Apostolic Fathers

By Mary Jane Chaignot

Categories: Apostolic Fathers

The “Apostolic Fathers” refers to writers of the late first and early second centuries CE.
They are called Apostolic because legend has it that these were men who had had personal relations with some of the apostles.
Unfortunately, there is not much evidence to support this.
John would have been the only apostle who lived long enough to have known some of these people.
Nonetheless, these “Fathers” were so highly influenced by the apostles that their writings reflect genuine apostolic teachings.
They provided, then, a link between the apostles and later generations of Christians who would need to defend the faith against various heresies.
These were acknowledged leaders of the church, but none of their writings made it into the New Testament canon.
The term “Apostolic Fathers” can first be traced to an article written by Jean Baptists Cotelier in 1672 (“Works of the holy fathers who flourished in the apostolic times).
This was later abbreviated to “Works of the Apostolic Fathers” by L.J. Ittig in 1699.
Since then, the term has been universally used and many consider the terms, “Apostolic Fathers” and “Church Fathers,” to be quite interchangeable.
While the term “Apostolic Fathers” was not used as such until roughly the seventeenth century, the term “Apostolic” had been in play from the early second century. St. Ignatius spoke of “the Apostolic manner” in one of his early writings.
Most scholars see these individuals developing out of the tradition of Pauline theology.
Their writings encompass a variety of genres – including epistles, historical documents, and even a guide for ethical and liturgical practice.
As the earliest Christian writings outside the canon, the Apostolic Fathers have given unparalleled insights into the early Christian movement.
This was a critical transitional stage for Christianity.
The list of individuals considered to be among the “Fathers” has varied over the centuries.
The first list comprised Clement I of Rome, Hermas, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, and the author of the Epistle of Barnabas.
Clement, Ignatius, and Polycarp were all first-century bishops.
Later Papias of Hierapolis, the author of the Didache, and the author of the Epistle to Diognetus were added to the group.
One must not think of these people as an organized group who deliberately set about recording and preserving the teaching traditions of the apostles.
Their writings represent an emerging church, oftentimes struggling to survive, but enjoying the effects of the Holy Spirit among them.
In later centuries, some of the apostolic writings were deemed to be of lesser value than others and have been “lost.”
Much of what we know about these writings exists only from quotations and excerpts or references by other writers.
Several early Christian themes do not appear in any of the known writings – this would include the public role of women and additional secret writings.
The "Apostolic Fathers include”:
- Clement of Rome
  - He is counted as the third bishop of Rome (88-98), after the apostles.
  - He wrote an epistle to the Corinthians, c. 96-97CE, traditionally called I Clement, which has been preserved. (There is also a II Clement, but that is now known not to have been written by him.)
  - The letter admonishes a group of Christians at Corinth who had banded together and deposed all the leaders. Clement tells them they behaved badly.
  - He reminds them that love is the basis of Christianity.
  - He makes no apology for intervening in the affairs of the Church.
  - He appeals to both the OT scriptures and certain NT books as authorities.
  - He was supposedly martyred in 102 CE; others claim he died a natural death.
- Ignatius of Antioch
  - He was born in Syria, approximately 50CE.
  - He wrote seven epistles as he traveled to Rome to suffer martyrdom after a persecution in Antioch (by the Emperor Trajan). This occurred sometime between 98-117CE.
  - He was known as the "Bishop" of Antioch or of Syria. He is the first known person espousing the doctrine that there is one bishop in each church. This person is simply the one in charge. Elders are obviously subservient to the bishop.
  - He is best known for insisting that Christians do nothing to block his impending martyrdom.
  - After a nine-year journey to Rome, he was apparently thrown to the lions – and died almost immediately.
  - His seven letters helped solidify the beliefs of the emerging church. His works were prominent for second and third generation Christians.
  - He was completely devoted to Christ, urging unity throughout the church.
  - He revered the Church of Rome because it had been founded by Peter and Paul.
  - He was venerated as a saint within 30 years of his death.
- Polycarp
  - He was a bishop of Smyrna (a city on the west coast of Turkey) (69-155CE)
  - He also died as a martyr – apparently by stabbing when burning at the stake failed.
  - Legend has it that he was one of John’s disciples (which John, of course, is under discussion, but some think it was John the apostle).
  - He wrote one epistle to the Philippian church, around 110CE.
  - The occasion of the epistle is unclear, but it was apparently written after receiving some letters from Ignatius, but before any notification of his death. He mentions Ignatius and his letters, and requests more information on what has happened to him.
  - In his letter, he encourages the members to remain strong in their faith and to shun materialism.
  - He also addresses the issue of greed and the handling of finances.
  - He was well known as one of the early workers combating heresies, in particular Marcionism.
  - His martyrdom is well documented. At the age of 86, he was given the opportunity to renounce Christ. Instead he prayed to be worthy of the day and hour.
  - His friends gave him an honorable burial and wrote about his death to the other churches.
  - This was about 155CE.
- Epistle of Barnabas
  - Though legend has it that this was the Barnabas who traveled with Paul in Acts, the dates don’t work. This author is anonymous and was probably an Alexandrian Jewish Christian.
  - It was most likely written ca. 130CE.
  - Its main objective is to warn Christians against a Judaizing concept of the Old Testament. He basically denies any literal significance at all to the commands of the Law. The underlying basis of ceremonial law is to him nothing more than a device of an evil angel who deceived the Jews.
  - He uses a lot of typology and allegory to find prophetic passages of Christ and the Church in the OT.
  - He ends with an exposition of the "two ways," the way of light and the way of darkness (similar to the Didache).
- Papias
  - He was known as the Bishop of Hierapolis (60-135CE), which is also in Turkey.
  - Irenaeus claimed he was "a hearer of John, and companion of Polycarp, a man of old time.” According to this, then, he would have known the apostle John personally.
  - Only fragments of his writings remain. They are found in the writings of other second century leaders.
  - Eusebius (late third Century) held him in low esteem, calling him “a man of small mental capacity.”
  - He was one of the church fathers known to have been a premillenialist.
  - He has written interesting testimony as to the origin of both Mark’s and Matthew’s gospels: "Mark having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatsoever he remembered. It was not, however, in exact order that he related the sayings or deeds of Christ. . . . Matthew put together the oracles [of the Lord] in the Hebrew language, and each one interpreted them as best he could."
- Didache (“Teaching” of the Twelve Apostles)
  - The author is unknown. It was probably written in Egypt or Syria in the early 2ndcentury. The original documents were lost, but copies were rediscovered in 1873CE.
  - Didache refers only to the work itself and makes no claims about its author being one of the disciples.
  - It is comprised of two parts: the first being the “Two Ways (one of Life; the other Death),” the second involving issues of church ritual and discipline. At the end, there is a chapter on the second coming of Christ.
  - It was quoted often by other early writers, indicating its prominence in the community.
  - This text could date to the late first century.
- Letter to Diognetus
  - This anonymous author calls himself “a disciple of the apostles.” (ca 130)
  - There is no reliable information about the person of Diognetus. He apparently asked several questions, which the author answers in the body of his letter. The letter, then, is in the form of an apology for Christianity.
  - The letter offers an explanation as to why Christians don’t worship pagan gods or follow Judaism. It gives a good description of Christian living and essentially is an exhortation for conversion.
  - The author is known as a very sympathetic and congenial writer.
- "Second Epistle of Clement"
  - This is not really an ancient letter, but more like a sermon (or "homily").
  - It was not written by Clement, but probably found among the letters in the Corinthian church. Soon it was attached to Clement.
  - Scholars think it could have been written ca 120-170, with 150CE being the most accepted date.
  - This sermon focuses on self-control, repentance, and judgment.
  - It emphasizes the duty of holy living and perseverance.
- Hermas
  - Hermas, a former slave, authored a book entitled, The Shepherd of Hermas.
  - The most likely dates are mid second century (140-160CE).
  - Legend has it that he was the brother of Pius I, a bishop of Rome around 148CE.
  - It was probably written from Rome.
  - This is sort of like an early Pilgrim's Progress.
  - The book consists of 5 visions, 12 commandments, and 10 similitudes or parables. It was cited often by other early writers.
  - It is highly allegorical and exhorts people to repent for past sins.
By the end of this period of the Apostolic Fathers, the bishop is deemed to be separate from the elders.
There is a strong sense of what is orthodoxy and what is not, i.e. what’s heretical.

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