First Christian Voices: Practices of the Apostolic Fathers

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First Christian Voices

Among the Apostolic Fathers, the word translated “carefully study” is only used by Polycarp and the writers of 1 Clement (40, 45, 53) in early Christian literature. The Greek word is egkypto , an instructive word derived from the prefix eg meaning “into” and kypto meaning “to bend.” In a vernacular cliché, we might translate it as “to lean into.” However, the Greek holds the meaning to examine carefully so as to gain an insight. Even so, you will certainly note the many references to the study of Scripture in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers. In Polycarp’s reference to egkypto , the “careful study” of Paul’s letters took place in community rather than in isolation. “Careful study” was as much about proper teaching as about the worship of Christ as God and the engagement of the neighbor. Faith, hope, and love, according to Polycarp, were the natural products—a beautiful result of theological education. Indeed, as Larry Hurtado points out, Christianity is distinct from other religions in its study of sacred texts. 1 Even in a predominately illiterate Roman society, Christians gathered to hear the Scripture read and then corporately discussed its content and implications—how it is lived out in the community. Early Christian history testifies that theological education played an important role in the continuing establishment of a better religion and philosophy in the Roman Empire. So, reading the Apostolic Fathers will show us the importance of the study of Scripture for the growing Christian movement.

1 Larry Hurtado, Destroyer of the Gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World , repr. ed. (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2017).