The Early Christians in RomeSpence-Jones, H. D. M. (Henry Donald Maurice)
History
The Early Christians in Rome
Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Henry Donald Maurice)
Church history -- Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600; Rome (Italy) -- Church history
_Jude_, too, names no particular congregation, but simply writes to
those that are “sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus
Christ and called.”
In the Epistle “to the Hebrews” the writer is unnamed, and there is no
mention of those to whom the anonymous “Letter” is addressed. It is,
however, clear from the tenor of the “Letter” that it was addressed to
Jewish Christians, and probably to Jewish Christians settled in Rome.
The “Pastoral” Epistles, so called (including 1 and 2 Timothy and
Titus), were evidently intended for general circulation.
We may therefore conclude that the greater number of the New Testament
Letters--certainly the four principal “Catholic” Epistles and the great
Epistle to the Hebrews, and the Epistles of S. Paul with the exceptions
above noted, influenced by the analogy of other collections of Letters
made in the same age, were written in “letter” form, but were intended
for a large group of readers. This particular “letter” form being
adopted owing to the great popularity, throughout the Roman Empire, of
this special description of literature.
Thus it is evident that the great Christian teachers to a certain
extent adopted the most loved popular literary forms of the age in
which they lived, especially choosing the letter form which such
distinguished writers as Cicero, Seneca, and a little later the younger
Pliny adopted.
While the “_Acts_ of the Apostles” more or less followed the literary
method of profane historical literature, with its picturesque
insertion of “speeches,” “letters,” and “official papers”; while the
“Revelation of S. John” more or less followed the method adopted in
Jewish apocalyptic literature of the famous Alexandrian school: alone
the _Gospels_ are absolutely an original form--a literary form which
originated _within_ Christianity itself--a literary form which stands
out alone. It imitated nothing, it followed no classical or Jewish
examples--no models, however beautiful, attractive, or popular; nor has
it ever been imitated in all the Christian ages, stretching over more
than eighteen centuries, simply because it is inimitable.
THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS
And when the Catholic Church judged, and as we see now wisely judged,
that the Voice of Inspiration was hushed, we find that the literary
remains of the primitive age of Christianity which have been preserved
to us are cast in the same “letter” form, those few literary remains
which have received the lofty title of “Apostolic.” The word comes to
us from Ignatius, and seems to bear the meaning that the writers of
these “remains” were historically connected with the apostles.
These writings properly so styled come from four persons--from (1)
_Clement_ (of Rome), of whom the tradition, constant and definite,
tells us he was the disciple of Peter and also of Paul.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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