Last week I looked at what happened to the 12 Apostles, but what happened after the apostles? To be honest, my initial studies in church history did not directly answer this question, as they  focused more on the Reformation and what happened in the 1500’s in Europe. We need to remember that a lot occurred between the Apostolic Age and the Reformation. In this post I want to focus on some of the leaders and thinkers that have been called the “Apostolic Fathers.”

What Does It Mean to be an Apostolic Father?

When I first heard about “Apostolic Fathers,” I thought they must be the fathers of the 12 apostles — so guys like Zebedee who was the father of James and John. While we know the names of some of the apostles’ fathers (as it was common to be called “son of _____” in that time), these guys are not the Apostolic Fathers. Rather, the Apostolic Fathers are the generation that lived immediately after the events described in the book of Acts; they are the successors, not the predecessors, of the apostles. The term “Apostolic Fathers” to describe these figures seems to be a development in the late 17th century when a number of these writings started to be grouped together and even translated into English. This term arose because early church leaders and thinkers were often called “Church Fathers,” and these are the Church Fathers who lived and wrote in what one might call the “apostolic” times, as many of these individuals had direct contact or were discipled by the 12 apostles. Thus, they are the “Apostolic Fathers.”

Their writings are not part of the New Testament, but are similar to the writings found in the New Testament in the language they used (Greek) and the fact that they were not writing academic, theological treatise, but rather letters and documents for other believers while the church was living in a time of persecution and opposition. While not Scripture, the writings have often been revered and valued by Christians since they give us insights into the life, practice, and beliefs of the early church (our family history). They also seek to teach and explain our faith; what they say is not authoritative (as the Bible is our only authority for faith and practice), but it is wise to listen to their teachings and potentially be challenged by them since they stand so close to the life of Jesus and his apostles. 

Who Were Some Apostolic Fathers?

Having talked about the Apostolic Fathers as a group, let us now examine some of these figures individually. I’ll highlight three of the most important and best known ones.

Clement of Rome

Clement of Rome died in 95 AD. He served as the bishop of Rome and is known in part through his writing of a letter called 1 Clement — there are other writings that were believed to have come from him, including something called 2 Clement, but 1 Clement is the only one that seems to truly be from him. This letter was to the church in Corinth (yes, the same city to which Paul wrote letters), and is quite lengthy (65 chapters). In it, he quotes and refers to what we call the Old Testament, and he also cites from a number of New Testament writings (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Hebrews, writings of Paul), showing that the early church had these writings and viewed them as authoritative. He discusses the deaths of Peter and Paul (it is likely he knew these two figures from his time in Rome). The occasion for the letter is the mistreatment of leaders by the Corinthians, as it seems that some had been removed from their offices even though they had not engaged in immorality. In calling for them to be restored to their offices, the letter discusses the authority of church leaders and the offices of bishop/presbyter (elder) and deacon. 

Ignatius of Antioch

We know more about Ignatius, who served as the bishop of Antioch and died around 117 AD. He wrote letters as he traveled on the way to his execution in Rome, with six of these letters to churches (the Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, Romans, Philadelphians, and Smyreans) and one to an individual (Polycarp). Some of the churches he wrote to also received letters from Paul or in the Book of Revelation, and we will see more about Polycarp in a moment. Interestingly, Ignatius of Antioch mentions some figures from the New Testament, such as Onesmius (see the New Testament book of Philemon) and Paul. In his letters you see someone who is not afraid to die for his faith and also one who seeks to preserve the unity of the church. He calls on Christians to keep praying and live holy lives and to avoid falling away from the faith, whether in the form of legalism found in following the Jewish law or other systems  (such as Gnosticism). While he also discusses church leaders and structure, it seems that his view of elder and bishop is a little different from that seen in Clement, showing diversity of thought and practice among the Apostolic Fathers and early church.

Polycarp of Smyrna

It has been noted that we might know the most about Polycarp, as Ignatius wrote him a letter, we have a letter written by him (to the Philippians, and there is an account of his martyrdom. He was discipled by the Apostle John and served as Bishop of Smyrna for almost 50 years and died in 155 AD as a martyr who clung to his faith until the end. His letter to the Philippians has some similarities to 1 Clement as he also deals with problems in the early church and used New Testament writings as part of his argument as he quotes in an authoritative manner from writing such as Acts, 1 Peter, Matthew, Luke, Mark, 1 Corinthians, and 1 John. Polycarp also shows the growth of Christianity and how the faith is passed on to the next generation, as his student named Irenaeus becomes a leading Christian thinker in the years that follow. He has inspired countless other Christians through his words and faithful example.

But Wait…There’s More

I feel like the writer of Hebrews when I say that time would fail me to tell of the Epistle of Barnabas, the Shepherd of Hermas, the Letter to Diognetus, the Didache, and other early Christian writings (many with unknown authors) that also teach about the faith and give us windows into what was going on in the lives and communities of our fathers and mothers in the faith. If your interest is piqued there, I would encourage you to track down more of these figures and writings.

Things to Take Away From These Fathers

In highlighting those three Apostolic Fathers and touching on the fact that there are many notable writings in the first and second century, I hope I have shown that we have a much richer heritage as Christians than we might realize. It is not just from the Apostles to us or even the Reformers to us, but there has been a church through the ages that has sought to follow Christ in the midst of an unbelieving world. These figures show us that there is no such thing as a perfect church, and many of them wrestle with the same issues concerning unity and purity of conduct. This continues to this day. We need leaders and teachers to point us back to our faith and help us follow Jesus even when it is not easy. In fact, the martyrdoms of figures like Ignatius and Polycarp should remind us that we should not expect our lives as followers of Jesus to be comfortable, but we do have a God who will always be faithful.

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