Re: The Early Christians: In Their Own Words

From the beginning, the ancient Biblical prophecies, their fulfillment, and

the still more powerful good news were the essence of the teaching of the 
Spirit. Everywhere, the “Lord’s Sayings” and stories about events of 
Jesus’ life (Papias owned an outstanding collection) were passed on from 
one to another. Called “memoirs of the Apostles” by Justin, they were the 
original form of the Gospels as we know them. The memories of Jesus,
called 
Gospels at an early date, were soon augmented by the apostolic letters,
and 
so the permanent foundations for the New Testament were already laid by
the 
first teachers of Christendom. The first apostles and prophets were 
mandated to teach the Spirit-given word. The teachers presented it, 
interpreted it, and proclaimed it.