Early Two-Seedline - Christogenea Europe, July 19th, 2015

The introduction for this program employed information found at Clifton Emahiser's website here: Early Celtic Church Taught Physical Seduction Of Eve!! and here: Early Church Era On Two Seedline

Two-Seedline Christian Identity teachings are found in some of the earliest writings of the Church Fathers. But it is the greatest of Biblical Truths and therefore the most oppressed and persecuted. Ultimately, the attitudes of the Alexandrian universalists prevailed because they were the most useul for both the Jews and the Roman Imperialists.
 

The following are William Finck's notes for the program:

A brief discussion of the universalist poison of Clement, Origen and Eusebius

Clement of Alexandria misused the phrase “brood of vipers” in Book 1 Chapter 11 of The Instructor (Paedagogus) and in Book 4 chapter 16 of The Stromata. Then in his Exhortation to the Heathen, Chapter 1, ascertained that one could go from being of the “brood of vipers” to being a man of God by accepting Christ:

Again, therefore, some venomous and false hypocrites, who plotted against righteousness, He once called “a brood of vipers.” But if one of those serpents even is willing to repent, and follows the Word, he becomes a man of God.

The universalist position of Scripture was expressed by Clement of Alexandria, and after him it was continued by his student Origen, another Alexandrian, and then by Eusebius. By the time of Eusebius, it seems to be the only position he could imagine, although he neglected to mention at least some of his own theological opponents, such as Methodius of Olympus.

In A Letter from Origen to Africanus About the History of Susanna, in Part 9, Origen insisted that the Story of Susanna was removed from the Scriptures, but he did not attribute the removal properly.

Wherefore I think no other supposition is possible, than that they who had the reputation of wisdom, and the rulers and elders, took away from the people every passage which might bring them into discredit among the people. We need not wonder, then, if this history of the evil device of the licentious elders against Susanna is true, but was concealed and removed from the Scriptures by men themselves not very far removed from the counsel of these elders.

However if we read Susanna, Daniel himself attributed the behavior of the rabbis to the fact that they are the “seed of Canaan, and not of Judah” who were posing as men of Judah. We would assert that for this reason the Story of Susanna was oppressed by early Jews, who were indeed the seed of Canaan themselves as the histories of Josephus and the New Testament attest.

Origen seems confused as to the nature of demons, where sometimes he seems to admit that they are human. We will see that Justin Martyr certainly upheld that demons could be human. Volume 4 of Ante-Nicene Fathers, in Origen's Against Celsus at the very end of Book 7, he says that demons are “scattered as it were in troops in different parts of the earth” then in Book 3 chapter 32 of Against Celsus he says “we have to answer that probably certain wicked demons contrived that such statements should be committed to writing”. BUT see chapter 35.

BUT Origen was a universalist, as it is clear in Origen de Principiis, Chapter 5, On Rational Natures.

Origen was also a futurist, insisting on a future anti-Christ rather than the earthly anti-Christs of the apostle John: Against Celsus, Book 6, Chapter 45 and Book 1 Chapter 61. Origen insisted that the anti-Christ would be revealed in the future, while the epistles of the apostle John insists that the anti-Christs are among us now, as do the epistles of Jude and Peter.

It can be shown that the theology of the 3rd century Gallic bishop Irenaeus was also patterned to a great degree after Clement and Origen. But not all early Christians agreed with these things.

Justin Martyr was a Christian apologist who wrote in the mid-2nd century AD. He was born around 100 AD in Judaea, although he was of Roman and/or Greek ethnicity. If we read only parts of Justin Martyr, without considering everything he said, we may be led to believe that he was a universalist. Here is an example from his First Apology:

Chapter XXVIII.—God’s Care for Men.

For among us the prince of the wicked spirits is called the serpent, and Satan, and the devil, as you can learn by looking into our writings. And that he would be sent into the fire with his host, and the men who follow him, and would be punished for an endless duration, Christ foretold. For the reason why God has delayed to do this, is His regard for the human race. For He foreknows that some are to be saved by repentance, some even that are perhaps not yet born. In the beginning He made the human race with the power of thought and of choosing the truth and doing right, so that all men are without excuse before God; for they have been born rational and contemplative. And if any one disbelieves that God cares for these things he will thereby either insinuate that God does not exist, or he will assert that though He exists He delights in vice, or exists like a stone, and that neither virtue nor vice are anything, but only in the opinion of men these things are reckoned good or evil. And this is the greatest profanity and wickedness.

But if we continue reading, we will learn that not all two-legged creatures were considered human by Justin. From the Second Apology of Justin:

Chapter V.—How the Angels Transgressed.

But if this idea take possession of some one, that if we acknowledge God as our helper, we should not, as we say, be oppressed and persecuted by the wicked; this, too, I will solve. God, when He had made the whole world, and subjected things earthly to man, and arranged the heavenly elements for the increase of fruits and rotation of the seasons, and appointed this divine law—for these things also He evidently made for man—committed the care of men and of all things under heaven to angels whom He appointed over them. But the angels transgressed this appointment, and were captivated by love of women, and begat children who are those that are called demons; and besides, they afterwards subdued the human race to themselves, partly by magical writings, and partly by fears and the punishments they occasioned, and partly by teaching them to offer sacrifices, and incense, and libations, of which things they stood in need after they were enslaved by lustful passions; and among men they sowed murders, wars, adulteries, intemperate deeds, and all wickedness. Whence also the poets and mythologists, not knowing that it was the angels and those demons who had been begotten by them that did these things to men, and women, and cities, and nations, which they related, ascribed them to god himself, and to those who were accounted to be his very offspring, and to the offspring of those who were called his brother), Neptune and Pluto, and to the children again of these their offspring. For whatever name each of the angels had given to himself and his children, by that name they called them.

So we see in Justin's mind, demons are men born among us who were the result of the unions described in Genesis between women and the so-called “angels”. But there is more to it than that. From the works of Justin Martyr, from The Dialogue of Justin, Philosopher and Martyr, with Trypho, a Jew, from Chapter 4 which was titled The Soul of Itself Cannot See God:

“‘And what do those suffer who are judged to be unworthy of this spectacle? ’said he.

“‘They are imprisoned in the bodies of certain wild beasts, and this is their punishment.’

“‘Do they know, then, that it is for this reason they are in such forms, and that they have committed some sin? ’

“‘I do not think so.’

“‘Then these reap no advantage from their punishment, as it seems: moreover, I would say that they are not punished unless they are conscious of the punishment.’

“‘No indeed.’

“‘Therefore souls neither see God nor transmigrate into other bodies; for they would know that so they are punished, and they would be afraid to commit even the most trivial sin afterwards. But that they can perceive that God exists, and that righteousness and piety are honourable, I also quite agree with you, ’said he.

“‘You are right,’ I replied.

So not only are demons people, but evil spirits are locked in the bodies of wild beasts, who are also evidently people, as the apostles Peter and Jude both described those infiltrators among us as “natural brute beasts”.

Further on in The Dialogue of Justin, Philosopher and Martyr, with Trypho, a Jew, from Chapter 79 which was titled He Proves Against Trypho that the Wicked Angels Have Revolted from God:

On this, Trypho, who was somewhat angry, but respected the Scriptures, as was manifest from his countenance, said to me, “The utterances of God are holy, but your expositions are mere contrivances, as is plain from what has been explained by you; nay, even blasphemies, for you assert that angels sinned and revolted from God.”

And I, wishing to get him to listen to me, answered in milder tones, thus: “I admire, sir, this piety of yours; and I pray that you may entertain the same disposition towards Him to whom angels are recorded to minister, as Daniel says; for [one] like the Son of man is led to the Ancient of days, and every kingdom is given to Him for ever and ever. But that you may know, sir,” continued I, “that it is not our audacity which has induced us to adopt this exposition, which you reprehend, I shall give you evidence from Isaiah himself; for he affirms that evil angels have dwelt and do dwell in Tanis, in Egypt. These are [his] words: ‘Woe to the rebellious children! Thus saith the Lord, You have taken counsel, but not through Me; and [made] agreements, but not through My Spirit, to add sins to sins; who have sinned in going down to Egypt (but they have not inquired at Me), that they may be assisted by Pharaoh, and be covered with the shadow of the Egyptians. For the shadow of Pharaoh shall be a disgrace to you, and a reproach to those who trust in the Egyptians; for the princes in Tanis are evil angels. In vain will they labour for a people which will not profit them by assistance, but [will be] for a disgrace and a reproach [to them].’And, further, Zechariah tells, as you yourself have related, that the devil stood on the right hand of Joshua the priest, to resist him; and [the Lord] said, ‘The Lord, who has taken Jerusalem, rebuke thee.’ And again, it is written in Job, as you said yourself, how that the angels came to stand before the Lord, and the devil came with them. And we have it recorded by Moses in the beginning of Genesis, that the serpent beguiled Eve, and was cursed. And we know that in Egypt there were magicians who emulated the mighty power displayed by God through the faithful servant Moses. And you are aware that David said, ‘The gods of the nations are demons.’ ”

Justin Martyr clearly believed that there were men who were of the seed of the serpent, and dwelt among us.

Tertullian was theological opponent of Clement and Origen. He was a Christian apologist and bishop of Carthage who wrote in the early 3rd century. While a lot of the ideas of Clement and Origen were from Plato and other Greek philosophers, Tertullian more properly saw in the Greek philosophers the descendants of more ancient Old Testament heretics.

From Tertullian's Apology, Chapter 22:

And we affirm indeed the existence of certain spiritual essences; nor is their name unfamiliar. The philosophers acknowledge there are demons; Socrates himself waiting on a demon’s will. Why not? since it is said an evil spirit attached itself specially to him even from his childhood—turning his mind no doubt from what was good. The poets are all acquainted with demons too; even the ignorant common people make frequent use of them in cursing. In fact, they call upon Satan, the demon-chief, in their execrations, as though from some instinctive soul-knowledge of him. Plato also admits the existence of angels. The dealers in magic, no less, come forward as witnesses to the existence of both kinds of spirits. We are instructed, moreover, by our sacred books how from certain angels, who fell of their own free-will, there sprang a more wicked demon-brood, condemned of God along with the authors of their race, and that chief we have referred to. It will for the present be enough, however, that some account is given of their work. Their great business is the ruin of mankind. So, from the very first, spiritual wickedness sought our destruction.

From the Appendix to the works attributed to Tertullian, entitled Five Books in Reply to Marcion but which are said to be of unknown authorship, we see the racial message of Christian Identity did indeed persist to Tertullian's time:

Book V.—General Reply to Sundry of Marcion’s Heresies.

The first Book did the enemy’s words recall In

order, which the senseless renegade

Composed and put forth lawlessly; hence, too,

Touched briefly flesh’s hope, Christ’s victory,

5 And false ways’ speciousness. The next doth teach

The Law’s conjoined mysteries, and what

In the new covenant the one God hath

Delivered. The third shows the race, create

From freeborn mother, to be ministers

10 Sacred to seers and patriarchs; whom Thou,

O Christ, in number twice six out of all,

Chosest; and, with their names, the lustral times

Of our own elders noted, (times preserved

On record,) showing in whose days appeared

15 The author of this wickedness, unknown,

Lawless, and roaming, cast forth with his brood.

The fourth, too, the peculiar rites recalls

Of the old Law themselves, and shows them types

In which the Victim True appeared, by saints

20 Expected long since, with the holy Seed.

This fifth doth many twists and knots untie,

Rolls wholly into sight what ills soe’er

Were lurking; drawing arguments, but not

Without attesting prophet.

There we see the mention of the race of Christ being the chosen 12 tribes, contrasted to the brood of the wicked.

Now Tertullian's writing was not perfect, and seemed a little confused, and also had hints of universalism, for instance in A Treatise on the Soul, from chapter 21:

If so, then “God will not be able any longer to raise up from the stones children unto Abraham; nor to make a generation of vipers bring forth fruits of repentance.” And if so, the apostle too was in error when he said in his epistle, “Ye were at one time darkness, (but now are ye light in the Lord: )” and, “We also were by nature children of wrath; ” and, “Such were some of you, but ye are washed.” The statements, however, of holy Scripture will never be discordant with truth. A corrupt tree will never yield good fruit, unless the better nature be grafted into it; nor will a good tree produce evil fruit, except by the same process of cultivation. Stones also will become children of Abraham, if educated in Abraham’s faith; and a generation of vipers will bring forth the fruits of penitence, if they reject the poison of their malignant nature. This will be the power of the grace of God, more potent indeed than nature, exercising its sway over the faculty that underlies itself within us—even the freedom of our will, which is described as αὐτεξούσιος (of independent authority); and inasmuch as this faculty is itself also natural and mutable, in whatsoever direction it turns, it inclines of its own nature. Now, that there does exist within us naturally this independent authority (τὸ αὐτεξούσιον), we have already shown in opposition both to Marcion and to Hermogenes.

However this does not detract from Tertullian's statements concerning a demon brood as a distinct race, if, like Justin Martyr, he does not count them as men. Indeed, he can not.

Ignatius of Antioch lived until about 117 AD, making him one of the earliest of post-apostolic Christian writers. Some scholars identity only about half of the letters attributed to him as valid, among which are those to the Trallians and the Magnesians which we are about to cite. Other scholars doubt the validity of any of his epistles, however they are indeed of great antiquity.,

From The Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians Chapter XI.—Avoid the Deadly Errors of the Docetae.

Do ye also avoid those wicked offshoots of his, Simon his firstborn son, and Menander, and Basilides, and all his wicked mob of followers, the worshippers of a man, whom also the prophet Jeremiah pronounces accursed. Flee also the impure Nicolaitanes, falsely so called, who are lovers of pleasure, and given to calumnious speeches. Avoid also the children of the evil one, Theodotus and Cleobulus, who produce death-bearing fruit, whereof if any one tastes, he instantly dies, and that not a mere temporary death, but one that shall endure for ever. These men are not the planting of the Father, but are an accursed brood. And says the Lord, “Let every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted be rooted up.” For if they had been branches of the Father, they would not have been “enemies of the cross of Christ,” but rather of those who “killed the Lord of glory.” But now, by denying the cross, and being ashamed of the passion, they cover the transgression of the Jews, those fighters against God, those murderers of the Lord; for it were too little to style them merely murderers of the prophets. But Christ invites you to [share in] His immortality, by His passion and resurrection, inasmuch as ye are His members.

From The Epistle to the Magnesians, Ignatius wrote that

It is absurd to profess Christ Jesus, and to Judaize. For Christianity did not embrace Judaism, but Judaism Christianity, that so every tongue which believeth might be gathered together to God.