The Apostolic Fathers in English Read online

  © 1989, 2006 Michael W. Holmes

  Published by Baker Academic

  A division of Baker Publishing Group

  P. O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

  www.bakeracademic.com

  The first edition, published by Baker in 1956 as The Apostolic Fathers and reprinted through 1989, reproduced the English translations by J. B. Lightfoot, as edited and completed by J. R. Harmer, from the diglot published at London by Macmillan and Company in 1891.

  For the second edition, published by Baker in cloth in 1989 and in paper in 1998, Michael W. Holmes extensively revised the Lightfoot-Harmer translation and added introductions and notes.

  This third edition incorporates further revisions to the translation to enhance accuracy, clarity, and conformity to current English usage. These and other enhancements are described in the preface to the third edition.

  Ebook edition created 2012

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  eISBN 978-1-5855-8500-7

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Preface to the Third Edition

  Preface to the Second Edition

  Abbreviations

  Introduction

  Select Bibliography

  First Clement

  Introduction

  Translation

  Second Clement

  Introduction

  Translation

  The Letters of Ignatius

  Introduction

  To the Ephesians

  To the Magnesians

  To the Trallians

  To the Romans

  To the Philadelphians

  To the Smyrnaeans

  To Polycarp

  The Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians

  Introduction

  Translation

  The Martyrdom of Polycarp

  Introduction

  Translation

  The Didache

  Introduction

  Translation

  The Epistle of Barnabas

  Introduction

  Translation

  The Shepherd of Hermas

  Introduction

  Visions

  Commandments

  Parables

  The Epistle to Diognetus

  Introduction

  Translation

  Fragments of Papias

  Introduction

  Fragments of Papias

  Additional Fragments from Irenaeus

  Index of Ancient Sources

  Maps

  Notes

  Preface to the Third Edition

  The first edition of this English translation of the Apostolic Fathers was executed by J. B. Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer, published at London by Macmillan and Company in 1891, and reprinted by Baker Book House in 1956. In the mid-1980s, at the invitation of Baker Book House, I undertook a revision of the Lightfoot-Harmer translation, taking into account both changes in English usage and advances in scholarship while at the same time generally preserving Lightfoot’s and Harmer’s interpretative decisions (to the extent that all significant deviations from Lightfoot-Harmer, both textual and interpretative, were footnoted). The resulting second edition was published in 1989. That same English version was reprinted (with a small number of revisions in addition to typographical corrections here and there) in The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations of Their Writings, 2nd ed., published by Baker Book House in 1992 in hardcover. The “updated edition” of the latter, published in paperback in 1999, again corrected some minor errors, but the English version remained essentially unchanged.

  In 2003, the editors at Baker Academic offered the opportunity to collaborate on a major revision of the English translation. Their intention was partly to improve the design and typography of the volume to render it more “user-friendly” for introductory-level students and general readers. (For example, they wanted to provide running heads with chapter and verse numbers to facilitate quick reference; they suggested adding subheadings within the translations to indicate the content of sections; and they thought the notes could be presented more conveniently.) In addition we believed that the translation itself, well received by reviewers and users, nonetheless could be further improved.

  The result of our collaboration is a thoroughly revised translation. In addition to substantive changes in the translation, various stylistic details such as spelling, punctuation, and capitalization have in general been conformed to current usage as represented in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (though in some cases, special usages in one or more of the texts in this volume seemed to warrant capitalization of terms that are lowercase in the NRSV and other literature). The number of cross-references to scripture has been increased in the third edition. Notes indicating points of textual variation have been simplified; readers who wish to know what particular manuscripts and versions support each variant may consult the textual apparatus in The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations.

  In addition, the new edition pays closer attention than before to the gender of pronouns and to the use of masculine terms such as “brother.” Rather than adding “and sisters” or the like mechanically wherever a form of adelphoi occurs in the Greek, I have attempted to make all such decisions in a context-sensitive manner. Where I judged that by adelphoi the writer was probably referring exclusively to males, the translation reads simply “brothers.” Where I judged that the writer’s intention was inclusive, it reads “brothers and sisters.” Furthermore, there are places where the Greek text reads adelphoi kai adelphai (“brothers and sisters”), or where the translation renders a phrase (rather than the single word adelphoi) as “brothers.” So that readers are not left guessing, wherever the translation reads “brothers and sisters” a note indicates whether the Greek is adelphoi or adelphoi kai adelphai, and if “brothers” represents something other than adelphoi a note so indicates. Readers can therefore know that wherever the translation reads simply “brothers” (with no note attached), the Greek text has adelphoi; in any other circumstance a note will indicate how the Greek text reads. In addition, various strategies were used to avoid inclusive use of masculine pronouns wherever possible. Attentive readers will spot instances here and there where no grammatical and graceful alternative could be found.

  In view of the scope of these changes, it no longer seemed appropriate or necessary to continue to signal in the notes all significant differences in text and interpretation from the Lightfoot-Harmer version. This third edition, then, while genetically descended from the Lightfoot-Harmer translation, is in effect a fresh and comprehensive revision.

  In addition to changes in the translation and notes, I have revised the introductions to the volume and to each writing in the corpus and updated the bibliographies (which, in view of the goals of this edition, are limited to English-language works; works in other languages may be found in the bibliographies in the Greek-English edition).

  A number of obligations have been incurred during the revision process, and I am glad to have this opportunity to acknowledge them. Of the various editors and proofreaders who assisted in the production of this new edition, special thanks must go to Paul Peterson, who read the whole more than once and suggested numerous improvements to the translation and the n
otes, and Dr. James Ernest, editor at Baker Academic and a patristic scholar in his own right, who not only broached the possibility of a revision but subsequently invested a great deal of time and energy in it. Several colleagues generously offered advice, suggestions, or assistance, including Dr. Allen Brent (University of Cambridge), Dr. Paul Foster (University of Edinburgh), Dr. James Rhodes (St. Michael’s College), Dr. Frank Shaw (University of Dayton), Dr. Nancy Pardee (Saint Xavier University), and Mr. Trevor Thompson and Mr. Brandon Cline (University of Chicago). Finally, my teaching assistant, Marissa Cwik, provided valuable assistance at a key stage of the revision. I am grateful to each of them for their contributions.

  Michael W. Holmes

  Pentecost, 2006

  Preface to the Second Edition

  Joseph Barber Lightfoot (1828–1889), sometime Hulsean and Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge and later Bishop of Durham, is widely recognized as one of the greatest New Testament and patristic scholars England has ever produced. He was a scholar of unrivaled erudition, clarity of insight, and sobriety of judgment (an assessment with which on the Continent no less a scholar than Adolf von Harnack concurred). As renowned as he is for his biblical commentaries, whose luster the passing of a century has scarcely diminished, it is his work on the Apostolic Fathers that must be reckoned as his most enduring contribution. His treatment of Ignatius, for example, continues to represent, in the estimation of William R. Schoedel (a distinguished commentator in his own right), an inescapable point of departure for all work on the Antiochian bishop.

  With regard to the Apostolic Fathers, he is best known for his massive, learned, and lucid five-volume magnum opus on Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, and Polycarp of Smyrna: The Apostolic Fathers, part 1, S. Clement of Rome,[1] and part 2, S. Ignatius; S. Polycarp.[2] Two years after his death, J. R. Harmer, a younger colleague, edited and published the Greek and Latin texts of the Apostolic Fathers together with an English translation in one volume.[3] The translations were taken from notes found among Lightfoot’s papers or from the larger edition. The texts of Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, and The Didache were also taken from the larger edition, while Harmer contributed the texts of The Epistle of Barnabas, The Shepherd of Hermas, and The Epistle to Diognetus. In 1956 another one-volume work[4] containing English translations with brief introductions by Lightfoot appeared.

  The latter volume was the basis for the following revised translation of the Apostolic Fathers. Of all Lightfoot’s work, it is the translation that has suffered most severely from the passage of time, not least because of changes in English style and usage, particularly during the last half-century. Consequently, while the underlying basis of the translation remained sound, not a few readers found the translation itself more difficult and off-putting than helpful. Thus a revision of the translation is needed if it is to continue to serve the future as well as it has the past. Moreover, the task of revision afforded an opportunity to take into account new discoveries and insights that have enhanced our understanding of Hellenistic Greek and Greco-Roman culture during the last century.

  In revising Lightfoot’s translation, changes generally have been made only as they seemed to be required by considerations of clarity, readability, and contemporary (American) English usage. Occasionally the revised translation reflects an interpretation of the underlying text that differs significantly from Lightfoot’s, in which case his is retained in a note. In addition new introductions have been supplied for each of the individual documents, as well as a general introduction to the collection as a whole. The biblical references have for the most part been taken from Lightfoot’s other works, and all were freshly checked against the sources. All other notes have been newly composed for this revision.

  The textual basis of this revision is the collection of texts edited by Lightfoot and Harmer in their one-volume Greek-English edition. Here too changes have been made as the evidence seemed to require, particularly whenever new witnesses to the text have come to light. Whenever a different reading than that followed by Lightfoot and Harmer has been adopted, theirs will be found in a note, together with a list of the supporting witnesses. The chapter and verse divisions follow the usage of the standard editions.

  A number of obligations have been incurred in the course of revision, and it is gratifying to have an opportunity to acknowledge them. I would like to thank first of all the regents and administration of Bethel College and Seminary for granting a sabbatical leave of absence during which I was able to complete the revision. I would also like to express my appreciation to Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, where I spent the sabbatical, for granting visiting scholar status and providing not only congenial accommodations but also a lively and stimulating atmosphere in which to work. The library staffs at Bethel College (particularly Mrs. Judy Schwarze in the interlibrary loan department) and at Luther Northwestern were very helpful in obtaining otherwise inaccessible materials. The purchase of some needed reference tools was facilitated by grants from the Professional Development Committee at the college. Dr. Joseph Alexanian of Trinity College (Deerfield, Ill.) kindly reviewed the translation of the Armenian fragments of Papias (he bears, however, no responsibility for the final form in which they appear). A series of departmental secretaries, including Mrs. Elsei Hoffman, Mrs. Sherry Borstad, and Mrs. Mary Duffee, worked on various parts of the manuscript with admirable skill and patience. Then there have been the students in my “After the Apostles” course, especially the class of 1987, which was the first to read some of these translations in draft form; their interest and curiosity have been a source of continuing encouragement.

  Finally, I would like to acknowledge a debt of a different order and magnitude by dedicating this volume to my teachers, especially Bruce M. Metzger of Princeton Theological Seminary, Walter L. Liefeld and Murray J. Harris of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and R. J. “Quince” Adams, formerly of the University of California at Santa Barbara. Their instruction and example extended far beyond the classroom, and for that I will always be grateful.

  Michael W. Holmes

  January 1989

  Abbreviations

  Books of the Bible

  Gen.

  Genesis

  Exod.

  Exodus

  Lev.

  Leviticus

  Num.

  Numbers

  Deut.

  Deuteronomy

  Josh.

  Joshua

  Judg.

  Judges

  Ruth

  Ruth

  1–2 Sam.

  1–2 Samuel

  1–2 Kings

  1–2 Kings

  1–2 Chron.

  1–2 Chronicles

  Ezra

  Ezra

  Neh.

  Nehemiah

  Esther

  Esther

  Job

  Job

  Ps(s).

  Psalms

  Prov.

  Proverbs

  Eccles.

  Ecclesiastes

  Song of Sol.

  Song of Solomon

  Isa.

  Isaiah

  Jer.

  Jeremiah

  Lam.

  Lamentations

  Ezek.

  Ezekiel

  Dan.

  Daniel

  Hos.

  Hosea

  Joel

  Joel

  Amos

  Amos

  Obad.

  Obadiah

  Jon.

  Jonah

  Mic.

  Micah

  Nah.

  Nahum

  Hab.

  Habakkuk

  Zeph.

  Zephaniah

  Hag.

  Haggai

  Zech.

  Zechariah

  Mal.

  Malachi

  Matt.

  Matthew

  Mark

  Mark

  Luke
r />   Luke

  John

  John

  Acts

  Acts

  Rom.

  Romans

  1–2 Cor.

  1–2 Corinthians

  Gal.

  Galatians

  Eph.

  Ephesians

  Phil.

  Philippians

  Col.

  Colossians

  1–2 Thess.

  1–2 Thessalonians

  1–2 Tim.

  1–2 Timothy

  Titus

  Titus

  Philem.

  Philemon

  Heb.

  Hebrews

  James

  James

  1–2 Pet.

  1–2 Peter

  1–3 John

  1–3 John

  Jude

  Jude

  Rev.

  Revelation

  Deuterocanonical and Apocryphal Books

  2 Bar.

  2 Baruch

  2 Esd.

  2 Esdras

  Jdt.

  Judith

  2 Macc.

  2 Maccabees

  Sir.

  Sirach

  Tob.

  Tobit

  Wis.

  Wisdom

  Apostolic Fathers

  1 Clem.

  1 Clement

  2 Clem.

  2 Clement

  Ign. Eph.

  Ignatius, Ephesians