Apostolic Fathers

The Apostolic Fathers is a term used to describe a group the author’s familiarity with many books of both the Old
of Early Christian writings produced in the late 1st cen- Testament and New Testaments. The epistle repeatedly
tury and the first half of the 2nd century.[1] These writ- refers to the Old Testament as scripture[7] and includes
ings, though not unpopular in Early Christianity, were ul- numerous references to the Book of Judith thereby es-
timately not part of the New Testament once it reached tablishing usage or at least familiarity with Judith in his
its final form. Many of the writings derive from the same time. Within the letter, Clement calls on the Christians of
time period and geographical location as other works of Corinth to maintain harmony and order.[5] Tradition iden-
early Christian literature that did come to be part of the tifies the author as Clement, bishop of Rome, and schol-
final form of the New Testament, and some of the writ- arly consensus is overwhelmingly in favor of the letter’s
ings found among the “Apostolic Fathers” seem to have authenticity.[8] Early church lists place him as the second
been just as highly regarded as some of the writings (that or third[9][10][11][12] bishop of Rome, although “there is no
remained) in the New Testament. evidence for monarchical episcopacy in Rome at so early
a date”.[9]
Second Clement was traditionally ascribed to St. Clement
1 Apostolic Fathers: Works in- of Rome, but it is now generally considered to have been
cluded and use of the term written later, c 140–160, and therefore could not be the
work of Clement. Whereas First Clement was an epistle,
2 Clement appears to be a transcript of an oral homily or
The following writings are generally grouped together as
sermon, making it the oldest existing Christian sermon
the “Apostolic Fathers":[2] Letters attributed to Clement
outside of the New Testament.
of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch, the Didache, the
Epistle of Barnabas, a letter by and the martyrdom of
Polycarp of Smyrna, fragments preserving statements by 1.2 Ignatius of Antioch
and about Papias of Hierapolis, the Shepherd of Hermas,
and the Epistle to Diognetus,[3] Main article: Ignatius of Antioch
The label “Apostolic Fathers” has been applied to these
writings only since the 17th century, to indicate that they Ignatius of Antioch (also known as Theophorus, Greek
were thought of as representing the generation that had for God-bearer) (c 35–110)[13] was bishop of Antioch.[14]
personal contact with the Twelve Apostles. The earli- He may have known the Apostle John directly, and his
est known use of the term “Apostolic(al) Fathers” was thought is certainly influenced by the tradition associated
by William Wake in 1693, when he was chaplain in or- with this Apostle.[15] En route to his martyrdom in Rome,
dinary to King William and Queen Mary of England[4] Ignatius wrote a series of letters which have been pre-
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the use of the served as an example of the theology of the earliest Chris-
term “Apostolic Fathers” can be traced to a 1672 title tians. Important topics addressed in these letters include
of Jean-Baptiste Cotelier, his SS. Patrum qui temporibus ecclesiology, the sacraments, the role of bishops,[16] and
apostolicis floruerunt opera (“Works of the holy fathers the nature of Biblical Sabbath.[17] He clearly identifies the
who flourished in the apostolic times”), which title was local-church hierarchy composed of bishop, presbyters,
abbreviated to Bibliotheca Patrum Apostolicorum by L. J. and deacons and claims to have spoken in some of the
Ittig in his edition (Leipzig, 1699) of the same writings. churches through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He is
the second after Clement to mention Paul’s epistles.[5]
1.1 Clement of Rome
1.3 Polycarp of Smyrna
Main article: Clement of Rome
Main article: Polycarp
Clement of Rome's first epistle, 1 Clement (c 96),[5] was Polycarp of Smyrna (c 69–ca. 155) was a Christian
copied and widely read and is generally considered to be bishop of Smyrna (now İzmir in Turkey). Irenaeus wrote
the oldest Christian epistle in existence outside of the that “Polycarp also was not only instructed by the apos-
New Testament. The letter is extremely lengthy, twice as tles, and conversed with many who had seen the Lord,
long as the Epistle to the Hebrews,[6] and it demonstrates but was also appointed bishop by apostles in Asia and in

1
2 3 LIST OF WORKS

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[21] but rejected as spurious or non-
canonical by others,[22] Scholars knew of the Didache
through references in other texts, but the text itself had
been lost. It was rediscovered in 1873.

1.5 Shepherd of Hermas

Main article: Shepherd of Hermas

The Shepherd of Hermas (2nd century) was popular

in the early church and even considered scriptural by
some of the early Church fathers, such as Irenaeus and
Tertullian. It was written in Rome in the Greek language.
The Shepherd had great authority in the 2nd and 3rd cen-
turies. The work comprises five visions, twelve mandates,
and ten parables. It relies on allegory and pays special at-
tention to the church, calling the faithful to repent of the
sins that have harmed it.

St. Polycarp, depicted with a book as a symbol of his writings.

2 Character of the writings
the church in Smyrna”[18] and that he himself had, as a
boy, listened to “the accounts which (Polycarp) gave of The writings included among the Apostolic Fathers rep-
his intercourse with John and with the others who had resent a variety of early Christian traditions across var-
seen the Lord”.[19] The options for this John are John the ious cultural, ethnic, and linguistic lines. The traditions
son of Zebedee, traditionally viewed as the author of the they represent hold the Jewish Scriptures to be inspired
Fourth Gospel, or John the Presbyter (Lake 1912). Tradi- by God (unlike Marcionism) and that the Jewish prophets
tional advocates follow Eusebius in insisting that the apos- point to the actual flesh and blood of Jesus through which
tolic connection of Papius was with John the Evangelist, both Jew and Gentile are saved.
and that this John, the author of the Gospel of John, was
the same as the Apostle John. Polycarp, c 156, tried and
2.1 Use of the term
failed to persuade Anicetus, Bishop of Rome, to have the
West celebrate Easter on 14 Nisan, as in the East. He re-
Historically, Protestants used the term “Apostolic Fa-
jected the Bishop’s suggestion that the East use the West-
thers” less often and devoted less study to the writings,
ern date. In 155, the Smyrnans demanded Polycarp’s ex-
but this has not been the case since the nineteenth cen-
ecution as a Christian, and he died a martyr. His story has
tury.
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.[5]
Church Father Irenaeus was one of his students. Polycarp 3 List of works
is recognized as a saint in both the Roman Catholic and
Eastern Orthodox churches. • The Epistle to Diognetus
• The First Epistle of Clement

1.4 Didache • The Second Epistle of Clement (not actually written

by Clement)
Main article: Didache • The Didache
• The Epistle of Barnabas
The Didache (Koine Greek: “Teaching”[20] ) is a brief
early Christian treatise, dated anywhere from as early • Seven Epistles of Ignatius (the longer forms of these
as AD 50 to the early 2nd century. It contains instruc- Epistles, and those beyond the seven, are widely
tions for Christian communities. The text, parts of which considered later emendations and forgeries)
3

• The Epistle of Polycarp [3] Some editors place the Epistle to Diognetus among the
apologetic writings, rather than among the Apostolic
• The Martyrdom of Polycarp Fathrers (Stevenson, J. A New Eusebius SPCK (1965) p.
400).
• The Shepherd of Hermas
[4] See H.J. de Jonge: On the origin of the term “Apostolic
• Fragments of the writings of Papias, which have sur- Fathers”
vived as quotations in later writers
[5] Durant, Will. Caesar and Christ. New York: Simon and
• One short fragment of a writing by Quadratus of Schuster. 1972
Athens
[6] 1 Clement, Lightfoot translation, is 13, 316 words; He-
brews is only 7,300-400 words depending on translation.
Most or all of these works were originally written in
Greek. Older English translations of these works can [7] B. Metzger, Canon of the New Testament (Oxford Univer-
be found online in the Ante-Nicene Fathers series on sity Press) 1987:43.
the Christian Classics Ethereal Library website. Pub-
[8] Louth 1987:20; preface to both epistles in William Jur-
lished English translations have also been made by var-
gens The Faith of the Early Fathers, vol 1”, pp 6 and 42
ious scholars of early Christianity, such as J.B. Light- respectively.
foot, Kirsopp Lake, Bart D. Ehrman and Michael W.
Holmes.[23] [9] “Clement of Rome, St.” Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford
dictionary of the Christian church. New York: Oxford
Greek text editions:
University Press. 2005

• The Apostolic Fathers. Vol. 1. I Clement. II [10] The Catholic Encyclopedia says that no critic now doubts
Clement. Ignatius. Polycarp. Didache. Barnabas. that the names Cletus and Anacletus in lists that would
make Clement the fourth successor of Saint Peter refer to
Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge: Harvard Uni-
the one person, not two.
versity Press, 1912 Kirsopp Lake
[11] History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene
• The Apostolic Fathers. Vol. 2. Shepherd of Her- Christianity, AD 100-325 - “Clement of Rome”
mas. Martyrdom of Polycarp. Epistle to Diogentus.
Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge: Harvard Uni- [12] Annuario Pontificio (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2008
versity Press, 1913 Kirsopp Lake ISBN 978-88-209-8021-4), p. 7*

• The Apostolic Fathers. Vol. 1. I Clement. II [13] See “Ignatius” in The Westminster Dictionary of Church
Clement. Ignatius. Polycarp. Didache. Loeb History, ed. Jerald Brauer (Philadelphia:Westminster,
Classical Library. Cambridge: Harvard University 1971) and also David Hugh Farmer, “Ignatius of Antioch”
Press, 2003 Bart Ehrman (replaced Lake) in The Oxford Dictionary of the Saints (New York:Oxford
University Press, 1987).
• The Apostolic Fathers. Vol. 2. Epistle of Barn-
[14] “Ignatius, St.” Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford dictionary
abas. Papias and Quadratus. Epistle to Diognetus.
of the Christian church. New York: Oxford University
The Shepherd of Hermas. Loeb Classical Library. Press. 2005
Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2005 Bart
Ehrman (replaced Lake) [15] Encyclopædia Britannica: Saint Ignatius of Antioch

• The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English [16] Eph 6:1, Mag 2:1,6:1,7:1,13:2, Tr 3:1, Smy 8:1,9:1
Translations. 3rd Edition. Grand Rapids: Baker,
[17] Ignatius’s Letter to the Magnesians 9: “Let us therefore no
2007 Michael Holmes
longer keep the Sabbath after the Jewish manner”
• Die Apostolischen Väter. Germany: Mohr Siebeck,
[18] Adversus haereses, 3:3:4
1992 Andreas Lindemann and Henning Paulsen
(German) [19] Letter to Florinus, quoted in , Eusebius, Ecclesiastical His-
tory, Book V, chapter 20.

[20] See Strong’s G1322

4 References
[21] Apostolic Constitutions “Canon 85” (approved at the Or-
[1] Cf. Philip Schaff: The Apostolic Fathers, with Justin thodox Synod of Trullo in 692); Rufinus, Commentary on
Martyr and Irenaeus Apostles Creed 37 (as Deuterocanonical) c. 380; John of
Damascus Exact Exposition of Orthodox Faith 4.17; and
[2] Cross, F. L. & Livingstone E.A. eds. The Oxford Dictio- the 81-book canon of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church
nary of the Christian Church art. Apostolic Fathers, The which includes the Didascalia which is based on the Di-
Oxford University Press (1974) dache.
4 5 EXTERNAL LINKS

[22] Athanasius, Festal Letter 39 (excludes them from the

canon, but recommends them for reading) in 367;
Rejected by 60 Books Canon and by Nicephorus in
Stichometria

[23] For a review of the most recent editions of the Apostolic

Fathers and an overview of the current state of scholar-
ship, see Timothy B. Sailors, “Bryn Mawr Classical Re-
view: Review of The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and
English Translations". Retrieved 2014-10-01.

5 External links
• Catholic Encyclopedia: Apostolic Fathers

• Apostolic Fathers in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britan-

nica

• Apostolic Fathers in the Christian Cyclopedia

5

6 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

6.1 Text
• Apostolic Fathers Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_Fathers?oldid=628849504 Contributors: Wesley, Llywrch, Blacklite,
Ellywa, Angela, Irmgard, Charles Matthews, Jwrosenzweig, Wetman, Dimadick, Stewartadcock, GreatWhiteNortherner, Wmahan, Jim
Henry, Vacindak, Rich Farmbrough, Stbalbach, Lima, Arcadian, Alansohn, Garzo, Pwqn, Woohookitty, Rchamberlain, Palica, Dpr,
Search4Lancer, Rjwilmsi, Koavf, The wub, TTTR, YurikBot, Ecemaml, Tomisti, J S Ayer, Closedmouth, Johnmarkh, SmackBot, Hmains,
Pieter Kuiper, MalafayaBot, LoveMonkey, Andrew c, Bucksburg, Mary Read, Epiphyllumlover, Oblate X, Rwflammang, 5-HT8, Cydebot,
Aristophanes68, Goldfritha, Lopakhin, Marek69, Mercury543210, JAnDbot, JaGa, PStrait, SoulSinging, J.delanoy, Numbo3, Broadbot,
AlleborgoBot, SieBot, StAnselm, Gerakibot, Ptolemy Caesarion, OKBot, Vanished user ewfisn2348tui2f8n2fio2utjfeoi210r39jf, Randy
Kryn, Drmies, Leadwind, John J. Bulten, SchreiberBike, Muro Bot, Ambrosius007, Sarakm1, MystBot, Brettcopeland, Addbot, Lightbot,
Luckas-bot, EnochBethany, Eumolpo, Xqbot, Omnipaedista, Niado, DrilBot, HRoestBot, EmausPriester, In ictu oculi, Esoglou, EmausBot,
ROO BOOKAROO, ClueBot NG, Joshuajohnson555, ReformedArsenal, Jpacobb, KevinLuna83, WholeWheatIgnatius, Jonathan Calebs,
ApostolicFathers and Anonymous: 69

6.2 Images
• File:Burghers_michael_saintpolycarp.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Burghers_michael_
saintpolycarp.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Transferred from en.wikipedia
Original artist: en:Michael Burghers Original uploader was Alekjds at en.wikipedia
• File:Nicaea_icon.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Nicaea_icon.jpg License: Public domain Contribu-
tors: [1],[2] Original artist: Unknown
• File:P_christianity.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/P_christianity.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Con-
tributors: ? Original artist: ?

6.3 Content license

• Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0