The Ignatian Epistles Entirely Spurious | Page 3

minister, attacked them
with great ability; and proved, to the satisfaction of many readers, that
they are utterly unworthy of credit. Pearson, subsequently Bishop of
Chester, now entered the arena, and in a work of much talent and
research--the fruit of six years' labour--attempted to restore their
reputation. This vindication was not permitted to pass without an
answer; but, meanwhile, the dark prospects of the Reformed faith in
England and the Continent directed attention to matters of more
absorbing interest, and the controversy was discontinued. From time to
time, however, these Epistles were kept before the eyes of the public by
Archbishop Wake and other editors; and more recently the appearance
of a Syriac copy of three of them--printed under the supervision of the
late Rev. Dr. Cureton--reopened the discussion. Dr. Cureton maintained
that his three Epistles are the only genuine remains of the pastor of
Antioch. In a still later publication, [3:1] Bishop Lightfoot controverts
the views of Dr. Cureton, and makes a vigorous effort to uphold the
credit of the seven letters quoted by Eusebius and supported by Pearson.
Dr. Lightfoot has already acquired a high and deserved reputation as a
scholar and a commentator, and the present work furnishes abundant
evidence of his linguistic attainments and his perseverance; but it is
somewhat doubtful whether it will add to his fame as a critic and a
theologian. In these three portly octavo volumes-- extending to
upwards of 1800 pages of closely printed matter--he tries to convince
his readers that a number of the silliest productions to be found among
the records of antiquity, are the remains of an apostolic Father. He tells

us, in his preface, that the subject has been before him "for nearly thirty
years;" and that, during this period, it has "engaged his attention off and
on in the intervals of other literary pursuits and official duties." Many,
we apprehend, will feel that the result is not equal to such a vast
expenditure of time and labour; and will concur with friends who, as he
informs us, have complained to him that he has thus "allowed himself
to be diverted from the more congenial task of commenting on S. Paul's
Epistles." There is not, we presume, an evangelical minister in
Christendom who would not protest against the folly exhibited in these
Ignatian letters; and yet it appears that the good Bishop of Durham has
spent a large portion of his life in an attempt to accomplish their
vindication.
To Dr. Lightfoot may be justly awarded the praise of having here made
the reading public acquainted with the various manuscripts and
versions of these Ignatian letters, as well as with the arguments which
may be urged in their favour; and he has thus rendered good service to
the cause of historical criticism. Professor Harnack, in a late number of
the Expositor [4:1], states no more than the truth when he affirms that
"this work is the most learned and careful Patristic Monograph which
has appeared in the nineteenth century." To any one who wishes to
study the Ignatian controversy, it supplies a large amount of valuable
evidence, not otherwise easily accessible. Some, indeed, may think that,
without any detriment to ecclesiastical literature, some of the matter
which has helped to swell the dimensions of these volumes might have
been omitted. Everything in any way associated with the name of
Ignatius seems to have a wonderful fascination for the learned prelate.
Not content with publishing and commending what he considers the
genuine productions of the apostolic Father, he here edits and annotates
letters which have long since been discredited by scholars of all classes,
and which he himself confesses to be apocryphal. The _Acts of
Martyrdom of Ignatius_--which he also acknowledges to be a mere
bundle of fables--he treats with the same tender regard. Nor is this all.
He gives these acts, or large portions of them, in Latin and Greek, as
well as in Coptic and Syriac; and annotates them in addition. He
supplies, likewise, English translations. It may be argued, that the
publication of such a mass of legendary rubbish is necessary to enable

the student to form a correct judgment on the merits of the subject in
debate; but surely the question might be settled without the aid of some
of these auxiliaries.
Dr. Lightfoot has long been known as one of the most candid and
painstaking of scriptural commentators; but it must always be
remembered that he is an Episcopalian, and the ruler of an English
diocese. He would be something almost more than human, were he to
hold up the scales of testimony with strict impartiality when weighing
the claims of his own order. It strikes us that, in the work before us, his
prejudices and predilections reveal their influence more conspicuously
than in