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Orthodoxy and Heresy in Western Asia Minor in the First Christian Century: a Dialogical Response to Walter Bauer

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Orthodoxy and Heresy in Western Asia Minor in the First Christian Century: a Dialogical Response to Walter Bauer ORTHODOXY AND HERESY IN WESTERN ASIA MINOR ORTHODOXY AND HERESY IN WESTERN ASIA MINOR IN THE FIRST CHRISTV\N CENTURY: A DIALOGICAL RESPONSE TO WALTER BAUER By THOMAS ARTHUR ROBINSON, B.A., M.C.S. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University September 1985 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (1985) McMaster University (Religious Studies) Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: Orthodoxy and Heresy in Western Asia Minor in the First Christian Century: A Dialogical Response to Walter Bauer AUTHOR: Thomas A. Robinson, B.A. (University of New Brunswick) M.C.S. (Regent College) SUPERVISOR: Professor B. F. Meyer NUMBER OF PAGES: x, 334 -ii­ ABSTRACT Was there such a thing as "orthodoxy" in earliest Christianity? That was the question raised by Walter Bauer in his classic monograph, Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Chrsitianity. Bauer argued that the traditional Eusebian reconstruction of the primitive church was markedly defected, and against that reconstruction, he contended that heretical movements of the second century had as good a claim to apostolic traditions as did the catholic movement. Although I agree with Bauer that the traditional reconstruction of the early church is unsound, I do not find that Bauer has offered a reconstruction engendering any firmer confidence. I challenge Bauer at two points. First, in chapter three, I attempt to determine whether Bauer's reconstruction makes sense of all the evidence. Then, I analyze the process by which groups come to self-consciousness. That is a two-sided matter. One is the fixing of a pool of acceptable diversity in which a group relates itself to the larger world of diversity (chapter four). The second is the process by which a group excludes various other diverse positions (chapter 5). Attention to these matters makes possible a more sensitive evaluation of the complexities that confronted the Christian community as it sought to define itself. Having confined my investigation to the most significant area of the Christian mission at the turn of the century, my work provides a fresh reconstruction of the primitive church in western Asia Minor at a time when the process of self-definition was becoming the controlling issue. -iii­ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank two professors, Dr. Ben Meyer of McMaster Univer:sity and Dr. Norbert Brox of Universitat Regensburg, who expanded my field of vision during my studies. Their generous and friendly encouragementserves as a model for those of us who aspire to teach. A special thanks goes to Dr. Meyer for the several careful readings of the various drafts. His numerous suggestions have brought a greater precision to my "New Brunswick" English. The many, both in Canada and in Germany, who provided welcome breaks from my work, I thank, too. That contribution was not unimportant. -iv­ TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One THE QUESTION OF THEOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IN PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANITY_______________ I I. Diversity within Primitive Christianity and the Theory of an Early Orthodoxy A. An Original Uniformity? B. The Traditional View 1. Eusebius 2. Irenaeus 3. Ignatius 4. The New Testament 5. Origen: an Exception? II. The Current Discussion of Primitive Diversity A. The Assumption of Diversity B. Ferdinand Christian Bauer and the Ti.ibingen School C. Walter Bauer D. The Importance of Walter Bauer to the Present Discussion E. Problems with Bauer1s Approach F. The Fundamantal Issue G. The Task in this Thesis III. Terminology A. northodoxy" and "Heresy" B. Gnosticism IV. The Primary Area for Study A. The Major Centres B. The Church at Rome C. The Church in Jerusalem D. The Church at Antioch E. The Centre for this Study Chapter Two EPHESUS AND WESTERN ASIA MINOR: THE KEY CHRISTIAN CENTRE 70-100 C.E. _____________________28 I. Important Early Christian Centres II. Ephesus and Western Asia Minor: The Extensive Documentary Evidence III. The Importance of Ephesus Recognized -v­ IV. The Importance of Ephesus Challenged or Overlooked V. Indicators of the Importance of western Asia Minor in the Primitive Church A. The Canon B. A Centre of Emigration from Palestine C. Prominent Church Leaders D. Population VL The Gentile Character of the Area A. Population B. The Status of Ephesus C. The Religious Character of Western Asia Minor VII. The Jewish Character of the Area A. Population B. The Status of Jews in the Greek Cities C. Religious Syncretism or Religious Purity? VIII. The Christian Character of the Area A. The Influence from Judaism B. The Basic Structure for Corporate Worship IX. Summary Chapter Three BAUER'S RECONSTRUCTION _______________54 I. Bauer and Western Asia Minor II. The Crucial Junctures of Bauer's Reconstruction A. Introduction B. The Reconstruction C. Critique of Bauer's Reconstruction III. The Anti-Gnostic Alliance IV. The Strength of Heresy A. The Last Decade of the First Century B. The First Decade of the Second Century C. Bauer's Faulty Method V. The Development of the Monarchical Episcopate A. Bauer's Theory B. The Probl~m of the Eyidence Ttie Situation Reflectea m tne C. Ignatian Materials: Antioch or Western Asia Minor D. The Orthodox: A Weak Minority E. The Disunited Heretics F. The Special "Aura" of the Orthodox's Candidate G. The Call for Obedience to the Presbytery H. Signs of Token Recognition of Ignatius and the Bishops by the Schismatics 1. Magnesia 2. Philadelphia 3. Smyrna I. The Conditions for Identifying a Separate Assembly as "Outside the Sanctuary" VI. Summary -vi­ Chapter Four THE NATURE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF EARLY DNERSITY____ 116 I Evidence for Theologically-Diverse Movements A. The Failure of Bauer's Reconstruction B. Evidence from the New Testament Materials C. Evidence from Western Asia Minor II Dealing with Primitive Diversity A. Wrong Questions B. Disappointing Solutions C. Determining the Significance of Diversity D. Pool of Acceptable Diversity III Theologically Distinct Communities A. Separate Communities? B. Methodological Difficulties C. Separate Jewish-Christian Communities D. Separate Petrine Communities E. Separate Docetic/Gnostic Communities F. Separate Pauline Communities G. The Lack of a Consensus IV The Johannine Community A. The Evidence for an Independent Johannine Community 1. Distinct Gospel Tradition 2. Evidence for Redactional Activity 3. The Idea of the Beloved Disciple B. A Separate Johannine Community: Some General Difficulties 1. Lack of Evidence for Such a Community in the Early Histories 2. Lack of Distinctively J ohannine Leaders 3. Ignatius's Argument Against Separate Assemblies 4. Preservation of the J ohannine Material V Isolation or Koinonia? A. The Fundamental Question B. The Koinonia of Early Christian Communities VI Common Opponents VII Summary Chapter Five THE DETECTION OF HERESY _______________162 I Detection or Slander? II Some Modern Comments on the Problem III Factors for Detecting Heresy A. Sharp Contradictions B. Adding to or Taking Away from Received Tradition C. Boundaries Fixed D. Perceptive Church Leaders E. The Impact on Christian Life IV Summary -vii­ Conclusion _____________________178 Appendix 1 ORIGEN'S VIEW OF PRIMITIVE DIVERSITY: AN EXCEPTION?___________________183 Appendix 2 JOHN'S RESIDENCE IN EPHESUS ______________194 Appendix 3 POPULATION FIGURES FOR THE EARLY CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT._______________200 Appendix 4 THE HOUSE CHURCH...________________~206 I The Importance of the House Church for Understanding Earliest Christianity II Small Units: The Literary Evidence A. The New Testament 1. Acts 2. The Epistles B. Ignatius C. Justin D. Celsus III Small Units: The Theological Argument IV Parallel Social and Religious Structures A. The Household B. Associations C. Synagogues V Archaeological Evidence VI Evidence for Larger Assemblies VII Further Questions Appendix 5 THE HERETICS IN THE IGNATIAN LE'ITERS_________228 Appendix 6 IGNATIUS'S PRIMARY OBJECTION TO THE SCHISMATICS' POSITION_______________232 Appendix 7 THE SITUATION IN ANTIOCH _______________241 I The Problem II The Civil Persecution III The Dispute About Ignatius's Position -viii­ N The Various Responses to the Restoration of Peace at Antioch A. Ignatius B. The Schismatics V Ignatius's Primary Concerns VI A More Comprehensive Reconstruction Notes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~251 Bibliography:____________________321 -ix­ ABBREVIATIONS A.H. lrenaeus, Adversus haereses Ant. Josephus, Antiquities fil. Tertullian, Apology Dia. Try. Justin, Dialogue with Trypho E.H. Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History IEph Ignatius, to the Ephesians IMag Ignatius, to the Magnesians IPhil Ignatius, to the Philadelphians IPol Ignatius, to Polycarp IR om Ignatius, to the Romans ISmyr Ignatius, to the Smyrnaeans ITral Ignatius, to the Trallians Pol. Polycarp, to the Philippians Strom. Clement, Stromateis -x­ CHAPTER ONE THE QUESTION OF THEOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IN PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANITY I Diversity within Primitive Christianity and the Theory of an Early Orthodoxy A. An Original Uniformity? In the last century and a half of New Testament scholarship, radical changes have been made to the traditional view of the character of earliest Christianity--a view that had been held by the majority within Christendom from the second century onwards. That view was that the earliest church was free from fundamentally diversive theological interpretations in its initial stages. SpeCifically, two points were made: first, "authentic apostolic tradition" was proclaimed consistently and without alteration in all areas of the primitive mission; and second, heresy was a later phenomenon and reflected
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