Golden Epistles of the Ancient Christians

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The notes added to both epistles Referring to the First and Second Apologies of Justin Martyr discussed on the previous page can also provide some guidance for godly edification in the most important aspects of true Christianity; surely no one will regret taking these to heart.

V. Concerning a Fragment from St. Ignatius’s Letter to the People of Antioch.

The excellent letters of this precious martyr Ignatius of Antioch (c. 35–107 AD), a student of the Apostle John and the third bishop of Antioch—at least those found to be authentic—are already included in the Select Missives. He served as the bishop or overseer in Antioch and was torn away from his congregation by persecutors. It is therefore easy to imagine that he would have written to them one last time at the very end, especially since he also sent a magnificent letter to those in Rome. However, nothing remains of such a writing to the Antiochians except for a few short words found in John of Damascus An 8th-century monk and theologian; original: "Joh. Damasceno" in Book III, Parallels, Chapter 27, and in Antonius Antonius Melissa, a monk known for his collection of patristic sentences; original: "Antonio" in Book I, Melissae, Sermon 14, as Grabe Johannes Ernestus Grabe (1666–1711), a scholar famous for his editions of early Christian texts; original: "Grabius" also repeats in his Collection of Fragments from the First Two Centuries original: "Spicilegio Sec. II. p. 24.". The Latin epistle, however, which one still reads under Ignatius’s name addressed to the Antiochians, is clearly a forgery. This section should have appeared before the section on Justin [Martyr] Because Ignatius lived earlier than Justin Martyr; but since it is brief, the placement will not cause much confusion.

VI.

From the Bishop of Knossos, a city on the island of Crete, namely St. Pinytus A 2nd-century bishop known for his high standards of asceticism, there remains a summary of a letter to Dionysius of Corinth The bishop of Corinth around 171 AD preserved in Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea, the author of the first comprehensive history of the Christian Church; original: "Eusebio", Book IV, Chapter 23, which was written around the year 170 or 172 AD.