Joseph Barber Lightfoot

“ An aged disciple on his way to martyrdom pours out a few parting words of exhortation to the Christian brotherhoods with whom he is brought in contact during his journey. A bishop of a leading church, having occasion to send a parcel to another brotherhood at a distance, takes the opportunity of writing, in answer to their solicitations, a few plain words of advice and instruction. Such is the simple account of the letters of Clement, Ignatius, and Polycarp respectively. ”

“ Three names remain, Clement, Ignatius, and Polycarp, about which there is no reasonable ground for hesitation.
All the genuine writings of these three Apostolic Fathers are epistolary in form, modelled more or less after the pattern of the Canonical Epistles, especially those of St. Paul, and called forth by pressing temporary needs. In no case is any literary motive prominent. A famous teacher writes in the name of the community over which he presides to quell the dissensions of a distant but friendly church. ”

“ Paul who bore that name, then he would more properly be styled, not an "apostolic man," as he is designated by Clement of Alexandria (Strom. ii. 20, p. 489, ὁ ἀποστολικὸς Βαρνάβας) , but an "apostle," as the same Clement elsewhere styles him (Strom. ii. 6, p. 445; ii. 7, p. 447) , in accordance with St. Luke's language (Acts xiv. 14) . But if the writer be not the Apostle Barnabas, then we have no evidence of any personal relations with the Apostles, though such is not impossible, as the Epistle must have been written at some date between the age of Vespasian and that of Nerva. ”

“ At this same period also we find Amphilochius arranging the ecclesiastical affairs of Isauria (Ep. 190) , Lycaonia (Ep. 200) , and Lycia (Ep. 218) , under the direction of Basil. He is also invited by Basil to assist in the administration of his own diocese of Caesarea, which has become too great a burden for him, prostrated as he now is by a succession of maladies (Ep. 200, 201) . The affectionate confidence which the great man reposes in his younger friend is a powerful testimony to the character and influence of Amphilochius. ”

“ Basil's ears, led him to write a friendly remonstrance, and hence arose a correspondence of which one letter is preserved (Ep. 24) . The son Athanasius was raised to the see of Ancyra by the Arian Acacius of Caesarea, through whose influence his predecessor Basilius had been deposed at a synod held at Constantinople A.D. 360 (Soz. iv. 25; Philost. v. 1) . ”

“ But though they are deficient in distinctness of conception and power of exposition, "this inferiority" to the later Fathers "is amply compensated by a certain naïveté and simplicity which forms the charm of their letters. ”

“ Josephus exposes the ignorance, mendacity, and self-contradictions of Apion.
(ii) It is not surprising that the spent wave of this antagonism should have overflowed on Judaic Christianity. Whether Apion actually came in contact with any members of the new brotherhood is more than questionable. His early date (for he flourished in the reigns of Tiberius, Caius, and Claudius) renders this improbable. But in the writings of the Petro-Clementine cycle he holds a prominent place as an antagonist of the Gospel. ”

“ Herein he was assisted by the disaffection which prevailed in Basil's province. He was even bold enough to attack Basil on a journey, and plunder a train of mules laden with supplies of money and provisions for the bp. of Caesarea. Basil, thinking to establish an invincible outpost against his aggressive antagonist, consecrated his friend Gregory bp. ”

“ Gk. xxxix. p. 14) is a later fiction. Various references to the writings of Basil and Gregory contain nearly all that is known of him and his family. Amphilochius appears to have been a first cousin of Gregory Nazianzen. The language of Basil (Ep. 161) might imply that he was born and lived in Basil's own town Caesarea. Gregory expresses regret that he did not see much of Amphilochius during his earlier years (Ep. 13) . Their intimate friendship commenced at a later date. Amphilochius, like many other eminent Christian fathers, was educated for the bar. ”

“ In addition to these homilies, a Life of his predecessor, St. Basil of Amasea, printed in the Acta Sanctorum, April 26, is ascribed to him. A complete collection of his works will be found in Migne's Patr. Gk. xl.; a complete list in Fabric. Bibl. Gk. x. 513 seq. ed. Harles. An account of their contents is given by Tillemont, x. 409 seq.
Asterius was a student of Demosthenes (Or. 11, p. 207) , and himself no mean orator. His best sermons (for they are somewhat uneven) display no inconsiderable skill in rhetoric, great power of expression, and great earnestness of moral conviction ”

“ Of his ability as a theologian and a writer the extant fragments are a wholly inadequate criterion; but his reputation with his contemporaries and with the later church leaves very little ground for doubt. ”

“ Coleti) . At this same council we find him assenting to Cyril's letter, and subscribing in very strong language to the condemnation and deposition of Nestorius (ib. pp. 1012, 1046, 1077, 1133) . His conduct, later, was marked by great vacillation, if not insincerity. It is sometimes stated that he was present at the "Robbers' Synod" (A.D. 449) , and there committed himself to the policy of Dioscorus and the heresy of Eutyches (Le Quien, Oriens Christ. i. 998) ”

“ Elsewhere he spoke of himself as a man of very advanced age (Phot. Amphil. 125 [312] ) .
The extant works of Asterius consist almost solely of sermons or homilies. Of these we possess twenty-two perfect; twelve on various subjects included in the edition of Combefis (Paris, 1648) ; eight on the Psalms, of which one is found among the works of St. ”