Image: Remains from the Basilica of St. John, ancient Ephesus, a church site that dates to the 4th century.
A new episode has been added to the series from Eusebius of Caesarea’s The
Ecclesiastical History: book 3, chapters 21-23. Listen here.
Notes and Commentary:
Chapter 21: This brief chapter flows both
imperial and ecclesiastical succession.
Among the emperors, Nerva was succeeded by Trajan.
In the church at Alexandria, the bishops, in order, were
Annianus, Abilius, and Cerdo (in Trajan’s first year).
In Rome, after Peter and Paul: Linus, Anencletus, and
Clement.
Chapter 22: The ecclesiastical order continues:
In Antioch, Evodius was followed by Ignatius.
In Jerusalem, “the bother or our Savior” [James] was followed
by Simeon.
So, in chapters 21-22 we have the four great early Christian
city centers: Alexandria, Rome, Antioch, and Jerusalem.
Chapter 23: This chapter presents traditions related to John,
the “beloved disciple,” Apostle and Evangelist, who, after the death of
Domitian and his release from banishment settled in Ephessus and became the administrator
of the churches of Asia.
Two witnesses are cited for John’s life and ministry:
Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria.
From Irenaeus: “Now the church at Ephesus was founded by
Paul, but John stayed there until the time of Trajan, and it is a true witness
of the tradition of the Apostles.”
From Clement’s work “Who is the rich man that is saved”
Eusebius shares an extra-biblical Johannine account, which he calls a “true
tradition.”
It involves John’s ministry in Ephesus and the surrounding
region and John’s entrusting a young
convert to the care of a bishop (Lake says another tradition says this was in
Smyrna). The young man, however, was neglected after his baptism and became a
robber. John returned and asked the bishop about the man. The bishop reported
he was spiritually dead, but John sought him out and restored him.
Eusebius says he shares this account “both for the sake of
the narrative and the edification” of his readers.
JTR
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