The Older the Better?

I sat in a Bible class recently where the teacher went out of his way to prove an old, speculative opinion. He spent the majority of his time quoting ancient “church fathers” who agreed with him. When I asked him why, he said they lived closer to the time of Jesus and the apostles and had a better idea of what the passage in question meant in the first century.

Roman Catholics have made this argument for centuries. For example, the Bible does not teach their beliefs about Mary and the Eucharist, so they cite what early Christian writers said to support their teaching. “Who else,” they claim, “had a better understanding of what the apostles taught?” Ironically, they have a different view of Jews who interpreted Old Testament Messianic prophecies hundreds of years before they did.

If this reasoning is valid, then those who heard Jesus personally should have had the most accurate interpretation. But that was not always true even among the disciples. When Peter was getting into John’s business, Jesus told him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me” (John 21:22). But the disciples misinterpreted Jesus. “Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, ‘If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?’” (John 21:23). That is the oldest interpretation of Jesus’ words. The fact that they were the closest to the source did not make their interpretation correct.

The Thessalonians evidently misunderstood Paul when he mentioned “we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord” (I Thess. 4:15). They apparently thought he meant that Jesus would come in their lifetime. Paul wrote the second epistle to clarify this misunderstanding (II Thess. 2:1-12).

Of course people could understand Jesus and the apostles. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth” (John 8:32). Paul said his words could be understood (Eph. 3:3-4). Many people correctly interpreted their teaching. But even then, their correct interpretation did not give meaning to the message. It was true because it was from God, not because of what anyone said about it.

Ancient writers such as Irenaeus, Papias, Tertullian and Augustine left helpful information about beliefs and events during and before their time. But their testimony about the meaning of Scripture must never take the place of Scripture. Preachers and teachers in this age of information must be careful to keep these sources second to the study of the Scriptures—a distant second.

“The old is better” adage may carry weight in the interpretation of human writings, but the inspired Word stands on its own.

Kerry

West End church of Christ • July 12, 2026