For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and
prepare thyself to the search of their fathers
After I started a “refresher course” studying the
plurality of pastors, I remembered several years ago I had purchased and read Who Runs the Church: 4 Views on Church
Government.[i] I
pulled this book off the shelf to review Sam Waldron’s chapter on “Plural-Elder
Congregationalism.” In this chapter, he references the relationship of his view
of church government to the writings of the “Apostolic Fathers.”[ii]
In his footnotes, Waldron listed considering nine divisions of these writings.[iii]
In a response to Waldron, L. Roy Taylor seems to understand that “Waldron gives
ample evidence to establish the plurality of elders in a local congregation not
only the New Testament but, with the exception of Ignatius, in eight of the
nine major sources of the Apostolic Fathers” (p. 233). I agree that Waldron
supplied “ample evidence” but could not find that he ever asserted giving
evidence from all nine sources. He specifically cites, I believe, I Clement, Shepherd of Hermas, and Didache.
Because of this I decided to make a quick run-through check of the sources. In
addition to the nine sources of Waldron (see endnote below), I have added two
more – Fragments of Quadratus of Athens
and The Martyrdom of Polycarp, which
are sometimes included among the “Apostolic Fathers.”
Below (near the end) is a chart of my
interpretation of the “Apostolic Fathers” on the practice of plurality of
elders. Ignatius is the sole possible supporter of any kind of “episcopacy,” speaking
of three offices with the bishop in the singular.[iv] His
references are strong but contrary to the weight of the evidence. Three of the
writings (Barnabas, Quadratus, Diognetus) do not mention anything of relevance to the subject. It
is my opinion that seven of the writings favor and point the early historical
record toward plurality of elders in a single church. Some are quite
straightforward, enough so that I consider them “conclusive” evidence in favor
of plurality (Didache, First Clement, Hermas, Polycarp, Second Clement). Two I consider (and
list as) “inconclusive.” The brief Fragments
of Papias speak of elders in the plural, but generically in a way that does
not directly identify the relationship of elders to congregations. The Martyrdom of Polycarp speaks of
Polycarp as a bishop singular at Smyrna, but notably only calls him “a bishop”
and not “the bishop.” This itself is inconclusive, nevertheless supports the
conclusion from Polycarp’s Epistle to the
Philippians.
Next, I will include a few excerpts from these
writers that I have not given previously – including two from Ignatius which
support a position other than the one I hold.
Ignatius
to the Magnesians, 6:1 “Seeing then that in the aforementioned
persons I beheld your whole people in faith and embraced them, I advise you, be
ye zealous to do all things in godly concord, the bishop presiding after the
likeness of God and the presbyters after the likeness of the council of the
Apostles, with the deacons also who are most dear to me, having been entrusted
with the diaconate of Jesus Christ, who was with the Father before the worlds
and appeared at the end of time.”
Ignatius
to the Trallians, 3:1 “In like manner let all men respect the deacons
as Jesus Christ, even as they should respect the bishop as being a type of the
Father and the presbyters as the council of God and as the college of Apostles.
Apart from these there is not even the name of a church.”
Clement
of Rome’s First Epistle to the Corinthians, 1 Clement 47:6 “It is
shameful, dearly beloved, yes, utterly shameful and unworthy of your conduct in
Christ, that it should be reported that the very steadfast and ancient Church
of the Corinthians, for the sake of one or two persons, maketh sedition against
its presbyters.”
Polycarp
to the Philippians, 6:1 “And let the presbyters also be
compassionate, merciful to all, bringing back those that have wandered, caring
for all the weak, neglecting neither widow nor orphan nor poor, but ‘ever
providing for that which is good before God and man,’ refraining from all
wrath, respect of persons, unjust judgment, being far from all love of money,
not quickly believing evil of any, not hasty in judgment, knowing that ‘we all
owe the debt of sin.’”
Second Epistle to the Corinthians (aka Pseudo-Clement), 2 Clement 17:35
“And let us not seem to attend and believe now only, while we are being
admonished by the presbyters, but also when we have departed to our homes, let
us remember the commandments of the Lord; and let us not, on the other hand, be
drawn aside by the lusts of the world, but let us endeavour, by coming more frequently,
to make progress in the commandments of the Lord, to the end that we all being
of one mind may be gathered together unto life.”
Favors
|
||||
Early Church Writing
|
Est.
Date AD
|
Single
Bishop
|
Plural
Elders
|
Inconclusive
|
50-120
|
No
|
Yes
|
Conclusive
|
|
80-120
|
X
|
X
|
No
mention
|
|
80-140
|
No
|
Yes
|
Conclusive
|
|
100-160
|
No
|
Yes
|
Conclusive
|
|
105-115
|
Yes
|
No
|
Conclusive
|
|
110-140
|
No
|
Yes
|
Conclusive
|
|
110-140
|
No
|
Yes
|
Inconclusive
|
|
120-130
|
X
|
X
|
No
mention
|
|
130-160
|
No
|
Yes
|
Conclusive
|
|
130-200
|
X
|
X
|
No
mention
|
|
150-160
|
No
|
Yes
|
Inconclusive
|
|
The previous posts:
Online sources re the “Apostolic Fathers”
- Apostolic Fathers by Kirsopp Lake, editor, 1913 (Greek, not English)
- The Apostolic Fathers, with an English Translation, Volume I by Kirsopp Lake (I Clement, II Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, Didache, Barnabas)
- The Apostolic Fathers, with an English Translation, Volume II by Kirsopp Lake (The Shepherd of Hermas, The Martyrdom of Polycarp, The Epistle to Diognetus)
[i] This book is part of the Zondervan
Counterpoints Series.
[ii] The
“Apostolic Fathers” is a traditional name for early Christian writers (and
their writings, 1st and 2nd centuries) who are believed to have had
relationships with one or more of the apostles – or as Waldron puts it, “those
writings supposed to have been written before AD 150 by the disciples of the
apostles.” (p. 194)
[iii] Waldron’s
list contained nine divisions of these writings: Clement of Rome’s First Epistle to the Corinthians;
Ignatius’s Seven Epistles; Polycarp’s
Epistle to the Philippians; The Didache; The Epistle to Diognetus; The
Epistle of Barnabas; The Shepherd of
Hermas; Pseudo-Second Clement;
and Fragments of Papias. (pp. 243-244)
His dates range from AD 97 to Ad 156.
[iv] Presbyters/elders and
deacons being the other two.
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