Ignatius to the Philadelphians

The case for

1. It is one of the earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament, by a bishop who probably knew the last generation of the apostles' circle.

   The evidence

   Most scholars date the seven letters to about 105–117. Polycarp of Smyrna, writing soon afterwards (Philippians 13), says he is collecting Ignatius' letters, and Eusebius (Church History 3.36, c. 325) names Philadelphians among the seven.

2. Its teaching closely follows Paul and John, so it is a good witness to how the apostles' message was received.

   The evidence

   It warns that those who follow a schismatic "will not inherit the kingdom of God" (3.3; compare 1 Corinthians 6:9–10). It speaks of "one flesh, one cup, one altar" (4; compare 1 Corinthians 10:16–17) and calls Christ "the door of the Father" (9.1; compare John 10:7–9).

3. It gives a rare firsthand look at a church named in Revelation and at an early argument over how to read the Old Testament.

   The evidence

   Philadelphia is one of the seven churches addressed in Revelation 3:7–13. In chapter 8 Ignatius describes opponents who would believe only what they found "in the archives" (the Jewish scriptures), and he answers that "my archives are Jesus Christ": his cross, death and resurrection.

The case against

1. No church has ever counted it as scripture, and Ignatius did not claim apostolic authority for it.

   The evidence

   It is absent from the Muratorian fragment, Athanasius' list of 367, the councils of Hippo and Carthage, Trent and the Ethiopian canon. Even Codex Alexandrinus, which includes 1–2 Clement, leaves Ignatius out. In 5.1 Ignatius says he takes refuge in the gospel and in "the apostles as the presbytery of the church", placing himself under them.

2. Its text was altered in antiquity, and a minority of scholars doubt even the standard version.

   The evidence

   An expanded 13-letter "long recension" from the 4th century circulated for centuries. The shorter seven-letter form was recovered only by Ussher (1644) and Voss (1646) and defended by Zahn and Lightfoot. Rius-Camps (1980) argued Philadelphians was among the letters a later interpolator added, and Hübner and Lechner dated the collection to about 165–175.

3. Its church order goes beyond what the New Testament lays down, so it should be read with care on that point.

   The evidence

   It insists on a single bishop over presbyters and deacons and reports that the Spirit cried out, "Do nothing without the bishop" (7.2). In the New Testament, "overseer" and "elder" seem to name the same leaders (Acts 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5–7). Calvin dismissed the Ignatian letters known in his day, though that was the long, expanded version.