Apostolic Fathers 544422 226058875 2008-07-16T17:20:18Z Carlaude 4622434 {{Christianityportal}} The '''Apostolic Fathers''' are a small collection of [[Early Christianity|Early Christian]] authors who lived and wrote in the second half of the 1st century and the first half of the 2nd century. These authors are acknowledged as leaders in the early church, but their writings were not included in the [[New Testament]] [[Biblical canon]]. The apostolic fathers include [[St. Clement of Rome]], [[St. Ignatius of Antioch]], and [[St. Polycarp of Smyrna]]. The Roman Catholic label “Apostolic Fathers” has been used since the 17th century to emphasize that these authors were thought of as being of the generation that had personal contact with the [[Twelve Apostles]]. Thus they provide a link between the Apostles who knew [[Jesus]] of [[Nazareth]] and the later generation of Christian apologists, defenders of orthodoxy, and developers of doctrine known as the [[Church Father]]s. ==Apostolic fathers and their works== Famous Apostolic Fathers include St. [[Clement of Rome]] (''c'' 30 - ''c'' 100),<ref name="CC">[[Will Durant|Durant, Will]]. Caesar and Christ. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1972</ref> St. [[Ignatius of Antioch]], and [[Polycarp]] of Smyrna. In addition, the [[Didache]] and [[Shepherd of Hermas]] are usually placed among the writings of the Apostolic Fathers although their authors are unknown. ===St. Clement of Rome=== {{main|Clement of Rome}} [[St. Clement of Rome]]'s first epistle, [[1 Clement]] (''c'' 96),<ref name="CC">[[Will Durant|Durant, Will]]. Caesar and Christ. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1972</ref> was copied and widely read and is generally considered to be the oldest [[Christian]] [[epistle]] in existence outside of the [[New Testament]]. The letter is extremely lengthy, twice as long as the [[Epistle to the Hebrews]], and it demonstrates the author's familiarity with many books of both the [[Old Testament]] and [[New Testaments]]. The epistle repeatedly refers to the Old Testament as scripture<ref>B. Metzger, ''Canon of the New Testament'' (Oxford University Press) 1987:43.</ref> and includes numerous references to the [[Book of Judith]]. Within the letter, Clement calls on the Christians of Corinth to maintain harmony and order.<ref name="CC">[[Will Durant|Durant, Will]]. Caesar and Christ. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1972</ref> Tradition identifies the author as [[St. Clement of Rome|St. Clement]], the fourth [[bishop of Rome]], and scholarly consensus is overwhelmingly in favor of the letter's authenticity.<ref>Louth 1987:20; preface to both epistles in William Jurgens ''The Faith of the Early Fathers'', vol 1", pp 6 and 42 respectively.</ref> [[Second Clement]] was traditionally ascribed to [[St. Clement of Rome]], but it is now generally considered to have been written later, c 140-160, and therefore could not be the work of St. Clement. Whereas [[First Clement]] was an epistle, [[2 Clement]] appears to be a transcript an oral [[homily]] or [[sermon]], making it the oldest existing Christian sermon outisde of the [[New Testament]]. ===Ignatius of Antioch=== {{main|Ignatius of Antioch}} Saint Ignatius of Antioch (also known as Theophorus) (''c'' 35-110)<ref>See "Ignatius" in ''The Westminster Dictionary of Church History'', ed. Jerald Brauer (Philadelphia:Westminster, 1971) and also David Hugh Farmer, "Ignatius of Antioch" in ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Saints'' (New York:Oxford University Press, 1987).</ref> was the third Bishop or [[Patriarch of Antioch]] and a student of the [[John the Apostle|Apostle John]]. En route to his martyrdom in [[Rome]], Ignatius wrote a series of letters which have been preserved as an example of the [[Christian theology|theology]] of the earliest [[Christian]]s. Important topics addressed in these letters include [[ecclesiology]], the [[sacrament]]s, and the role of [[bishop]]s. He clearly identifies the local-church hierarchy composed of bishop, presbyters, and deacons and claims to have spoken in some of the churches through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He is the second after Clement to mention Paul's epistles.<ref name="CC">[[Will Durant|Durant, Will]]. Caesar and Christ. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1972</ref> ===Polycarp=== {{main|Polycarp}} Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (''c'' 69- ca. 155) was a [[Christianity|Christian]] [[bishop]] of [[Smyrna]] (now [[İzmir]] in Turkey). It is recorded that "He had been a disciple of John." The options for this John are [[John the Apostle|John the son of Zebedee]] traditionally viewed as the author of the Fourth Gospel, or [[John the Presbyter]] (Lake 1912). Traditional advocates follow [[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]] in insisting that the apostolic connection of Papius was with [[John the Evangelist]], and that this John, the author of the [[Gospel of John]], was the same as the Apostle John. Polycarp, ''c'' 156, tried and failed to persuade Anicetus, Bishop of Rome, to have the West celebrate Easter on 14 Nisan, as in the East. He rejected the Pope's suggestion that the East use the Western date. In 155, the Smyrnans demanded Polycarp's execution as a Christian, and he died a [[martyr]]. His story has it that the flames built to kill him refused to burn him, and that when he was stabbed to death, so much blood issued from his body that it quenched the flames around him.<ref name="CC">[[Will Durant|Durant, Will]]. Caesar and Christ. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1972</ref> Church Father [[Irenaeus]] was one of Polycarp's students. Polycarp is recognized as a [[saint]] in both the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] and [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] churches. ===Didache=== {{main|Didache}} The Didache ([[Koine Greek]]: "Teaching"<ref>See [http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/words.pl?strongs=1322&page=1&flag_full=1 Strong's G1322]</ref>) is a brief [[Early Christianity|early Christian]] [[treatise]], dated by most scholars to the early second century.<ref>[[Bruce Metzger|Metzger, Bruce]]. The canon of the New Testament. 1997</ref> It contains instructions for Christian communities. The text, parts of which may have constituted the first written [[catechism]], has three main sections dealing with Christian lessons, rituals such as [[baptism]] and [[eucharist]], and Church organization. It was considered by some of the [[Church Fathers]] as part of the [[New Testament]].<ref>''Apostolic Constitutions'' "Canon 85" (approved at the Orthodox Synod of Trullo in 692); [[Rufinus]], ''Commentary on Apostles Creed 37'' (as Deuterocanonical) c. 380; [[John of Damascus]] ''Exact Exposition of Orthodox Faith'' 4.17; and the 81-book canon of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Church]]</ref> but rejected as [[Apocrypha#Spurious writings|spurious]] or non-canonical by others,<ref>[[Athanasius]], [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf204.xxv.iii.iii.xxv.html ''Festal Letter 39''] (excludes them from the canon, but recommends them for reading) in 367; Rejected by 60 Books Canon and by [[Nicephorus]] in ''[[Stichometry of Nicephorus|Stichometria]]''</ref> Scholars knew of the Didache through references in other texts, but the text itself had been lost. It was rediscovered in 1873. ===Shepherd of Hermas=== {{main|Shepherd of Hermas}} The Shepherd of Hermas (2nd century) was popular in the early church and even considered [[Bible|scriptural]] by some of the early [[Church fathers]], such as [[Irenaeus]] and [[Tertullian]]. It was written in Rome and in Greek. The Shepherd had great authority in the second and third centuries. The work comprises five visions, twelve mandates, and ten parables. It relies on allegory and pays special attention to the Church, calling the faithful to repent of the sins that have harmed it. ==Definition of terms== [[Image:Burghers michael saintpolycarp.jpg|left|thumb|St. Polycarp, depicted with a book as a symbol of his writings.]] The "Apostolic Fathers" are distinguished from other Christian authors of this same period in that their practices and theology largely fell within those developing traditions of [[Pauline Christianity]] that became the mainstream. They represent a tradition of early Christianity shared by many different churches across cultural, ethnic, and linguistic differences. The tradition they represent holds the Jewish Scriptures to be inspired by God and holds that the Jewish prophets point to the actual flesh and blood of Jesus through which both Jew and Gentile are saved. Furthermore, they present the picture of an organized Church made up of many different cross-cultural, sister churches sharing one apostolic tradition. Their ecclesiology, Judaic values, and emphasis upon the historical nature of Jesus Christ stand in stark contrast to the various ideologies of more paganized christianities, on the one hand, and christianities which exclude the Gentiles on the other. By the 4th century, mainstream [[Nicene Christianity]], dominated by the interpretation of [[Paul of Tarsus]] and teetering midway between Gentile paganism and rabbinical Judaism, was in a position to declare significantly different interpretations as [[heretical]]. Other texts written much later are not considered apostolic writings. They were actively denounced from the very beginning by men such as Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, and the writer of the canonical [[First Epistle of John]] as being "anti-christ" and contrary to the tradition received from the apostles and eye-witnesses of Jesus Christ. The texts presenting alternative christianities were then actively suppressed in the following centuries and many are now "lost" works, the contents of which can only be speculated. The writings of the Apostolic Fathers are in a number of genres, some, e.g. the writings of [[Clement of Rome]] are letters (called [[epistles]]), others relate historical events, e.g. the [[Martyrdom of Polycarp]], and one (the [[Didache]]) is a guide for ethical and liturgical practice. ===Origin of term=== According to the ''Catholic Encyclopedia,'' the use of the term "Apostolic Fathers" can be traced to a 1672 title of [[Jean-Baptiste Cotelier]], his ''SS. Patrum qui temporibus apostolicis floruerunt opera'' ("Works of the holy fathers who flourished in the apostolic times"), which title was abbreviated to ''Bibliotheca Patrum Apostolicorum'' by L. J. Ittig in his edition (Leipzig, 1699) of the same writings. Since then the term has been universally used, especially by Roman Catholic writers. (Other traditions make little distinction between these Apostolic Fathers and Church Fathers in general.) ===Opposition to term=== Not all Christians employ the term "Apostolic Fathers". The authority resonant in the phrase suggests that these writers provide ''the'' authentic historical connections to the apostolic generation. For those Christians for whom Church tradition is of comparable weight with Scripture, this is a helpful [[Apologetics|apologetic]] trope, and thus a possible motivation for its use. Christians who believe that a [[Great Apostasy]] took place early in the church's history are particularly unlikely to employ this term. These ideological descendants of the [[Radical Reformation]] must choose between believing that the Scriptures were corrupted by this "Apostate Church" or that the Scriptures were somehow preserved and canonized by this "Apostate Church." In [[Protestant]] theology the term "Apostolic Fathers" is also less used and the writings are less frequently studied (but see [[Paleo-Orthodoxy]]), leaving more room for [[hermeneutic]] variance from these first and early-second century Christian leaders' perspective. ===Works by these authors that are missing today=== Only some writings by these church leaders are extant. Other writings did not survive and exist only as references, in quotations and excerpts, or as literal fragments of parchment or papyrus. These other writings, being alleged quotes from the apostolic fathers, are often stylistically different and sometimes address issues not addressed in the canonical New Testament and the extant writings of the apostolic fathers. ===Works by contemporaneous authors not considered Apostolic Fathers=== The writings from the early Christian tradition during the time of the [[Roman Empire]] that are '''not''' classed in those of the Apostolic Fathers include the writings of the [[desposyni]], the [[apocrypha]] (including [[apocryphal gospels]]), much of the [[pseudepigrapha]], and the writings of unorthodox leaders, or [[heretics]] such as [[Marcion]], an anti-Judaic thinker, and [[Valentinius]], a pagan-Christian syncretist. The apocryphal gospels and pseudepigrapha are, for the most part, later writings that seem to have less historical accuracy than the canonical scriptures. Most of these writings depict a christianized form of paganism as opposed to a christianized form of Judaism. For the part of the heretics, much of what is known about them comes from the Apostolic Fathers' and [[Church Fathers]]' arguments against them; this information was once thought be highly inaccurate due to the biases of these church writers. In light of the discovery of the [[Nag Hammadi library]], however, most of the information about these groups as was expressed by early church fathers can be validated as being incomplete and biased, of course, but quite accurate. ===Relationship to orthodoxy=== Within the Pauline tradition that eventually triumphed, but after the time of the Apostolic Fathers proper, some authors addressed their works to people beyond the Christian community and defended the Christian religion against [[paganism]], including [[Justin Martyr]], [[Irenaeus]], and [[Tertullian]]. These are considered [[Apologist]]s. A small number of other authors, now only known in fragments, such as [[Papias]] and [[Hegesippus]], were more concerned with the apostolic continuity of the individual churches and their histories. Although some of the minor opinions expounded by the Apostolic Fathers are no longer considered entirely orthodox, their writings provide important data regarding a strain of early Christianity which remains largely true to its Jewish roots while including both non-Jewish and Jewish believers as being viable members of the organized church they depict. ==List of works== *The [[Epistle to Diognetus]] (this one is hard to date and might also be of a later date) *The [[Epistles of Clement|First Epistle of Clement]] *The [[Epistles of Clement|Second Epistle of Clement]] (not actually written by Clement, but still a very early writing) *The [[Didache]] *The [[Epistle of Barnabas]] *Seven short [[Epistles of Ignatius]] (the longer forms of these Epistles, and those beyond the seven, are widely considered later emendations and forgeries) *The [[Epistle of Polycarp]] *[[Martyrdom of Polycarp|The Epistle about Polycarp's Martyrdom]] *[[The Shepherd of Hermas]] *The fragments from the writings of [[Papias]], which have survived as quotations by later writers *One short fragment from a writing by [[Quadratus of Athens]]{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Most or all of these works were originally written in Greek. English translations of these works can be found online in the [[Ante-Nicene Fathers]] series on the [http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/ Christian Classics Ethereal Library website]. Published English translations have also been done by various translators, such as [[Joseph Barber Lightfoot|J.B. Lightfoot]] and [[Michael W. Holmes]]. ==References== <references/> ==External links== {{Christianityportal}} *[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01637a.htm ''Catholic Encyclopedia'':] Apostolic Fathers *[http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/APO_ARN/APOSTOLIC_FATHERS.html Apostolic Fathers] in the 1911 [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] *[http://www.lcms.org/ca/www/cyclopedia/02/display.asp?t1=a&word=APOSTOLICFATHERS Apostolic Fathers] in the Christian Cyclopedia [[Category:Apostolic Fathers|*]] [[Category:Patristics]] [[Category:Church Fathers]] [[Category:Ancient Roman Christians]] [[ca:Pares apostòlics]] [[cs:Apoštolští Otcové]] [[da:De apostolske Fædre]] [[de:Apostolische Väter]] [[el:Αποστολικοί Πατέρες]] [[es:Padres Apostólicos]] [[eo:Apostolaj Patroj]] [[fr:Pères apostoliques]] [[it:Letteratura subapostolica]] [[hu:Apostoli atyák]] [[nl:Apostolische Vaders]] [[pl:Ojcowie Apostolscy]] [[ro:Părinţi apostolici]] [[ru:Апостольские мужи]] [[sk:Apoštolskí otcovia]] [[fi:Apostoliset isät]] [[sv:De apostoliska fäderna]] [[uk:Апостольські отці]]