First Christian Voices: Practices of the Apostolic Fathers

Introduction

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our faith, but also examples of how the disciples of the apostles continued the work of Jesus Christ. However, we face challenges in sorting through the various issues presented in these ancient Christian works. So, how do we decide which sources to use in order to faithfully express the practices of the ancient church? At some level, this seems like an easy question to answer. Yet, when we take into consideration that the writings of Christians in the late first and second centuries are limited and disputed, it makes the decision all the more challenging. So, how do we get to the genuine practices of the ancient church, those practices which express the historic Christian faith passed down from the apostles? Some sources seem clear enough. One of the early letters often identified as 1 Clement is perhaps the most obvious choice, as are the letters of Ignatius, Polycarp, as well as the fragments of Papias. Clement is often associated with Paul (Phil 4:3) and Ignatius was the bishop of the famed church in Antioch which sent Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:1–3). It is safe to assume that Ignatius knew some of the apostles since he was in that important city. He likely came in contact with Luke, Matthew, Mark, Barnabas, and perhaps even Paul. The legend that he was the child who crawled into Jesus’ lap is an embellishment of Mark 10:13–16. Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna, one of the seven churches mentioned in the New Testament book of Revelation, and was a hearer of the Apostle John along with Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, who might have been John’s amanuensis. 2

2 Amanuensis – Similar to a secretary, one who wrote as another spoke. For example, Papias may have written the book of Revelation while John told him what to write.