Anyone who is acquainted with the Bible should be familiar with the apostles of Jesus. References to Peter, Paul, James, John, and others occur throughout the New Testament. Many people have also heard the names of some of the great church fathers of the Christian faith such as Augustine, Irenaeus, Origin, and others.
A depiction of the Church Fathers in an eleventh century collection of religious teaching known as the Svyatoslav Miscellany. (Public domain.)
Who are these “Apostolic Fathers”?
In short, they are the Christian leaders who succeeded the apostles in the late first and early second centuries. A couple of them served with an apostle, others knew them personally, and all were greatly influenced by them. The principle Apostolic Fathers were Clement of Rome; Ignatius of Antioch; Polycarp of Smyrna; and Papias of Hierapolis.
My primary motivation in this feature is to discuss what they believed. I have often wondered whether a Christian from 2,000 years ago would have believed anything different about Jesus than I do today.
Were they sure of His resurrection? Did they think the New Testament was inspired by the Holy Spirit? Did they believe God is a Trinity?
Some critical scholars contend that belief in Jesus’ deity didn’t occur until at least 200 years after His death. Some assert that the concept of Holy Spirit inspiration of the apostles’ writings wasn’t considered until the fourth century. It has also been claimed that belief in Jesus’ resurrection and in a Trinitarian God were unknown to the apostles.
Ignatius, from the tenth-century Hosios Loukas Monastery, in Boeotia, Greece. (Public domain)
So say the critics.
What say the Apostolic Fathers?
According to the writings of those who learned from the apostles, they believed in…
…Jesus’ Death on the Cross and in His Resurrection
“But as for me, my charter is Jesus Christ, the inviolable charter is His cross and His death and His resurrection, and faith through Him…” Ignatius, quoted in The Apostolic Fathers (AF), p. 155
…the Deity of Jesus
“Assemble yourselves together in common…in one faith and one Jesus Christ, who after the flesh was of David’s race, who is Son of Man and Son of God.” Ignatius, AF, p. 142
…Salvation by God’s Grace Alone
A seventeenth century engraving of Polycarp, by Michael Burghers. (Public domain)
“…forasmuch as ye know that it is by grace ye are saved, not of works, but by the will of God through Jesus Christ.” Polycarp, AF, p. 177
…the Inspiration of Scripture by the Holy Spirit
“Ye have searched the Scriptures, which are true, which were given through the Holy Ghost; and ye know that nothing unrighteous or counterfeit is written in them.” Clement, AF, p. 76
…the Historicity of the New Testament Disciples
“And again, on any occasion when a person came (in my way) who had been a follower of the Elders, I would inquire about the discourses of the elders – what was said by Andrew, or by Peter, or by Philip, or by Thomas or James, or by John or Matthew or any other of the Lord’s disciples…” Papias, AF, p. 528
Papias, from thefifteenth century Nuremberg Chronicle. (Public domain)
…the Trinity
“Do your diligence therefore that ye be confirmed in the ordinances of the Lord and of the Apostles, that ye may prosper in all things whatsoever ye do in flesh and spirit, by faith and by love in the Son and Father and in the Spirit…” Ignatius, AF, p. 146
…the Historicity of the Old Testament
“Noah preached repentance…and being found faithful…”; “Jonah preached destruction unto the men of Nineveh…”; “Abraham, who was called the ‘friend,’ was found faithful…”; “…Lot was saved from Sodom…”; “For her faith and hospitality Rahab the harlot was saved.” Clement, AF, pp. 60-62
…the Authority of Scripture
Clement of Rome, in a mosaic from St. Sophia, the eleventh century cathedral in Kyiv. (Public domain)
“The Apostles received the Gospel for us from the Lord Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ was sent forth from God. So then Christ is from God, and the Apostles are from Christ. Both therefore received a charge, and having been fully assured through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and confirmed in the word of God with full assurance of the Holy Ghost…” Clement, AF, p. 75
…Life after Death
“Let us understand, dearly beloved, how the Master continually showeth unto us the resurrection that shall be hereafter; whereof He made the Lord Jesus Christ the firstfruit, when He raised Him from the dead.” Clement, AF, p. 68
Conclusion
Any born-again evangelical Christian today could sit down and talk about their faith with the first and second century believers and hardly notice that 2,000 years of time and experience separate them. Based on the declaration of beliefs in their writings, I would conclude that the critics are wrong about the slow development of central Christian doctrines. Early Christians received their instruction directly from Jesus – and they got it right, right away!
Source material: The Apostolic Fathers, J.B. Lightfoot and J.R. Harmer, Eds. Baker Book House, 1984. Wikipedia, “Apostolic Fathers,” (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_Fathers) retrieved 4/9/2024.
