Patrology the Lives and Works of TheI3
, PH . D . I”)
PROFES SOR OP THEOLOGY I N TH E UN IV ERS ITY OF MUN ICH
TRAN S LATE D FROM TH E S E C O N D E D IT ION
THOMAS J. SHAHAN , D . D .
PROFESSOR OF CHURCH H ISTORY I N TH E CATHOL IC UN IVERS ITY OF AMER ICA
W ITH THE APPROBATI ON AND RECOMMENDATION OFTHEIR LO RDSH IPS THE ARCHBI SHO PS AND BI SHOPS OF COVINGTON, FREIBURG, M I LWAUKEE,
OGDENSBURG, ST. LOU I S , S I OUX FALLS AND SPR INGFIELD
Coll . Ch r isti Be g i n
BI BL . THEOL .
TORO I -rr.
FREIBURG IM BRE ISGAU AN D ST. LOUIS , MO.
B . H E R D E R PUBLISHER TO TH E HOLY APOSTOLIC SEE
BERLIN, KAR LSRUHE MUNICH , STRAS SBURG,
VIENNA
My dear D r . Shahan ,
Allow me to congratulate you upon the happy thought of giving us an
E nglish translation of Dr . B ara ’
mkewer ’
s e xce lle nt Manual of Patrology.
You know that I have b e e n long wishing for just such a book which is a
,
is trying to find in the primitive Church the historic foundation for its sectarian tenets
, while R ational ism seeks in the early Christian writings for
weapons with which to attack the credibility of the Gospels and the apo
stOlicity of Catholic Dogma . H ow can the Catholic student successfully meet the enemies of the Church if he has no more knowledge of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church , those early authentic custodians and
exponents of the D eposz '
tumfidez ’
, than what he has gathered from a few
disjointed texts or patristic quotatI ons I n a M anual of Dogmatic Theology, Or from the short sketches of the l ives and writings of the Fathers found in a Manual of Church History ’s
Yet , this is only what may be called the apologetic view of the study
of the Fathers , suggested by the contemporary struggle of the Church
defending her claim to be the original Church of Christ . There ar e many other valuable advantages of thorough patristic studies . A close acquaint ance with the Fathers of the Church wil l furnish those who «search the Scriptures » with a fuller and clearer understanding of the manifold and
often hidden meaning of H oly W rit . I t will provide the Christian teacher, cal led to preach the word
, with an inexhaustible Supply of solid and at
tractive material . T o the student of Church History , it will furnish a better
and more correct insight into the true causes and character of events by throwing a wonderful light upon many questions of early Church dis cipline and law. Nor shall we overlook the precious gems of poetry and
oratory , of narrative and description
, found in early Christian literature,
which compare quite favorably with the jewels of the pagan classics .
Dr . B ara ’
m /zewe/ s Manual is an excellent k e y to the rich and varied l iterature of the «Beginnings of Christian ity» of which you have g iven us such interesting accounts. By your translation you have placed that k e y
in our hands . I t is now the duty of priest and seminarian to Open the door to the treasury of our early classics . May the «Manual » have all the success that it so richly deserves !
Yours very sincerely in Christo,
4 ' S . G. MESSMER
St. L ouis, Mo. , Jan . ,
1 90 7 .
My dear Dr . Shahan ,
I wish to congratulate you on the appearance of your translation of B orden/waver”: Patrology. I have heard much of the original , and am
sure that in your hands it has lost none of its value . I bespeak for it a
large circulation and Shall take pleasure in commending it when oc
casion offers .
Sincere ly yours in Christo ,
Li ‘
My dear Dr . Shahan ,
The appearance of B arden/zewe/ s Patrology in an E nglish translation will el icit a scholar ’s welcome from all professors and students of Patristic T heology and Church History.
The excel lency of the work in the original, and the wel l known fitness of the translator make our approval and recommendation an easy and
willing evidence of our pleasure and satisfaction in its publication .
I t should easily find space upon the library She lf of every seminarist and every priest .
j ' THOMAS D . BEAVEN, Bishop of Springfie ld.
Sioux Falls, S . D . , jan . 1 90 7 .
My dear Doctor,
I rejoice to learn that you have translated into E nglish B ara ’mfiewe/ s
«The L ives and Works of the Fathers of the Church » , and that I fem’
er
will publish the translation within the coming year . This is the best Manual of Patrology that I know ; it wil l be a boon to our seminaries and
our priests . I n these days , when the historical aspect of Theology , its
deve lopment and evolution , ar e becoming as prominent and necessary as
the Scholastic exposition of revelation , our seminarians and priests ought
to have in hand the very best that has been done on the l ives and works of the Fathers of the Church
, since they are the exponents and witnesses
of the growth of theology.
I r emaIn , dear Doctor
,
My dear Dr . Shahan ,
'
s Manua l of Patrology. The l ives and
works of the Fathers ar e not sufficiently known amongst us. Whilst few priests have the le isure to study them thoroughly ,
they should be ac
quainte d in a general way with the teachings of the Fathers of the Church . They ar e the fountain heads of T radition
, the keys to the under
standing of the dogmas of the Faith ; they supply the most effectual armory in defence of Christian truth wh ich the Catholic Church alone has kept in its apostolic purity of doctrine .
Hoping that both yourself and your publication will receive adequate recogn ition of your labors,
Devotedly yours in Christo ,
Ogdmsburg , N . Y . , Jan . 1 90 7 .
My dear Dr . Shahan,
The reading public of America is deeply indebted to you for under tak ing to present to it in an E nglish dress the great work of Dr . B ar rie ”
fiewe r on the L ives and Works of the Fathers of the Church . A Patro logy of that thoroughness was still a want among us . Hereafter no one will be excusable for m isreading or I nisquoting those indispensable sources of the history of religion . You have my best wishes for a wide diffusion of your translation .
Faithfully yours in j . C. ,
j ‘ H . GABRIELS, B ishop of Ogdensburg .
PREFACE TO THE FIRST GERMAN ED IT ION
I n the year 1 883 , I was requested by the publisher H e rde r
to undertake a new edition of 7 . Alz og ’
s Manual of Patrology
External circumstances prevented me
from accepting this flattering offer at once ; the new sphere of labor
to which I was cal led claimed for a l ong time nearly all my leisure
and streng th . The publisher entrusted to another the preparation
of an improved edition of A lz og (Freiburg , On the Other
hand , as soon as circumstances permitted
, I undertook the prepara
This work , which I now offer to the public
, undertakes to present
in a very concise and comprehensive manner the actual condition
of patrolog ica l knowledge and research . I t also aims , through its
bibliographical paragraphs , to interest and guide a larger number of
students in the investigation of special problems . I t has been my
purpose to quote from the earl ier patrologica l l i terature only what
seems most important , and similarly
, to omit nothing that is impor
tant among the numerous later researches . A S the subj ect -matter is
very extensive , I have found it necessary to confine myself often to
mere indications and suggestions , to omit too close specific discussion , and to leave aside what seemed of minor value . The nature of the
work seemed also to impose a mere reference apropos of countless
disputed points and questions . A t some later time , I hope , God
wi l ling , to follow up this outline with a mo re thorough investigation
of the entire field of patrology .
My colleague , D r . C. Weyman, kindly undertook to share with
me the labor of correcting the proofs of this work . I find it dif ficult to decide whether I owe more to the patience and accuracy o f
my friend in the revision of the printed pages , or to the sol id eru
dition of the savant in his concern for the correctness of the text .
M u n i c h , September, 1 894 .
T HE AUTHOR
PREFACE TO THE SECOND GERMAN ED IT ION .
T he first edition of this book met with a very kindly reception .
I t was j udged worthy by Cade t and Ve rsckaf e l of being put into
French 1 , and by Ang e la M e r ca ti of translation into I ta l ian 2 . I was
less pleased , personal ly
, with the re sult of my labors . Had time
and streng th sufficed , I would have undertaken the preparation of
an entirely new book . The first third Of the book, the outline of
the A nte -Nicene l iterature , was its weakest part ; i t appears now in
an entirely new , and I hope more satisfactory presentation . This sec
tion of the work has caused a quite disp rOportionate amount of labor
on my part , owing to the fact that I was preparing the same material
in two forms : the first demanded a l engthy and exhaustive research
for the comprehensive History of early ecclesiastical literature an
nounced in the preface to the fi rst edition , the second cal led for the
concision and comprehensiveness of a manual. The remaining sections
of the work , the defects of which are le ss manifest in the detail
o f description than in orderly disposition , could not receive at my
hands so thorough a revision as would otherwise have been bestowed
upon them .
The contents of the work are notably increased by the insert ion ‘
of numerous writers and works omitted in the first edition or dis
covered since its appearance. A t the same time the publisher de
sired to keep the work within its orig inal l imits . T his could only
be done by omitting what seemed unimportant, by simplifying quo tation -methods , and by the use of more compact type for the bibl io
graphica l paragraphs . I n this manner it has been possible to reduce the S iz e of the book by some thirty pages .
’
’
, G. n e r , and C. Way
man for many ,useful hints and suggestions . I am again especia l ly
indebte d to D r . Weyman for his careful correction of the printer ’s work .
M u n i c h , Ap ril, 1 90 1 .
T HE AuTHOR .
1 L e s Pe r e s de I ’Eglise , le ur vie e t le urs oe uvr e s , par 0 . Ba rdeen/wave r . Edition
francaise , p ar P . Cade t e t C. Ve zsc/zaf e l , de l ’
Oratoir e , 3 v . ,oI S Par is
, 1 898
— 1 899 , Blond e t Bar ral .
2 Patrologia, p e r il D r . 0 . Borden/law” , Profe ssore di T e olog ia all
’ Unive rsita di Monaco Ve rsione I taliana sulla se conda e diz ione T e de sca , con aggiun te b ib liog rafiche , p e r il Sace rdote D r . Prof. Ang e lo M e f catz . VolI . i— iii
, Roma
, 1 90 3, D e sclée , L e fvr e e t Cie .
TRANSLATOR ’
S PREFACE .
The need of a rel iable manual of Patrology in Eng l ish has been
so long fel t by teachers o f that science that l ittle excuse is needed
for the present attempt to place one within reach of all concerned .
D uring the nineteenth century much patristic material , both ne w and
important , has been discovered , East and W est . I n the same period
there has come about a notable perfection of the methods and in
strume nts of scholarly research , while l iterary criticism has scored
some of its remarkable triumphs in the province of early ecclesiastical
l iterature . Above all , the intense and crucia l conflict concerning the
genuine nature and actual History of the primitive Christian teaching has perforce attracted the combatants to one great armory o f
weapons : the writings o f the Christian Fathers . Excavation and
research among the ancient monuments o f Roman Imperial times
have natural ly quickened interest in all contemporary l iterary material .
An intel l igent study of the early middle ages has made clear the
incalculable influence exercised upon the barbarian world by the
Christianized civilization o f the fourth and fifth centuries ; the manners , politics
, and tongues of the ancestors of the modern W estern world
can no longer be studied scientifical ly apart from a sound knowledge
of what our earl iest Christian masters were . A t this distance , such
knowledge must , of course , be gathered , to a great extent , from
their l iterature , or rather from the remnants of it that survive .
I t is to the credit of German Cathol ic scholarship that for a
hundred years it has upheld the necessity of a Solid academic forma
tion for ecclesiastics , at least , in the science of the Christian Fathers .
The names of L ump e r and P e rmane a ’ e r , D r ew and M arb le r , H ef e le
and Fessle r , to Speak only of the departed , come unbidden to the
memory of every student . German Catholic centres of study , l ike
the Cathol ic Theolog ical Faculty at Tubingen , have won imperishable
fame by long decades of service in the cause of primitive Christian
literature . S cholars l ike P r ods! and 7x. Funk have Shed renown upon
their fatherland and earned the gratitude of a multitude of toilers
XI I TRANSLATOR ’S PREFACE .
in this remote department of knowledge . Only those who attempt
to cul tivate it , know what a lengthy training i t exac ts , and to what
an extent it cal ls for all the virtues and qual ities of the ripest
scholarship . I t is not , therefore , surprising that the best Manual of
patristic science Should come to us from that quarter of Cathol icism
in which our most ancient l ite rature has l ong been studied with a
devotion equal led only by the critical sp irit that feeds and susta ins it .
When such competent j udges as the modern Bollandists agree
that the «Patrolog ie » of D r . B a r a ’ m /zewe r has no superior
, for ab
, and conciseness of
statement , we may take it for granted that the work is wel l fi tted
to introduce all studious Christian youth into the broad and pleasant
sanctuary of patristic science . The experience of ecclesiastical t eachers
confirms this j udgment ; for the work has a l ready been translated ,
into both French and I tal ian . The Eng l ish translator has added
nothing to the text , being well contented if he has reproduced with
substantia l accuracy the al ready highly condensed doctrine o f the
author . However , a few slight additions and bibliographica l items
have been incorporated from the French and I tal ian translations . The
translator has also added a few bibliographical references to patristic
works and treatises that have appeared quite lately . I t may be
pleaded that he is dispensed from very finical completeness by
the exhaustive study of E /zrfia r a’ (Die al tchristl iche L iteratu r und
ihre Erforschung seit 1 880 [ 1 884 ] bis the second edition of
Ck e va lz ’
Comptes - rendus of the Revue d’
histoire ecclésiastique of L ouvaIn .
The translator is much indebted to Very Rev . Regina/dPVa lsk, O. P . ,
who has kindly consented to correct the proofs ; to the author ,
Professor Ba rdm kewe r , for various services , and to others for wel
come hints and suggestions .
CONTENTS .
INTRODUCTION .
I . Notion and Purpose of Patrology 2 . H istory and Lite ratur e of Patrology 3. Lite rary colle ctions r e lative to th e Fathe rs of the Church . Colle ctive
e ditions of th e ir wr itings. Principal colle ctions of translations
FIRST PERIOD .
FROM THE END OF THE FIRST TO THE BEGINNING OF THE FOURTH CENTURY .
FIRST SECTION .
’
Cr e e d (Symbolum Apostolicum) The Didache or T e aching of Th e Twe lve Apostle s The so - calle d Ep istle of Barnabas Cleme nt of Rome I gnatius of Antioch Polycarp of Smyrna
Th e She phe rd of H e rmas
Pap ias of H ie rapolis
SECOND SECTION .
THE APOLOGETIC LITERATURE OF THE SECOND CENTURY .
Pr e liminary Obse rvations Quadratus Aristide s of Athe ns Ar isto of Pe lla Justin Martyr
T atian the Assyr ian M iltiade s. Apollinar is of H ie rapolis. M e lito Sarde s Athe nagoras of Athe ns T he ophilus of Antioch T he Le tte r to D iogne tus
H e rmias Minucius F e lix
XI V CONTENTS .
THIRD SECTION .
TH E HERETICAL LITERATURE OF THE SECOND CENTURY AND TH E NEW TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA .
Gnostic Lite ratur e The Judaistic Lite ratur e The Montanist Lite r atur e The N ew T e stame nt Apocrypha Apocryphal Gosp e ls Apocryphal Acts of the Apostle s Apocryphal Le tte rs of the Apostle s Apocryphal Apocalypse s
FOURTH SECTION .
THE ANTI -HERETICAL LITERATURE OF TH E SECOND CENTURY .
T he ir lost works I r e naeus of Lyons Anti- Gnostics.
Anti-Montanists Writings of Eccle siastical Authoritie s and Synods , chie fly conce rning H e r e sie s and Schisms
FIFTH SECTION .
37 .
A . THE ALEXANDRINES .
Cleme nt of Ale xandr ia Or ige n D ionysius of Ale xandria The late r he admaste rs of the cate che tical school of Ale xandr ia The so - calle d Apostolic Church-Ordinance
B . SYRO - PALESTINIANS .
, Malchion of Antioch
, Lucian of Samosata
Pamphilus of Caesar e a and the D ialogus de r e cta in D e um fide
T he D idascalia apostolorum
C. WRITERS OF ASIA MINOR .
S t. Gr e gory Thaumaturgus ( the Wond e r -Worke r ) S t. M e thodius of Olympus
5 9
CONTENTS . XV
A . AFRICAN WRITERS .
L actantius
C. OTHER WESTERN WRITERS .
Commodian
Victor inus of Pe ttau and R e ticius of Autun
APPENDIX.
SECOND PERIOD .
MIDDLE OF THE FIFTH CENTURY .
FIRST SECTION .
GREEK WRITERS .
Ge ne ral consp e ctus Ar ianism , Mace donianism , Sab e llian ism, Apollinarianism Euse bius of Caesar e a
S t. Athanasius The r e pr e se ntative s of Egyptian Monachism Anti -Manichae an wr ite rs
S t. Basil th e Gr e at St. Gr e gory of N az ianzus, the The ologian St . Gr eg ory of Nyssa .
Didymus the Blind St. E piphanius
D iodorus of T arsus
The odor e of Mopsue stia
T he so - calle d Apostolic Constitutions Syne sius of Cyr e ne
CONTENTS .
S t. Cyr il of Ale xandria The odor e t of Cyrus
Othe r write rs of the first half of th e fifth ce ntury
SECOND SECTION .
SYRIAC WRITERS .
St. E phraem Syrus
THIRD SECTION .
LATIN WRITERS .
Ge ne ral consp e ctus Firmicus M ate rnus
S t. H ilary of Poitie rs Othe r oppone nts of Ar ianism Poe ts and H istorians Schisms and h e r e sie s; the ir de fe nde rs and Oppone nts
i Amb rose ,
Prude ntius and Paulinus St. Sulp icius Se ve rus and Tyrannius Rufinus
Frie nds and disciple s of St. Augustine Gallic wr ite rs Pop e St. L e o the Gr e at and othe r I talian write rs
THIRD PERIOD .
END OF THE PATRISTIC AGE .
FIRST SECTION .
GREEK WRITERS .
Ge ne ral consp e ctus
Wr ite rs of the Se cond half of th e fifth ce ntury
Pse udo -D ionysius Ar e opag ita Procop ius of Gaz a and A e ne as of Gaz a L e ontius of Byz antium and the emp e ror Justinian H istor ians and Ge ographe rs H agiographe rs Poe ts Exe ge te s. Canonists. Asce tics Dogmatic and polemical wr ite rs
I NTRODUCT ION .
1 . N o tion and P u rpose of P atr ology .
'
a) dates from the seventeenth century , and denoted orig inal ly
the science of the lives and writings of the Fathers of the Church .
«Fathers of the Church » or S imply «Fathers » was the titl e of honour
g iven to the ec '
clesiastical writers in the first ‘
e ra of the Church .
I ts use can be recogniz ed as far back as the fifth century . I n
modern times the explanation of the term has been sought in the
S imilarity of the relationship existing between a teacher and his dis
ciple to that which is found between father and son ; an inter.
p r e tation apparently confirmed by such bibl ical paral lels as the « sons of the prophets » in the Old T estament , and by passages in the New like I Cor . iv . I 4 . I t fails
, however
, to do justice to the historica l
development of the name «Fathers » . I n rea l ity , this was trans
ferred from the bishops of the primitive Church to contemporaneous ecclesiastical writers . I n the earl ier centuries
, by a metaphor easily
, in his qual ity of head or superior , was ad
dressed as «Father » . or «Holy Father » (e . g . Mart . S . Polyc . 1 2 , 2 :
(3 fla t raw zp car za vcbu ; and the inscription «Cyp riano papae or papati » ,
Cyp r . E p . 30 3 1 T he authority of the bishop was
both discipl inary and doctrinal . He was the depositary of the A te aching office of the Church ,
and in matters of doubt or of contro v e rsy i t was his duty to decide ,
as witness and j udge , concerning the true faith . S ince the fifth century
, however
, this function began
to devolve (in l earne d discussions and conciliar proceedings) on the ecclesiastica l writers of the primitive Church . Most of them ,
and
indeed , been bishops ; but non - episcopal
writers might also bear reliable witness to the contemporaneous faith of the Church
, and when such testimonies dated from the earl iest
Christian period , they natura l ly enjoyed Specia l respect and authority .
The more frequently the consciousness o f the primitive Church in matters of faith was appea led to in the course of doctrinal disputes , the more rapidly must so prevalent a term as «Fathers » have undergone a certain a lteration . I t was used to denote the witnesses to the faith
BAR O E N H E W E R - SH AH A N , Pa trology . I
2 INTRODUCTION .
of the primitive Church , and since such witnesses were rather its
writers than its bishops , the term passed from the latter to the former .
The change of mean ing just alluded to will be made evident by the followmg I nstances . According to St . Athanasius (E p . ad Afros, c . the bishops of the Council ofNicae a (32 5) appealed to the testimony of the «Fathers»
(Ex nat épwv é ’
xovr e g t i p p apt upt ’
’
axonoz dpxaim), Dionysius of Rome (T 2 68) and D ionysius of A lexandria (j
‘ both Ofthem defenders of the consubstantial ity of the Son .
’
i tGw) subscribed its decrees ?» He had just mentioned the name of the A rianiz ing bishop E usebius of Caesarea .
’
na t e ’
paq) whose profession (of fa ith) they do not accept ?» Appar e ntly '
Atha
nasius understands by «Fathers » on ly b ishops , especially those of the primi
tive Church . The b ishops, and they alone , had inherited the teaching office
of the Apostles . St . Augustine , in his dispute with the Pelagian Jul ianus of E clanum (Contra Julian . I . 34 ; I I . 33 appeals to St . Jerome as a witness for the ecclesiastical te aching concern ing original Sin ; at the same time he is consc ious of having overstepped a certain line of demarcation . To
forestal l his adversary’s refusal to accept the evidence of Jerome , he insists
that , though the latter was not a b ishop
, his extraordinary learn ing and the
'
t 60 twt dt wv na t épwv
XOtl. Emoxénwv xa ’
, SS . Conc . COIL , iv . The
«writings» quoted ar e exclusively those of early bishops . I n ' his famous Commonitor ium (434) St. V incent of L érins recommends with I nsmte nce
(c . 3 33 sq .) that the faithful hold fast to the teach ing of the holy Fathers ; at the same time he makes it clear that he refers , not so much to the bishops
, as to the ecclesiastical writers of Christian antiqu ity.
2 . FATHERS OF TH E CHURCH , ECCLESIASTICAL WRITERS
, DOCTORS
OF TH E CHURCH . All the ancient ecclesiastica l writers were not trustworthy witnesses of the faith ; hence it is that posterity has not conferred on all without distinction the titl e of «Fathers o f the Church » .
St . Vincent o f L érins says that , in order to try the fai th of Christians ,
God permitted some g reat ecclesiastica l teachers , like Origen and
T ertullian , to fal l into erro r . The true norm and ru l e of fa ith , he
adds , is the concordant evidence o f those Fathers who have rema ined true to the faith o f the Church in their time
. and were to ’
'
,
sapie nte r , constante r viventes , docentes e t permanentes ve l mori in
Christo fide lite r vel occidi pro Christo felicite r ‘ m e rue runt . »
'
to. the Semi - Pelag ian Faustus of Riez and other theolog ians , on the plea that . they were not «Fa
Common . c . 39 ; cf. c . 4 1 .
2 Quos in auctor itatem p atfum non r e cip it e xam e n : c 4 .
1 . NOTION AND PURPOSE OF PATROLOGY . 3 f an .
the rs» . L ater ,
Councils often distinguish between theolog ical writers more «or less untrustworthy and the « approved Fathers o f the Church » .
1
«Fathe rS» whose writings merit commendation
, as wel l as of other theological authors against whose
writings people are to be warned , is found in the D ecretal D e r e
at 720 72 r e cz ’
p z ’
m dz ’
s lz ’
Gelasius I . (49 2 Modern patrologists indicate four criteria of
a <<Fathe r o f the Church » : grthqdn y “of"doctrin e w holine ss . of.. life , ecclesiastica l
w app roval , and antiquity . A ll other theologica l writers
are known ”
as « ecclesiastici scriptore s» , « ecclesiae scriptore s» ? The
Fathers were not all held in equal esteem by their successors , both
as writers and theolog ians they differ much as to place and im
portance in ecclesiastica l antiquity . I n the W est four «Fathers of the Church » have been held as pre - eminent S ince the eighth century : Ambrose (T Jerome (T A ugustine (T and Gregory the Great (T Boniface VIII . declared ( 1 2 98) that he wished these four known as D octors of the Church par excel lence ,
and
their feasts placed on a level with those of the apostles and evange lists 3. L ater popes have added other Fathers to the l ist o f D octors of the Church
, either in litu rg ica l documents or by Special decrees .
Such are ,
among the L atins , Hilary of Poitiers (T Peter
Chrysologus (T ca . L e o the Great (T I sidore of Sevil l e
(T Among the Greeks , A thanasius (T Basil the Great
(T Cyril o f Jerusalem (T Gregory of Naz ianzus (Tca .
John Chrysostom (T Cyril o f A l exandria (T John of D a
’
axa l oe} : Basil the Great , Gregory of Naz ianz um ,
and John Chrysostom . The patro log ical criteria of a «D octor of the Church » are : orthodoxy of doctrine , h oliness o f life , eminent learning ,
and forma l action of the Church : «doctrina ortho doxa
, Sanctitas vitae , eminens e ruditio ,
expressa ecclesiae de claratio » .
Fessler , I nstit . Patrol . ed . B . yuflgmarm (I nnspruck i . 1 5 — 5 7 .
On the earliest L atin Doctors of the Church cf. C. Weymcm in Historisches Jahrbuch xv . 96 sq . and Revue d ’histoire e t de litté rat. relig .
iii . 56 2 sq . On the «great ecumen ical teachers» of the Greeks cf. I V. N zlles
'
rzp er oz na r e ’
'
xiii. 2 S t. 7 e r 0me , D e viris illustr .
, prol . 3 Egr e gios ipsius doctor e s un . ,
oin vi. , de r e liqu I I s 3,
4 INTRODUCTION .
in Z eitschrift fur katholische Theologie xviii . 7 4 2 sq . ; E . B ondy, L e s Peres de l’Eglise in R evue Augustin ienne pp . 4 6 1
— 486 .
3. THE PATRISTIC EPOCH . As late as the fifth century even very
r ecent writers could be counte d among the « holy Fathers » . Among the «most holy and godfe aring Fathers » whose writings were read in the first session o f the Council o f Ephesus (June were Theo
philus of A l exandria (T 4 1 2 ) and A tticus of Constantinople (T
I n the l ist of patristic citations , « pate rnae auctoritate s» , appended by
L e o the Great to his L etter to Flavian of Constantinople (June 1 there are passages from Augustine (T 430 ) and from Cyril of A l ex
andria (T The late r Christian centuries tended more and more to confine this honourable tit le to the ecclesiastica l writers of anti
quity . I t was applied to them not so much on account of their
antiquity as on account of their authority , which
, in turn
, had i ts
root in their antiquity . The «Fathers » of the first centuries are and
remain in a special way the authentic interpreters of the thoughts
and sentiments of the primitive Christians . I n their writings were set
down for all time documentary testimonies to the primitive conception
o f the faith . T hough modern Christian sects have a lways denounced the Catholic principle o f « tradition »
, they have been compel led
,
by the l og ic o f things , to seek in ecclesiastica l antiquity for some basis or countenance of thei r own mutual ly antagonistic views . The
l imits o f Christian antiquity could not , of course
, be easily fixed
they remain even yet somewhat indistinct . T he l iving current of historical
, and particularly o f inte lle ctual
'
life , a lways defies any im
movable time - boundaries . Most modern manuals of Patrology draw the line for the Greek Church at the death of John of D amascus
(Tca . for the L atin Church at the death of Gregory the Great
(T For L atin ecclesiastical l iterature the limit should be
stretched to the death o f I sidore o f Sevil l e (T L ike his Greek counterpart , John Damascene
, I sidore was a very productive
writer , and thoroughly
~
p e ne trate d with the sense of his office as a
frontiersman between the old and the new .
The teachings of the Fathers of the Church ar e among the orig inal sources of Catholic do’ctrine . On the reasons for the same and the extent to which the patristic writings may be drawn upon for the proof of Cathol ic teaching Cf. Fe .¢sle r - f7angmann,
op . Cit .
, i . 4 1 — 5 7 .
4 . PURPOSE OF PATROLOGY . Though the science of Patro logy takes its name from the Fathers of the Church , it includes also the e cclesiastical writers of antiquity . Thereby
, the field of its labours
is enlarged , and i t becomes possible to dea l with ecclesiastica l l itera ture as a whole . The purpose o f this science is to produce a
history of the early ecclesiastica l l iterature , that is , of such ancient
1 M am z '
, iv . 1 1 84
r . , NOTION AND PURPOSE OF PATROLOGY . 5
’
divine in the books of the New T esta ment
, it confides the study of these writings to Biblica l I ntroduction ,
convinced that it would otherwise be obl iged to confine itself to such a treatment of the same as would be unjust to inspired documents that conta in revelation . Patro logy might , strictly speaking ,
ignore the anti - Christian and anti - ecclesiastical
, or heretical
, writings o f antiquity ;
nevertheless , it finds it advantageous to pay constant attention to them .
A t the proper time , i t becomes the duty Of the patrologist , in his qual ity of historian of Christian doctrine , to exhibit the genetic g rowth of his subj ect . T he development o f early ecclesiastical l iterature was conditioned and influenced in a notab le degree by the li terary conflict against paganism ,
Judaism and heresy . The earliest ecclesiastical writers enter the lists precisely as defenders of Christianity against formal l iterary assaults . W e do not accept as accurate a modern definition of Patrology as « the l iterary history o f early Christianity » .
From that point of View , it would have to include even the profane
works of Christian writers , and become the Christian equiva lent of
heathen and Jewish ,
l iterature . Moreover , i t is not so much the pro
fe ssion of Christianity on the part o f the wri ter as the the ologico ecclesiastica l character of his work that brings it within the range of Patrology ,
and stamps upon it for all time something peculiar and
distinctive . I fwe must no longer use the word Patrology , the science may well be defined as the history of early ecclesiastica l l iterature .
The considerations that affect the selection of the material , and the
limita tions of Patrology affect also the treatment o f the subj ect -matter .
Stress is laid more on the theological point of view. on the contents of the patristic writings , than on mere literary form . I t is true that literary history has a distinctly artistic interest . I n general , however , the writings of the Fathers are not l iterary art-work ; they expressly avoid such a character . Until very lately a distinction was drawn between Patrology and «Pa tristic » . To the latter , it was said , b e longed the study of the doctrinal content o f the early Christian writers .
The word «Patristic » comes from the « the ologia patristica » of former Protestant manuals of dogmatic theology that were wont to contain a special section devoted to the opinions of the Fathers . T his was cal led « the ologia patristica » and distinguished from « theo log ia bibl ica » and « the ologia symb olica » . I n the latter hal f of the eighteenth century this « the ologia patristica » gave way among Pro te stants to a Specific history of dogma
, destined to i l lustrate the con
stant development and evolution of the original apostolic teaching .
Thereby , the special office o f «Patristic » was exhausted . There
6 INTRODUCTION .
’
the last few decades ,
all former expositions of Patrol ogy have suf fe re d severe reproaches both from friend and foe .
'
proper that in the future Patrology Should develop al ong the line of scient i fic history
, Should g rasp
‘more firmly and penetrate more deeply its own subj ect -matter
, should first digest , and then exhibit in a scienti
fic and philosophic way , the mass of l iterary - historica l facts that
come within its purview . I n other words , i ts office is no longer
l imited to the study , in themselves al one
, of the writings of individual
Fathers , or of individual writings o f the Fathers ; i t must also set
forth the active forces that ar e common to all , and the relations of
all to their own world and their own time .
Fr . Z Vz '
z ‘ zscfi, Geschichtliches und Methodologisches zur Patristik : Jahr
bucher fur deutsche Theologie x . 37 — 63. Nitzsch uses the term
Patristic as identical with Patrology. P r . Ove r be ck , Uber die Anfange der patristische n L iteratur : Historische Z e itschrift (new series) xii.
4 1 7 — 4 7 2 . A . E /zrfiard ,
Z ur Behandlung der Patrologie : L iterarischer H andwe ise r
, 1 895 , 6 0 1
— 6 0 8. H aussle z ’
z ‘ er
L iteratur : Gotting . Gelehrte Anz eigen (Berl in ,
5 . MODERN HISTORY OF EARLY CHRISTIAN LITERATURE . Modern Protestant and Rational ist scholars have crea ted in the place of Patro logy a history of early Christian '
lite rature , the purpose of which is
to investigate and criticiz e , independent ly of its theolog ica l o r eccle
siastical aspects , the entire intel l ec tual product of Christian antiquity
from a purely li terary standpoint . T hey have been led to this trans formation
, o r rather rej ection of Patrology , not so much by general
scientific princip les , as by the hypotheses of modern rationa l istic
Protestantism , foremost among which is the denia l of the supernatura l
o rig in o f Christianity and the Church . A ccording to them , the SO
cal led Catholic Church was not founded by Jesus Christ . I t was
only after a l ong evolutionary period , during which the Gospel o f
Christ underwent steadily a number of profoundly modifying influences in the sense of paganism ,
and particularly of hel lenism , that the Catholic Church appeared among men toward the end of the se cond century
. S ince that time , both this Church and its doctrines
have been at all times the subj ect o f the most far - reaching changes
and the most inconsistent innovations . The so - ca l led Fathers o f the Church represent only their own personal and very mutable opinions .
T here is no more obj ective difference between ecclesiastica l and non ecclesiastical
, orthodox and heretica l teaching , than between the in
Spired and non - inspired books of the Scriptures , etc .
there was added a name forgotten by him , or by one ;
of his con tinuators
, the form and divisions of the work remained unchanged .
Between the years 4 6 7— 4 80 (apparently), Ge nnadius, a priest of Mar
seil les , brought out a very usefu l continuation and completion of the
«D e v i ris » 1 . He was a Semi - Pelag ian , a fact that is responsibl e for occasional deviations from his usual impartia l o r obj e ctive attitude .
Otherwise , Ge nnadiuswas an histo rian of extensive knowledge , accurate
j udgment and honourable purpose . I sidore , archbishop of Sevil le
(T added considerably to the labours of Ge nnadius 2 , and his disciple I lde phonsus of T oledo (T66 7 ) contributed a short appendix on some Spanish theolog ians 3. Centuries were now to pass away before the Benedictine chronicler
, Sige b e rt of Gembloux in Belg ium (T 1 I
took up the task once more , and carried the histo ry of ecclesiastica l l iterature down to his own time . I n his book «D e viris illustrib us» 4
he treats first ,
« imitatus H ie ronymum e t Ge nnadium » , as he himsel f
says (C . of the ancient ecclesiastical writers ; and next g ives biographica l and bibliographical notes on early mediae va l L atin theo logians, usual ly slight and meagre in contents, and not unfrequently rather superficial . Somewhat similar compendia were composed by the priest Honorius of Augustodunum (A utun ?) between 1 1 2 2 and
1 1 2 5 5 , by the «A nonymus Me llice nsis»
, SO cal led from the Bene
dictine abbey of Melk in L ower A ustria , where the first manuscript
of his work was found , though the work itsel f was probably composed
in the abbey OfPrufe ning near Ratisbon in 1 I 35 6 , and by the author of
a similarly entitled work wrong ly ascribed to the scholastic theolog ian Henry of Ghent (T T hese compilations were all surpassed ,
in 1 494 , as regards the number of authors and the abundance of information
, by the «D e scriptorib us e ccle siasticis» of the celebrated
abbot Johannes T rithe mius (T I t contains notices of 96 3 writers , some of whom ,
however , were not theolog ians . I ts Chief
merit l ies in the information g iven concerning writers o f the later period of Christian antiquity . For T rithemius
, as for his predecessors
,
St . Jerome and Ge nnadius are the principa l sources of knowledge concerning the literary labours Of the Fathers .
These l iterary- historical compilations ar e to be found together with the work of St. Jerome (L atin and Greek) in ff. A . Foor ieius, B ibliotheca ecclesiastica , Hamburg ,
1 7 1 8. For the later editions of Ge nnadius by H e rding , B er noulli
, P iefior o
’ son see p . 7 ; cf. also Yunginonn, Quaestiones
Ge nnadianae (Programme), L ipsiae , 1 88 1 B r . Cz apla , Ge nnadius alsL iterar historiker, Munster, 1 898 (Kirchengeschichtl iche Studien , iv . Fr . D iekanzp ,
Wann hat Ge nnadius seinen Schriftste lle rkatalog ve rfafit ? Romische Quartal schrift flir christliche A ltertumskunde und fur Kirchengeschichte , 1 898, xii.
Al igne , PL . , lviii . 1 0 59 — 1 1 2 0 .
2 1 h . , lxxxiii . 1 0 81 — 1 1 0 6 .
I b . , xcvi . 1 95
— 2 0 6 .
— 588.
D e luminar I b us e ccle siae : M'
zgne , PL . , clxxi i . 1 9 7
— 2 34 .
1
3
5
6 D e scr ip tor ib us e ccle siasticis: ih . , ccxiii . 96 1 — 984 .
e H I STORY AND L ITERATURE OF PATROLOGY . 9
4 1 1 — 4 2 0 . For the two Spanish historians of Christian literature cf. G.
r} . D z iolozoséi, I sidor und I lde fons als L iterarhistoriker , M imste r (Kirchen
,
, 1 893
— 1 6 2
, and for his l iterary- historical work S . H irseli
, De v ita e t scriptis
Sige b e rti monach i Gemb lac e nsis, Be rolini, 1 84 1 , 330 — 337 . There is an
article by Stononié on Honorius of Augustodunum in the Kirchenlexikon ofWetz e r und We lte , 2 . e d.
, vi. 2 68— 2 7 4 . A good edition of the «Anony
mus M e llice nsis» was published by E . E tiling e r , Karlsruhe , 1 896 . For the
work «De viris illustribus» current under the name of Henry of Ghent see B . H aur e
‘ ou in M émoires de l’institut national de France ,
Acad . des in scr iptions e t belles- lettres
, Paris
, 349 — 35 7 . The work of T ri
themius is discussed by S iloe r nog l, Johannes T rithemius, 2 . e d. , R egens
burg, 1 885 , pp . 59 — 6 5 .
3. TH E XVI . , xvn . ,
AND XVII I . CENTURIES . S ince the fifteenth century the study of ecclesiastica l l iterature has made unexpected progress . The humanists brought to light a multitude of unknown works of L atin
, and especia l ly of Greek ecclesiastical writers . The
contention of the reformers that primitive Christianity had undergone a profound corruption
, furthered stil l more the a l ready awakened interest
in the ancient l iterature of the Church . I n ‘
the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries , the Benedictine scholars o f the French Congrega
tion of St . Maur gave a powerful and lasting impulse to the move ment by the excel lent
, and in part classical
, in which
they revealed to an astonished world historical sources of almost infinite richness and varie ty . New provinces and new purposes were thereby Opened to Patrology . The Maurists made known at the same time the laws for the historica l study of the orig inal sources ; in nearly every department o f ancient ecclesiastica l l itera ture
, i t became possible for scholars to strip the historical truth of
the veil of legend that had hung over it . I t stil l remained customary for literary historians
, to dea l with the ancient ecclesiastical l iterature
as a whole . The most distinguished Cathol ic names in this period o f patrological scholarship ar e those of Bel larmine (T D upin
(T L e Nourry (T Ce illie r (T S chram (T L umper (T Among the Protestant patrolog ists are reckoned the Reformed theologians Cave (T and Ondin (T a Fremon Strate nsian monk who became a Protestant in The L utheran writers
, Gerhard (T H iilsemann (T Ole arius (T and
others introduced and spread the use of the term «Patro logy » , meaning thereby a comprehensive view of all Christian theolog ica l l iterature from the earl iest period to mediaeva l
, and even to modern times .
P ooer z ‘ us Card . B e l/or nzinus S . J.
, De scriptoribus e ccle siasticis liber unus,
cum adiunctis indicibus unde cim e t brevi Chronologia ab orbe condito usque ad annum 1 6 1 2
, Romae
, 1 6 1 3 ; Coloniae , 1 6 1 3, e t sae pius. L . E .
D upin , Nouvelle bibl iotheque des auteurs ecclésiastiques , Paris
, 1 686 sq .
The several sections of this extensive work appeared under different titles . The number of volumes also varies according to the editions . Because of
I 0 INTRODUCTION .
its very unecclesiastical character the work of Dupin was placed on the I ndex, May 1 0 . 1 7 5 7 . JV. L e N our ry O. S . B .
, Apparatus ad b ib liothe cam
maximam ve te rum patrum e t antiquorum scr iptorum e ccle siasticorum Lug dun i (1 6 7 7 ) editam ,
2 tomi , Paris, 1 7 0 3
— 1 7 1 5 . B . Ce illie r O. S . B . , Histoire
générale de S auteurs sacre ’ s e t ecclésiastiques , 2 3 vols . , Paris, 1 7 2 9
— 1 7 63 ;
a new editionwasbrought out atParis, 1 858 —
,
Analysis Op e rum SS . Patrum e t scr ip torum eccl . , 1 8 tomi , Aug . V ind . ,
1 780 —
1 7 96 . G. L umpe r O. S . B .
, H istoria the ologico - critica de vita
, scr ip tis
atque doctrina SS . Patrum aliorumque scr iptorum eccl . tr ium primorum
sae culorum , 1 3 tomi , Aug . V ind .
, 1 7 83
— 1 7 99 .
G. Cove , Scr ip torum e ccle siasticorum historia litte raria a . Christo nato
usque ad sae c . XI V , L ond . ,
1 688. C. Oudin , Comme ntarius de scripto r ibus eccles .
, 3 tomi , L ipsiae , 1 7 2 2 .
you. Ge r lzor o ’
i Patrologia, s . de pr imitivae ecclesiae christianae doctorum
vita ac lucub rationibus opusculum posthumum , Jenae, 1 6 53 ; 3. cd.
, Ge rae
,
1 6 7 3. H illsemonn, Patrologia, ed . 7 . A . Se/ze r z e r , L ipsiae , 1 6 7 0 . G.
Olear ius, Abacus patrologicus, Jenae, 1 6 7 3. Blew , B ibl iotheca scriptorum
eccles . , 2 tomi
, 1 7 1 0
— 1 7 1 1 .
Many ancient ecclesiastical writers ar e treated at much length by L . S . le N oin o
’ e Tillemoni
Six premiers siecles , 1 6 tomes
, Paris
— 1 7 1 2 , Often reprinted ; cf. also
54 A . Foor ieius , Bibliotheca Graeca seu notitia scriptorum v e te rum Grae
corum , 1 4 voll . , H amburgi, 1 7 0 5
— 1 7 2 8. A new , but unfinished edition Of
Fabricius was publ ished by G. C/zr . H ur les, 1 2 voll . , Hamburg , 1 7 90 —
1 80 9 .
,
— 1 7 94 .
4 . PATROLOGY I N MODERN TIMES . D uring the nineteenth century , the materials of ancient ecclesiastical l iterary history have steadily increased . Not only have many new Greek and L at in texts been discovered , notably by such scholars as Cardinal Mai (T 1 854) and Cardinal P itra (T but entirely new fields have been thrown open , part icularly in the domain of the ancient Syriac and A rmenian literatures ; the elaboration of this materia l has ca l led forth
, especial ly
in Germany , England , and North America
, a z eal that grows ever
more active and genera l . Protestant theolog ians paid particular at ten tion to the problems of Christian antiquity
, and Classica l philolog ians
learned to overcome their former at titude of depreciation of theo log ico - Christian literature . The press poured forth patristic mono
g raphs in such numbers that their ever-
g rowing flood became at
times almost a source of embarrassment . Among the comprehensive works published by Cathol ic authors were those of Mohler (T Pe rmane de r (T Fessler (T A lzog (T N irschl
, and
others . I n the latter hal f of the eighteenth century the custom arose of dividing the later from the earl ier Fathers
, and mak ing
these latter the subj ect of a separate branch of l iterary and historica l study . W ithin the last few years
, Protestant theolog ians have made
exhaustive studies on the writers of the first three centuries . I n the first
part of his monumenta l work , Adolf Harnack has presented with an
unexampled fulness the entire material of pre -Eusebian Christian literature .
Lf ‘ 3. LITERARY COLLECTIONS . 1 1
7 .
A . M oliler , Patrologie Oder christliche L ite rarge schichte ,
edited by F. X. P eif/ii noy r , vol. 1 (the first three Christian centuries) , R atisbon 1 84 0 . The work was not continued . M P e rmanede r , B ibliotheca patristica, L andishuti, 1 84 1
— 1 84 4 , 2 tom i . 7 . Fessle r ,
. I nstitution e S Patrologiae , I nns pruck ,
1 85 0 —
1 85 1 , 2 tomi ; de nuo r e ce nsuit , auxit
, e didit B . 7 ungnzonn, ib .
,
1 890 —
1 896 . 7 . A lzog , Grundr ifi der Patrologie Oder der alteren christ lichen L ite rarge schichte , Fre iburg , 1 866
, 4 . cd. , ih . 1 888. 7 . jVirsofil,
L ehrbuch der Patrologie und Patristik , Mainz
, 1 881 — 1 885 , 3 vols .
7 . R ezoo ’
ny oy , Compendium patrologiae e t patr isticae , Quinque e ccle siis
[i . e . Flinfkirche n] , 1 894 . B . Swe te , Patristic Study, L ondon , 1 90 2 .
C12 . Tn. Cr uti ‘we ll , A l iterary history of early Christianity
, including
the Fathers and the chief heretical writers of the Ante -Nicene period , L ondon
, 1 893, 2 vols . A . H or nuoé , Ge schichte der altchristl ichen L ite
r atur bis auf E usebius , I . Part : D ie Ub e rlie fe rung und der Bestand, L eipz ig,
1 893. I I . Part : D ie Chronolog ie , 1 . vol D ie Chronologie der altchrist l ichen L iteratur bis I r e naus
, L eipz ig ,
1 89 7 ; 2 . vol. : D ie Chronologie der L iteratur von I r e naus bis E usebius, ih . ,
1 90 4 . G. Kr uge r , Geschichte der altchristlichen L iteratur in den ersten dre i Jahrhunder ten
, Fre iburg , 1 89 5 ;
with supplement , 1 897 : E nglish transl . by Gillet, History of E arly Christian
L iterature , N ew York and L ondon
, 1 89 7 .
P . B otifiol, L a littérature grecque, Paris, 1 897 (Bibl iotheque de l ’
e nse ign e
ment de l ’histoir e ecclésiastique . Anciennes l ittératures Chr e ’
tie nne s). The
Greek theologians of the Byz antine period (5 2 7— 1 4 53) ar e treated by A . E nr
/zor o’ in K Kr uniouoner , Geschichte der byz antinischen L iteratur , 2 . cd. ,
Munich , 1 897 , pp . 37
— 2 1 8. For the Greek hymnology of the same period cf.
ih . pp . 653 — 7 0 5 . The histories of R oman l iterature
, by B ei/zr
, Teuf e l
Sonic/ewe , and Sefianz , devote attention to the L atin theolog ical writers :
7 . Cnr . F. B ei/zr , Geschichte der rOmische n L iteratur
, vol . iv : Die Christ
. S . Teuf e l, Geschichte der rOmische n L iteratur
, neu bearbeitet von L . S e/zzoooe , 5 . e d.
, L eipz ig , 1 890 ,
2 vols . ; M S e/zonz , Geschichte der rOmiSChe n L iteratur
, 3. Part : D ie Z e it von Hadrian (1 1 7 ) bis auf Konstantin Munich
, 1 896 ,
2 . ed . 1 90 5 .
4 . Part, 1 . Half: Die L iteratur des 4 . Jahrhunderts , 1 90 4 . Cf. especia lly A . E be r t
, A llgemeine Geschichte der L iteratur des M ittelalters im Abend lande, vol . i : Geschichte der christlich - late in ischen L iteratur von ihren Ah fangen bis zum Z eitalter Karls des Grofie n
, L eipz ig ,
1 87 4 , 2 . ed . 1 889 .
Much less satisfactory is the work ofM M anitius, Geschichte der christlich lateinischen Poesie bis z ur M itte des 1 8. Jahrhunderts , Stuttgart , 1 89 1 .
,
relatively complete and generally reliable : A Dictionary of Christian B io graphy, L iterature , Sects and Doctrines
, edited by W Snziz
‘n and H Ware ,
L ondon , 1 87 7
— 1 887 , 4 vols . 0 . B arden/zezoe r , Geschichte der altkir chl .
L iteratur , I .
— II . tom B is zum Beginn des 4 . Jahrhunderts , Freiburg ,
1 90 2 — 1 90 3.
3. L ite ra ry colle ctions r e lativ e to th e Fa th e rs of th e Chu r ch . Co ll e ctiv e e di
tions Of th e ir w r itings. P r in cip al co lle ctions of tr anslations.
1 . S . F. W H of mann, B ibliographisches L ex ikon der gesamten L itera tur der Griechen , 2 . e d. , L eipz ig ,
1 838 — 1 84 5 , 3 vols . l/V. E ng e lmann,
B ibl iotheca scriptorum classicorum , 8. e d. , Conta in ing the literature from
1 7 0 0 —
1 87 8 , revised by E . P r eu/J, L e ipz ig , 1 880 — 1 882 , 2 vols . Ulisse
C/zeoa lie r , R ep e r toir e des sources historiques du moyen age , vol. 1 : Bio B ibl iographie, Paris, 1 87 7
— 1 886 , with a supplement
, P aris
, 1 888
, 2 . ed .
. B ibl iographica l synopsis , in the Ante - Nicene
I 2 INTRODUCTION .
pp . 1 —
1 36 (see 1 1 . A .
D ie altchristliche L iteratur und ihre E rforschung se it 1 880 . A llgemeine Ub e rsicht und erster L iteraturber icht ( 1 880 Freiburg (Strafiburge r theol . Studien 1
, 4 l ei , D ie altchristl iche L iteratur und ihre E rforschung
von 1 884 his 1 90 0 . I : D ie vornicanische L iteratur, Freiburg , 1 90 0 (Strafi
burger theol . Studien , Supplem . I ). B orden/zezoer , Geschichte der altk irch
lichen L iteratur, Freiburg, 1 90 2 —
1 90 3, vol . i— ii . The literary Compi lations descriptive of the Syriac patristic l iterature ar e discussed in 80 — 83.
2 . The princ ipal editions of the Fathers ar e the fol lowing : M de lo
B zgne , B ibliotheca SS . Patrum supra duce ntos, Par is , 1 5 7 5 , 8 voll .
, with
, ib . 1 6 54 , 1 7 voll .
Magna B ibliotheca v e te rum Patrum e t an tiquorum scriptorum eccle siasticor um ,
Opera e t studio doctissimorum i n A lma Unive rsitate Colon .
Agripp . the ologorum ac p rofe ssorum , Colon . Agr . , 1 6 1 8
, 1 4 voll . , wit/z a:
Supp leme ntum v e l appendix , ib . 1 6 2 2 .
Fr . Comoefis, Gracco -L atinae Patrum B ibl iothecae novum auctarium
Paris ,
1 648, 2 voll . ; l ei , B ibl iothecae Gr ae corum Patrum auctarium no vissimum
, ib . 1 6 7 2 , 2 voll .
L . d ’
A enery , V e te rum aliquot scriptorum qu i in Galliae b ib liothe cis,
maxime Be n edictinorum , sup e rsunt Spicilegium, Paris
, 1 6 5 5
— 1 6 7 7 , 1 3 voll . ;
n ew edition by L . Fr . 7 . de lo B ar r e , Paris, 1 7 2 3, 3 voll . I t has been proved lately that d’
Aché ry included , in good faith ,
several documents forged by the Oratorian 7 eronze Vignie r (T the proof is clearest for just those pieces that were held to be the special pride of the collection .
Cf. 7 . H ave l , L e s découvertes de Je rome V ignier : B ibliotheque de l
’Ecole des Chartes
— 2 7 1 .
Maxima B ibl iotheca ve te rum Patrum antiquorumque ecclesiae scripto rum
, Lugduni, 1 6 7 7 , 2 7 voll . 7 . B . Cote lier
, E cclesiae Graecae monumenta
, Paris 1 6 7 7— 1 686
, 3 vol l . I n some Copies the Analecta Graeca of B . a
’ o M ontfaucon (Paris , 1 688)
ar e called the fourth volume of the Cote lie r col lection .
A . Ga llona ’
e ccle siasticorum , V e ne tiis
, 1 7 6 5 — 1 78 1 e t 1 7 88, 1 4 voll . I ndex alphab e ticus
Bibl iothecae Gallandii, Bononiae , 1 863.
M 7 . P outlz, R eliquiae Sacrae seu Auctorum fere jam p e rditorum se cundi te rtnque sae culi fragmenta quae sup e rsunt . Acce dunt epistolae syn odicae e t canonicae N icae no Conc ilio an tiquior e s, Oxonii, 1 8 1 4
— 1 81 8 , 4 vol l . ,
ed . altera , 1 84 6
— 1 848, 5 vol] .
A . M ai , Scr iptorum v e te rum nova Colle ctio e Vaticanis codicibus
edita , R omae
, 1 82 5
— 1 838, 1 0 voll . [ xi. , Classic i auctores e Vaticanis co
dicib us ed iti , ib . 1 82 8— 1 838 , 1 0 vol l . I d , Sp ici legium R omanum
, ib .
1 839 —
1 84 4 , 1 0 voll . Nova Patrum B ibl iotheca
, ib . 1 844
— 1 854 ,
7 vol l . ; tom . vi ii— ix , ed . 7 . Coz zu -L uz i, ib . 1 87 1
— 1 888.
Patr ologiae cursus completus . Accurante 7 . P . Al igne , Paris , 1 844 ad
1 866 . I t consists of a Greek and a L atin series . The L atin Fathers were published between 1 84 4 and 1 85 5 ,
and Come down to I nnocent III .
(T in 2 1 7 vols .
, with I ndices in four vols . (2 1 8 The Greek
Fathers were published from 1 85 7 to 1 86 6 and reach to the Counci l of Florence (1 438 The latter series is without I ndices . D . Senolor ios
publ ished at Athens, 1 87 9 , a Catalogue of the Greek writings in the M igne
edition , and of those in the Corpus scr iptorum historiae Byz antinae (Bonn , 1 82 8— 1 85 5 , 48 vols), also some fasc icules of a broadly conce ived index to both these series ofGreek writers
, A thens
, 1 883 —
1 887 . A short catalogue of the authors printed in the M igne series of Greek Fathers may be found in A . Polflzosz‘
, Bibl iotheca historica medi i ae vi, 2 . e d. , Berlin
, 1 896 , CI — CVI .
7 . B . P i '
i ‘ r a , Spicilegium Sole sme nse comple cte ns SS . Patrum scripto
rumque e ccle siasticorum anecdota hacte nus Opera, Paris, 1 85 2 —
1 858, 4 voll . Juris ecclesiastici Grae corum historia e t monumenta , Romae
, 1 864
— 1 868,
2 voll . I d , Analecta sacra Spicilegio Sole sme nsi parata , Paris, 1 87 6 —
1 89 1 ,
6 voll . Analecta sacra e t Classica Spicil . Sole sm . parata , ih . 1 888. H is
Analecta novissima (ib . 1 885 —
1 888 , 2 vol l . ) contain , with the exception
of some papal letters in the first volume , only m edimval documents .
Corpus scr iptorum e ccle siasticorum latinorum , e ditum consil io e t im
pensis Academiae L itte rarum Cae sar e ae Vindob on e nsis , 1 86 6 sqq .
SS . Patrum Opuscula selecta ad usum praesertim studiosorum the ologiae .
Edidit e t comm e ntar iis auxitH H ur ter S . J. , I nnspruck , 1 868 —
1 885 , 48 voll . Most of the volumes went through several editions . Series a ltera ,
ih .
1 884 — 1 89 2 , 6 voll . Monumenta Ge rmaniae historica . I nde ab anno Christi quinge nte simo
usque ad annum mille simum e t quinge nte simum e didit Societas ap e r ie ndis
fontibus rerum Ge rmanicarum medi i ae vi. Auctores an tiquissimi , Berol . 1 87 7
— 1 898, 1 3 voll . This section of the Monumenta
, formerly edited by
M ommsen , includes the L atin writers of the transition period from the
R oman to the T euton ic e ra .
Sammlung ausgewahlte r k irchen und dogrne nge schichtliche r Quellen schriften
, als Grundlage fI I r Seminarubunge n herausgegeben unter L e itung
von G. Kr ug e r , Fr e iburg, 1 89 1 sq .
G. P ousenen, Florilegium patristicum . D ige ssit, v e r tit, adnotavit G. R .
Fasc . i . Monumenta ae vi apostolici . Fasc . i i : S . Justin i apologiae duae .
Fasc . III : Monumenta minora sae culi se cundi. Bonnac, 1 90 4 —
1 9 0 5 .
D ie griechischen chr istl ichen Schriftsteller der ersten drei Jahrhunderte , herausgegeben von der Kirchenvater -Komm ission der kOnigl . p r e uflische n Akademie der W issenschaften
, L eipz ig 1 897 ff.
Two editions now in progress of select works by Fathers may be mentioned . One is the «Cambridge Patristic T exts» . Of this series two
volumes have appeared , viz . : «The five T heological Orations of Gregory
of ed . M ason , 1 899 ; «The Catechetical Oration of Gregory
of Nyssa » , ed . Srawle y ,
1 90 3. «The L etters and other R ema ins of D io nysius of A lexandria » , ed . Feltre , 1 90 4 .
The other collection is «B ibliotheca Sanctorum Patrum , the ologiae
tironibus e t un iverso Clero accommodata » , V iz z in i etc . ,
Romae , 1 90 1 sqq .
T hirteen vols . of this series have been issued . I t Should be observed that in it all Greek works ar e accompan ied by a L atin translation .
For more detailed information as to the contents of the older colle c
tive editions of the Fathers cf. T12. frog, De Bib liothe cis e t Cate nis Patrum variisque ve te rum scr ip torum e ccle siasticorum colle ctionibus
, L ipsiae ,
1 7 0 7 .
7 . G. D ore/ling , Notitia scriptorum SS . Patrum aliorumque v e te r is ecclesiae monume ntorum
, quae in colle ctionibus An e cdotorum post a . Chr . 1 7 0 0 in
lucem e ditis contine ntur , OXOI ‘I I I , 1 839 . The col lective editions of the
Syriac Fathers ar e described in 80 — 83.
3. COLLECTIONS OF TRANSLATIONS . Among the principal col lections o f translations the fol lowing deserve mention :
B ibl iothek der Kirchenvater . Auswahl der vorzuglichste n patr istische n
Werke in deutscher U b e rse tzung unter der Oberleitung von Fr . X. P e it/z
nuzy r , fortgesetz t von B . Tnol/zofer , Kempten , 1 86 0 — 1 888, 80 voll . L ibrary of the Fathers
, edited by Pusey ,
1 838 —
1 888 , 4 5 vol l . The Ante -Nicene Christian L ibrary. T ranslations of
the writings of the Fathers down to A . D . 32 5 , edited by A . Robe r ts and
1 4 INTRODUCTION .
,
'
alo , 1 884
— 1 886 , under the direction of A . Cleve land Cox e
, 8 voll . with a supplement, 1 887 (N ew York
, 1 896 , 1 0 For the bibl iography
of E nglish translations of the Ante -Nicene Fathers see E r nest C. P iefiardson
(ib . vol . x) : B ibl iographical Synopsis, passim .
P/z. Sena/f and H Wa re , A select L ibrary of Nicene and Post-N icene Fathers of the Christian Church . I n connection with a number of patristic scholars of E urope and America . Buffalo and N ew York
, 1 886— 1 890 ,
1 4 vo ll . Second Series, N ew York , 1 890 sq .
qui temporibus apostolicis florue runt, Barnab ae , Clementis Rom .
, Hermae
,
I gnatii , Polycarpi , opera edita e t inedita , vera e t supposititia ,
una cum Clementis
, I gnatii e t Polycarpi actis atque mar tyriis. E x mss . codicibus
e ruit , cor r e xit v e rsionibusque e t notis illustravit 7 . B . Coi‘e le r ius
, Paris
, 1 6 7 2 ,
2 vol. A n ew edition was issued by 7 . Cler ieus, Antwerp , 1 698, and
Amsterdam , 1 7 2 4 ,
and was reprinted , with the fragments Of Papias and the Ep istle to Diogn e tus added
, in Gallandi , B ibl . v e t . Patr . ,
1 — 1 1 1 , Ve n e tiis, 1 7 6 5
— 1 7 6 7 ; also in M gne , PG. i . 1 1 v , Paris , 1 85 7 . Opera Patrum apostolicorum ed . C. 7 . H efe le , T iib i‘nge n ,
1 839 , 4 . ed . 1 85 5 . Opp . Patr . apostol . , te xtum r e ce nsuit
, adnotationibus cr iticis
prolegomena, ind ices addidit F. X. Funk . E d.
post H e fe lianam quartam quinta . Vol. i : E pistulae Barnab ae , Clementis
Romani , I gnatii, Polycarpi, Anonymi ad D iogne tum, I gnatii e t Polycarpi
martyria , Pastor Hermae
, Tubingen , 1 878 ; ed . nova Doctrina duode cim
Apostolorum adaucta . 1 887 . Vol . i i : Clementis R . e pistulae de virgin itate e iusdemque martyrium
, e pistulae Pseudo - I gnatii, I gnatii martyria tria
Papiae e t se niorum apud I r e nae um fragmenta , Polycarp i vita ,
1 881 . A
second edition of P unk ’
s work appeared at Tubingen 1 90 1 , 2 voll . (Patres Apostolic i
, i : Doctrina duode cim Apostolorum ,
E pistulae Barnab ae , Cle
mentis R oman i , I gnatii , Polycarpi huiusque martyrium
, Papiae , Quadrati ,
pr e sbyte rorum apud I r e nae um fragmenta , E pistola ad D iogn e tum ,
Pastor Hermae ; I I : Clementis R omani e pistulae de virginitate e iusdemque mar
tyrium , E pistulae Pseudo - I gnatii , I gnatii martyria
, fragmenta Polycarpiana ,
Polycarpi vita). F. X. Funk , D ie apostol ischen Vater (Samm lung aus
gewahlte r k irchen und dogme nge schichtl . Quellenschriften , ed . Kr uge r ,
2 . se rie s . I ), T ilb inge n , 1 90 1 . Patrum apostolicorum opera ed . A . B . M
D r esse l , L ipsiae , 1 85 7 , 2 . ed . 1 863. Patrum apostol . Opera
, te xtum recen
sue runt, commentario e xe g . e t histor . illustrav e runt , apparatu critico , v e r
sione lat . , p role gg . ,
,
T Z a/zn , ed . post D r e sse lianam alteram tertia . Fasc . i : Barnab ae epist .
Grae ce e t L at. , Clementis R . epp . r e ce nS . atque illustr .
, Papiae quae super
sunt , Pr e sbyte rorum r eliquias ab I r e nae o se rvatas , vetus E cclesiae Rom .
symbolum , e p . ad D iogne tum adie ce runt 0 . de Geo/liardz‘ e t Ad. H ar nack ,
L ipsiae , 1 87 5 . Fasc . i , part . i , ed. : Clementis R . epp . , te xtum ad fidem
codicum e t A le xandrini e t Constantinopolitani nup e r inventi rec . e t ill . 0 . de Geo/zardi‘ e t Ad. H ar nack
, 1 87 6 . Fasc . i
, part . i i , 2 . cd. : Barnab ae
epist . , Papiae quae sup e rsunt etc . adie c . 0 . de Geo/la rd! e t Ad. H arnack ,
1 87 8. Fasc . I I : I gnatii e t Polycarpi e pistulae , martyria , fragmenta rec . e t
i ll . Tli . Z a/zn , 1 87 6 . Fasc . i i i : Hermae Pastor grae ce ,
addita versione latina r e ce ntior e e cod . Palatino
,
1 87 7 (Patrum apostol . opp . rec . 0 . de Geo/zardt , Ad. H a r nack e t Tn. Z a/zn,
ed . minor , L ipsiae , 1 87 7 , 1 894 , 1 90 0 , Novum T estamentum extra
canonem r e ce ptum (I . Clemens R .
, I I . Barnabas
rum sec . H e b rae os , sec . Pe trum
, sec . A e gyp tios, Matthiae traditionum ,
Petri e t Paul i p rae dicationis e t actuum
, Petri Apocalypse os etc . quae sup e rsunt),
ed . Ad. H '
ilg enfe la ’
, 2 . ed . 1 87 6 —
‘
, Cambridge , 1 869 . S .
Clement of Rome . An Appendix contain ing the newly recovered portions . W ith intro ductions
, notes and translations . By 7 . B . n /zifooi ‘ , L ondon
, 1 87 7 . The
‘
,
L ondon , 1 885 , 3 voll . , 2 . ed . 1 889 . The Apostol ic Fathers . Part . i : St. Cle
ment of Rome . A revised text with introductions , notes
, dissertations and
translations By the late 7 . B . n /zifoot , L ondon , 1 890 ,
2 voll . (The
Apostolic Fathers, text and '
translation , by . n lzlfool and H a rmer , 1 VOL,
L ondon , German translations of the Apostolic Fathers were made by Fr . X.
Breslau , 1 84 7 H Selzolz , Gitte rsloh , 1 86 5 ; 7 . C/ir . [ Way/er , Kempten ,
1 869 , with supplement conta ining the newly discovered fr agments of the
SO-
Called Two E pistles to the Corinthians, Kempten 1 880 (B ibliothek der Kirchenvater). The Apostolic Fathers were translated into E ngl ish by 7 . D onaldson (The Ante -Nicene Christian L ibrary ,
vol . i , E dinburgh ,
Cli . H H oole , L ondon ,
1 87 2 ; Dr . B ur ton , ih . 1 888— 1 889 .
Among the writers on the Apostolic Fathers ar e : Ad. ffilg enfe la ’
, Die Apostol ischen Vater , Untersuchungen liber I nhalt und Ursprung der unter ihrem Namen erhaltenen Schriften ,
Halle 1 853. C12. E . Fr eppe l , L e s
Peres apostoliques e t leur epoque , Paris 1 85 9 . 4 . ed. 1 885 . 7 . D onaldson,
,
L ondon , 1 864 , 2 . ed . 1 87 4 . C. Skzoor z ofw,
Patrologisch e Untersuchungen .
Ub e rU rsp rung der problematischen Schriften derApostolischenVater, L eipz ig ,
1 87 5 . 7 . Spr inz l, D ie Theolog ie der Apostol ischen Vater, W ien , 1 880 .
5 . T h e A p ostle s ’
Cr e e d (Symbo lum Ap osto licum ) .
1 . TH E TEXT . A ccording to an ancient tradition 1 the Apostles ’
Creed , i . e . the baptismal profession of fai th of the Roman liturgy,
is Of apostolic orig in , not only in “contents , but textual ly . The subj ect
of this tradition is not , howeve r
, the Creed in its present form
, but
, both in Greek and L atin
,
‘
can
be reconstructed with almost absolute certainty . T he oldest authority for the Greek text is a l ette r of Marcel lus
, bishop of A ncyra
, to
Pope Julius I . , written in 337 or 338 2 . The L atin text is first
met with in the commentary on the Creed written by Rufinus Of
A quileia (T The L atin text is certainly a translation from the Greek . T he extant text o f the Creed differs from these ancient texts chie tly by reason o f a few not very important additions
(dese e na ’ il ad infe r os, sanez
‘
or uzn e ornnzunionem , vilani a e te r nanzj .
The Circumstances under which the present text came into use are
Shrouded in Obscurity ; i t is first met with in Southern Gaul about the middle of the fifth century .
2 . I TS ANTIQUITY . Caspari has demonstrated , by profound and
extensive researches , that the ancient baptismal creed of the Ro
man Church is the common basis and root of all the primitive baptismal c reeds of the W est . Following in his footsteps
, Kat ten
busch holds that the Roman creed was a lso the archetype of all
Eastern creeds or symbols o f faith . T ertul lian expressly asserts that the A frican Church received its baptisma l creed from R ome 3. He outlines frequently what he cal ls a Rule of Faith 4
, i . e . a Sketch of the
1 T radunt maior e s nostr i, P ufinus , Comm . in Symb . apost. , C . 2 .
2 Epip la , H a e r e s. 7 2 , 2 — 3.
3 D e p ra e scr . ha e r e t. , C . 36 .
4 P eg ula fide i , lex fide i, r egu la . Cf. D e p rae scr . C . 1 3 ; D e virgin . ve l.
C . 1 ; Adv . Prax .
, C . 2 .
BA R D E N H E W E R - SHAH A N , Pa trology .
1 8 FIRST PERIOD . FIRST SECTION .
universa l ly taught ecclesiastica l bel ief ; i t is S imply a paraphrase o f the Old-Roman baptismal creed . I t was a baptismal c reed that served
I re nazus as a criterion in his description of « the faith , that the Church
scattered through the whole world had received from the Apostles
and their disciples » 1 . I f the creed he describes be not that of the Roman Church ,
it is surely one that resembled it very much .
”
The
wri tings of S t . Justin Show that in the fi rst hal f of the second century the Roman Church possessed a fixed and definite baptisma l c reed 2 .
W e possess no historical authorities older than those mentioned .
3. APOSTOLIC ORIGIN OF TH E CREED . I t is certain that the con
tents of the Old-Roman Creed are apostolic , i . e . i t reproduces in an
exact and reliable way the teaching o f the A postles . From what has been said in the preceding parag raph it wil l be seen that i t is not possib le to demonstrate the traditiona l bel ie f in the apostol ic orig in Of i ts phraseology ; on the other hand it is st il l more difficult t o overthrow the same . A ll obj ections to the contrary repose on untenable historiCO - dogmatic hypotheses . I t is certain
, on the one
hand , that from the earl iest days of the Church the need o f some
,
, that the ancient Roman Creed
«with its primitive severity , its extreme S implicity and brevity
, i ts highly
lapidary style , impresses us as a document that has come down , word
for word , from the most remote Christian antiquity » .
4 . LITERATURE . T he traditional forms or recensions of the A postles ’
Creed are col lected in
H D enz ing er , E nchiridion symb olorum e t definitionum , 9 . cd.
, aucta
e t emendata ab 7 . Sta/d , Freiburg, 1 90 0 ,
pp . 1 — 8 ; with greater fulness in
,
3. ed . by G. L . H a/zn , Breslau , 1 897 , pp . 2 2 f. A ll modern investigations
of the anc ient baptismal creed of the Church date from the fundamental labours of Caspari (T C. P . Caspar i, Ungedruckte , unbeachtete und wen ig beachtete Quel len zur Geschichte des T aufsymb ols und der Glau b e nsr e ge l, Christian ia , 1 866— 1 87 5 , 3 vols . I d
, A lte und neue Quel len zur
Geschichte des T aufsymb ols und der Glaubensregel , ih . 1 87 9 .
Katte nbusch ava iled himse lf of the scholarly work of Caspari :F. Ka ilen
base/i , D asApostol ische Symbol , se ine E ntstehung ,
sein geschichtl icher Sinn ,
seine ursp r iingliche Stellung im Kultus und in der Theologie der Kirche .
Vol. i :D ie Grundgestalt de S T aufsymb ols, L eipz ig , 1 894 . Vol . I I :Verbre itung und Bedeutung des T aufsymb ols,
1 897 — 1 90 0 . Cf. also M N icolas
, L e
symbole des ApOtre S . E ssa i histor . Paris ,
1 86 7 . C. A . H eur iley , A His tory of the E arlier Formularies of Fa ith of the Western and E astern Churches, L ondon ,
1 89 2 . W e can cite but a few of the writings called forth in Germany S ince 1 89 2 by the «Kampf um das Apostol ikum »
, a confl ict
that centred rather about the contents than about the text of the Creed .
1 Adv . hae r . , i. 1 0
, I I ; cf. iii. 4 , 1 — 2 ; iv . 33, 7 .
2 Apol . , i . 6 1 .
3 Acts viii . 37 ; cf. Mk . xvi. 1 6 .
6 . T H E D I DACHE OR T EACHING OF T H E TWELVE APOSTLES . 1 9
’
s
Apostolische Glaubensbekenntnis, Berlin , 1 89 2 , 2 5 . ed . 1 894 . Among its Protestant defenders Tn. Z a/1 72 , Das Apostol ische Symbolum
, E rlangen ,
1 893, 2 . e d. , was easi ly prominent . Catholic scholarship was represented by
S . B aume r , DasApostolische Glaub e nsb e k e nntnis, Mainz , 1 893, and C. B lzime ,
DasApostolische Glaubensbekenntn is , Freiburg , 1 893 . Cf. B . D ar /loll , D as
T aufsymb olum der alten Kirche nach Ursprung und E n twick lung . Part i : Geschichte der Symbolforschung ,
Paderborn ,
1 898. Cf. also 7 . Kunz e ,
Glaubensregel , He il ige Schrift und T aufb e k e nntnis, L eipz ig, 1 899 . Other writers on the Apostles’ Creed ar e 0 . S ene e l in Gotting . Gelehrten Anz eigen , 1 90 1 , clxi i . 835
,
a D iscussion , N ew York
, 1 90 0 . W e may also note the discussion between
Dom Fr . Clzamand and A . Vacandard in the Revue des questions histo r ique s, for 1 90 1 . W Sunday , Further R esearch on the H istory of the Creed
, in Journal of The ol .
i
'
— 2 1
, R
l
ome ,
’
hist . ecc les . ,
1 90 2 , i i i . 2 97 — 32 3 ; A . C
M oGij f e r z
‘
, its Origin , its Purpose and its HistOI ical
I nterpretation , L ondon , 1 90 2 ; W '
. W B is/top , The E astern Creeds and the Old Roman Symbol in American Journal of Theology, 1 90 2 , 5 1 8
— 5 2 8 ;
the Apostles’, Nicene , and Athanasian Creeds , L ondon
, 1 90 2 ; A . Cusliam,
The Apostles ’ Creed , its Origin ,
its Purpose ,
and its Historical I nter p r e tation ,
E dinburg , 1 90 3 ; V. E r nzoni , H istoire du Credo
, le Symbole de s
ApOtre s, Paris, 1 90 3 ; D . F. I/Ve zgand, D as Apostolische Symbol im M ittel alter
, eine Sk iz z e
, Gie fie n
, 1 90 4 . B ur n , The T extus R e ce ptus of the
Apostles’ Creed, in Journal of Theol . Studies ii i . 4 81 — 5 0 0 .
6 . T h e D idach e or T e ach ing of th e Tw e lv e A p ostl e s.
1 . I TS CONTENTS . This is the title o f one of the Oldest documents of Christian antiquity
, discovered in 1 883 by Philothe os Bry e nnios.
I n the only manuscript y e t known , written in 1 0 56 , the litt le work
is cal led Acdap ’
y z up e ’
ou did r cDu daide xa (1 71 0 0 7 6l 7 0 7g é ’
z ‘ive ow,
’
noor é/lwu.
'
most probably the orig inal . By it the anonymous author meant to suggest a compendious presentation Of the teaching of Jesus Chris t as
preached to the gentiles by the A postles . In length it about equals the Epistle to the Galatians
, and is divided into two parts.
The first (CC . 1 — 1 0 ) contains an ecclesiastica l ritual . I n i t are found instruction in Christian ethics (CC . 1 in the Shape of the de scrip tion of the Two W ays
, the W ay of L ife (cc . 1 —
4 ) and the W ay of D eath (c . T his is expressly set forth as a guide for the instruc tion of those who seek baptism (C . 7 ,
I ) . The author then ;
’
or ol oe v upogofit a c, C. 1 1 , the recept ion of trave lling brethren . c . 1 3,
2 =I°
FIRST PERIOD . FIRST SECTION .
the support of prophets and teachers who settle in the Community ,
C . the rel ig ious l ife of each community ,
e . g . divine service on
Sundays (C. and the superiors of the communities , ém ’
oxonoc m 2
dea ’
xovoe (c . 1 5 , 1 T he work closes with a warning to be
v ig ilant , for the last day is at hand .
2 . TIME AND PLACE OF COMPOSITION . I t was probably composed in the last decades of the first century
, most l ikely in Syria or Pa lestine .
I t is undoubtedly of the highest antiquity ; one meets no longer in the second Christian century wi th such conditions as are taken for
g ranted in its references to the rite Of baptism (C . of the B lessed
Eucharist (cc . 9 the ministers o f the divine mysteries (ém ’
axonoe
v dza ’
z ovoz, C . 1 5 , I ), and the ministers o f the divine word (dnéo rol oz
xa ‘
The description of the Ways of L ife and
D eath is SO striking ly S imilar to that o f the W ays of L ight and
D arkness in the E pistl e of Barnabas (CC . 1 8 itse l f probably com
p osed at the end of the first century , that one o f these two authors
must have Copied from the other , or both must have used a common
o rig inal . Apart from this latter hypothesis , Funk
, Zahn , and Schaff
have shown , as against Brye nnios, Harnack , Volkmar and others
, that
in all probability it is not the D idache which is dependent on the Epistle to Barnabas
, but the contrary . An older model is not to be
postulated . Especial ly , is there no good r e ason for subscribing to the
hypothesis of Harnack , T aylor , Savi and others , that the basis of the
first chapters of the D idache is a Jewish work , some ancient cate
chism for proselytes . On the one hand , the existence of such a
work is purely hypothetical , and on the other
, the first chapters of
the D idache exhibit a specific Christian character by reason of the many phrases , turns of thought and reminiscences that they borrow from the New T estament . Nor is there any sufficient reason to adopt the hypothesis of a stil l older Christian D idache (U rdidache ) that was improved and enlarg ed in the work before us . W ith some ex c e ptions (cc . 1
, 3 — 2
, I ) the extant manuscript o f the D idache re
presents , quite probably , i ts orig ina l form .
3. I TS HISTORY . I n some of the churches of the East , particularly
those of Egypt , Syria , and Pal estine
, the D idache was once highly
e steemed . Clement of A l exandria cites it as «Scripture » 1 ; A thanasius places it among writings suitable for catechumens a longside with some books of the OldT e stame nt z ; Eusebius places it among the apocrypha of the New T estament , i . e . among those books that had wrong ly been placed by some in the canon 3. T he SO- Cal led Apostolic Church Ordinance , composed probably toward the end of the third century in Egypt , contains (CC. 4
— 1 4 ) a description of the Two Ways , or rather
1 7 77; 7 ,0 ago77g e ifonr
’
, 1 0 0 .
2 z a /IOU/i émy rd» ) daoar élwv: E p . fe stal , 39 .
3 1 't dnoaro
lwy a ? l ard/r e vu e dcdaz a c ’
: H ist. e ccl . , iii. 2 5 , 4 .
J o
6 . T H E D IDACHE OR TEACHING OF TH E TWELVE APOSTLES . 2 1
of the Way of L ife , in which it is easy to recogniz e a slight paraphrase
Of the first four chapters of the D idache . S imilarly , a more exten
sive Overworking of the entire D idache is met with in the first part of the seventh book of the A postolic Constitutions (cc . 1 a
work that was very probably compiled about the beginning of the fifth century in Syria . Among the L atins the work is first met with in the pseudo - Cyprianic homily «Adversus ale atore s» 1 . T here is stil l extant an ancient L atin version of the first Six chapters .
The editio princeps of the D idache is entitled : Atdaxi] 1 63» ( “ in i
ti a tor timo
’
EV v cr avr u ounékeu 1 883 (cxlix . 7 5 pp .) The «Codex H ie rosolymitanus» is a parchment manuscript
, written in 1 0 5 6 , probably in Palestine . I n 1 883
it was in the l ibrary of the Hospice of the Holy Sepulchre Church at
Constantinople , whence it was soon transferred to the l ibrary of the Greek
,
1 887 . A lively interest was at once aroused , espec ial ly in E ngland and
America , with the result that a r ich and varied l iterature has grown
Up about this work . Cf. F. X. Funk , Doctrina duode cim apostolorum ,
T iib inge n, 1 887 , pp . l i— l i i , for the l iterature previous to that ye ar
g
; a
lengthier l ist is found in P/z. S elzaj f
, The T eaching of the Twelve Apostles, 3. e d. ,
N ew York , 1 889 , pp . 1 4 0
— 1 58, 2 9 7 — 32 0 . Among the many edi
tions of the D idache those of B ry ennios, Sena/j ”
, Funk
, and P ende l H ar r is
ar e especially meritorious by reason of the ir wealth of information . Se e
A . H ar nack, D ie L ehre der s lf Apostel (T exte und Untersuchungen zur
Geschichte der altchristl ichen L iteratur i i . 1 L eipz ig , 1 884 , stereotyped
1 893. All these editions contain , b eside the text of the D idache
, older
adaptations of the Doctrine of the Two Ways , espec ially the Apostolic
Church-Ordinance (entire or in part) and the first part seventh book of the Apostolic Constitutions . An A rabic adaptation of st Six Chapters of the D idache
, and published by L . E . [ se lin and A . H e usle r
, E ine bisher unbekannte Version des ersten T e iles der Apostellehre (T exte und Untersuchungen xi i i . L eipz ig , 1 895 .
Harnack followed Up his larger edition with a smal ler one , in which he undertook to reproduce the supposed Jewish prototype of the D idache : D ie Apostellehre und die jiidische n be iden Wege ,
L e ipz ig , 1 886
, 2 . ed .
1 896 . Contemporaneously with his ed ition of the Didache , Funk brought
out a n ew ed ition of the first volume of his «Opera Patrum apostolico rum » and included in it the newly- found text «D idache
, seu Doctr ina xii
‘
found an old L atin version of the first six chapters of the D idache ; a
Short fragment Of the same (D id . 1 , 1 — 3 ; 2 , 2— 6 ) had already been
ed ited by B . Pe z in 1 7 2 3 from a Melk codex of the n inth or tenth cen tury. S en/edi t
, D ie L ehre der s lf Aposte l in der L iturgie der katho lische n Kirche , Freiburg ,
1 90 0 ; [ d. , Doctrina XI I apostolorum ,
Freiburg ,
1 90 0 . The l iterature of the subject is very Cop ious ; it may suffice to indi ~ cate several essays of Funk
, written 1 884
— 1 897 on the date of the origin of the Didache and on its relations to similar texts ; they may be found
1 I n doctr inis apostolorum . c. 4 .
2 This- list h as b e e n brought -up to date in his n ew e dition , Tubinge n , 1 90 1 .
2 2 FIRST PERIOD . FIRST SECTION .
in his Kirchengeschichtliche Abhandlungen , Paderborn , 1 899 , i i . 1 0 8— 1 4 1
cf. T/z. Z a/zn, Forschungen zur Geschichte des ne ute stam e ntl . Kanons und der altkir chl . L iteratur , E rlangen and L eipz ig ,
1 884 , i i i . 2 7 8
— 31 9 . A . [ fr a
wuiz elzy , Uber d ie Sogen . Z wOlfaposte lle hr e , ihre hauptsachlichste n Que llen und ihre erste Aufnahme ,
in Theol . Quartalschrift lxvi . 54 7— 6 0 6 .
K M unenen , Die L ehre der s lf Apostel
, e ine Schr ift des 1 . Jahrhun
de r ts , in Z eitschrift fiir kath . Theolog ie x. 6 2 9
,
Cambridge , 1 886 . [ d. , An E ssay on the Theology of the D idache , ih .
1 889 . G. Wolzlenoerg , Die L ehre der zwolf Aposte l in ihrem V e rhaltnis
zum neutestamentlichen Schrifttum , E rlangen , 1 888. 7 . M l ll inasi , L a
dottrina del Signore pe i Dodic i Apostol i bandita alle genti (translation , notes and commentary) , Rome , 1 89 1 . P . Savi , L a «Dottrina degl i Apo stoli »
, ricerche critiche sull ’ origine del testo con una nota intorno al
’ eu car istia
, Roma
, 1 893, reprinted in «L itte ratura cristiana antica » . C. H
H oole , The D idache , L ondon , 1 894 . Stud i critic i de l P . Paolo Savi barna
b ita raccolti e riordinati dal can . Fr . Bole se , S iena
, 1 899 , 4 7
— 1 1 9 . Osse r
vaz ioni sulla D idache degl i Apostol i in Be ssarion e vol . i i (1 89 7 1 2 — 1 7 vol . i ii . U . B enigni , D idache COp tica «duarum viarum » recensio
COptica monastica per arab icam v e rsionem sup e rste s, ih . vol . i ii (1 898 and
iv . 3 1 1 — 32 9 (also in separate reprint). E . H ennecke , D ie Grund
schrift der D idache und ihre R ez ensionen , in Z e itschrift fiir die n e ute sta
m e ntliche W issenschaft i i . 5 8— 7 2 . F. X. Funk, Z ur D idache , die Frage nach der Grundschrift und ihren Rez ensionen , in Theol . Quar talschr .
lxxxiv , 7 3
— 88 ; cf. B . M ar iano , L a dottrina dei Dodic i Apostol i
e la critica stor ica in « I I Cristianesimo nei primi secol i » (Scr itti vari , iv), Florence
, 1 90 2 , 35 7
— 394 . L udwig , Z ur L ehre vom Kirche namte in der
D idache , in H ist . - pol it . B latter cxxvi i i . 7 32
— 7 39 . B . L adeuz e ,
L ’
E ucharistie e t les repas Communs des fidele s dans la Didache , . ih
R evue de l ’
Or ie nt chretien vii. 34 1 — 35 9 . W. S e/zer e r , Der
Weinstock Davids (D id . 9 , 2 ) im L ichte der Schrifte rk larung betrachtet,
in Katholik i . 35 7— 36 5 . B . L alianoa , L a dottrina degli Apostol i studiata in I tal ia
, R oma
, 1 895 , in R ivista italiana d i filosofia x
, 1 895 . TA.
So/ze rmann , E ine E lfaposte lmoral Oder die X-R ez ension der be iden
’
pp . 5 8 — 6 7 . B igg ,
Notes on the D idache , in Journal of Theol .
Studies (July Y . 5 7 9 — 589 . 7 . V. B ar tlet
, (art) «D idache » in Hastings
’ D ict . of the B ible (extra vol. ) pp . 438 — 4 5 1 .
7 . T h e so - calle d E p istle of B arn abas.
1 . I TS CONTENTS . T he L etter current under the name of St . Bar
nabas g ives the names neither of the author nor of the recipients ; they ar e cal l ed « sons and daughters » (c . 1
, I ) or «brothers » (cc . 2
, I O ;
3, 6 , and passim) or « children » (cc . 7 , 1 ; 9 ,
T hough the author Of the L etter had preached the Gospel among those to whom it is addressed , he nowhere indica tes their dwelling - place . A part from the exordium (C . 1 ) a