As I mentioned in my review of the first volume of The Apostolic Fathers, there’s no better way to return to the world of the early church than by reading these venerable works. This second volume contains the lengthy and influential Shepherd of Hermas, the painful-to-read Martyrdom of Polycarp, and a brief epistle to a pagan named Diognetus.

The Shepherd of Hermas

The Shepherd of Hermas was a well circulated work in the early church. It’s an apocalypse in which Hermas receives a series of messages in three forms: five visions, twelve commandments, and ten parables. The work focuses on a theological and practical problem: what should the church do with baptized believers who sin? Should the fiery words of Hebrews 10:26–31 be used to rule out future repentance and salvation, or is there hope?

What struck me most about this whole work is how laughable it would be received in our culture. We’re quick to say, ‘of course we sin—everyone does’ and rely on God’s grace. Let me be clear—I think the fear surrounding failure and the joy of repentance and forgiveness should be emphasized. However, it’s challenging to hear this voice from the second century describe the seriousness with which the congregation viewed sin.

The Martyrdom of Polycarp

Devastating. I can’t think of a better word to describe this hagiography. It reads like the climax of a film. The aged bishop Polycarp receives the soldiers who came to arrest him with a buffet of food to occupy them while he takes two hours to pray for everyone one final time. The terror of martyrdom in the early church highlights remarkable saints like Polycarp who held true to their confession in the face of unimaginable pain. Truly, “of [these], the world was not worthy” (Hebrews 11:38).

The Epistle to Diognetus

In the introduction to this translation, Lake notes that the date is uncertain and it’s unlikely that this epistle should be grouped with the Apostolic Fathers since it reads more like the later apologists. That said, this small epistle is interesting in the way it reworks the satirical material of Isaiah 44 to poke fun at idolatry:

Are they not dumb? Are they not blind? Are they not without souls? Are they note without feeling? Are they not without movement? Are not they all rotting? Are they not all decaying? Do you call these things gods? Are these what you serve? Are these what you worship and in the end become like them? (ii.4–5)

The end of that piece of rhetoric is powerful. I can’t help but think of how that theme has been developed in James K. A Smith’s You Are What You Love. In the end, we become like the God (or idols) we worship.

Conclusion

The early Christian works of the Apostolic Fathers are far from dusty old relics. They are a window into an ancient world where a persecuted minority of Christians sought to live out the truth of the gospel.

Goold, G. P., ed. The Apostolic Fathers II. Translated by Kirsopp Lake. Harvard UP, 1976. The Loeb Classical Library 25.