JOHN’S STUDENTS CONFIRMED THE ACCURACY OF THE GOSPELS
The apostle John (ca. AD 6–100) was the youngest of Jesus’s disciples. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome and the brother of James. Unlike all the other apostles (who died as martyrs), it appears that John lived to approximately ninety-four years of age and died a natural death. John taught two important students and passed his gospel into their trusted hands.
JOHN TAUGHT IGNATIUS
Ignatius (ca. AD 35–117) also called himself “Theophorus” (which means “God Bearer”). Not much is known about his early life, although early church records describe Ignatius as one of the children Jesus blessed in the gospel accounts. We do know, however, that Ignatius was a student of John and eventually became bishop at Antioch (Turkey), following the apostle Peter. He wrote several important letters to the early church, and seven authentic letters from Ignatius survive to this day (six to local church groups and one to Polycarp).79 Some of these letters were corrupted in later centuries and amended with additional passages. We do, however, possess copies of the shorter, genuine versions of each epistle, and these brief writings reveal the influence of John (and other apostles) on Ignatius. It’s important to remember that it was not Ignatius’s desire to retell the gospel narratives; his writings presume that these Gospels were already available to his readers. It was Ignatius’s goal to encourage and admonish local church groups. Along the way, he did, however, refer to the New Testament documents and the nature of Jesus, even though this was not his primary goal. It’s clear from Ignatius’s letters that he knew many of the apostles, as he mentioned them frequently and spoke of them as though many of his older readers also knew them. Scholars have pored over the letters (written in AD 105–115) and have observed that Ignatius quoted (or alluded to) seven to sixteen New Testament books (including the gospels of Matthew, John, and Luke, and several, if not all, of Paul’s letters). While this establishes the fact that the New Testament concepts and documents existed very early in history, Ignatius’s letters also provide us with a picture of Jesus and a glimpse of how the apostle John (as an eyewitness) described Him. As I read through Ignatius’s letters, I found the following portrayal of Jesus:
The prophets predicted and waited for Jesus.80
Jesus was in the line of King David.81
He was (and is) the “Son of God.”82
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit.83
A star announced His birth.84
He came forth from God the Father.85
He was born of the virgin Mary.86
He was baptized by John the Baptist.87
He was the “perfect” man.88
He manifested the will and knowledge of God the Father.89
He taught and had a “ministry” on earth.90
He was the source of wisdom and taught many commandments.91
He spoke the words of God.92
Ointment was poured on Jesus’s head.93
He was unjustly treated and condemned by men.94
He suffered and was crucified.95
He died on the cross.96
Jesus sacrificed Himself for us as an offering to God the Father.97
This all took place under the government of Pontius Pilate.98
Herod the Tetrarch was king.99
Jesus was resurrected.100
He had a physical resurrection body.101
He appeared to Peter and the others after the resurrection.102
He encouraged the disciples to touch Him after the resurrection.103
He ate with the disciples after the resurrection.104
The disciples were convinced by the resurrection appearances.105
The disciples were fearless after seeing the risen Christ.106
Jesus returned to God the Father.107
Jesus now lives in us.108
We live forever as a result of our faith in Christ.109
He has the power to transform us.110
Jesus is the manifestation of God the Father.111
He is united to God the Father.112
He is our only Master113 and the Son of God.114
He is the “Door,”115 the “Bread of Life,”116 and the “Eternal Word.”117
He is our High Priest.118
Jesus is “Lord.”119
Jesus is “God.”120
He is “our Savior”121 and the way to “true life.”122
His sacrifice glorifies us.123
Faith in Christ’s work on the cross saves us.124
This salvation and forgiveness are gifts of grace from God.125
Jesus loves the church.126
We (as the church) celebrate the Lord’s Supper in Jesus’s honor.127
The letters of Ignatius demonstrate that the New Testament’s claims and writings existed early in history; Ignatius appears to be very familiar with many passages from the Gospels and the letters of Paul. In addition, Ignatius echoed John’s description of Jesus.
JOHN TAUGHT POLYCARP
Polycarp (AD 69–155) was a friend of Ignatius and a fellow student of John. Irenaeus (we’ll talk about him more in a moment) later testified that he once heard Polycarp talk about his conversations with John, and Polycarp was known to have been converted to Christianity by the eyewitness apostles themselves. Polycarp eventually became the bishop of Smyrna128 (now Izmir in Turkey) and wrote a letter to the church in Philippi, in response to its letter to him. The content of Polycarp’s letter (an ancient document written from AD 100 to 150 and well attested in history) refers to Ignatius personally and is completely consistent with the content of Ignatius’s letters. Polycarp also appears to be familiar with the other living apostles and eyewitnesses to the life of Jesus. He wrote about Paul, recognizing Paul’s relationship with the church at Philippi and confirming the nature of Paul’s life as an apostle. Polycarp’s letter is focused on encouraging the Philippians and reminding them of their duty to live in response to the New Testament teaching with which they were clearly familiar. In fact, Polycarp mentioned that the Philippians were well trained by the “sacred Scriptures” and quoted Paul’s letter to the Ephesians as an example of these Scriptures. Polycarp quoted or referenced fourteen to sixteen New Testament books (including Matthew, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 1 Peter, and 1 John, with some scholars observing additional references to 2 Timothy and 2 Corinthians). Along the way, Polycarp also presented the image of Jesus he gleaned from his teacher, the apostle John, describing Jesus in the following ways:
Jesus was sinless.129
He taught commandments.130
He taught the Sermon on the Mount.131
He suffered and died on a cross.132
He died for our sins.133
His death on the cross saves us.134
Our faith in Jesus’s work on the cross saves us.135
We are saved by grace.136
Jesus was raised from the dead.137
His resurrection ensures that we will also be raised.138
Jesus ascended to heaven and is seated at God’s right hand.139
All things are subject to Jesus.140
He will judge the living and the dead.141
Jesus is our “Savior.”142
Jesus is “Lord.”143
Like that of Ignatius, Polycarp’s writing affirms the early appearance of the New Testament canon and echoes the teachings of John related to the nature and ministry of Jesus. Ignatius and Polycarp are an important link in the New Testament chain of custody, connecting John’s eyewitness testimony to the next generation of Christian “evidence custodians.” We have a picture from the “crime scene” taken by the apostle John (recorded in his own gospel); this image was carefully handed to Ig
natius and Polycarp, who, in turn, treasured it as sacred evidence and transferred it carefully to those who followed them.
IGNATIUS AND POLYCARP TAUGHT IRENAEUS
Irenaeus (AD 120–202) was born in Smyrna, the city where Polycarp served as bishop. He was raised in a Christian family and was a “hearer” (someone who listened to the teaching) of Polycarp; he later recalled that Polycarp talked about his conversations with the apostle John. He eventually became the bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul (now Lyons, France).144 Irenaeus matured into a theologian and guardian of Christianity and wrote an important work called Against Heresies. This refined defense of Christianity provided Irenaeus with the opportunity to address the issue of scriptural authority, and he specifically identified as many as twenty-four New Testament books as Scripture (including Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, 1 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Revelation). Irenaeus provided us with another link in the chain of custody, affirming the established eyewitness accounts and faithfully preserving them for the next generation as he connected the students of the apostles to the generations that followed him.
IRENAEUS TAUGHT HIPPOLYTUS
One of these “next-generation” Christians was a courageous man named Hippolytus (AD 170–236). Hippolytus was born in Rome and was a student and disciple of Irenaeus.145 As he grew into a position of leadership, he opposed Roman bishops who modified their beliefs to accommodate the large number of “pagans” who were coming to faith in the city. In taking a stand for orthodoxy, Hippolytus became known as the first “antipope” or “rival pope” in Christian history. He was an accomplished speaker of great learning, influencing a number of important Christian leaders such as Origen of Alexandria. Hippolytus wrote a huge ten-volume treatise called Refutation of All Heresies. In this expansive work, Hippolytus identified as many as twenty-four New Testament books as Scripture (including Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Revelation). Unfortunately, Hippolytus was persecuted under Emperor Maximus Thrax and exiled to Sardinia, where he most likely died in the mines. The writings of Hippolytus (like the writings of Irenaeus before him) confirm that the New Testament accounts were already well established in the earliest years of the Christian movement.
As a result of Hippolytus’s exile and martyrdom, this particular chain of custody ends without a clear next link, although it is certain that Hippolytus had many important students who preserved the Scripture with the same passion he had as a student of Irenaeus. While Origen of Alexandria may have considered himself to be a disciple of Hippolytus, we have no concrete evidence that this was the case. To be safe, we simply have to acknowledge that history has not yet revealed the certain identity of Hippolytus’s students. One thing we know for sure: the truth about the life and ministry of Jesus (and the canon of Scripture) was established in the first century. The eyewitness account of John (along with the other New Testament documents) was recorded and handed down to his disciples.
John’s students recorded this teaching and identified the sources for later generations. Long before the Codex Sinaiticus was first penned or the Council of Laodicea formalized the canon, the New Testament was established as a reliable eyewitness account.
PAUL’S STUDENTS CONFIRMED THE ACCURACY OF THE GOSPELS
The apostle Paul (ca. AD 5–67) wrote the largest portion of the New Testament and was closely associated with several key apostles, historians, and eyewitnesses who helped to document and guard the Scripture we have today. Paul’s friend Luke, for example, was a meticulous historian with access to the eyewitnesses and a personal involvement in the history of the New Testament church. As described in chapter 11, Paul quoted Luke’s version of the gospel in 1 Timothy 5:17–18 and 1 Corinthians 11:23–25. Those who knew Paul were probably familiar with the writings of Luke. Paul had several key students and disciples who protected and transmitted his writings (along with the emerging writings of other eyewitnesses, including Luke) to the next generation of Christian leaders. Paul’s chain of custody is much harder to trace than that of John, but we can follow Paul’s influence through the early leadership in Rome to places as far away as Syria.
PAUL TAUGHT LINUS AND CLEMENT OF ROME
Paul spent his last years in Rome under house arrest, awaiting trial. During this time he had free access to other believers and taught many men who would eventually lead the church. We know two of these men specifically. Irenaeus described a man named Linus as one of Paul’s coworkers (Paul identifies a coworker named Linus specifically in 2 Timothy 4:21 along with Eubulus, Pudens, and Claudia). History tells us that Linus was born in Tuscany to Herculanus and Claudia, and became the pope of Rome following the deaths of Peter and Paul.
History is unclear on the precise order of popes in these first years, and some early records indicate that Clement of Rome may have preceded Linus.146 Clement was also a coworker of Paul (mentioned specifically in Philippians 4:3), and he became an important assistant to Paul and Peter in the first years in Rome.147 In fact, Peter appears to have elevated both Linus and Clement to positions of leadership so that he could focus on prayer and preaching. Clement wrote several letters, and one of these letters (The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians) survives as the earliest Christian document outside the New Testament. Clement’s letter (written in AD 80–140) was written to encourage the Corinthian church and call it to holy living. Clement referenced a number of examples from the Old Testament and also referred to the life and teaching of Jesus as it was passed on to him from Paul and Peter. In fact, Clement talked about the chain of custody that existed from the apostolic eyewitnesses to his own second-generation readers. Clement told the Corinthian believers that “the Apostles for our sakes received the gospel from the Lord Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ was sent from God. Christ then is from God, and the Apostles from Christ. Both therefore came in due order from the will of God.”148 Clement understood the “appointed order” of the eyewitness “chain of custody.” When examining the letter carefully, scholars have observed that Clement quoted or alluded to seven New Testament books (Mark, Matthew or John, Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians) as he penned his work. Clement also described the person and work of Jesus, echoing the description of Jesus that was first communicated by the eyewitnesses. Clement’s description of Jesus was very similar to the description offered by Ignatius and Polycarp:
The prophets predicted the life and ministry of Jesus.149
Jesus provided His disciples with important instruction.150
He taught principles as described by Mark and Luke.151
He was humble and unassuming.152
He was whipped.153
He suffered and died for our salvation.154
He died as a payment for our sin.155
He was resurrected from the dead.156
He is alive and reigning with God.157
His resurrection makes our resurrection certain.158
We are saved by the “grace” of God159 through faith in Jesus.160
He is “Lord”161 and the Son of God.162
He possesses eternal glory and majesty.163
All creation belongs to Him.164
He is our “refuge”165 and our “High Priest.”166
He is our “defender” and “helper.”167
The church belongs to Him.168
While it is clear that Clement presumed his readers already understood the truth about Jesus from the Gospels he quoted, Clement still referenced many attributes of Jesus that were consistent with the picture painted by Peter, Paul, and the gospel writers. Clement certainly wrote much more than this single letter and may have affirmed an even larg
er number of texts. His surviving letter to the Corinthians provides us with another link in the chain of custody, acknowledging the delivery of the eyewitness accounts from the original eyewitnesses to the next generation of believers.
CLEMENT PASSED THE TRUTH FROM EVARISTUS TO PIUS
Linus and Clement of Rome established the lineage of bishops who followed Paul (and Peter) at Rome.169 They taught, discussed, and passed the eyewitness Scripture along to their successors, from Evaristus (AD ?–109) to Alexander I (AD ?–115) to Sixtus I (AD ?–125) to Telesphorus (AD ?–136) to Hyginus (AD ?–140), to Pius I (AD 90–154). The writings of Ignatius, Polycarp, and Clement demonstrate that the second generation of Christian leaders already considered the writings of the eyewitnesses to be precious Scripture. It’s reasonable to conclude that the papal leaders who followed Clement were raised to appreciate and honor the primacy of the eyewitness accounts as well; they understood the importance of guarding these accounts for future generations.
PIUS I AND JUSTIN MARTYR GUARDED THE ACCOUNTS
In the early years of the Christian church, the city of Rome was filled with people who either came to faith there (under the preaching of the apostles or their disciples) or traveled there after coming to faith somewhere else in the Roman Empire. One such person, Justin of Caesarea (AD 103–165), became an important philosopher and contributor to the history of Christianity. Justin Martyr, as he came to be known, was one of the earliest Christian apologists.170 He was born in Flavia Neapolis (now Nablus, Palestine) to Greek parents. He was raised as a pagan and called himself a Samaritan, but he studied philosophy and eventually converted to Christianity. He taught Christian doctrine in Rome when Pius I was leading the Christian community. He wrote several voluminous and important works, including the First Apology, Second Apology, and the Dialogue with Trypho. In these early Christian texts, Justin Martyr quoted or alluded to Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Revelation. While we don’t have surviving writings from some of the earliest bishops and popes of Rome (including Pius I), Justin Martyr provided us with a contemporary glimpse of how these men viewed the eyewitness accounts and guarded them for the future.
Cold-Case Christianity Page 24