The Christ Of Paul Part 13

(C.)

The writings ascribed to the Fathers, especially Polycarp and Ignatius, are ent.i.tled to little consideration; for nothing is clearer than that their names were used by the men of the second century to supply proof when disputes sprang up, or give authority to doctrines when divisions arose. The introduction to the epistle of Ignatius, addressed to the church at Rome, is a bare-faced attempt to prove that there was a church at Rome during the reign of Trajan, at the beginning of the second century. It was written not only to prove that there was a church at Rome at that time, but that it was the bank or depository of divine riches, "_wholly filled with the grace of G.o.d, and entirely cleansed from any other doctrine_." But we submit the whole pa.s.sage to the judgment of the reader. "Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which hath obtained mercy in the majesty of the Most High Father, and his only Son Jesus Christ, beloved and illuminated through the will of him who willeth all things, which are according to the love of Jesus Christ, our G.o.d; (to the church) which presides also in the place of the region of the Romans, worthy of G.o.d, and of all honor and blessing and praise; worthy to receive that which she wishes, chaste, and pre-eminent in charity, bearing the name of Christ and of the Father, which I salute in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father: to those who are united both in flesh and spirit to all his commands, and wholly filled with the grace of G.o.d, and entirely cleansed from the stain of any other doctrine, be all undefiled joy in Jesus Christ our G.o.d."

The forger overdid the work in which he was engaged. This language, addressed to a church illuminated with all things according to the will of Christ and G.o.d, and worthy to receive all blessings and praise, proves that the pa.s.sage was written at a time when the dogma of the Apostolic succession was in vogue, and Rome was putting forth claims to spiritual supremacy.* No time was more unpropitious to prove that there was _such a church_ at Rome, than that Goog embraced in the reign of Trajan, when Christianity was a crime, which subjected the believer to the penalty of death. There being no Christians in Rome from the death of Paul to the time of Hadrian, it leaves the time to be taken up by traditions, which was gladly seized upon by Irenaeus, who populated it with Bishops and others, the offspring of his own imagination.

* The strong probability is, that the letter of Ignatius is a forgery throughout, and was gotten up for the sake of the introduction. Condemned by Trajan, and ordered to be carried to Rome to be devoured by wild beasts, for the amus.e.m.e.nt of the people, it is claimed the letter was written on his way to that city. Why he should write to the church at Rome while on his way there, is something remarkable, since there is nothing in the letter that was important to be known to the Christians, if there were any there, before his arrival.

The epistle breathes a spirit which is unnatural and repugnant to every feeling of humanity. The following is a specimen of the whole. "May I enjoy the wild beasts which are prepared for me; and pray that they may be found ready for me: which I will even encourage to devour me all at once, and not fear to touch me, as they have some others And if they refuse, and will not, I will compel them." (Sec. 5.) Why would Ignatius write an epistle of this character to the Romans while he was on the way to Rome himself? especially "as he was pressed by the soldiers to arrive at the great city before the public spectacle, that he might be delivered to the wild beasts." Why import a Christian Bishop from Antioch for the wild beasts of the Amphitheatre, if there was one to be found in the mean time in Rome? Where was Clement, the third Bishop? Our confidence is not increased in the genuineness of this letter, that the first distinct reference is made to it by Irenaeus.

(D.)

WRITERS in the third and fourth centuries, for reasons sufficiently obvious, take pleasure in scandalizing the name of Domitian as the persecutor of Christians, and the great enemy of the Christian cause. It is claimed he put to death many persons accused of Atheism, the common charge against Christians, on account of their refusal to offer incense or to wors.h.i.+p the ancient G.o.ds of Rome. Flavius Clemens, his cousin, is given as an instance. Now hear what a co-temporary historian has to say on the subject:

"Flavius Clemens, his cousin-german, a man contemptible for his indolence, whose sons, then of tender age, he had avowedly destined for his successor, and taking from them his former names, had ordered one to be called Vespasian, and the other Domitian, he suddenly put to death upon some slight suspicion, almost before the father was put out of his consuls.h.i.+p," (Suet, _Life of Domitian_, sec. 15.) As the tyrant affected great reverence for the G.o.ds, he would not fail to visit the most severe punishment on those whom he judged guilty of irreverence, and as the Christians of that day were bold in the face of the most imminent danger, they could not escape the vengeance of the tyrant, had there been any in Rome upon whom he could lay his hands. With a disposition that was willing to furnish any number of victims, Eusebius has succeeded in giving the name of a single one. He says, "At the same time, for professing Christ, Flavius Domitilla, the niece of Flavius Clemens, one of the consuls of Rome at that time, was transported, with many others, to the Isle of Pontia." (Eus., E. H., book iii. chap. 18.) The truthful father has succeeded in giving the name of one Christian who had suffered under the reign of Domitian, and that was a case of banishment.

As to the expression, "and many others," it is only an easy way of conveying a falsehood without incurring the risk of detection. The story of John's banishment to the Isle of Pat-mos, like everything else which relates to this Apostle, is founded on a _tradition_ of the third century, and is unworthy of serious notice. The story told by Hegesippus, of the treatment received by the grandchildren of Jude, called the brother of Jesus, at the hands of Domitian, if ent.i.tled to any credit at all, only goes to refute the charges made against him. As the story runs, these children were brought before him on the charge of being Christians. After hearing what they had to say, "Domitian dismissed them--made no reply--but treating them with contempt as simpletons, commanded them to be dismissed, and, by a decree, ordered the persecution to cease. Thus delivered, they ruled the churches, both as witnesses and relations of the Lord. Such is the statement of Hegesippus," says Eusebius (book iii. chap. 20).

Here is a clear case for persecution; but proceedings are dismissed, and those who were the objects of it treated with contempt.

Suetonius makes special mention of the persecution of the Jews under the reign of Domitian, who was governed, in their case, by his love of money rather than his regard for the cause of religion. The vast amount of money expended by him in the erection of palaces and public edifices had ruined his finances, which he undertook to relieve by the confiscation of the large estates and wealth in the hands of this people. To his rapacity there was no limit in such cases, short of the ruin of his victims. It is in vain to attempt to relieve the memory of the son of Vespasian and brother of t.i.tus from the ignominy of the most odious and detestable crimes. From Augustus to Trajan, no one who bore the name of emperor is more justly ent.i.tled to the name of monster. He put to death his own cousin, Flavius Sabinus, because, upon his being chosen at the consular election to that office, the public crier had, by a blunder, declared him to the people--not consul, but emperor. Virtue as well as vice stood in awe in his presence.

The genius and learning of Tacitus and Pliny made it unsafe for them to remain in Rome, and both avoided danger by seeking obscurity. But to his other crimes are not to be added the murder of Christians, who were wise and cautious enough to avoid his presence.

The following dates are a.s.signed to the epistles of Paul by Dr. Lardner and others:--

[Ill.u.s.tration: Table 406]