APOSTOLIC FATHERS. Fathers of the Christian Church who lived in the period succeeding that of the Apostles. Their writings are commonly called patristic. The following are some of them : (1) The Epistle of Barnabas. Not written by Barnabas. Paul's fellow traveller, however. It was probably composed between A.D. 70 and 137. The language is sometimes mystical. (2) The Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians. Written by Clement of Rome to the Church of Corinth. (3) The Second Letter of Clement to the Corinthians. The real author is unknown. It is part of an ancient homily belonging perhaps to the middle of the second century.
(4) The Epistles of Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch. Seven letters of which there is a longer and shorter form. In their shorter and purer form they belong to the early part of the second century A.D. " The Catholic Church " is spoken of for the first time. (5) The Epistle of Poly carp, Bishop of Smyrna. A letter addressed to the Church of God at Philippi. It was probably written
between A.D. 107 and 155. (6) The Martyrdom of St.
Polycarp. Written soon after Po]ycarp's death (A.D.
155). (7) Pa•pias' Treatise on the Words of the Lord.
Only fragments have been preserved. Written A.D. 130. (S) The Epistle to Diognetns. The author is unknown, but it probably belongs to the second century A.D. It describes the manners of the early Christians. (9) The Pastor or Shepherd of Hermes. The work, which is allegorical, consists of Visions, Commandments, and Similitudes. It is referred to by Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria. If the Hermas was the brother of Pope Pius (so Muratori), the work is to be dated between A.D. 140 and 156. See Lightfoot's editions of Clement (1869; new ed. 1890), Ignatius (1S85), and Polycarp (1889); Funk's edition of the Apostolic Fathers; Prot. Diet.; Oath. Diet.; H. B. Swete, Patristic Study, 1902.