The Apostolic Fathers

© John Stevenson, 2016

Who are the Apostolic Fathers?
Epistles • 1st Clement: Rome to Corinth
• 2nd Clement: Anonymous
sermon
• Barnabas: About Judaism
• Epistles of Ignatius
• Epistle of Polycarp to the
Philippians
• Letter to Diognetus: Apology
showing Christianity is
superior to other religions
Death of Account of his arrest, trial, &
Polycarp martyrdom
Didache Series of basic instructions
Papias Fragmentary writings
Shepherd Apocalyptic literature
of Hermes containing visions of future
 Fall of
Jerusalem

1 25 50 75 100 125 150

Peter

Paul

John

Clement of Rome
Clement of Rome
Died 101

• Mentioned by Paul in
Philippians 4:3.
• Served as an overseer in
the church at Rome
• Tradition ascribes to him an
epistle to the Corinthians.
• Addressed from the church
of Rome to the church at
Corinth
Clement of Rome
Died 101

• Known from other writings,

but lost until 1627
• Patriarch of Constantinople
gave manuscript to King
James I of England
• Published in 1633
Clement of Rome
Died 101
Shameful, beloved, extremely
shameful, and unworthy of
your training in Christ, is the
report that on account of one
or two persons the well-
established and ancient
church of the Corinthians is in
revolt against the presbyters
(Epistle to the Corinthians
47:6).
Clement of Rome
Died 101

You have studied the holy

scriptures, which are true and
are of the Holy Spirit. You
know that nothing unjust or
fraudulent is written in them
(Epistle to the Corinthians
45:1).
 Fall of
Jerusalem

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Peter

Paul

John Justin Martyr

Clement of Rome
Justin Martyr
100-165

• Born in Samaria
• Pagan upbringing
• Studied philosophy
• Became a Christian
• Wrote two apologies
– First is dedicated to Emperor
Antonius Pius and to the
Senate of Rome
• Dialogue with Trypho
Justin Martyr
100-165

• Challenges authorities to
investigate Christianity
• Answers charge of atheism
against Christians
• Answers charge of
subversion against those
who look for a heavenly
kingdom
Justin Martyr
100-165

On the day which is dedicated

to the sun, all those who live in
the cities or who dwell in the
countryside gather in a
common meeting, and for as
long as there is time the
Memoirs of the Apostles or the
writings of the prophets are
read (First Apology 67).
Justin Martyr
100-165

Having concluded the prayers,

we greet one another with a
kiss. Then there is brought to
the president of the brethren
bread and a cup of water and
of watered wine (First Apology
65).
Justin Martyr
100-165

We who valued above all else

the acquisition of wealth and
property now direct all that we
have to a common fund, which
is shared with every needy
person (First Apology 14).
• Discovered in 1873 by
Philotheos Bryennis,
archbishop at
Constantinople
• It had been known to
Origen and Athanasius
• Significance initially
ignored by scholars
• Author is anonymous
 There are two ways, one of
life and one of death, but a
great difference between the
two ways. The way of life,
then, is this: First, you shall
love God who made you;
second, love your neighbor
as yourself, and do not do to
another what you would not
want done to you (1:1)
 You shall not commit
murder, you shall not commit
adultery, you shall not
commit pederasty, you shall
not commit fornication, you
shall not steal, you shall not
practice magic, you shall not
practice witchcraft, you shall
not murder a child by
abortion nor kill that which is
born… (2:1).
 But on the Lord’s day,
after you have assembled
together, break bread and
give thanks, having in
addition confessed your
sins, that your sacrifice
may be pure. (14:1)
But concerning baptism, thus baptize: having
first recited all these precepts, baptize in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit, in running water;
7:2 but if you do not have running water,

baptize in some other water, and if you

cannot baptize in cold, in warm water;
7:3 but if you have neither, pour water three

times on the head, in the name of the Father,

and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Baptism depicted in
early Christian art
• Instructions on visiting
prophets
– Regulates how long they
are allowed to stay (2 or
3 days)
– Not allowed to ask for
money
• Speaks of election of
overseers and deacons
(15:1)
 Fall of
Jerusalem

1 25 50 75 100 125 150

Peter Polycarp

Paul

John Justin Martyr

Ignatius

Clement of Rome
• Sat under the teaching of
the Apostle John
• Bishop of Antioch
• “The closer the sword, the
closer the Lord”
• Arrested and taken to Rome
to be martyred
 There is one Physician
who is possessed both of
flesh and spirit; both made
and not made; God
existing in flesh; true life in
death; both of Mary and of
God; first possible and
then impossible, even
Jesus Christ our Lord
(Ephesians 7).
 Take care to do all things
in harmony with God, with
the bishop presiding in the
place of God and with the
presbyters in the place of
the council of the apostles,
and with the deacons, who
are most dear to me,
entrusted with the
business of Jesus Christ…
(Magnesians 6:1).
Permit me to become food for the wild
beasts, through whose instrumentality
it will be granted me to attain to God. I
am the wheat of God, and let me be
ground by the teeth of the wild beasts,
that I may be found the pure bread of
Christ. Rather entice the wild beasts,
that they may become my tomb, and
may leave nothing of my body; so that
when I have fallen asleep, I may be
no trouble to any one (Romans 4).
 Warns against false teachers
• Preach God of the law and
prophets but denies Christ to
be the Son of God
• Confess Christ to be the Son of God but
deny the God of the law and prophets
• Confess Christ but think he was only a
man (Ebionites)
 Warns against false teachers
• Confess Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, but think the
incarnation was only an
appearance
• Have correct views of Christ and God but
do not seek to live a holy lifestyle
It is absurd to have Jesus Christ
on the lips and at the same time
to practice Judaism. Christianity
did not base its faith on Judaism,
but Judaism on Christianity
(Magnesians 10:3).
• Ebionites: Emphasis on following Jewish
customs; saw Jesus as only a man who
was adopted by God
• Docetism (from dokew, “to seem”):
Taught that Jesus was divine and only
seemed to be human
Epistle to the Philippians
• Church leader in need of
discipline
• Issue involved money
• Calls for his repentance
and his removal from office
• Refers to collection of
epistles of Ignatius
Epistle to the Philippians
I was exceedingly grieved for
Valens who previously was a
presbyter among you, because
he is so ignorant of the office
which was given to him. I warn
you therefore that you refrain
from covetousness, that you be
pure and truthful (11)
Epistle to the Philippians
For everyone who shall not
confess that Jesus Christ is come
in the flesh is antichrist; and
whoever shall not confess the
testimony of the cross is of the
devil; and whoever shall pervert
the oracles of the Lord to his own
lusts and say that there is neither
resurrection nor judgment, that
man is the firstborn of Satan (7)
• Not written by Clement (anonymous)
• Not an epistle, but a sermon
• Discovered in same manuscript that
contained 1st Clement
• Quotes both the Old Testament and
the words of Jesus and describes
them as Scripture (2:4)
• Also quotes non-canonical books
– Gospel of Peter (5:2-4)
– Coptic Gospel of Thomas (12:1-2)
• Companion of Polycarp (tradition)
• We have only small portions of his writings
as quoted by Irenaeus and Eusebius
– “Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter,
wrote down accurately everything that he
remembered, without however recording in
order what was either said or done by Christ.”
– So then Matthew composed the oracles in the
Hebrew language, and each one interpreted
them as he could
• Jerome speaks of him…
– “He is said to have taught the Jewish
tradition of a millennium, and he is
followed by Irenaeus, Apollinarius, and
the others, who say that after the
resurrection the Lord will reign in the
flesh with the saints.” (Jerome de vir.
illust. 18)
• Named in title after traveling companion of
Paul
• Epistle itself is anonymous
• Anti-Jewish in nature
– Judaism is a false religion
– Because Jews broke God’s covenant, they
were not God’s people
– God’s covenant is for those who believe in
God’s Messiah
 …it is not your present Sabbaths that are
acceptable, but the Sabbath which I have
made, in which, when I have set all things at
rest, I will make the beginning of the eighth
day which is the beginning of another world.
Therefore also we keep the eighth day for
rejoicing in which also Jesus rose from the
dead, and having been manifested
ascended into the heavens (16).
You shall not take the
name of the Lord in
vain. You shall love
your neighbor more
than your own soul.
You shall not murder a
child by abortion, nor
again, shall not kill it
when it is born (19).
• Visions of a prophet named
Hermas
• Given to him by angel in
guise of a shepherd
• Mentioned in Muratorian
Canon as a book that does
not date back to apostles
• Apocalyptic genre
• Book is in three parts:
– Five Visions
– Ten Commandments
– Twelve Parables
• In one vision, Hermas sees
his former mistress bathing in
the Tiber River
– He later sees her in heaven
where she rebukes his lustful
thoughts
– He prays a prayer of
repentance
 The Apostolic
The Reformers
Fathers
Faced a world Dealt with those who
steeped in agreed on the reliability of
polytheism and Scripture, the deity of
pagan worship Christ, and who were
monotheistic
Their evangelistic Their evangelistic
concerns were concerns were largely
over the paganism directed toward those who
of their day were a part of the Roman
Catholic Church
 The Apostolic
The Reformers
Fathers

Where should be our

major evangelistic
concerns today?

Their evangelistic Their evangelistic

concerns were concerns were largely
over the paganism directed toward those who
of their day were a part of the Roman
Catholic Church
• Sacraments in the later Roman Catholic
Church
– Baptism.
– Eucharist.
– Confirmation.
– Reconciliation.
– Anointing of the sick.
– Marriage.
– Holy orders.
• Sacraments in the later Roman Catholic
Church
• Sacraments in the early church
– Baptism: Ritual of initiation
– Eucharist: Ritual of continuing relationship