This title is given to those writers who lived in the days of the apostles, and with whom they had, as one may well suppose, more or less intercourse.
Clement
supposed to be the Christian mentioned by Paul in Phil. 4:33And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlaborers, whose names are in the book of life. (Philippians 4:3). Eusebius (4th century) says he was "the friend of St. Paul." Little is known of Clement: some say he was bishop of Rome. He is said to have lived to the third year of Trajan (A.D. 100), and then to have suffered martyrdom.
Eusebius says that Clement wrote a "great and admirable" Epistle to the Corinthians. There are, indeed, two epistles attributed to him, but the second is now not believed to be genuine. In the first epistle the Corinthians are warned of their disorders and strife, and earnest appeals are made to their heart and conscience. Fabulous stories are introduced, such as that of the phoenix, from the ashes of which a new bird arises. This is called a fact, and a wonderful figure of the resurrection! Very strange interpretations are also given to some parts of the Old Testament. A copy of this Epistle forms a part of the Codex Alexandrinus, and it is recorded that it was in early days read in the church!
Polycarp
said to have been bishop of Smyrna, and to have been intimate with the apostle John. Irenזus says of Polycarp: "I have yet present in my mind the gravity of his demeanor, the majesty of his countenance, the purity of his life, and the holiness of the exhortation with which he fed his flock. I almost think that I can still hear him relating how he had conversed with St. John, and many others who had seen Jesus Christ, and repeating the words he had received from their lips, and the accounts they had given him of the Savior's miracles and doctrines; while his zeal for the purity of the faith was such that when any error was advocated in his presence, he was wont to close his ears and to retire, exclaiming, Merciful Lord, for what times hast thou reserved me!"
On persecution breaking out, under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Polycarp was induced to retire to a country house a short distance from Smyrna; but an attendant under torture revealed his seclusion. On the arrival of the officers he set provisions before them, and asked for an hour for prayer, but which extended to two. He was placed on an ass because of his great age. Before the proconsul he was exhorted to submit. "Swear, and I will release you; curse Christ," was said to him.
But he replied, "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He has never injured me. How can I blaspheme Him to whom I owe my salvation?" The proconsul, finding he could not induce him to recant, declared that Polycarp had confessed himself a Christian. The crowd called for his death, choosing at first that it should be by wild beasts. But as it was not the time of the year for the shows, he was sentenced to be burnt. The crowd, among whom, says the historian, were many Jews, hastily gathered fuel, and all was soon ready. He said they need not fasten him to the stake. He who enabled him to endure, the fire would enable him to stand firm. On the pile being ignited the flames rose rapidly, but it is said they formed a circle around the martyr without burning him, his body having the appearance of shining gold and silver, while a sweet smell as of perfume filled the air. The people clamored for his death, and he was killed by the sword; but his blood running freely put out the fire. Lest a superstitious use should be made of his body it was consumed, and a few charred bones was all that remained. The above is the account quoted by Eusebius, from an epistle considered to be genuine. Polycarp died A.D. 166.
Polycarp wrote an Epistle to the Philippians. It is mostly exhortative, and has many parts apparently copied from the Apostolic writings. One is sorry to find that in one place he quotes from the Apocrypha, "When you can do good, defer it not, because ‘alms deliver from death’." (Tobit.)
Barnabas.
There is an Epistle bearing the name of Barnabas. It was said by Clement of Alexandria (who died about A.D. 213) to be by ‘Barnabasthe companion of Paul;' but this is not generally believed. It was read in the churches, but Eusebius called it ‘spurious.' One MS. entitles it, "Epistle of Barnabas the Apostle." It is not known who is the writer, nor to whom the Epistle is addressed. Some of the interpretations of scripture are foolish in the extreme, and in several places it quotes as scripture, passages which cannot be found therein.
Ignatius.
This Father is called Bishop of Antioch. He lived in the reign of Trajan. The Emperor in A.D. 106 was passing through Antioch on his way to the Parthian war, and Ignatius, fearing for the Christians in the city, appeared before the Emperor in the hopes of saving them. A curious conversation passed between them respecting having God in the heart. The Emperor cut it short by proclaiming, "since Ignatius confesses he carries within himself Him that was crucified we command that he be carried, bound by soldiers, to great Rome, there to be torn by wild beasts, for the entertainment of the people." He was at once bound, and sent to Rome. On his way he stayed at Smyrna, and saw Polycarp. He wrote letters or epistles to various churches. In the one to Rome he begged them not to endeavor to stay his execution. "Suffer me," said he "to become the food of bears and lions: it will afford a very short passage to heaven."
As he approached Rome a crowd of Christians met him begging him to let them intercede for him, but he refused. He was allowed to have a short time for prayer, and to give a short address to those gathered, after which he was taken to the amphitheater. The wild and hungry animals soon closed his career here. A few bones were all that the disciples could find of his remains.
There are several epistles bearing the name of Ignatius: 1, to the Ephesians; 2, to the Magnesians; 3, to the Trallians; 4, to the Romans; 5, to the Philadelphians; 6, to the Smyrnזans; 7, an epistle to Polycarp. Of these there are shorter and longer copies, and of Nos. 1, 4, and 7 Syriac copies have been discovered, differing more or less from either the long or the short. This shows how shamefully the writings of the early Christians had been tampered with, and makes it impossible to know now what was originally written. There is nothing striking in these epistles, except the way in which Ignatius speaks of the bishops, deacons, &c., such as: "We ought to look upon the bishop as the Lord Himself." (To the Eph. 6) "Let us all reverence the deacons as Jesus Christ, and the bishop as the Father; and the presbyters as the sanhedrim of God and college of the apostles. Without these there is no church." (To the Trallians, iii.) But, as we have said, it is difficult to know whether Ignatius really wrote these things.
Hermas.
Supposed to be the Hermas mentioned by Paul in Rom. 16:1414Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them. (Romans 16:14). Nothing appears to be known of this Father, except that he is the author of a treatise called "The Shepherd." It was highly esteemed in the early church, and thought by many to be inspired, and was read in the churches. Irenmus quotes it as scripture; Clement of Alexandria and Origen call it "divine." It is a sort of allegory, and has often been compared to Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress;" but it is far inferior to that work. Some of it is foolish, and parts of it are scarcely decent.
Papias.
This Father, according to Irenmus and Eusebius, was Bishop of the Church in Hierapolis, a city of Phrygia. Later writers say that he suffered martyrdom about A.D. 163. He is said to have been a hearer of the apostle John, and had conversed with many who had known the Lord and His apostles. He wrote a treatise in five books, but only fragments of his writings remain. He seems to have collected together floating traditions respecting the Lord. Eusebius says of him that he had set down "things as coming to him from unwritten tradition, amongst these some strange parables and instructions of the Savior, and some other things of a more fabulous nature. Amongst these he says that there will be a millennium after the resurrection from the dead, when the personal reign of Christ will be established on this earth." It is to be hoped that Eusebius did not treat this as a fable.
Writer of the Epistle to Diognetus.
Who the writer of this Epistle was is not known, neither is it known who Diognetus was. It is placed among the writings of the Apostolic Fathers, and is supposed to be of early date. The author calls himself "a disciple of the apostles," and speaks of Christianity as a new thing in the world. It is an eloquent epistle, and is perhaps the best of all these early writings. It was written to Diognetus because he was "exceedingly desirous of learning the mode of worshipping God prevalent among the Christians, and inquiring very carefully and earnestly concerning them." It treats of the Vanity of Idols; Superstition of the Jews; the Manners of the Christians; the relation of Christians to the world; the manifestation of Christ, &c. Christians, he says, live "in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives." Of Christ, he says, God did not send an angel or ruler, but "the very Creator and Fashioner of all things." He says, "God Himself took on Him the burden of our iniquities; He gave His own Son as a ransom for us, the Holy One for transgressors."
With the exception of this last-named Epistle, it is surprising how little spirituality there is in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers, except where they quote from the scripture itself. In all the oldest MSS. of the New Testament which give the Revelation, one or more of the above is added at the end, and these are said to have been read in the churches as well as the true epistles. It is no doubt well that there should be a decided break between the sacred writings, which were inspired by God to form a part of Holy Scripture, and the writings that immediately followed. The difference is indeed so marked, that while the Church of Rome retains the apocryphal books of the Old Testament, none are so irreverent as to include any of the writings of the Fathers in the New Testament canon. God has thus watched over and preserved His own word.