Amazon.com: St. Ignatius and St. Polycarp (9781590260432): C.P.S. Clarke: Books

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Ignatius and Polycarp are two of the most significant personalities of the post-apostolic age; both were reported to have been appointed by the apostles themselves. Their distinguished lives were well known by the middle of the second century, and accounts of their martyrdoms circulated widely. Ignatius was the bishop of Antioch at the turn of the first century. On his journey to a Roman martyrdom, he wrote seven letters to the churches he encountered. His epistle to Rome became a handbook for martyrs. Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, belonged to the school in Asia Minor of John the apostle. He was the most important church leader of his day; even the Romans who executed Polycarp called him "the father of Christianity." His Epistle to the Philippians has survived, as well as a detailed account of his martyrdom, the first of its genre. As contemporaries, these two men help to bridge the history between the Book of Acts and the emerging literary movements of the second and ensuing centuries.

As a scholar, C. P. S. Clarke discerns the lessons and explains the literature left behind by Ignatius and Polycarp. Their writings belong to the prestigious classification of early Christian documents known as the Apostolic Fathers. Clarke, as a pastor, addresses the essential issues facing the church of the early second century with compassion and insight, and sums them up clearly for a modern audience. In 1929 he confirmed his acute ability to summarize church history in his work, "Short History of the Christian Church," one of a handful of books he published in the field. His little book, "St. Ignatius and St. Polycarp," is a fine treatment of the subject, which bears a lucid style at an introductory level. For the reader who is unfamiliar with these two celebrated characters, this work is an excellent place to start uncovering the treasures of early Christian thought and practice. Appended to this work is an introductory article on the social setting behind these two writers. It first appeared in the American Quarterly Church Review (1870).

About the Author

CHARLES PHILIP STEWART CLARKE

Charles Philip Stewart Clarke was born at Whiteshill, Glasgow, in 1871 and died December 18, 1947. He was educated at Oxford in Clifton College and Christ Church. Ordained in 1895, he served at Eastleigh, Hants, and Christ Church Mission, Poplar (1898-1901), then as vicar of High Wycombe (1910-16). Clarke was a well-liked rector at Donhead St. Andrew's, his most prolific period, and became the examining chaplain to the bishop of Salsbury. He subsequently was appointed prebend in Salsbury Cathedral, a lecturer in Church History at the Salsbury Theological College. While prebendary of Bitton in Salisbury Cathedral, he wrote his "Short History of the Christian Church" (1929)—a popular yet careful treatment of the subject. Afterwards, in 1934, Clarke became archdeacon of Chichester. His studies were restricted mostly to church history: "Everyman's Book of Saints" (1914), "Church History from Nero to Constantine" (1920), "St. Ignatius and St. Polycarp" (1930), "Saints and Heroes of the Christian Church" (1931), and many others.