There has been a real resurgence of interest in the Apostolic Fathers: the alleged disciples of the Disciples of Jesus whose names are Polycarp, Ignatius, Ireneaus, Clement, The Shepherd of Hermes, and the Didache. For millennia, the Eastern Church has held these supposed ‘successors’ to the Apostles in high esteem, and now Protestant Pastors are starting to quote them like St. Augustine (of Hippo) and St. Thomas Aquinas. For this reason I have chosen to examine these Apostolic Fathers and Apologists from the 1st and 2nd Century.
Firstly, the Apostolic Fathers invented the Roman Catholic Church. The teachings of these fathers promoted martyrdom to attain salvation which is antithetical to the Apostle’s and Jesus’ teaching that salvation is by faith (belief, trust) and grace in Jesus alone (Romans 10:8-19, Philippians 3:9, Acts 15:7-11, 1 John 4:15, John 3:16-18, John 6:40, John 10:28-30). Worse, one of the apostolic fathers taught that sinning after baptism must be cured with penance, “Nevertheless Hermas’ message is one of comfort. Sinners are not to despair because they fear that there is no forgiveness for sins committed after baptism. It has been revealed to the writer that one forgiveness will be shown, one act of repentance be allowed to be effective. But the opportunity will only be given once; the occasion is on them now and they must seize it straightway. Yet they must realise that such a state of penitence is not easily achieved. ‘Thinkest thou then that the sins of those who repent are straightway remitted? By no means; but he who repenteth must vex his soul, and humble himself mightily in all his conduct and be afflicted in all manner of affliction; and if he bear the afflictions that come upon him, He who created and empowered all things shall certainly be moved to compassion and give him healing.” (A History of the Early Church, Chapter IV: Attack and Defense, Dr. John William Charles Wand); when the Apostles said, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world,” (1 John 2:1-2), and “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 9:7-9). Penitential theology is contrary to the Scriptures and spits on the Blood of Jesus!, “How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29); for Christ died for our sins once for all time, “First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” (Hebrews 10:8-14).
Polycarp, the alleged disciple of the Apostle John taught, “For if we please him in this present world we shall receive from him that which is to come; even as he promised us to raise us from the dead, and that if we are worthy citizens of his community, "we shall also reign with him,” (Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians, CHAPTER 5: Christian obligations to a virtuous life) but the Apostle John says what pleases God is simple, “For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son (Jesus 1 John 4:15) and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:40). Polycarp emphasizes being worthy and pleasing to God, but it is Jesus who is the worthy for us, He is the worthy lamb that was slain (Revelation 5:12) and what pleases God is not works but faith in Him, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6, cross ref. Ephesians 2:5-9, Philippians 3:9, John 3:16-18).
Clement who is an apostolic father declares, “For ye did all things without respect of persons, and walked in the command-merits of God, being obedient to those who had the rule over you, and giving all fitting honour to the presbyters among you,” (The First Epistle of Clement, Chap. I. The salutation. Praise of the Corinthians before the breaking forth of schism among them). Clement mentions merits which is a Roman Catholic belief of the Treasury of Merits, that Jesus and the Saints have store up a treasure chest of merits and grace that Catholics can obtain through merit and penance on earth, but this is contradicted by the teaching of the The Prophets, The Apostles, and Jesus who say: “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind,” (Isaiah 64:6), “First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy,” (Hebrews 10:8-14), “and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith,” (Philippians 3:9), and “No one is good--except God alone,” (Mark 10:18). No one is Good but God the Trinity, so how can man do acts of penance or of good works? On the contrary our only righteousness comes from Christ and His work, not our own deeds, “ For our sake He (Jesus) made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The Apostolic Fathers claim apostolic succession, that they are the disciples of the Apostles (12 Disciples of Jesus, Paul, Barnabas, Timothy), when none of these fathers names, except for Clement (which isn’t the same Clement in Philippians 4:3) who is 62 A.D. while the Apostolic Clement is 92-101 A.D.), appear in the Apostle’s writings. Timothy was the disciple of Paul (1 Timothy 1:2, 18), as was Titus (Titus 1:1-6), and John Mark was a disciple of Barnabas and Peter (Acts 15:36-41), but there is no mention of Polycarp, Ireneaus, and the Apostolic Fathers in the Romans’ list (Romans 16:1-23), in the Apostle Peter’s two epistles (1 and 2 Peter), and there is no mention of Polycarp by the Apostle John in His Gospel, epistles, and The Revelation (Apocalypse). The Apostolic Fathers (Clement, Polycarp, Ireneaus and etc) in my estimation are forgers, and are like the false apostles Paul mentions (2 Corinthians 11:2-4, 13-14) The Apostolic Fathers are false apostles, they are those who add to the gospel (Galatians 1:8-9), and who seek to lead people to penance and the Roman Catholic Church and away from a pure and simple devotion to Christ, “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3). I believe their writings are like the Donation of Constantine and the Gnostic gospels, forgeries made in the Early Middle Ages to give the Romanite Religion (Roman Catholic Church) apostolic authority and the appearance of legitimacy. The Apostolic writings (Polycarp, Clement, Ignatius and etc) are forgeries and made up disciples of the Twelve Disciples to convince people that penance and Roman Church is the true church when the Scriptures, the writings of the Apostles (Disciples) contradict the apostolic fathers severely (as aforementioned). We must not be persuaded by these men who are not mentioned in 66 Book Canon of Scripture. Instead, I recommend you trust the God Breathed Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16) in the Old Testament and New Testament and no others. Amen.
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