Hi Lupac,
Another thing to consider, is that we can see that probably many of the early Believers had left the church/synagogue, because of the persecution they were facing and were coming together in homes. Here is an excerpt that explains that and there is also an excerpt that states there were 'early church fathers' that did believe in universal reconciliation and the last email about the early fathers knew there was no word for eternity in Scriptures.
http://bible-truths.com/lake11.html ---------
Did new converts to Christ continue to attend synagogues to be edified in their new-found-faith? NO! They were persecuted in the synagogues! They left the synagogues. They left the mother Church. Remember our lesson where Jesus said, "I will build My church..." (Matt. 16:18). Jesus didn’t say that He would purify or purge the existing Church. No, Jesus built a New Church—His Church, "MY Church" Jesus called it.
And so it was in the religion of Judaism that the people learned of God and the Law of Moses. But when they learned of the gospel of Jesus Christ, they were forced to "COME OUT OF HER…"
When we read the history of the Apostles in the book of Acts, they and their new converts to Jesus did not continue to worship Jesus in the synagogues. They now began to meet among themselves and in private homes. Paul’s habit was to go to the synagogues of whatever city he was evangelizing to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul did not go to these synagogues to worship Jesus Christ, but rather to teach that Jesus was the Christ. And those who were truly called of God left the synagogues and met with believers of like mind in private homes.
It is true that the Apostles continued for a time to go up to the Temple (not the local synagogues), but they were warned under threat of death that they should discontinue teaching in the Temple. But Peter, who denied Christ three times just weeks earlier, now spoke fearlessly:
"And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to TEACH AND PREACH Jesus Christ" (Acts 5:42).
THE CHURCH OF GOD IN PRIVATE HOUSES
There was a transition period where the disciples still went up to the temple, but God’s intimate dealings would now be found in more humble surroundings. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the first Saints of Jesus, it was not in a synagogue, but in a house:
"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all THE HOUSE where they were sitting" (Acts 2:1-2).
Church services were held in houses:
"Likewise greet the church that is in their house" (Rom. 16:5).
"The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house" (I Cor. 16:19).
"Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house� (Col., 4:15).
"Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, and to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in your house" (Philemon 1-2).
When we come to the famous Jerusalem Conference in the fifteenth chapter of Acts, we read that Paul and Barnabas were "…being brought on their way by the CHURCH…" (Acts 15:3). This is the Church of Jesus Christ, not the church of the synagogue system. Notice that in this conference their determination was to not force the Law of Moses on new Gentile converts:
"Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with THE WHOLE CHURCH…" (Acts 15:22).
The High Priests did not attend this conference. This was the first ‘ecumenical counsel,’ if you will, of the Church of Jesus Christ, consisting of only those who believed, who formulated policy which would be binding on the whole church.
The Jews had "synagogues"—church buildings. The newly converted Christians came out of those synagogue church buildings and their doctrines, and met in homes. Why? Mostly because Christ was not taught or tolerated in these synagogues. In order to worship and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, it became necessary to "come out of her"—the synagogue system of religion.
Jesus Christ, the teachings of Jesus Christ, and the followers of Jesus Christ were hated and despised by most leaders of most synagogues. Do we think that anything has changed regarding this in today’s churches? If Jesus Christ returned to virtually any Christian church in the world today, unrecognized in a business suit, and began teaching His own Gospel, the leaders of the churches would throw Him out. And I say this without the least hesitation as to what the implications of my statement are.
http://bible-truths.com/student.htm --------
You can say that I believe contrary to Graham, Spurgeon, or Sunday, but I guarantee you that the early church fathers did not believe in the unscriptural heresy of endless torture. Among those who saw God' greater glory in the greater hope of salvation to all are, Origen, Eusebius, St. Ambrose, St. Gregory, Didymus (of whom S. Jerome said, "Didymus surpassed all of his day [380] in knowledge of the Scriptures). "The Eastern Church of that time (fourth and fifth centuries) was permeated, from Gregory of Nyssa downwards, with the wider Hope [that of universal reconciliation]. See Spirits in Prison, Ch. iv. Also: Diodorus (378), Bishop of Tarsus, St. Chrysostom from the school of Antioch, and the list goes on and on. And many of these men read the Scriptures in their original languages long before the KJV started inserting such nonsensical incoherency as "for ever AND EVER" into its pages.
The evidence is available in both secular history and the Scriptures. Most intoxicated with the liquor of Christendom, however, have no desire to know the truth. "Indeed, beside Origen, Gregory of Nyssa also, Gregory of Nazianzus, Basil, Abrose himself, and Jerome, taught everywhere the universal restitution of things, asserting simultaneously with it, AN END OF ETERNAL PUNISHMENT."--C.B. SCHLEUTER, pref. In Erig, (Migne.) Read, Christ Triumphant By Thomas Allin.
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,2598.0.html ----------
Words are not defined by "impressions." Greek "aions" always had reference to a period of time, be it short or long. This is true from the earliest Greek writings. The early church fathers also knew this to be true. It was in the year 540 that Justinian called for a church council. He wanted to establish that the life of the saint was to be "everlasting," and so concluded that it must be taught that the life of the doomed must also be "everlasting." He knew that the Greek words aion and aionios did not have this meaning of "everlasting," so he attached the word "ENDLESS" to these words which he knew meant ages. And so, thus was born the unscriptural, damnable heresy of "ENDLESS AGES." Here we have absolute irrefutable proof that "aions" did not mean endless or would not have been necessary to attached the word "endless" to a word if it also meant endless. "Everlasting punishment," and "eternal life" are theological LIES that have no place in the Scriptures.
God be with you,
Ray