CATHOLIC FAITH AND ORTHODOX FAITH WITNIN THE STATE OF GRACE
EARLY FATHERS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
CLEMENT OF ROME - 88 AD - 99 AD. The third bishop of Rome (i.e., pope)
- Author of 1 Clement, a letter to the Corinthian church. He served as auxiilary bishop for the two Popes who followed St. Peter, Linus and Cletus. His name appeared in the ancient list of Popes compiled by Irenaeus.
HERMAS - Lived in Rome
- Nothing is known of him except that he is the author of The Shepherd, a record of visions regarded by much of the Eastern Orthdox Church as scripture and is included immediately after the New Testament in the early manuscript Codex Sinaiticus
IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH (d. 107) - Bishop of Antioch
- Traveled under guard from Asia Minor to Rome to be martyred.
- Met with at least five churches along the way (Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Philadelphia, Smyrna).
- Author of letters to each of these churches plus one to Rome and one to Polycarp, which were collected and venerated shortly after his death.
- Viewed the office of bishop as an important safeguard of the unity of the Church.
PAPIAS (c.60-130) - Bishop of Hierapolis (Asia Minor)
- Wrote Expositions of the Sayings of the Lord (known only from quotations in Irenaeus and Eusebius), which contains oral traditions and legends.
- His Expositions is especially important for its information on the writing of the Gospels.
POLYCARP (c.69-c.155) - Bishop of Smyrna (in Turkey)
- Only his Epistle to the Phillipians survives.
- According to The Martyrdom of Polycarp, a contemporary account, he was arrested during a pagan festival and burnt to death when he refused to recant his faith.
- Feast day is February 23.
JUSTIN MARTYR (c. 100-c.165) - Born in Samaria
- Converted from paganism after a long search for truth.
- Considered the greatest of the Apologists.
- Wrote First Apology, Second Apology, and Dialogue with Trypho the Jew.
- Argued that God has provided hints of Christ in Greek philosophy through the logos (“seed-bearing word").
- Beheaded for refusing to sacrifice to pagan gods.
IRENAEUS OF LYONS (c.130-c
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