The Apostolic Fathers

A Narrative Introduction

Kenneth Berding

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN:
  9781532616921
  9781498240970
• eBook ISBN:
  9781498240963
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

Who were the Apostolic Fathers? What did they care about? Why did they write what they wrote? The Apostolic Fathers: A Narrative Introduction is the most engaging introduction to Apostolic Fathers you will ever read. Imagine what it would be like to ask Polycarp about the documents that were composed during his lifetime. You don't have to imagine any longer. Situated during the final week of Polycarp's life, these fictional dialogues will introduce you to the earliest Christian documents after the time of the apostles. You will come to know Clement, Ignatius, Hermas, Papias, and others. Freshly translated excerpts from the writings themselves are included after each chapter.

Chapter 1

The Period of the Apostolic Fathers

Monday Morning

“Good morning, Tavia. I hope you slept well.”

“Good morning, Polycarp. Would you like some breakfast?”

“Thank you, if it isn’t too difficult for you.”

“It’s already prepared. The others are waiting in the courtyard.”

Polycarp shuffled toward a shaded courtyard enclosed by walls on all sides. “Good morning, precious friends.”

“Good morning, Polycarp,” replied a slightly balding man. Bourrus, who had known Polycarp for almost four decades, added, “But please, Polycarp, speak quietly. No one can know you’re here.”

“Yes, of course. I will try. But you know, I’ve been preaching for so long—and when you factor in my hearing–loss—I’m afraid that you may have to remind me once in a while.”

“Did you get any sleep?” queried Rufina, wife of Bourrus and co–owner of the house where the five were hiding.

“Yes, I slept well enough, thank you, Rufina, although . . . I think I may have some bruises on my back side from our middle–of–the–night journey out of Smyrna!”

“A midnight journey really was necessary.” Artemidorus, Polycarp’s broad–shouldered young assistant and self–appointed bodyguard spoke up. “We were concerned that we might be followed if we traveled during the day. It was fortunate that the clouds mostly hid the moon, but it also made it difficult to avoid the dips in the road. I wish we could have brought you out on something more comfortable than a donkey.”

“It’s not a problem, really,” Polycarp replied. “I’m thankful for how well all of you have taken care of me.”

“We’re glad to do so,” replied the deaconess Tavia. Tavia was in her early thirties and known for her interest in Christian doctrine and the way she graciously served others. She also was the only person in the group who knew how to cook. “But we have to be careful. It’s one thing to get you here without being seen; it’s quite another to keep the neighbors from finding out about you, even if the closest farm house is some distance down the road.”

“I’m ready to die for Christ.”

“Yes, we know,” replied Artemidorus, “But you agreed to let us bring you out to this country house, at least until things calm down in the city. And, please, can you. . . . ”

“I’ll try to keep my voice down.”

“Thank you.”

“Brother Polycarp,” inquired Bourrus. “The four of us have been talking—and we would like to ask a favor of you.”

“Yes, of course. Whatever I can do . . . You’ve already done so much for me.”

“We know that your plan while you’re here is to spend a lot of time in prayer for the Christians in Smyrna and for the churches around the world, but we were wondering whether you might be gracious enough to allow us to use some of our morning and evening meals to hear your memories from the past and learn some of what you have acquired over the years about the church of Jesus Christ throughout the world.”

“I’m not dead yet!”

“No, of course not, dear Polycarp,” interjected the middle–aged Rufina, “but since you have lived so much longer than the rest of us, we were hoping to glean whatever wisdom you might choose to impart to us from your long and spiritually rich life.”

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; that’s a good place to start. And, yes, I am old—that I’ll grant—and I can’t move fast anymore. But that’s why turtles live so long—because they move so slowly!” Polycarp chuckled at his analogy.

“So you’re willing to share some of your memories with us?” Tavia asked eagerly.

“I’d be glad to encourage you in any way I can. If talking about the past is a way to accomplish that, then I am eager to share what I know. There is nothing I’d enjoy more than conversing about the things God has done in his church while I break bread with four treasured friends. Since this appears to be our plan, where shall we begin?”

Bourrus—the oldest member of the group–of–four appointed by the church of Smyrna to look after Polycarp, and an elder of that church—spoke for all. “Would you mind sharing with us your greatest joys—as well as some of the difficulties you’ve encountered—during your many years serving Christ?”

“My greatest joy . . . ” Polycarp paused momentarily to reflect, “ . . . is that I was introduced to the good news in my youth by apostles and other disciples who had known Jesus. The godly examples, faithful transmission of the message, and courageous deaths of many of those early followers of Jesus have been a constant reminder to me of the calling I received from Jesus Christ my Savior. I still cannot get over how much grace has been bestowed on me by my Lord.

“Probably my second greatest joy has been to observe the miracle of the spread of the gospel of Christ to so many regions during my lifetime. When I was young there were only a few, and—with occasional exceptions—mostly small communities of disciples connected to such cities as Jerusalem, Antioch, Corinth, Rome, and, of course, some of the cities of our own province of Asia. But as you know, Christians these days who pass through Smyrna keep bringing reports of new communities springing up—almost every day, it seems—in such places as Alexandria, Carthage, Gaul, and Spain. What gives me joy? Knowing that Jesus Christ is being proclaimed—in this I rejoice, as the blessed Paul wrote. And I will rejoice!”

Rufina started to speak, paused, and then gently probed, “But you also have experienced many heartaches and difficulties during your lifetime, have you not, Polycarp?”

“Indeed I have.” Polycarp grew somber. The Christians who have suffered for their faithful testimony remind me of the cost of following Christ. There were dreadful torments in Rome during Nero’s reign of terror—although I did not live through them I have heard many stories—and various regional persecutions, including the loss of life of eleven of our own from Smyrna and Philadelphia. How much I miss Germanicus . . . and the others! But I remember the words of our Lord when he said, ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of God.’

“I also feel a deep sadness for how few Jewish brothers and sisters there are in our midst anymore. We are all part of one body, but these days the increasing numbers of Gentiles in our churches have almost displaced the Jewish influence. When I was young, some house churches were, of course, entirely Jewish—or for that matter, entirely another ethnicity—but I still remember how many groups were thoroughly integrated. That afforded many challenges, and no shortage of tensions, but I still remember those days fondly and grieve our loss of fellowship. We still combine our various ethnicities as one body in Christ, but there are now so few Jews who accept Jesus as Messiah that it feels as though we’ve lost an arm or a leg. More challenging yet is that the handful of Jewish brothers and sisters among us are no longer permitted access to their synagogues. The gap between Christian society and ethnic Israel seems almost too wide to bridge anymore. It wasn’t always that way.”

Bourrus interjected, “It doesn’t help that the Jewish community in Smyrna is unhappy with our Christian groups.”

“I know . . . and that grieves me deeply. To further confuse matters is the existence of Jewish groups who claim to follow Jesus, but who hold views distinct from Christians and Jews alike. Doubtless the Jewish community in Smyrna has heard about such groups, even though the poor–ones are mostly found in or near Palestine.”

“The poor–ones? I’ve never heard of them,” said Artemidorus.

“They refer to themselves this way, perhaps because Jesus taught that the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are poor. Actually, I don’t really know why they are called poor–ones. They claim to believe in Jesus like we do, but they deny his divinity. They assert that Jesus was born human through the natural and physical union of Joseph and Mary. They think that Jesus was declared to be Messiah by God because he was righteous and followed the Law so well. So they press for the observance of traditions. They also dislike the writings of the Apostle Paul; they think he was an imposter.”

“That must be confusing to the Jewish community. But the poor ones haven’t been among your primary adversaries, have they, Polycarp?” Bourrus asked leadingly.

“No they haven’t. Since you asked it, Bourrus, who do you think my most trying opponents have been?” Polycarp looked over at the one–time traveling companion and scribe of Ignatius and his own long–time protégé with respect and gratefulness.

“I’d be astonished if you didn’t bring up the ‘knowing–ones.’ Am I right?”

“Indeed you are.”

When Bourrus mentioned the knowing–ones, Polycarp glanced in the direction of Rufina, who blushed slightly. “Yes, many have been attracted by the promise of higher knowledge. Since the creation of humans, the desire to be in the know has been too powerful for many to resist.”

Rufina decided to enter the conversation, despite her history. “The appeal of higher knowledge is strong. There is a feeling of power in secret understanding, and a sense of belonging when you’re one of the special ones who know.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” exclaimed Artemidorus. The others smiled at his quip. “Can someone please tell me what you’re talking about?”

Rufina replied, “Apparently you haven’t heard that about twelve years ago—despite having been a Christian already for a long time—I got caught up for most of a year with some professing Christians who were promoting the teaching of Valentinus.”

“Oh . . . I didn’t know you were . . . ”

“Bourrus and I argued a lot that year.” She glanced over at her husband who nodded in agreement. “I was told by people who claimed to be Christians that the highest God had placed a spark of the divine in me and that he wanted to redeem me from this evil world. The Creator of our world, on the other hand—an emanation of an emanation of an emanation of the highest God, that is, a different God altogether—eithe...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Prologue
• Chapter 1: The Period of the Apostolic Fathers
• Chapter 2: First Clement
• Chapter 3: The Letters of Ignatius
• Chapter 4: Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians
• Chapter 5: The Didache
• Chapter 6: Papias
• Chapter 7: The Shepherd of Hermas
• Chapter 8: The Letter of Barnabas
• Chapter 9: Second Clement
• Chapter 10: To Diognetus
• Chapter 11: The Martyrdom of Polycarp
• Historical and Literary Notes
• Next Steps
• Questions for Review
• Thanks
• Other Writings by the Author on Polycarp and the Apostolic Fathers