Editing Sola fide (section)

=== Early Church ===
====Clement of Rome====
{{see also|Clement of Rome#Theology}}
[[File:Clemens Romanus.jpg|thumb|It is often argued that [[Pope Clement I|Clement of Rome]] is a witness to the doctrine of faith alone.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5"/> However there is much controversy about his views<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":4" />]]
According to Protestant historian [[Philip Schaff]] faith alone was not clearly taught by most church fathers, except for [[Pope Clement I|Clement of Rome]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Schaff |first=Philip |title=History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene Christianity. A.D. 100–325 – Christian Classics Ethereal Library |url=https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc2.v.xiv.xviii.html |access-date=2022-01-21 |website=www.ccel.org}}</ref> In contrast, the [[Catholic Encyclopedia]] indicates that Clement of Rome held works to be meritorious and holding works to be a part of justification.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Pope St. Clement I|url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04012c.htm|access-date=2021-12-31|website=www.newadvent.org}}</ref>

According to Baptist theologian [[Thomas R. Schreiner|Thomas Schreiner]] ''sola fide'' can be found in some apostolic fathers. He contends that [[Pope Clement I|Clement of Rome]], [[Ignatius of Antioch]] and the [[Epistle to Diognetus]] viewed salvation as being God's work granted to those who exercise faith, which then causes works.<ref name=":0"/> Clement's view on justification has caused much scholarly discussion, because Clement asserted: "we are not justified through ourselves, but through faith", but still emphasizing God's judgement upon wickedness. Some see Clement as believing in faith alone but that faith will lead into doing good works, while some others have argued that Clement held [[Synergism|synergist]] views.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last=Downs|first=David J.|date=2013|title=Justification, Good Works, and Creation in Clement of Rome's Appropriation of Romans 5–6|url=https://www.academia.edu/7541118|journal=New Testament Studies|volume=59|issue=3|pages=415–432|doi=10.1017/S0028688513000040|s2cid=170840708|issn=0028-6885}}</ref> 

====Early literature====
The Epistle to Diognetus talks much about the human inability to merit justification themselves by their own good works.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Williams|first=D.H.|date=2006|title=Justification by Faith: a Patristic Doctrine|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/4BCD306196706C82B0DDFDA7EC611BC7/S0022046906008207a.pdf/justification_by_faith_a_patristic_doctrine.pdf|doi=10.1017/S0022046906008207|journal=The Journal of Ecclesiastical History |volume=57 |issue=4 |pages=649–667 |via=Cambridge University Press}}</ref> 

The [[The Shepherd of Hermas|Shepherd of Hermas]] has a clear rejection of the faith alone doctrine, instead holding works to have merit. The [[Didache]] also appears to see works as meritorious, though not unambigiously.<ref name=":2" />

[[Thomas R. Schreiner]] argued that the [[Odes of Solomon]] taught that works do not justify a person, but instead faith, he also argued that the book supports imputed righteousness.<ref name="Schreiner">{{Cite book |last=Schreiner |first=Thomas R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=20dIBQAAQBAJ&q=faith+alone+history |title=Faith Alone – The Doctrine of Justification: What the Reformers Taught...and Why It Still Matters |date=2015-09-15 |publisher=Zondervan Academic |isbn=978-0-310-51579-1 |language=en}}</ref>

====Patristic statements====
[[File:Jovinianus.jpg|thumb|[[Jovinian]] has been argued to have taught similar views of justification as the Protestant reformers.<ref name=":6" />]]
Thomas Schreiner asserted that because justification wasn't a big issue in the patristic period, "thus the theology isn’t always integrated or consistent", however Schreiner argued that people such as [[John Chrysostom]], and [[Ambrosiaster]] had similarities to the views of justification as the reformers did:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Did the Early Church Teach 'Faith Alone'?|url=https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/did-the-early-church-teach-faith-alone|access-date=2021-12-31|website=Zondervan Academic|language=en}}</ref><blockquote>"By faith alone one is freely forgiven of all sins and the believer is no longer burdened by the Law for meriting good works. Our works, however, are demonstrative of our faith and will determine whether we are ultimately justified" <br> —Ambrosiaster<ref name=":0" /> </blockquote>

Schreiner observes that [[Augustine of Hippo]] differs from the reformers as he understood the word "justify" to mean make righteous and not declare righteous, and thus he denied imputed righteousness. He also saw salvation as a process, despite that he still held very grace-oriented views of salvation, having similarities to the views reformers later would believe.<ref name=":0"/> [[Jovinian]], who is often seen as a heretic by Catholics and as a forerunner by Protestants, has been argued to have been a very early witness to a Protestant view of justification.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last=Hunter |first=David G. |date=1987 |title=Resistance to the Virginal Ideal in Late-Fourth-Century Rome: The Case of Jovinian |url=http://cdn.theologicalstudies.net/48/48.1/48.1.3.pdf |journal=Theological Studies|volume=48 |pages=45–64 |doi=10.1177/004056398704800103}}</ref> It has been argued that Marius Victorinus and Hilary of Poitiers taught faith alone. [[Gaius Marius Victorinus|Marius Victorinus]] wrote that our own merits do not justify us and that we are justified by faith alone, however works should follow from that faith.<ref name=":2" /> [[Hilary of Poitiers]] seemed to have believed grace oriented views of salvation, which is by faith: as he declared "salvation is entirely by faith", Hilary often contrasts salvific faith and salvation by works, which leads to unbelief. He also believed salvation to be by grace in the Old Testament and he saw Abraham as a model for the Jews, who was justified by faith.<ref name=":2" />

Schreiner wrote that some statements made by [[Origen]] are consistent with the doctrine of faith alone, claiming that faith is the foundation of justification, but that he is not very clear on his view of justification.<ref name="Schreiner"/>

[[Clement of Alexandria]] taught that faith was the basis of salvation, however he also believed that faith was also the basis of "gnosis" which for him mean spiritual and mystical knowledge.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=Saint Clement of Alexandria Biography, Apologist, Works, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Clement-of-Alexandria |access-date=2022-05-31 |website=Britannica}}</ref>

Because [[Polycarp]] does not make enough statements on salvation, he could have been either believed ''sola fide'' or that both works and faith are needed, but it is unclear which one he believed from his few statements.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cooper |first=Jordan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DZ9JAwAAQBAJ&dq=Polycarp+salvation&pg=PT25 |title=The Righteousness of One: An Evaluation of Early Patristic Soteriology in Light of the New Perspective on Paul |date=2013-06-27 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-62189-771-2 |language=en}}</ref>

Catholic Answers wrote that [[Origen]], [[Cyprian]], [[Aphrahat|Aphraates]], [[Gregory of Nyssa]], [[Clement of Alexandria]], [[Pope Gregory I|Gregory the Great]] and [[Jerome]] held that both faith and works are part of the process of salvation.<ref name="catholic.com">{{Cite web|title=What the Early Church Believed: Faith and Works|url=https://www.catholic.com/tract/what-the-early-church-believed-faith-and-works|access-date=2021-12-31|website=Catholic Answers}}</ref><blockquote>Whoever dies in his sins, even if he profess to believe in Christ, does not truly believe in him; and even if that which exists without works be called faith, such faith is dead in itself, as we read in the epistle bearing the name of James” – Origen<ref name="catholic.com"/>

Paul, joining righteousness to faith and weaving them together, constructs of them the breastplates for the infantryman, armoring the soldier properly and safely on both sides. A soldier cannot be considered safely armored when either shield is disjoined from the other. Faith without works of justice is not sufficient for salvation; neither is righteous living secure in itself of salvation, if it is disjoined from faith – Gregory of Nyssa

Neither faith without works nor works without faith is of any avail, except, perhaps, that works may go towards the reception of faith, just as Cornelius, before he had become one of the faithful, merited to be heard on account of his good works. From this it can be gathered that his performance of good works furthered his reception of faith” – Gregory the Great<ref name="catholic.com"/>

When we hear, ‘Your faith has saved you,’ we do not understand the Lord to say simply that they will be saved who have believed in whatever manner, even if works have not followed. To begin with, it was to the Jews alone that he spoke this phrase, who had lived in accord with the law and blamelessly and who had lacked only faith in the Lord – Clement of Alexandria<ref name="catholic.com" /></blockquote>According to Ken Wilson, Augustine criticized unnamed individuals who held to a stronger view of faith alone as espoused by [[Free grace theology|Free Grace theologians]]. The individuals Augustine criticized held that one is saved by faith alone and that God's future judgement for Christians only consisted of temporal punishment and reward; hell was out of question. Thus, they held that deeds such as repentance and good works were not necessary to enter heaven.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Defense of Free Grace Theology |url=https://gracetheology.org/bookstore/defense-free-grace-theology/ |access-date=2023-09-03 |website=Grace Theology Press |language=en-US |quote=There were Christians in good standing with the church c.AD 400 who held the doctrine that a person received salvation by faith alone without repentance or good works. Much to Augustine’s ire, baptism was practiced immediately if one of them believed in Christ, without first entering prolonged education in Christian faith and morals as a catechumen. For those early Christians, God’s future judgment consisted only of payment (reward) or punishment (temporary) for how those Christians lived their lives before God—heaven or hell was not in question.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=CHURCH FATHERS: City of God, Book XXI (St. Augustine) |url=https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/120121.htm |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=www.newadvent.org |quote=But, say they, the Catholic Christians have Christ for a foundation, and they have not fallen away from union with Him, no matter how depraved a life they have built on this foundation, as wood, hay, stubble; and accordingly the well-directed faith by which Christ is their foundation will suffice to deliver them some time from the continuance of that fire, though it be with loss, since those things they have built on it shall be burned.}}</ref>