Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Yellum Notnef · 01-05-2008, 10:06 AM

In a book review on Amazon, someone we all know said the following:

Quote:

"Irenaeus puts forward the teaching of the apostles (he knew Polycarp, the disciple of John, personally) on matters disputed by the gnostics, heretics who attempted to corrupt Christianity with contemporary pop-paganism. In so doing he outlines the teaching on God, the Father, the Son and the Spirit, and without using the word gives a splendid outline of the doctrine of the Trinity. While deriding some of the gnostic ideas, Irenaeus concentrates on expounding the apostolic preaching, and on showing that the Old Testament in fact preaches the same deity in three persons as the New.

The book will be useful to everyone interested in the second-century Fathers. In view of the interest in gnosticism in our day, it will also be useful as a reminder to those who choose to forget that those with personal contact with the apostles and their appointees did not regard gnosticism as a legitimate form of Christian belief. Recommended."

It's not important for now to mention the book or the reviewer. I'm only interested in this rather dubious sounding assertion that Polycarp personally knew any of the Apostles. This sounds like more like church tradition than reality.

Huon · 01-05-2008, 10:50 AM

Paul Tobin has a great site about Polycarp here :
http://www.geocities.com/paulntobin/apostolic.html

Yellum Notnef · 01-05-2008, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Huon

Paul Tobin has a great site about Polycarp here :
http://www.geocities.com/paulntobin/apostolic.html

Thanks. That's just what I was looking for.

Toto · 01-05-2008, 12:25 PM

The review is by Roger Pearse of 16. St. Irenaeus: Proof of the Apostolic Preaching (Ancient Christian Writers) (or via: amazon.co.uk)

In another thread, Dave Hindley discusses Polycarp. I think that most scholars think that Polycarp was a disciple of another John, not John the son of Zebedee.

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01-05-2008, 10:50 AM	#2
Huon Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bordeaux France Posts: 2,796	Paul Tobin has a great site about Polycarp here : http://www.geocities.com/paulntobin/apostolic.html

01-05-2008, 12:25 PM	#4
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	The review is by Roger Pearse of 16. St. Irenaeus: Proof of the Apostolic Preaching (Ancient Christian Writers) (or via: amazon.co.uk) In another thread, Dave Hindley discusses Polycarp. I think that most scholars think that Polycarp was a disciple of another John, not John the son of Zebedee.

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