EPISTLES OF THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS.
Under this head come those remains of Chris tian antiquity which are ascribed to the writers usually styled the Apostolic Fathers, from the cir cumstance that they were converted to the Chris tian faith during the lifetime and probably by the instrumentality of the Apostles. One of these is said to have been written by Barnabas. (See BARNABAS, EPISTLE OF.) (1) Clement or Clemens Romanus. It will probably be generally admitted that no production of the early church approaches so near the apostolic writings, in the union of devout feeling with justness and sobriety of thought, as that de nominated the 'First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians' but addressed in the name of 'the Church, sojourning at Rome rapotsacra 'Pdpunv) to the Church of God sojourning at Corinth.
The main object of this Epistle was to allay the dissensions which had arisen in the Corinthian church, and especially to repress the unruly spirit shown by many against their teachers. It is worthy of notice that Clement uniformly speaks of the opposition of the Corinthians against their presbyters, never of their insubordination to their bishop.
In Clement's Epistle only one book of the New Testament is expressly named, Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians ; but though the Evangelists are not named, several sayings of Christ con tained in our Gospels are repeated. There are also evident allusions to the Acts, all the Pauline Epistles (1 Thessalonians excepted), the Epistles of Peter and James, and the Epistle to the He brews. A tabular view of these passages is given by Dr. Lardner (Credibility of the Gospel His tory, pt. ii. ch. ii.; Works, vol. ii. pp. 35-53). Eu sebius, speaking of Clement's Epistle, says, 'He has inserted in it many sentiments taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews, and sometimes makes use of the identical expressions, from which it is evident that that composition is not a recent one. . . . Paul having addressed the Hebrews in their native language, some say that the Evan gelist Luke, and others that this very Clement. translated the document; an opinion which is supported by the fact that the Epistle of Clement and that to the Hebrews are marked by the same peculiarities of style, and in both compositions the sentiments are not unlike.' (Hist. Eccles. iii :38,
ed. Valessii, 1672, p. t ro.) As to the date of this epistle it has been fixed by Grabe, Galland, Wotton, and Hefele about the year 68; but Cotelerius, Tillemont, and Lard ner think that it was written at the close of the Diocletian Persecution in 96 or 97.
The following works have also been attributed to Clement, but, as they are unquestionably sup posititious, we shall merely gives their titles. (t) The Apostolic Constitutions, in eight books. (2) The Apostolic Canons. (3) The Recognitions of Clement. (4) The Clementine. They are all printed in the Patres Apostalici of Cotelerius, vol. i. (14losheim's Commentaries, translated by Vi dal, vol. i. pp. 27o-274).
(2) Ignatius. According to Eusebius (Hist. Eccles. iii. 36) and Origen (Hom. vi. in Luc.; Opera, ed. Lommatzsch, v. ro4), the second bishop, or, according to Jerome (De l'ir. Illustr, xvi.), the third bishop of Antioch in Syria. Fif teen epistles bear his name. Three of these (one addressed to the Virgin Mary, the other two to St. John) are preserved only in a Latin version. The rest are extant in Greek and in an ancient Latin version, and are addressed to Mary of Cassabolis or Neapolis, to Hero, to the churches at Tarsus, Antioch, Philippi, Ephesus, Magnesia, Trallium, Rome, Philadelphia, Smyrna, and to Polycarp. The first eight are unanimously al lowed to be spurious. Of the remaining seven (which were written on his journey from Antioch to Rome, where he suffered martyrdom by ex posure to wild beasts), there are two recensions, one longer, the other shorter.
(3) Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians. Ire nNus, in a letter to Florinus the Valentinian, pre served in part by Eusebius (Hist. Eccles. v. 2o), gives an interesting account of his early recollec tions of Polycarp, and refers to the epistles which he sent to the neighboring churches. Only one, however, has been preserved; it was addressed to the Philippians, and in Jerome's time was pub licly read in the assembly of Asia.
(4) Shepherd of Hermas. (See HERMAS.) J. E. R.