--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The apostolic writings are of three…" description: "\"The apostolic writings are of three kinds: historical, didactic, and prophetic.\" — Philip Schaff" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/philip-schaff-16413_apostolic_the-apostolic-writings-are-of-three-kind_84980.jpg" --- # The apostolic writings are of three kinds: historical… ![“The apostolic writings are of three kinds: historical, didactic, and prophetic.” quote by Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/philip-schaff-16413_apostolic_the-apostolic-writings-are-of-three-kind_84980.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/philip-schaff-16413_apostolic_the-apostolic-writings-are-of-three-kind_84980.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/philip-schaff-16413_apostolic_the-apostolic-writings-are-of-three-kind_84980.jpg) > “The apostolic writings are of three kinds: historical, didactic, and prophetic.” [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote categorizes early Christian texts into three functional groups: recording events, teaching doctrine, and delivering divine revelations. **In simple terms:** Three literary types in early Christianity. Key Takeaway Understanding genre aids interpretation. Themes History Doctrine Prophecy Literary Classification Early Christianity Mood Analytical Reflective Type Didactic Historical Prophetic When to use this quote - Biblical scholarship - Theological education - Historical analysis - Church teaching - Apologetics Key Concepts Genre Interpretation Context Authority Practical Applications - Academic research - Curriculum design Questions to Reflect On - How does genre affect perceived authority? - What implications does this have for modern exegesis? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Prophetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophetic/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I've played all kinds of historical characters, but they are stuck in movies that aren't their movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-feore/i-ve-played-all-kinds-of-historical-characters-but-they-are-stuck-in/) [Colm Feore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-feore/) > [I don't like making didactic, pedagogical documentaries based on standard formulas of narration: I'm only interested in the ambitious French tradition of the documentaire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-pettigrew/i-don-t-like-making-didactic-pedagogical-documentaries-based-on/) Damian Pettigrew > [Artist should look at the reality and brutality of modern life in all its color, nature with all its imperfections - that should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/artist-should-look-at-the-reality-and-brutality-of-modern-life-in-all/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [What I do not want to write is didactic political tracts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-vinge/what-i-do-not-want-to-write-is-didactic-political-tracts/) [Joan D. Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-vinge/) > [I don't think that writers or painters or filmmakers function because they have something they particularly want to say. They have something that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/i-don-t-think-that-writers-or-painters-or-filmmakers-function-because/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [“Didactic instruction is teaching by telling, i.e. teacher presentation. In didactic instruction, the teacher directly tells the student what to believe and think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-marselle/didactic-instruction-is-teaching-by-telling-i-e-teacher-presentation/) [Terry Marselle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-marselle/) > [The novel is a perfect medium for revealing to us the changing rainbow of our living relationships. The novel can help us to live,as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-novel-is-a-perfect-medium-for-revealing-to-us-the-changing/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [It’s the ability to bring events and characters to a resolution that draws me to writing, especially writing for children. I don’t want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wynne-jones/it-s-the-ability-to-bring-events-and-characters-to-a-resolution-that/) [Tim Wynne-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wynne-jones/) > [I'm really interested in social justice, and if an artist has a certain power of being heard and voicing something important, it's right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-neshat/i-m-really-interested-in-social-justice-and-if-an-artist-has-a/) [Shirin Neshat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-neshat/) > [When I was younger I was much more polemical and didactic, much less trusting. Inherently my own vision of the world would weave its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/when-i-was-younger-i-was-much-more-polemical-and-didactic-much-less/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [What you demand from storytelling is a moral - even political - import. I tend to shun that didactic aspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/what-you-demand-from-storytelling-is-a-moral-even-political-import-i/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [I don't want to be a didactic voice. I like to ask more questions than I answer, just to get people thinking and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-gadsby/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-didactic-voice-i-like-to-ask-more-questions-than/) [Hannah Gadsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-gadsby/) > [The flowery style is not unsuitable to public speeches or addresses, which amount only to compliment. The lighter beauties are in their place when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-flowery-style-is-not-unsuitable-to-public-speeches-or-addresses/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Don't be didactic - don't write about poverty. Write about poor people. When you dramatize their lives and let life and characters be your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/don-t-be-didactic-don-t-write-about-poverty-write-about-poor-people/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [If writing with a goal - whether it be evangelistic, apologetic, or didactic - implies propaganda, then all recorded history is propaganda. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/if-writing-with-a-goal-whether-it-be-evangelistic-apologetic-or/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) ## More by Philip Schaff > [“Luther, the hero of Worms, the champion of the sacred rights of conscience, was, in words, the most violent, but in practice, the least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/luther-the-hero-of-worms-the-champion-of-the-sacred-rights-of/) [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) > [“Some plant wild fig trees near cultivated fig trees, and there are others who, to remedy the weakness of the productive fig tree of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/some-plant-wild-fig-trees-near-cultivated-fig-trees-and-there-are/) [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) > [“Henceforth we find woman no longer a slave of man and tool of lust, but the pride and joy of her husband, the fond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/henceforth-we-find-woman-no-longer-a-slave-of-man-and-tool-of-lust/) [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) > [“Paul was the only scholar among the apostles. He never displays his learning, considering it of no account as compared with the excellency of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/paul-was-the-only-scholar-among-the-apostles-he-never-displays-his/) [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) > [One man with truth on his side is stronger than a majority in error, and will conquer in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/one-man-with-truth-on-his-side-is-stronger-than-a-majority-in-error/) [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) > [“Calvinism emphasizes divine sovereignty and free grace; Arminianism emphasizes human responsibility. The one restricts the saving grace to the elect: the other extends it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/calvinism-emphasizes-divine-sovereignty-and-free-grace-arminianism/) [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) > [Who touches money touches dirt; and the less religion has to do with it, the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/who-touches-money-touches-dirt-and-the-less-religion-has-to-do-with/) [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) > [The person of Christ is to me the greatest and surest of all facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/the-person-of-christ-is-to-me-the-greatest-and-surest-of-all-facts/) [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) > [The style of the Bible in general is singularly adapted to men of every class and grade of culture, affording the child the simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/the-style-of-the-bible-in-general-is-singularly-adapted-to-men-of/) [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) > [“Calvin sets the absolute sovereignty of God and the infallibility of the Bible over against the pretended sovereignty and infallibility of the pope. Fearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/calvin-sets-the-absolute-sovereignty-of-god-and-the-infallibility-of/) [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) > [“If ever a monk got to heaven by monkery," says Luther, "I ought to have gotten there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/if-ever-a-monk-got-to-heaven-by-monkery-says-luther-i-ought-to-have/) [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) > [The resurrection of Christ is therefore emphatically a test question upon which depends the truth or falsehood of the Christian religion. It is either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/the-resurrection-of-christ-is-therefore-emphatically-a-test-question/) [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) > [In our country we ask no toleration for religion and its free exercise, but we claim it as an inalienable right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/in-our-country-we-ask-no-toleration-for-religion-and-its-free/) [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) > [It is more than a book, it is an institution which rules the Christian world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/it-is-more-than-a-book-it-is-an-institution-which-rules-the-christian/) [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) > [“But because this man listens and that man scoffs, and most are enamored of the blandishments of vice rather than the wholesome severity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/but-because-this-man-listens-and-that-man-scoffs-and-most-are/) [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) [Explore all 40 Philip Schaff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) ## More Apostolic quotes > [I entrust this Twenty-second World Day of the Sick to the intercession of Mary. I ask her to help the sick to bear their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-entrust-this-twenty-second-world-day-of-the-sick-to-the/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Apostolic and missionary fruitfulness is not principally due to programmes and pastoral methods that are cleverly drawn up and "efficient", but is the result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/apostolic-and-missionary-fruitfulness-is-not-principally-due-to/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [The best advice that I can give you is this: Church-traditions- especially when they do not run counter to the faith- are to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/the-best-advice-that-i-can-give-you-is-this-church-traditions/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [If anyone in word and mind does not properly and truly confess according to the holy Fathers all even to the last portion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-martin-i/if-anyone-in-word-and-mind-does-not-properly-and-truly-confess/) Pope Martin I > [“If we were less of what seems like ease in our lives they would tell more for Christ and souls...We profess to be strangers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carmichael/if-we-were-less-of-what-seems-like-ease-in-our-lives-they-would-tell/) [Amy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carmichael/) > [What kind of authority can there be for an 'Apostle' who, unlike the other Apostles, had never been prepared for the Apostolic office in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-christian-baur/what-kind-of-authority-can-there-be-for-an-apostle-who-unlike-the/) [Ferdinand Christian Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferdinand-christian-baur/) > [Contemporary Christianity, diverse and complex as we find it, actually may show more unanimity than the Christian churches of the first and second centuries.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/contemporary-christianity-diverse-and-complex-as-we-find-it-actually/) [Elaine Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-pagels/) > [To be a Christian is to be a theologian-a student of God and his will. The contemporary disdain for theological content and emphasis on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/to-be-a-christian-is-to-be-a-theologian-a-student-of-god-and-his-will-2/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Wherefore, by the authority of Apostolic power, We declare inventors of novel notions, which as the Apostle Paul has said are of no edification,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-innocent-i/wherefore-by-the-authority-of-apostolic-power-we-declare-inventors-of/) Pope Innocent I > [I held apostolic succession fully, and the channels of grace to be there only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-nelson-darby/i-held-apostolic-succession-fully-and-the-channels-of-grace-to-be/) [John Nelson Darby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-nelson-darby/) > [The best advice that I can give you is this. Church-traditions — especially when they do not run counter to the faith — are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/the-best-advice-that-i-can-give-you-is-this-church-traditions-2/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [For me, passion means whatever a person is willing to suffer for.'Apostolic passion,' therefore, is a deliberate, intentional choice to live for the worship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-mcclung/for-me-passion-means-whatever-a-person-is-willing-to-suffer-for/) [Floyd McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-mcclung/) > [One of the special marks of the Holy Ghost in the Apostolic Church was the spirit of boldness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-simpson/one-of-the-special-marks-of-the-holy-ghost-in-the-apostolic-church/) [A. B. Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-simpson/) > [Apostolic preaching is not marked by its beautiful diction, or literary polish, or Cleverness of expression, but Operates “in demonstration of the Spirit and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-wallis/apostolic-preaching-is-not-marked-by-its-beautiful-diction-or/) [Arthur Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-wallis/) > [How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/how-can-it-be-that-it-is-not-a-news-item-when-an-elderly-homeless/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) Browse all 82 Apostolic quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The apostolic writings are of three kinds: historical, didactic, and prophetic.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip Schaff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/the-apostolic-writings-are-of-three-kinds-historical-didactic-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Apostolic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/the-apostolic-writings-are-of-three-kinds-historical-didactic-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/philip-schaff-16413_apostolic_the-apostolic-writings-are-of-three-kind_84980.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/philip-schaff-16413_apostolic_the-apostolic-writings-are-of-three-kind_84980.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbd/philip-schaff-16413_apostolic_the-apostolic-writings-are-of-three-kind_84980.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The apostolic writings are of three kinds: historical, didactic, and prophetic.” — Philip Schaff", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Philip Schaff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The apostolic writings are of three...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/the-apostolic-writings-are-of-three-kinds-historical-didactic-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/the-apostolic-writings-are-of-three-kinds-historical-didactic-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```