APOSTOLIC FATHERS. - Da quando J.-B. Cotelier (m. nel 1686) uni in una collezione le opere di Barnaba, Clemente di Roma, Ignazio, Policarpo ed Erma come « patres aevi apostolici » si parla di P. A. Più tardi furono aggiunti ancora Papia, i frammenti dei presbiteri presso s. Ireneo, l'Epistola a Diogneto e la Didaché.This designation has only a practical value, because chronologically it does not correspond in all cases to its claims, and dogmatically it is also not clear, nor does the different literary genre of all these works emerge from this designation.

Bibliography5 works

BIBL.: among the editions of the P. A. the following are cited: O. Gebhardt-Ad. Harnack-Th. Zahn, Leipzig 1875-77; I. B. Lightfoot, 3 vols., London 1889-91; F. X. Funk, I. Tübingen 1901, II. published by Fr. Dickamp, ibid. 1913; S. Colombo, Turin 1934. See also E. I. Godspeed, Index Patristicus sive citati Patrum Apost., Leipzig 1907. Studies: H. Reinhold, De graecitate Patrum Apostolicorum (Dissertationes philologicae Halensee, 14 [1898]); A. Casamassa, I P. A., Rome 1938. See also the commentaries in H. Lietzmann, Handbuch zum neuen Testament. Ergänzungsband, Tübingen 1920-23.

Erik Peterson

@incollection{ec9_padri_apostolici, author = {Peterson, Erik}, title = {Padri Apostolici}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {IX}, pages = {523}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/padri-apostolici} }

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.

Apostolic Fathers

About this entry