*Clement of Rome (wrote c. 68 to 99 AD; lived 35-99 AD; knew the apostles Peter and Paul and was appointed as an elder at Rome by the apostle Peter, as Tertullian tells us was recorded in the church's archives there in his Prescription Against Heretics, chapter 32. (Scroll down to "QUOTE" below for the relevant section of chapter 32.) See an article on Clement followed by extensive resources at EarlyChurch.org.uk. For serious scholarly study of Clement, see this edition of Lightfoot's Apostolic Fathers. Also see Clement and the Early Church of Rome: On the Dating of Clement's First Epistle to the Corinthians by Thomas J. Herron for an able defense of a pre-70 AD dating of 1 Clement.
*Ignatius, bishop of Antioch (lived 35 to c. 110 AD; wrote on the way to his martyrdom c. 110 AD) was also a disciple of the apostle John and knew Polycarp. He also knew other apostles, and there is strong tradition that he was appointed as bishop of Antioch by apostles (one tradition says by Peter). See an article on Ignatius followed by extensive resources at EarlyChurch.org.uk. Also, see this excellent article at New Advent. For serious scholarly study of Ignatius, see this edition of Lightfoot's Apostolic Fathers.
*Papias, bishop of Hierapolis (wrote c.110-125 AD; lived c. 60-130 AD). He was a friend of Polycarp (below). He not only knew at least two firsthand eyewitnesses to Jesus (the apostle John and another disciple named Aristion), he also interviewed many others who knew other apostles and disciples of Jesus. From these, he gathered enough eyewitness testimony to fill five volumes! This 5-volume work was entitled The Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord (Fragment 3, Eusebius' Church History 3.39.1).Furthermore, he provides historical confirmation of Jesus' miracles: "As for those who were raised from the dead by Christ, he states that they survived until the time of Hadrian" (Fragment 5, Philip of Side's 5th Century Church History). See my blog article on Papias.
*Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (69-155 AD) was a disciple of the apostle John, as Tertullian tells us was recorded in the church's archives there in his Prescription Against Heretics, chapter 32. (Scroll down to "QUOTE" below for the relevant section of chapter 32.) Irenaeus mentions Polycarp in Against Heresies, Book 3.3.4: "But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna, whom I also saw in my early youth, for he tarried [on earth] a very long time, and, when a very old man, gloriously and most nobly suffering martyrdom, departed this life, having always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true." For more, see an article on Polycarp followed by extensive resources at EarlyChurch.org.uk. For serious scholarly study of Polycarp, see this edition of Lightfoot's Apostolic Fathers. See also The Martyrdom of Polycarp, written c.156-160 AD.
To understand the importance of the apostolic fathers, it is important to understand who the apostles themselves were. The apostles were those whom Jesus appointed to be witnesses to his life, teaching, miracles, death, and most importantly his resurrection (cf Acts 1:21-22). They are also those whom he sent out with the authority to speak in his behalf. They are therefore the only ones with the authority to write or confirm writings claiming to speak in Christ's behalf, that is Scripture (cf Luke 10:16; John 14:25-26; 16:12-15; Matthew 28:18-20; etc.).
So the writings of the apostolic fathers serve as important witnesses to the provenance of the New Testament, assuring its authenticity and canonicity. A summary of the evidence found in the writings of the apostolic fathers is: (1) Ephesians, James, & 2 Peter are called "Scripture" (γραφή). Matthew is cited with the Scriptural formula "It is written" (γέγραπται) in the Epistle of Barnabas. And The Didache applies Deuteronomy 4:2 to the Gospels. (2) They cited all 27 books of the New Testament canon, except Titus, Philemon, 2 & 3 John, and Jude. (3) Of the books not quoted from, they allude to all but perhaps Philemon, 2 & 3 John (though allusions are suggested). (4) They confirm the authorship and authenticity of Matthew, Mark, 1 & 2 Timothy, and Revelation. And (5) they do not quote from any of the apocryphal/gnostic writings that are so often suggested to have been candidates for the early canon.
They also serve as secondary evidence to Jesus' historicity. Yet another important role that they play is in recording the martyrdom and persecution of the church during the time of the apostles and the period immediately following their deaths.
Finally, during their lifetimes, they served as guardians of the truth--as those who had heard the Gospel directly from the apostles themselves. As Hegesippus writes:
... Up to that period the Church had remained like a virgin pure and uncorrupted: for, if there were any persons who were disposed to tamper with the wholesome rule of the preaching of salvation, they still lurked in some dark place of concealment or other. But, when the sacred band of apostles had in various ways closed their lives, and that generation of men to whom it had been vouchsafed to listen to the Godlike Wisdom with their own ears had passed away, then did the confederacy of godless error take its rise through the treachery of false teachers, who, seeing that none of the apostles any longer survived, at length attempted with bare and uplifted head to oppose the preaching of the truth by preaching "knowledge falsely so called."
[Written c.174-190; and preserved in Eusebius' Church History, 4.22)
QUOTE
*FROM Tertullian's Prescription Against Heretics, Chapter 32 (c.200AD):
"But if there be any (heresies) which are bold enough to plant themselves in the midst of the apostolic age, that they may thereby seem to have been handed down by the apostles, because they existed in the time of the apostles, we can say: Let them produce the original records of their churches; let them unfold the roll of their bishops, running down in due succession from the beginning in such a manner that [that first bishop of theirs ] bishop shall be able to show for his ordainer and predecessor some one of the apostles or of apostolic men, — a man, moreover, who continued steadfast with the apostles. For this is the manner in which the apostolic churches transmit their registers: as the church of Smyrna, which records that Polycarp was placed therein by John; as also the church of Rome, which makes Clement to have been ordained in like manner by Peter. In exactly the same way the other churches likewise exhibit (their several worthies), whom, as having been appointed to their episcopal places by apostles, they regard as transmitters of the apostolic seed."
English Translations and Introductions
*Lightfoot, Joseph Barber and J.R. Harmer. Edited by Michael W. Holmes. The Apostolic Fathers (2nd Edition). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989. A standard collection of the writings of the apostolic fathers with introductions and commentary. An older edition of this work is in the public domain and is available for FREE! many places. You can find both the text and MP3 audio files FREE! to download here (click on the book icon next to the title you want). Also available FREE! in ebook here. It may be read online or downloaded as a PDF. A nice online version is also available FREE here.
*Early Christian Writings: This website hosts translations and introductions for a nearly comprehensive collection of the writings of the early church from the time of the New Testament until 380AD. FREE!
*Patrology (Vol. 1 of 4) by Johannes Quasten. A standard work on the early church fathers available online for FREE! here.
*Hastings, James. Dictionary of the Apostolic Church. Volume 1. Volume 2. FREE!
*Links to writings of the Church Fathers "not included in the 38 volume collection of Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers" (listed in chronological order) by Roger Pearse at Tertullian.org. FREE!
*The Apostolic Fathers and The Apologists of The Second Century (Early Christian Literature Primers) by George A. Jackson. FREE here. I highly recommend this work as a great place to get started and oriented to the writings of the apostolic fathers and those who immediately followed them.
*The Rise of Christianity by W.H.C. Frend
Resources for the Greek Texts
*Holmes, Michael W. The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations. An extensive topical selected bibliography is given at the front of this volume that can be viewed using the "Look Inside" preview at the left of its Amazon's page.
*Migne, Jacques Paul. Patrologiae Cursus Completus. Series Graeca. (1857). There are 161 volumes in this set and you can find them listed here. FREE!
*Index Patristicus: Clavis Patrum Apostolicorum Operum by Edgar J. Goodspeed. FREE at Internet Archive. "In this important reference work, edited by Goodspeed, several scholars have indexed the Greek and Latin words from early works of the Church, including 1 Clement, 2 Clement, Epistle of Barnabas, Papias, Epistle to Diognetus, Letters of Ignatius, Letter of Polycarp to Philip, Martyrdom of Polycarp, Shepherd of Hermas, and Didache."
*A Reader's Lexicon of the Apostolic Fathers edited by Daniel B. Wallace, Brittany Burnette, and Terri Darby Moore
*A Greek Reader’s Apostolic Fathers by Alan S. Bandy
*A Patristic Greek Lexicon by G. W. H. Lampe. FREE at Internet Archive.
*Charteris, A.H. Canonicity: A Collection of Early Testimonies to the Canonical Books of the New Testament (Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1880).
*Lake, Kirsopp. Apostolic Fathers (Loeb Classical Library). FREE!
*Lardner, Nathaniel. The Works of Nathaniel Lardner. (London: William Ball, 1838). Individual volumes may be downloaded. FREE!
*Lightfoot, Joseph Barber. The Apostolic Fathers. (London: Macmillan and Company, 1898). FREE! Also FREE here.
Resources for Latin Texts
*Migne, Jacques Paul. Patrologiae Cursus Completus. Series Latina. (1844). FREE!
The Apostolic Fathers' Use of the New Testament
*Index of Biblical Quotations and Allusions in Early Christian Literature. FREE!
*e-Catena: Allusions to the New Testament in the Ante-Nicene Fathers. FREE!
*The New Testament in the Apostolic Fathers, 1905, by a Committee of the Oxford Society of Historical Theology. FREE! This is a very technical book and requires significant knowledge of New Testament Greek.
Resources for the Greek Texts
*Holmes, Michael W. The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations. An extensive topical selected bibliography is given at the front of this volume that can be viewed using the "Look Inside" preview at the left of its Amazon's page.
*Migne, Jacques Paul. Patrologiae Cursus Completus. Series Graeca. (1857). There are 161 volumes in this set and you can find them listed here. FREE!
*Index Patristicus: Clavis Patrum Apostolicorum Operum by Edgar J. Goodspeed. FREE at Internet Archive. "In this important reference work, edited by Goodspeed, several scholars have indexed the Greek and Latin words from early works of the Church, including 1 Clement, 2 Clement, Epistle of Barnabas, Papias, Epistle to Diognetus, Letters of Ignatius, Letter of Polycarp to Philip, Martyrdom of Polycarp, Shepherd of Hermas, and Didache."
*A Reader's Lexicon of the Apostolic Fathers edited by Daniel B. Wallace, Brittany Burnette, and Terri Darby Moore
*A Greek Reader’s Apostolic Fathers by Alan S. Bandy
*A Patristic Greek Lexicon by G. W. H. Lampe. FREE at Internet Archive.
*Charteris, A.H. Canonicity: A Collection of Early Testimonies to the Canonical Books of the New Testament (Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1880).
*Lake, Kirsopp. Apostolic Fathers (Loeb Classical Library). FREE!
*Lardner, Nathaniel. The Works of Nathaniel Lardner. (London: William Ball, 1838). Individual volumes may be downloaded. FREE!
*Lightfoot, Joseph Barber. The Apostolic Fathers. (London: Macmillan and Company, 1898). FREE! Also FREE here.
Resources for Latin Texts
*Migne, Jacques Paul. Patrologiae Cursus Completus. Series Latina. (1844). FREE!
The Apostolic Fathers' Use of the New Testament
*Index of Biblical Quotations and Allusions in Early Christian Literature. FREE!
*e-Catena: Allusions to the New Testament in the Ante-Nicene Fathers. FREE!
*The New Testament in the Apostolic Fathers, 1905, by a Committee of the Oxford Society of Historical Theology. FREE! This is a very technical book and requires significant knowledge of New Testament Greek.
*The Apostolic Fathers and the New Testament by Clayton N. Jefford
The Martyrdoms of the Apostolic Fathers
*"The Intense Persecution Of The Early Church: An Odd View? (so Says Bart Ehrman)" by Brad Cooper
*Cave, William. Apostolici : or the history of the lives, acts, death and martyrdoms of those who were contemporary with, or immediately succeeded the Apostles : as also the most eminent of the Primitive Fathers for the first three hundred years to which is added, a chronology of the three first ages of the church. (1682)
*Water, Mark. The New Encyclopedia of Christian Martyrs
Misc. Resources
*A nice timeline of the Church Fathers 50-750 A.D. FREE!
Articles
The Martyrdoms of the Apostolic Fathers
*"The Intense Persecution Of The Early Church: An Odd View? (so Says Bart Ehrman)" by Brad Cooper
*Cave, William. Apostolici : or the history of the lives, acts, death and martyrdoms of those who were contemporary with, or immediately succeeded the Apostles : as also the most eminent of the Primitive Fathers for the first three hundred years to which is added, a chronology of the three first ages of the church. (1682)
*Water, Mark. The New Encyclopedia of Christian Martyrs
Misc. Resources
*A nice timeline of the Church Fathers 50-750 A.D. FREE!
*Topical Index at Patristics
Articles
*Authors of Triablogue: "Skeptical Myths About The Church Fathers." Links to numerous articles by the authors of Triablogue.
*Berding, Kenneth. A blog series on the apostolic fathers:
(1) "How Much Should We Value the Apostolic Fathers?"
(2) "Priceless Quotes from Ignatius of Antioch"
(3) "A Powerful Prayer from Clement of Rome"
(4) "Polycarp of Smyrna Tells Us Who He Thinks Wrote 1 & 2 Timothy"
(5) "Taking Issue With the Angelic Visitations in The Shepherd of Hermas"
(6) "The So-Called Epistle of Barnabas and the Problem of Allegorical Interpretation"
(7) "How Christianity is Distinct in 'To Diognetus'"
*Hurtado, Larry. The "Apostolic Fathers": Renewed Interest and Recent Publications
*Journal of Early Christian Studies. Articles for this journal are FREE!
General Books
*Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church by Michael J. Kruger
*Bercot, David W. A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998. A topical concordance to the writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers (church leaders who lived before the Council of Nicea). It also gives a very concise biographical entry for each early church leader (at the front of the book).
*Ferguson, Everett (editor). Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. New York: Garland Publishing, 1990. A large reference book (983 pages) containing articles on various issues related to the early church until about 600 A.D.
*Maier, Paul L. Eusebius--The Church History: A New Translation with Commentary. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1999. Eusebius is the church's first historian and gives many details about the apostolic fathers that are preserved nowhere else in antiquity. Maier's translation and commentary are quite accessible even for those not thoroughly acquainted with the scholarship.
*Schaff, Phillip. Eusebius' Church History. An older translation of Eusebius which can be dowloaded or read online for FREE! here. Or you can download an MP3 audio version of it for FREE! here.
*Wace, Henry and William C. Piercy (editors). Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1911. Another large reference book (1028 pages) containing articles related to the early church until about 500 A.D. This is an older work and is in the public domain and is available for FREE! here. It may be read online or downloaded as a PDF file.
*Cross, F.L. and E.A. Livingstone. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.
*Benedetto, Robert. The New Westminster Dictionary of Church History, Volume 1: The Early, Medieval and Reformation Eras. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008. 768 pages, nearly 1400 articles.
*Harvey, Susan Ashbrook. The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies.
*Bartlet, J. Vernon. Early Church History: A Sketch of the First Four Centuries, 1984, 160 pages. FREE!
*An Introduction to the Early History of Christian Doctrine, by J.F. Bethune-Baker (London: Methuen, 1903). Also here and here.
RESOURCE PAGES with much more:
*Check out this massive guide at the Lund University Library page.
*OR these excellent Bibliographies for the Study of Early Christianity and Patristic Theology by William Harmless....
*OR this excellent resource on the early church hosting a vast array of articles and books and links to other excellent sites.....
*OR "Apostolic Fathers" and "Early Church Fathers" at Theopedia
*OR this list of links at NT Gateway. A large directory of academic internet resources, though sadly lacking in some of the best evangelical scholarship.
*OR the Digital Book Index list of digitally archived books on the internet in the category: "History: Medieval: Early & Primitive Church History (30-600)"
(1) "How Much Should We Value the Apostolic Fathers?"
(2) "Priceless Quotes from Ignatius of Antioch"
(3) "A Powerful Prayer from Clement of Rome"
(4) "Polycarp of Smyrna Tells Us Who He Thinks Wrote 1 & 2 Timothy"
(5) "Taking Issue With the Angelic Visitations in The Shepherd of Hermas"
(6) "The So-Called Epistle of Barnabas and the Problem of Allegorical Interpretation"
(7) "How Christianity is Distinct in 'To Diognetus'"
*Hurtado, Larry. The "Apostolic Fathers": Renewed Interest and Recent Publications
*Journal of Early Christian Studies. Articles for this journal are FREE!
General Books
*Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church by Michael J. Kruger
*Bercot, David W. A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998. A topical concordance to the writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers (church leaders who lived before the Council of Nicea). It also gives a very concise biographical entry for each early church leader (at the front of the book).
*Ferguson, Everett (editor). Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. New York: Garland Publishing, 1990. A large reference book (983 pages) containing articles on various issues related to the early church until about 600 A.D.
*Maier, Paul L. Eusebius--The Church History: A New Translation with Commentary. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1999. Eusebius is the church's first historian and gives many details about the apostolic fathers that are preserved nowhere else in antiquity. Maier's translation and commentary are quite accessible even for those not thoroughly acquainted with the scholarship.
*Schaff, Phillip. Eusebius' Church History. An older translation of Eusebius which can be dowloaded or read online for FREE! here. Or you can download an MP3 audio version of it for FREE! here.
*Wace, Henry and William C. Piercy (editors). Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1911. Another large reference book (1028 pages) containing articles related to the early church until about 500 A.D. This is an older work and is in the public domain and is available for FREE! here. It may be read online or downloaded as a PDF file.
*Cross, F.L. and E.A. Livingstone. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.
*Benedetto, Robert. The New Westminster Dictionary of Church History, Volume 1: The Early, Medieval and Reformation Eras. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008. 768 pages, nearly 1400 articles.
*Harvey, Susan Ashbrook. The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Studies.
*Bartlet, J. Vernon. Early Church History: A Sketch of the First Four Centuries, 1984, 160 pages. FREE!
*An Introduction to the Early History of Christian Doctrine, by J.F. Bethune-Baker (London: Methuen, 1903). Also here and here.
RESOURCE PAGES with much more:
*Check out this massive guide at the Lund University Library page.
*OR these excellent Bibliographies for the Study of Early Christianity and Patristic Theology by William Harmless....
*OR this excellent resource on the early church hosting a vast array of articles and books and links to other excellent sites.....
*OR "Apostolic Fathers" and "Early Church Fathers" at Theopedia
*OR this list of links at NT Gateway. A large directory of academic internet resources, though sadly lacking in some of the best evangelical scholarship.
*OR the Digital Book Index list of digitally archived books on the internet in the category: "History: Medieval: Early & Primitive Church History (30-600)"
