Thumbnails for remembering the Apostolic Fathers: Apostolic Fathers #8
This is my last post (at least in this series) on the Apostolic Fathers. But together with my class, we have come up with a list of thumbnail descriptions to help us remember the various writings of the Apostolic Fathers. Here is our list (in the order we read these writings):
Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians: Helpful instruction about living a righteous life from perhaps the most important church leader of the early second century.
Martyrdom of Polycarp: Polycarp’s martyrdom described as “in accord with the pattern of the gospel of Christ” that we might imitate Christ like Polycarp did in his martyrdom.
Fragments of Polycarp: Additional fragments of Polycarp as remembered by Irenaeus.[1]
Fragments of Papias: Preferred the oral tradition; some dispute whether he thought there was one John (the Apostle) or two (John the Apostle and John the Elder).
Letters of Ignatius: Wrote seven letters to churches on his way to be martyred in Rome. Wanted everyone to obey the bishop unquestioningly.
1 Clement: A letter from the church in Rome to the church in Corinth with warnings for a youthful faction that was challenging Corinth’s leadership. Extensive use of the Old Testament.
Shepherd of Hermas: Lots of visions and angelic visits.
The Didache: Early church manual—very practical.
(So-called) Epistle of Barnabas: Allegorical interpretation of the Old Testament.
2 Clement: Early Christian sermon about repentance and self-control.
To Diognetus: A defense of the Christian faith (apology) to an unbeliever named Diognetus.
[1] You will not find these fragments in any printed version of the Apostolic Fathers. But they can be accessed in Charles E. Hill, From the Lost Teaching of Polycarp (Tubingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2006), 37-71.
Comments
Ryan Jul. 30, 2012 at 12:14 PM
I'm curious about the preference for oral tradition in Papias. Have you read Bauckham's treatment of that topic? In "Jesus and the Eyewitnesses" he reads Papias' preference for the "living and abiding voice" as a statement of his historical method; he was working with primary sources, not just compiling from other accounts. If that's true, then there may not be reason to suppose that Papias and others preferred oral tradition to written.
Ken Berding Jul. 30, 2012 at 12:51 PM
Ryan, yes I have read Bauckham on that topic. And he is worth reading. And, yes, it may be in some measure a statement of Papias's historical method. But this doesn't exclude the other indicators that Papias was interested in the oral tradition, and may even have had a preference toward them. "Nor did I enjoy those who recall someone else's commandments, but those who remember the commandments given by the Lord..." (3.3) "And if by chance someone who had been a follwer of the elders should come my way, I inquired..." (3.4) Eusebius comments "The same writer has recorded other accounts as having come to him from unwritten tradition..." (3.11)
And don't forget Papias's historical location in the early second century (and probably late first century). Papias would have had contact with people like Philip and Philip's daughters (3.9) who would have known apostles, not to mention others like Polycarp who were born during the late apostolic age.
We should also remembered that ancients in general preferred oral messages to written documents as long as the transmitter of the message was trustworthy. This, of course, is the opposite of our modern sensibilities. If the ancients could protest our modern thoughts on this they might say: "But someone can forge a document!"
Ryan Jul. 30, 2012 at 2:32 PM
Good points! And who wouldn't like to hear eyewitness testimony, as well as read it? I may be a little over concerned, given some of the theories of the composition of the gospels I've worked with, too. Thank you for your work in these posts! Very edifying!
Jon Nov. 14, 2012 at 12:53 PM
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http://www.logos.com/product/27506/classic-studies-on-the-apostolic-fathers