Lecture 2 - Apostolic Fathers Flashcards
JB Lightfoot: Apostolic Fathers
Apostolic Fathers were:
- “Not great writers, but great characters”
- Absent was a system of theology.
- earnest topical teaching
- Just because they are older in the faith, doesn’t mean their theology was more mature.
- “underdeveloped theology” but no less honored
John “Rabbi” Duncan: Colloquia Peripatetica
- Polycarp would have stood a bad chance next to John Owen.”
- Apostolic fathers shows the simplicity of the Father. Reformers are more robust.
- Apostolic fathers: lived out faith “came together, prayed, read Scripture, sang, talked, went away, etc”
Michael Kruger: Christianity at the Crossroads
- Apostolic fathers “earliest, developmental stages” of Christianity
- Window into early church life
- When Christians fight; they get things right. Grow and clarify in conflict
- Clarity comes in time. Basic ideas presented in the early church.
- We have to know where our ideas come from.
Eusebius
- Fourth century church historian
- Ridiculed Papias for his literal interpretation of millennial reign
- Not to be confused with Eusibus of Nicomedia who gave haven to Arius before the Council of Nicene
Papias
- Bishop of Hierapolis
- Wrote five volume work toward the end of his life
- Writings survive only in fragments by future citations
- contemporary to Polycarp / disputed to have known apostle John
remembered for:
1. literal future reign of Christ
- mocked by Eusebius in fourth century
- premillennialism
2. oral traditional: recounts - conversations of disciples - first hand account recounting
- faithful oral tradition is the history of the early church
Clement of Rome
- 1 & 2 Clement are anonymous letters attributed to Clement by church tradition
- 1 Clement deals with schism over elder ship and exalts Christ as the head of His church
- 2 Clement is debated to be a sermon from a restored elder, and contains the earliest statements outside of the NT that state both OT and NT as Scripture
1 Clement
- Anonymous written: authorship given to Clement of Rome through church tradition.
- Greco-Roman writing style mirrors Scripture
- Not in the Scripture canon: not a first hand account.
- Deals with:
1. Schism over eldership - “detestable unholy witness”
-God builds his church. - Elders have authority extended by God can not be removed for selfish reasons
- uses elder/bishop interchangeably
2. Exalts the person and work of Christ - Church is not the elder’s flock but God’s
- Elders apply the same standard to themselves
2 Clement
- Not by Clement or a letter
- Anonymous writer tradition gives to Clement of Rome
- sermon / exhortation by restored elder of Corinth after 1 Clement
- earliest statements, outside the NT, that both OT / NT are scripture
– think of Christ as God, repent and believe in the resurrection
Ignatius of Antioch
- Syrian martyr
- Wrote seven letters to the seven churches and one to Polycarp on his way to martyrdom
- Reasons for writing:
1. Unify the bishops
2. Deal with false teaching:
– Docetism: Christ only appeared to be human
– Marcion: against material / physical world Creator God OT: bad, Savior God NT: good :: rebuttal with necessity of the blood of Christ
– Judaiziers: Jewish customs and trappings of the Mosaic law; misunderstanding the law
3. Outline theology of martyrdom - ultimately romanticized martyrdom
Docetism
dokeo: gk - to seem/to appear to
Christ only appeared to come in the flesh
fully divine not fully human
Condemned by Ignatius’ martyrdom letters
dokeo
gk- to seem/to appear
root word for the heresy docetism
docetism: Christ only appeared to come in the flesh - fully divine not fully human
condemned by Ignatius’ martyrdom letters
Marcion
- Condemned in Ignatius’ martyrdom letters
- Rejected the goodness of the material world
– Creator God OT: bad
– Savior God NT: good - Ignatius’ rebuttal: the blood of Christ is what redeems. Physical death needs physical redemption.
Judaizers
- Condemned in Ignatius’ martyrdom letters
- Still followed the Jewish customs and ceremonial trappings
- Misunderstood the purpose of Mosaic law
Polycarp of Smyrna
- Disciple of John the apostle
- Most famous of the church fathers
- Received a letter from Ignatius
- martyr
- Known in his letter to Phillipians and his martyrdom
Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians
- Letter written by apostolic father: Polycarp
Addressed two issues
1. embezzlement of church funds: character before calling
2. Condemned docetism: Christ was never truly human is anti Christ.
- Those who would not agree should be removed from the church
