In his epistle to the Galatians, the apostle Paul said: "Though we, or an angel from Heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." Gal. 1:8. Although the apostles were fallible men, the gospel which they preached, and which they have delivered to us, was perfect. The reason for this is thus given by Paul: "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord." 2 Cor. 4:5. The apostles in their teaching adhered closely to the terms of their divine commission as uttered by Christ, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, . . . teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." Matt. 28:19, 20. So long as they did this, they simply transmitted the light which came to them direct from Heaven, and so their teaching could be nothing other than perfect. If they had preached themselves, it would have been far different, for they were human.
From the preceding chapter on the apostolic church, by which term we mean simply the church in the days of the apostles, and not that part of the professed church that adhered strictly to "the apostles' doctrine," we have seen that the presence of the apostles themselves did not insure perfection in the church. it insured perfect teaching to the church; but the fact that men have perfect teaching does not make them perfect unless they follow it and nothing else. Now there are certain men who have acquired great celebrity as "Church Fathers." This term, strangely enough, is never applied to the apostles, to whom it would seem to be more applicable than to any other men, but to certain men who lived in the first few centuries of the Christian era, and who exerted a great influence on the church. As a matter of fact, the true church has but one Father, even God; therefore whatever church recognizes any men as its Fathers, must be a church of merely human planting, having only human ordinances.
It is claimed that the "Fathers" must be competent guides, since they lived so near the days of Christ and the apostles. This is a tacit admission that the gospel which was preached by Christ and the apostles is the true standard. But that has been recorded in the New Testament; and therefore, instead of being obliged to depend on the testimony of any who lived this side of their time, we can go direct to the fountain-head, and can draw therefrom the gospel in as pure a state as though we had listened in person to the teaching of inspired men. The cases of Demas, of Hymenaeus and Philetus, of Diotrephes, and others, should be sufficient to teach anybody that mere proximity to the apostles did not fill people with the light of divine truth. Those men are proofs that the light may shine in darkness, and the darkness may not comprehend it. Therefore we must judge of the so-called Fathers, not by the time in which they lived, but by what they did and said. First, however, we will hear what reputable men have to say of them.
Perhaps we can best begin with the words of Dr. Adam Clarke, who, in his comment on Proverbs 8, speaks of the Fathers as follows:--
"But of those we may safely state, that there is not a truth in the most orthodox creed, that cannot be proved by their authority, nor a heresy that has disgraced the Romish Church, that may not challenge them as its abettors. In points of doctrine their authority is, with me, nothing."
It is this characteristic of the Fathers which makes them so valuable to advocates of a cause which has no Scripture evidence in its support. Let a person once get the idea that the testimony of the Fathers is of value, and you may prove anything to him that you choose. In the National Baptist, there appeared an article by the "Rev. Levi Philetus Dobbs, D.D.,"--Dr. Wayland, the editor,--in reply to a young minister who had asked how he could prove a thing to his congregation when there was nothing with which to prove it. Among other things the writer said:--
"I regard, however, a judicious use of the Fathers as being on the whole the best reliance for anyone who is in the situation of my querist. The advantages of the Fathers are twofold: First, they carry a good deal of weight with the masses; and secondly, you can find whatever you want in the Fathers. I do not believe that any opinion could be advanced so foolish, so manifestly absurd, but that you can find passages to sustain it on the pages of these venerable stagers. And to the common mind one of these is just as good as another. If it happens that the point that you want to prove is one that never chanced to occur to the Fathers, why, you can easily show that they would have taken your side if they had only thought of the matter. And if, perchance, there is nothing bearing even remotely or constructively on the point, do not be discouraged; get a good, strong quotation, and put the name of the Fathers to it, and utter it with an air of triumph; it will be all just as well; nine-tenths of the people do not stop to ask whether a quotation bears on the matter in hand. Yes, my brother, the Fathers are your stronghold. They are Heaven's best gift to the man who has a cause that cannot be sustained in any other way." March 7, 1878.
While the above is written in a humorous vein, it is strictly in harmony with the quotation taken from Dr. Clarke, and is in harmony with the facts in the case. The reader shall have a chance to judge of this matter for himself as we proceed.
We quote again from Mosheim. Speaking of certain works by Clement, Justin Martyr, Tatian, Theophilus, and others, he says that these works are lost, and adds:--
"But this loss is the less to be regretted, since it is certain that no one of these expositors could be pronounced a good interpreter. They all believed the language of Scripture to contain two meanings, the one obvious and corresponding with the direct import of the words, the other recondite and concealed under the words, like a nut by the shell; and neglecting the former, as being of little value, they bestowed their chief attention on the latter; that is, they were more intent on throwing obscurity over the sacred writings by the fictions of their own imaginations, than on searching out their true meaning.'--Ecclesiastical History, book 1, cent. 2, part 2, chap. 3, sec. 5.
In one of his latest works, "The History of Interpretation," Archdeacon Farrar says of the Fathers:--
"There are but few of them whose pages are not rife with errors,-errors of method, errors of fact, errors of history, of grammar, and even of doctrine. This is the language of simple truth, not of slighting disparagement."--pp. 162, 163.
Again, on page 164 of the same book, Farrar says:--
"Without deep learning, without linguistic knowledge, without literary culture, without any final principles either as to the nature of the sacred writings or the method by which they should be interpreted-surrounded by Paganism, Judaism, and heresy of every description, and wholly dependent on a faulty translation--the earliest Fathers and apologists add little or nothing to our understanding of Scripture. . . . Their acquaintance with the Old Testament is incorrect, popular, and full of mistakes; their scriptural arguments are often baseless; their exegesis--novel in application only--is a chaos of elements unconsciously borrowed on the one hand from Philo, and on the other from Rabbis and Kabbalists. They claim 'a grace' of exposition, which is not justified by the results they offer, and they suppose themselves to be in possession of a Christian Gnosis, of which the specimens offered are for the most part entirely untenable."
These quotations from Farrar should have more than ordinary weight in this matter, for, besides the Catholic Church, there is no other church that depends so much upon the Fathers as does the Church of England, or Episcopal Church.
In the last quotation from Farrar, this expression occurs: "Surrounded by Paganism, Judaism, and heresy of every description," etc. This seems to be forgotten by most people who laud the Fathers. They speak of them as living near the time of the apostles, but overlook the fact that they lived still nearer to another time, namely, the time of gross paganism. Now if their character were to be determined by the character of the people to whom they were nearest in point of time, we submit that the antecedent probability that they would assume the color of paganism, is greater than that they would assume the color of Christianity.
"But," says one, "there is this element in their favor, and against the idea that they were influenced more by paganism than by Christianity: they professed Christianity, and combated paganism; they studied the works of the apostles, and so took on their character."
This is a great mistake. As a matter of fact, the so-called Fathers studied the works of pagan philosophers far more than they did those of the apostles. They affected to be philosophers themselves; and while they did indeed make a show of combating paganism, the weapons which they used were drawn from pagan philosophy more frequently than from the Bible. And even when they quoted from the Bible, their pagan notions warped their interpretation. So in their encounters with paganism, we have for the most part nothing but one form of paganism arrayed against another form of paganism. On this point De Quincey, in his essay on "The Pagan Oracles," says:--
"But here and everywhere, speaking of the Fathers as a body, we charge them with antichristian practices of a twofold order: Sometimes as supporting their great cause in a spirit alien to its own, retorting in a temper not less uncharitable than that of their opponents; sometimes, again, as adopting arguments that are unchristian in their ultimate grounds; resting upon errors the refutation of errors, upon superstitions the overthrow of superstitions; and drawing upon the armories of darkness for weapons that, to be durable, ought to have been of celestial temper. Alternately, in short, the Fathers trespass against those affections which furnish to Christianity its moving powers, and against those truths which furnish to Christianity its guiding lights. Indeed, Milton's memorable attempt to characterize the Fathers as a body, contemptuous as it is, can hardly be challenged as overcharged.
"Never in any instance were these aberrations of the Fathers more vividly exemplified than in their theories upon the pagan oracles. On behalf of God, they were determined to be wiser than God; and, in demonstration of scriptural power, to advance doctrines which the Scriptures had nowhere warranted."
Much more testimony to the same effect will be adduced as we proceed. We will now listen to another statement from Mosheim. In his account of the Christian church in the second century he says:--
"The controversial writers who distinguished themselves in this century, encountered either the Jews, or the worshipers of idol gods, or the corrupters of the Christian doctrine and founders of new sects, that is, the heretics. With the Jews, contended in particular Justin Martyr, in his dialogue with Trypho; and likewise Tertullian; but neither of them, in the best manner; because they were not acquainted with the language and history of the Hebrews, and did not duly consider the subject. The pagans were assailed by those especially, who wrote apologies for the Christians; as Athenagoras, Melito, Quadratus, Miltiades, Aristides, Tatian, and Justin Martyr; or who composed addresses to the pagans; as Justin, Tertullian, Clement, and Theophilus of Antioch."
"A man of sound judgment who has due regard for truth, cannot extol them highly. Most of them lacked discernment, knowledge, application, good arrangement, and force. they often advance very flimsy arguments, and such as are suited rather to embarrass the mind than to convince the understanding."--Ecclesiastical History, book 1, cent. 2, part 2, chap. 3, sec. 7.
In the same chapter (section 10), Mosheim sums up the case concerning the Fathers as follows:--
"To us it appears that their writings contain many things excellent, well considered, and well calculated to enkindle pious emotions; but also many things unduly rigorous, and derived from the stoic and academic philosophy; many things vague and indeterminate; and many things positively false, and inconsistent with the precepts of Christ. If one deserves the title of a bad master in morals, who has no just ideas of the proper boundaries and limitations of Christian duties, nor clear and distinct conceptions of the different virtues and vices, nor a perception of those general principles to which recurrence should be had in all discussions respecting Christian virtue, and therefor very often talks at random, and blunders in expounding the divine laws; though he may say many excellent things, and excite in us considerable emotion; then I can readily admit that in strict truth, this title belongs to many of the Fathers."
After reading the above, we are not surprised that, in harmony with Dr. Clarke and the "Rev. Levi Philetus Dobbs," Mosheims says:--
"It is therefore not strange, that all sects of Christians can find in what are called the Fathers, something to favor their own opinions and systems."
This is strictly true; but although "these venerable stagers" sometimes stumbled upon the truth, they furnish the most aid and comfort to those sects which pursue the most unscriptural practices, as, for instance, the Catholics and the Mormons. It is very seldom that their testimony is quoted in behalf of any really scriptural doctrine or custom.
To show that these so-called Fathers are not only faulty in matters of doctrine, but are also untrustworthy as to matters of fact, we quote from Mosheim, who asserts that,--
THEY USED FALSEHOODS in THEIR CONTROVERSIES
Says that writer:--
"But it must by no means pass unnoticed, that the discussions instituted against the opposers of Christianity in this age, departed far from the primitive simplicity, and the correct method of controversy. for the Christian doctors, who were in part educated in the schools of rhetoricians and sophists, inconsiderately transferred the arts of these teachers to the cause of Christianity; and therefor considered it of no importance, whether an antagonist were confounded by base artifices, or by solid arguments. Thus that mode of disputing, which the ancients called economical, and which had victory rather than truth for its object, was almost universally approved. And the Platonists contributed to the currency of the practice, by asserting that it was no sin for a person to employ falsehood and fallacies for the support of truth, when it was in danger of being borne down."--Ecclesiastical History, book 1, cent. 3, part 2, chap. 3, sec. 10.
In his "Ecclesiastical Commentaries," Mosheim also says:--
"By some of the weaker brethren, in their anxiety to assist God with all their might [in the propagation of the Christian faith], such dishonest artifices were occasionally resorted to, as could not, under any circumstances, admit of excuse, and were utterly unworthy of that sacred cause which they were unquestionably intended to support. Perceiving, for instance, in what vast repute the poetical effusions of those ancient prophetesses, termed Sybils, were held by the Greeks and Romans, some Christian, or rather, perhaps, an association of Christians, in the reign of Antoninus Pius, composed eight books of Sybilline verses, made up of prophecies respecting Christ and his kingdom. . . . Many other deceptions of this sort, to which custom has very improperly given the denomination of pious frauds, are known to have been practiced in this and the succeeding century. The authors of them were, in all probability, actuated by no ill intention, but this is all that can be said in their favor, for their conduct in this respect was certainly most ill-advised and unwarrantable. Although the greater part of those who were concerned in these forgeries on the public, undoubtedly belonged to some heretical sect or other, and particularly to that class which arrogated to itself the pompous denomination of Gnostics, I yet cannot take upon me to acquit even the most strictly orthodox from all participation in this species of criminality; for it appears from evidence superior to all exception, that a pernicious maxim, which was current in the schools not only of the Egyptians, the Platonists, and the Pythagoreans, but also of the Jews, was very early recognized by the Christians, and soon found amongst them numerous patrons, namely, that those who made it their business to deceive with a view of promoting the cause of truth, were deserving rather of commendation than censure.--Century 2, sec. 7.
Let the reader refresh his memory with what has been written concerning heathen philosophy, and how it tended directly toward a lax condition of morals, and then when he learns that the so-called Christian Fathers made this heathen philosophy their constant study, he will not be surprised that they should have but little regard for strict truth. that some of the most renowned Fathers not only studied philosophy, but also were known as teachers of philosophy even after they professed Christianity, is not a matter of question. Mosheim, after showing, as we have quoted, how rapidly the church degenerated, says:--
"The external change thus wrought in the constitution of the church would have been, however, far less detrimental to the interests of Christianity, had it not been accompanied by others of an internal nature, which struck at the very vitals of religion, and tended, in no small degree, to affect the credit of those sacred writings on which the entire system of Christian discipline relies for support. Of these the most considerable and important are to be attributed to a taste for the cultivation of philosophy and human learning, which, during the preceding century, if not altogether treated with neglect and contempt by the Christians, had at least been wisely kept under, and by no means permitted to blend itself with religion; but in the age of which we are now treating, burst forth on a sudden into a flame, and spread itself with the utmost rapidity throughout a considerable part of the church. This may be accounted for, in some measure, from its having been the practice of the many Greek philosophers, who, in the course of this century, were induced to embrace Christianity, not only to retain their pristine denomination, garb, and mode of living, but also to persist in recommending the study of philosophy, and initiating youth therein. In proof of this, we may, from amidst numerous other examples, adduce in particular that of Justin, the celebrated philosopher and martyr. The immediate nursery and very cradle, as it were, of Christian philosophy, must, however, be placed in the celebrated seminary which long flourished at Alexandria under the denomination of the catechetical school. For the persons who presided therein, in the course of the age of which we are treating, namely, Pantaenus, Athenagoras, and Clement of Alexandria, not only engaged with ardor in the cultivation of philosophy themselves, but also exerted their influence in persuading those whom they were educating for the office of teachers in the church, to follow their example in this respect, and make it their practice to associate philosophical principles with those of religion."--Historical Commentaries, cent. 2, sec. 25.
The same writer says of the Fathers of the second century:--
"The philosophers and learned men, who came over to the Christians in this century, were no inconsiderable protection and ornament to this holy religion by their discussions, their writings, and their talents. But if any are disposed to question whether the Christian cause received more benefit than injury from these men, I must confess myself unable to decide the point. For the noble simplicity and the majestic dignity of the Christian religion were lost, or, at least, impaired when these philosophers presumed to associate their dogmas with it, and to bring faith and piety under the dominion of human reason."-Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History, book 1, cent. 2, part 1, chap. 1, sec. 12.
This is certainly a very mild view of the case. There can be no question but that the philosophers who came over to the church, bringing their philosophical dogmas with them, were an unmitigated curse to Christianity. "Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor." So the heathen customs and manners of thought which these men incorporated into the Christian church, corrupted the whole body. Their very learning made them more detrimental to true Christianity; for it caused them to be looked up to as "leaders of Christian thought," and their philosophy was but "vain deceit," and their science only that which is "falsely so called."
This conclusion will be the more apparent when we remember that these men were ignorant of the Bible just about in proportion as they were skilled in "philosophy." Dr. Killen gives a brief history of each one of the early Fathers, and then adds:--
"The preceding account of the Fathers of the second and third centuries may enable us to form some idea of the value of these writers as ecclesiastical authorities. Most of them had reached maturity before they embraced the faith of the gospel, so that, with a few exceptions, they wanted the advantages of an early Christian education. Some of them, before their conversion, had bestowed much time and attention on the barren speculations of the pagan philosophers; and, after their reception into the bosom of the church, they still continued to pursue the same unprofitable studies. Cyprian, one of the most eloquent of these Fathers, had been baptized only about two years before he was elected bishop of Carthage; and, during his comparatively short episcopate, he was generally in a turmoil of excitement, and had, consequently, little leisure for reading or mental cultivation. Such a writer is not entitled to command confidence as an expositor of the faith once delivered to the saints. Even in our own day, with all the facilities supplied by printing for the rapid accumulation of knowledge, no one would expect much spiritual instruction from an author who would undertake the office of an interpreter of Scripture two years after his conversion from heathenism. The Fathers of the second and third centuries were not regarded as safe guides even by their Christian contemporaries. . . . Tertullian, who, in point of learning, vigor, and genius, stands at the head of the Latin writers of this period, was connected with a party of gloomy fanatics. Origen, the most voluminous and erudite of the Greek Fathers, was excommunicated as a heretic. If we estimate these authors, as they were appreciated by the early Church of Rome, we must pronounce their writings of little value. Tertullian, as a Montanist, was under the ban of the Roman bishop. Hippolytus could not have been a favorite with either Zephyrinus or Callistus, for he denounced both as heretics. Origen was treated by the Roman Church as a man under sentence of excommunication. Stephen deemed even Cyprian unworthy of ecclesiastical fellowship, because the Carthaginian prelate maintained the propriety of rebaptizing heretics."
Vagaries of the Fathers
"Nothing can be more unsatisfactory, or rather childish, than the explanations of Holy Writ sometimes given by these ancient expositors. According to Tertullian, the two sparrows mentioned in the New Testament signify the soul and the body; and Clemens Alexandrinus gravely pleads for marriage from the promise--'Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.' Cyprian produces as an argument in support of the doctrine of the Trinity, that the Jews observed 'the third, sixth, and ninth hours' as their 'fixed and lawful seasons for prayer.' Origen represents the heavenly bodies as literally engaged in acts of devotion. If these authorities are to be credited, the Gihon, one of the rivers of Paradise, was no other than the Nile. Very few of the Fathers of this period were acquainted with Hebrew, so that, as a class, they were miserably qualified for the interpretation of the Scriptures. Even Origen himself must have had a very imperfect knowledge of the language of the Old Testament. In consequence of their literary deficiencies, the Fathers of the second and third centuries occasionally commit the most ridiculous blunders. Thus, Irenaeus tells us that the name Jesus consists of two letters and a half, and describes it as signifying 'that Lord who contains Heaven and earth'! This Father asserts also that the Hebrew word adonai, or the Lord, denotes 'utterable and wonderful.' Clemens Alexandrinus is not more successful as an interpreter of the sacred tongue of the chosen people; for he asserts that Jacob was called Israel 'because he had seen the Lord God,' and he avers that Abraham means 'the elect father of a sound!'"--Ancient Church, period 2, sec. 2, chap. 1, paragraphs 31, 32.
Upon this the same writer makes the following most just comments, which make a fitting close to this collection of statements concerning the Fathers:--
"It would seem as if the great Head of the church permitted these early writers to commit the grossest mistakes, and to propound the most foolish theories, for the express purpose of teaching us that we are not implicitly to follow their guidance. It might have been thought that authors, who flourished on the borders of apostolic times, knew more of the mind of the Spirit than others who appeared in succeeding ages; but the truths of Scripture, like the phenomena of the visible creation, are equally intelligible to all generations. If we possess spiritual discernment, the trees and the flowers will display the wisdom and the goodness of God as distinctly to us as they did to our first parents; and, if we have the 'unction from the Holy One,' we may enter into the meaning of the Scriptures as fully as did Justin Martyr or Irenaeus [and to a far greater degree, for their minds were blinded and fettered by their false philosophy]. To assist us in the interpretation of the New Testament, we have at command a critical apparatus of which they were unable to avail themselves. Jehovah is jealous of the honor of his word, and he has inscribed in letters of light over the labors of the most ancient interpreters--'Cease ye from man.' The 'opening of the Scriptures,' so as to exhibit their beauty, their consistency, their purity, their wisdom, and their power, is the clearest proof that the commentator is possessed of 'the key of knowledge.' When tried by this test, Thomas Scott or Matthew Henry is better entitled to confidence than either Origen or Gregory Thaumaturgus. the Bible is its own safest expositor. 'The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.'"--The Ancient Church, sec. 2, chap. 1, last paragraph.
First in order come what are called THE "APOSTOLIC FATHERS," Concerning whom in particular a few words must be said. The following from the "Encyclopedia Britannica" will introduce and outline this part of the subject better than anything that we could write:--
"The Apostolic Fathers is a name given to certain writers in the earliest period of Christianity, who were believed to have been the disciples of the apostles, and to have had intercourse with them. Those generally included under the title are Clemens Romanus, Ignatius, Polycarp, Barnabas, and Hermas. Sometimes the name is extended to Papias of Hierapolis, and the writer of the epistle to Diognetus. A critical examination of the writings attributed to these men, and a critical sifting of the traditions which we have in relation to their history, bring out the circumstance that the name is unsuitable. Clemens Romanus, Barnabas, and Hermas were supposed to be persons mentioned in the New Testament; but criticism proves conclusively that this is a mistake in regard to Barnabas and Hermas, and possibly also in regard to Clemens. Polycarp, in all probability, and according to the best testimony, had intercourse with the apostles, but it was in his early youth; and his letter belongs to a period considerably later than that of the apostles. The epistles of Ignatius, as well as the personal history of that martyr, are involved in great obscurity, and critics differ widely in regard to both."
In his "Introductory Notice" to the "Apostolic Fathers," Bishop Coxe says of them:--
"Disappointment may be the first emotion of the student who comes down from the mount where he has dwelt in the tabernacles of evangelists and apostles; for these disciples are confessedly inferior to the masters; they speak with the voices of infirm and fallible men, and not like the New Testament writers, with the fiery tongues of the Holy Ghost."
"Their very mistakes enable us to attach a higher value to the superiority of inspired writers. They were not wiser than the naturalists of their day who taught them the history of the Phoenix and other fables; but nothing of this sort is found in Scripture. The Fathers are inferior in kind as well as degree."
Neander speaks of the writings attributed to the so-called Apostolic Fathers, as follows:--
"The next ecclesiastical writers who come after the apostles, are the so-called Apostolic Fathers (Patres Apostolici), who come from the apostolic age, and must have been the disciples of the apostles. The remarkable difference between the writings of the apostles and those of the Apostolic Fathers, who are yet so close upon the former in point of time, is a remarkable phenomenon of its kind. While in other cases such a transition is usually quite gradual, in this case we find a sudden one. Here there is no gradual transition, but a sudden spring; a remark which is calculated to lead us to a recognition of the peculiar activity of the divine Spirit in the souls of the apostles."--Rose's Neander, p. 407.
Again he says:--
"The writings of the so-called Apostolic Fathers are, alas! come down to us, for the most part, in a very uncertain condition; partly, because in early times writings were counterfeited under the name of those venerable men of the church, in order to propagate certain opinions or principles; partly, because those writings which they had really published were adulterated, and especially so to serve a Judaeohierarchical party, which would fain crush the free evangelical spirit."--Ib.
It will be seen that Neander supposes that the writings are partly, at least, the genuine productions of the men whose names they bear; but he acknowledges that, even if genuine, they have been counterfeited and adulterated till there is no confidence to be placed in them, either as to matters of doctrine or matters of fact. This conclusion we may now verify, as we examine them in detail.