10 Noncanonical Christian Sources

While the last chapter presented non-Christian sources, this chapter will present noncanonical Christian sources. In other words, these are early Christian sources outside the New Testament. I pointed out in

that historians do not simply discount a source just because it is Christian. The same holds true in this chapter as well. Indeed, the Christian sources in this chapter are regarded, even by skeptics, as important independent sources of information.

These authors will help provide both zoomed-out and zoomed-in perspectives of New Testament reliability. For example, Clement notes the martyrdom of Peter and Paul, which provides a zoomed-out consideration regarding their teachings because it is strong evidence that they genuinely believed what they taught. Note that a specific event or teaching is not in view here, but their willingness to suffer and die certainly colors our understanding of their teachings in general and central teachings in particular (e.g., Jesus’ resurrection). On the other end, we find a more zoomed-in perspective when Clement mentions the discord of the Corinthian church that Paul was addressing in 1 Corinthians 1:12. Clement offers early confirmation of both Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church and the factionalism that Paul was trying to correct.

I should note that this chapter will not contain Gnostic writings, as they are later and beyond the scope of the present work. However, I will cover some of these works in the next chapter since they are related to discussions on the development of the New Testament canon. Moreover, the sources covered here are those that the early church thought were valuable but not on the same level as Scripture. The focus of this chapter, then, will be on some of the earliest Christian works outside the New Testament. These will be the writings of Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, and Polycarp of Smyrna.

CLEMENT OF ROME

We have a letter to the church in Corinth that was written before the end of the first century (ca. AD 65–95). This letter is attributed to Clement (often considered the same Clement of Phil 4:3), though the letter states it is from the church in Rome. Early church writers indicate that Clement was a bishop of the church of Rome.

Like Paul’s letters to the Corinthian church, Clement’s letter was written to deal with ongoing factionalism within the church at Corinth. Clement reveals several details that illuminate our understanding of the New Testament. As noted above, Clement’s letter informs us of the martyrdoms of both Peter and Paul. Clement writes:

Let us set before our eyes the illustrious apostles. Peter, through unrighteous envy, endured not one or two, but numerous labours; and when he had at length suffered martyrdom, departed to the place of glory due to him. Owing to envy, Paul also obtained the reward of patient endurance, after being seven times thrown into captivity, compelled to flee, and stoned. After preaching both in the east and west, he gained the illustrious reputation due to his faith, having taught righteousness to the whole world, and come to the extreme limit of the west, and suffered martyrdom under the prefects. Thus was he removed from the world and went into the holy place, having proved himself a striking example of patience. (1 Clement 5)

The sufferings and martyrdoms of Peter and Paul are important as they highlight the genuine beliefs these men held regarding their experiences (see 1 Cor 15:32). We thus have good reasons to believe that Peter and Paul were not lying but rather telling the truth about things they directly experienced firsthand and knew to be true. Another important aspect to note is that Clement (and the Christians in Rome) saw both Peter and Paul as models worth following. Though some have attempted to suggest a rift between Peter and Paul, this text presents both as unified in their message and examples for Christians to follow (see 1 Cor 15:11; Gal 1:18–2:10).

Atheist/agnostic New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman points out that Clement’s letter provides an “independent witness not just to the life of Jesus as a historical figure but to some of his teachings and deeds.” An example is in 1 Clement 13, which summarizes aspects of the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 6:12-15; 7:2; Lk 6:36-38). Here Clement wants the church in Corinth to “be mindful of the words of the Lord Jesus.”

This letter also corroborates the problems of factionalism within the Corinthian church that Paul mentioned. I noted above that this is a zoomed-in piece of corroboration, since it addresses specific events, and here Clement encourages the Corinthians to “take up the epistle of the blessed Apostle Paul. What did he write to you at the time when the Gospel first began to be preached? Truly, under the inspiration of the Spirit, he wrote to you concerning himself, and Cephas, and Apollos, because even then parties had been formed among you” (1 Clement 47). Here there is a clear connection to 1 Corinthians 1:12, where he discourages the Corinthians from such divisions. Clement’s concerns are that the Corinthians have not learned their lessons and the situation is worse now than before.

IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH

Ignatius of was the bishop of Antioch and martyred in Rome around AD 110. While being taken to Rome and under guard, he wrote at least seven letters. Ignatius’s letters were written to several churches, including the church in Rome, in which he encourages believers to refrain from intervening in his execution. He also wrote a letter to Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, whom I will briefly discuss below. In these letters we find various areas of overlap with New Testament reports.

According to Ehrman, Ignatius provides “another independent witness to the life of Jesus. . . . He cannot be shown to have been relying on the Gospels. And he was bishop in Antioch, the city where both Peter and Paul spent considerable time in the preceding generation. . . . His views too can trace a lineage straight back to apostolic times.” For example, three letters include mentions or reminders of Jesus’ death as having occurred during the reign of Pontius Pilate. In his letter to the church at Magnesia, he encourages believers to “attain to full assurance in regard to the birth, and passion, and resurrection which took place in the time of the government of Pontius Pilate, being truly and certainly accomplished by Jesus Christ, who is our hope, from which may no one of you ever be turned aside” (Ignatius, To the Magnesians 11).

Similar comments are found in his letter to the church in Tralles, where he writes that Jesus “was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate; He was truly crucified, and [truly] died, in the sight of beings in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. He was also truly raided from the dead, His Father quickening Him, even as after the same manner His Father will so raise us who believe in Him by Christ Jesus, apart from whom we do not possess the true life” (Ignatius, To the Trallians 9; similarly, To the Smyrnaeans 1).

As we read these words, we see that Ignatius is placing these events “firmly in the realm of history.” We can also see theological consistency with Paul’s teaching regarding Jesus’ resurrection as being the model for those who believe in him (e.g., Rom 8:11; 1 Cor 6:14; 2 Cor 4:14; Phil 3:20-21; 1 Thess 4:14; etc.).

Similar to Clement, there are references of Peter and Paul as those who were part of the same unified gospel message. For example, while Ignatius is requesting that the church in Rome avoid trying to prevent his execution, he points out that he is not like Peter and Paul, issuing commandments (Ignatius, To the Romans 4). Thus, again, there was no deep discord between what the two of them were preaching.

Ignatius also describes the courage bestowed on Peter and the other disciples such that they became willing to suffer and die: “When, for instance, He came to those who were with Peter, He said to them, ‘Lay hold, handle Me, and see that I am not an incorporeal spirit.’ And immediately they touched Him, and believed, being convinced both by His flesh and spirit. For this cause also they despised death, and were found its conquerors” (Ignatius, To the Smyrnaeans 3; see Lk 24:38-39). Ignatius’s statement that the apostles “despised death” is particularly moving. It is one thing to not fear death but another to despise it all together (see 1 Cor 15:54-57). As with Clement, this comment also illustrates the genuineness of the apostles and their beliefs. In the words of Mike Licona, “Liars make poor martyrs.”

Ignatius thus provides helpful and early writings that corroborate the NT. It is important to also understand the context in which he was writing. As Justo González points out, “One should not expect that these seven epistles of Ignatius, written within such a brief period under such great pressures, would be detailed, balanced, and systematic expositions of his theology.” Despite such a setting, scholars such as Gary Habermas identify several points of contact between his writings and the historical Jesus (and early church). Moreover, these writings are a “welcome enlightenment as to the internal conditions of early Christian communities. They give us a glimpse, too, into the very heart of the great bishop-martyr and breathe forth a profound religious enthusiasm that catches us up and fires us.”

POLYCARP OF SMYRNA

Irenaeus of Lyons (ca. AD 130–200) provides some details about the life of Polycarp. He states that Polycarp was “instructed by apostles . . . but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna” and furthermore that Polycarp knew the apostle John (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.3.4; Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 5.20.5-6). Irenaeus states that Polycarp wrote multiple letters, but the only one that remains is his letter to the church in Philippi.

The church in Philippi asked Polycarp to send a copy of the letters of Ignatius (recall that one of Ignatius’s letters was written to Polycarp). Polycarp sent Ignatius’s letters along with a short letter of his own in the early second century. Though Polycarp knew John and his letter covers various topics, its value for our purposes is its discussion of Paul and references to the New Testament writings.

Concerning Paul, we find Polycarp telling the Philippians (a church to which Paul had already written a letter) the following: “For neither I, nor any other such one, can come up to the wisdom of the blessed and glorified Paul. . . . He wrote you a letter, which, if you carefully study, you will find to be the means of building you up in that faith which has been given you” (To the Philippians 3; see also 10). Later he encourages the church to follow the examples of Ignatius “and in Paul himself, and the rest of the apostles. [This do] in assurance that all these have not run in vain, but in faith and righteousness, and that they are [now] in their due place in the presence of the Lord, with whom also they suffered. For they loved not this present world, but Him who died for us, and for our sakes was raised again by God from the dead” (To the Philippians 9).

Paul, Ignatius, and others were willing to suffer and die for the gospel. Part of the reason for this is that they did not love the present world and were ready to suffer and die, knowing that death was not the end. For they would be in the presence of the Lord (see Phil 1:23) and were looking forward to a future resurrection (Polycarp, To the Philippians 5).

Another essential part of Polycarp’s letter is that “it seems to reflect all the Pauline epistles but Philemon, as well as 1 or 2 John, 1 Peter, 1 Clement, some of the Ignatian letters, Synoptic traditions, and perhaps Acts, James, and Hermas.” This is a significant number of references in a letter that is only about four pages long. While it can be difficult to discern all of the letter’s quotations, allusions, and influences, Polycarp identifies Ephesians 4:26 as being a part of the “Scriptures” (To the Philippians 12).

CONCLUSION

There are a number of other early noncanonical Christian sources I could have mentioned here, such as Papias, the Didache, the Epistle of Barnabas, the Shepherd of Hermas, Quadratus, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyons, and others. I decided to present Clement, Ignatius, and Polycarp as three representatives that illustrate how early church writings corroborate various components of the New Testament. As with the non-Christian sources, these sources provide yet another angle that adds to the reliability of the New Testament texts.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: NONCANONICAL CHRISTIAN SOURCES

■Noncanonical Christian sources are those not found in the New Testament. Many of these sources are nevertheless early and provide valuable insight into early Christianity.

■There are several early noncanonical Christian sources. I mentioned Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, and Polycarp of Smyrna.

■These sources, as with the non-Christian sources, further corroborate information in the New Testament writings.

10 Noncanonical Christian Sources