First Christian Voices: Practices of the Apostolic Fathers

Introduction

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about the rebuilding of a temple in Jerusalem during the reign of Hadrian (AD 117–138). 6 The Shepherd of Hermas also can claim no apostolic authority. Nevertheless, it was one of the most popular early Christian non-canonical writings. I tend to think of it as the Left Behind or This Present Darkness book of the second century—popular yet fictitious. This volume is divided into different topics important for today. I wanted a way for us to think about how the Apostolic Fathers could connect with issues we are wrestling with in our own faith communities—issues like church division, leadership, Jesus’ identity, and others. So, each chapter includes selections of the Apostolic Fathers that seemed most relevant to the subject. Even so, by the end of this book you will have read most of the writings of the Apostolic Fathers. For the most part, all that you are missing from the writings are the greetings and salutations. The Concerns of the Apostolic Fathers There are three primary concerns shared in the Apostolic Fathers. First, the authors wanted to be certain that their audiences understood clearly who Jesus is. Heresy was an existential threat to the early church and to combat it demanded a proper doctrine about Jesus Christ (see Tables 1 & 2). Especially in Ignatius, the authors expected Christians to study and learn about Jesus ( To the Magnesians 6). This should not be understood in any modern sense of study as the Roman Empire was predominately illiterate.

6 By the way, the temple turns out to be dedicated to Jupiter yet Hadrian fooled the Jews into helping reconstruct it.