: “The sources Irenaeus used to discuss Gnostic teaching have been validated by the discovery in 1946 of ancient Gnostic texts in Coptic near Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt.” (Mary T. Clark, in Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, 2nd ed., pg. 587) And again: “The richness of this find [of the Nag Hammadi library] has not yet been fully explored. Studies thus far, however, substantiate the centuries-old belief in the reliability of Irenaeus as a source.” (Dominic J. Unger, in Ancient Christian Writers, vol. 55, pg. 1) On the martyrdom of Judas Thaddeus: “Thaddeus experienced martyrdom—as plausible as not (martyrdom traditions include Movsēs Xorenac’I, History of Armenia; [Latin] PseudoAbdias [passio Simonis et Judae]; various martyrologies . . . .” (Sean McDowell, in The Fate of the Apostles, pg. 243) On the martyrdom of Matthew: “Matthew experienced martyrdom—as plausible as not (Hieronymian Martyrology; Breviarium Apostolorum; Martyrdom of Matthew; [Latin] Pseudo-Abdias; Contendings of the Apostles . . . .” (Ibid., pg. 230) On the spuriousness of the Letter of Clement to James, so-called: “The Pseudo-Clementines exist in two versions, the Greek Homilies and the Latin Recognitions . . . . Clement’s Letter to James constitutes the introduction to the Homilies” (Ramón Trevijano, in Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity, vol. 1, pp. 551-552) On there being more than 200 martyrdoms during the first three centuries: “An estimate of martyrdoms during the Decian persecution is placed in the hundreds . . . . “Diocletian executed 268 Christians in Nicomedia” etc. (Robert Lee Williams, in Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, 2nd ed., pg. 898)