Scripture Wars: Justin Martyr's Battle to Save the Old Testament for Christians

About a century after Jesus died, a battle began for the Old Testament. Large numbers of faithful Christians fought about its contents and even about its right to be called a Christian book!

On one side, many Jewish converts charged Paul and most of the other Apostles with a “Great Apostasy,” a pulling away from the deep roots of their Jewish tradition. They sought to retain intact the strict practices and teachings of the Old Testament.

On the other side, Marcionite Christians held such antipathy toward the Old Testament that they advocated leaving it behind entirely. They even sought to purge from the New Testament practices and notions they judged too friendly to Jewish ideas.

The outcome of this conflict would affect nearly every aspect of the new Christian Faith — and the daily lives of believers everywhere, for centuries to come.

Scripture Wars is an inspiring, true-life testimony to our Father’s providence, a tale that has the power to strengthen the faith of Catholics even today, eighteen centuries later.