On the Apostolic Tradition

Popular Patristics Series #54

by Hippolytus of Rome

Apostolic Tradition, as this text is best known, was identified in the early years of the twentieth century as the work of Hippolytus, a Christian leader from third-century Rome. The text provides liturgical information of great antiquity, and as such has been massively influential on liturgical study and reform, especially in western churches.

Nonetheless, there have been a number of problems surrounding the text. The attribution to Hippolytus has never been universally accepted; much of the text remained obscure, published without commentary; finally, no adequate English version has been published since 1937. On the Apostolic Tradition seeks to solve these problems. The introduction brings the debate concerning authorship to a new level while the rest of the text is accompanied by lucid commentary. Together with a fresh translation, the book brings light to formerly obscure passages, clears critical impasses and provides new discoveries. It is a significant and important piece of research, enlightening and eminently readable.

Alistair Stewart-Sykes is a leading scholar of Christian liturgical origins. The author of numerous books and articles on early Christianity and its liturgy, he had retired from teaching and is a vicar in the Diocese of Salisbury, England.

On the Apostolic Tradition is part of the POPULAR PATRISTIC SERIES.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Church History, History, Religion

278 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 300

About the author

Hippolytus of Rome (170 – 235 AD) was the most important 3rd-century theologian in the Christian Church in Rome, where he was probably born. He came into conflict with the popes of his time and seems to have headed a schismatic group as a rival Bishop of Rome. He opposed the Roman bishops who softened the penitential system to accommodate the large number of new pagan converts. However, he was very probably reconciled to the Church when he died as a martyr.

Starting in the 4th century AD, various legends arose about him, identifying him as a priest of the Novatianist schism or as a soldier converted by Saint Lawrence. He has also been confused with another martyr of the same name. Pius IV identifies him as "Saint Hippolytus, Bishop of Pontus" who was martyred in the reign of Alexander Severus through his inscription on a statue found at the Church of St. Lawrence in Rome and kept at the Vatican as photographed and published in Brunsen.

Reviews

[Jackson Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very helpful text for understanding the origins of liturgy in sacramental traditions. I was pleasantly surprised by how immediately recognizable the Liturgy of the BCP was through this text. Am looking forward to revisiting this several times throughout my life.

[Jonathan Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvelous edition of an absolutely pivotal work: one of the early compilations of Church Order. Dating from perhaps around AD 235, the author(s) - I wasn't always persuaded by the editor's take on the source history here - lay out so much detail about how their particular third-century Christian community worshipped, or at least how he/they visualized it worshipping. Included, of course, is plenty of material about the ordinations of bishops, presbyters, deacons, etc., as well as other orders (like lector, subdeacon, widow, and virgin).

You'll find here prayers of blessings for a variety of things - not only eucharistic bread and wine, but also oil, cheese, and olives - many of which include some variant on the line, "To you be glory, to the Father and to the Son with the Holy Spirit in the holy church, both now and forever and to all the ages of the ages."

A rather vivid sketch of the state of the catechumenate is also provided - criteria for applying for admission to the community, including social status and the ethical stature of one's occupation; the length of the catechumenate (three years, but with exceptions for obvious eagerness and perseverance); roles and limitations in the worship of the early church; examinations; and more. Also featured here is a detailed description of baptism in this particular community - which, in fact, has been one of the primary reasons for scholarly attention to the document heretofore. Among the many other contents are an outline for praying at specific hours of the day, and the making of the sign of the cross on one's forehead.

All in all, an invaluable peek back at one slice of Christian worship and practice, plausibly from the third century. Challenging, provoking, informative, rejuvenating.

[Tim Michiemo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 Stars

Read just the text in 2021, will read the introduction and commentary in the future. I just focused on reading the original text for a seminary class. An incredibly intriguing text that gives us a window into the practices and beliefs of the early church. It is mesmerizing how sacramental and sacerdotal the early church practices were and how much the modern church has changed since then, both for good and for ill. At the same time, there is so much that is similar (i.e., prayer and devotions, pastoral office, exposition, and teaching) and thus we should rejoice at God's sovereign providence that has sustained the apostolic teaching from Christ to the present.

[Jarrett Vandiver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insights into one of the earliest Christian liturgies we know of, coming from Rome perhaps as early as the late 100s. This reads like an instruction manual outlining everything from a 3-fold order of Bishop, priest, and deacon to specific instructions not to let mice eat the Eucharist, because it is the true body of Christ (3.32.2).(By the way, this is the origin of the “church mice” stereotype since medieval scholastic philosophers philosophized on what would happen if a mouse partook of the Eucharist. This is even treated by St Thomas Aquinas in the Summa Theologiae

[Wagner Floriani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and insightful look into an early church worship service and church order. The translator’s commentary is excessive, but occasionally helpful and clarifying.

[Jacob Aitken · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is on multiple levels: (1) the content of Hippolytus's writings, (2) the textual apparatus itself, and (3) the editor's commentary. (1) is okay. (2) is painful. (3) is sometimes interesting.

[1]

Hippolytus provides us with a snapshot of what church might have looked like back then. There is a recognizable (if inchoate) liturgy based loosely on the Roman baptismal creed, which probably became the Apostle's Creed. Hippolytus's church exorcised demons (15.8), practiced prophecy and healing (14.1) and used the sign of the cross (42A 1-4).

[2]

Have you ever spent some time reading the textual criticism apparatus to some Greek bibles? That's about as exciting as what you will find here. After Hippolytus's own writings, the editor analyzes the text. I guess that's necessary, but the downside is it crowds out what Hippolytus is saying.

[3]

When the editor comments on Hippolytus, he is illuminating. For example, Hippolytus forbids eunuchs into the church, which seems mean. The editor explains, however, that eunuchs as the term was used meant the passive partner in a homosexual act. That kind of makes sense.

St Vlad's has done a new edition of this work, which is likely s uperior to this work.

[Evan Cruse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize the actual text of this book is like 17 pages and the rest is all commentary and notes (which is incredibly helpful), because this book is a lot to comprehend.

Written in the 230's it has a little for everyone:

-baptismal regeneration
-the Lord's Supper as symbolic
-private reading of Scriptures at home
-gifts offered to the Bishop, but only certain fruits!

There is not a single strand of Christianity, whether Protestant, Roman, or Eastern, that can with a good conscience say they derive their practices from the "apostolic" tradition presented by "Hippolytus"

This book actually makes me appreciate the reformers and their commitment to sola scriptura that much more, and rightly studying, but also rightly ordering, tradition and history.

[Derek DeMars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really technical introduction, translation, and commentary of a very important third-century Roman document on church order and liturgy. This was a tough read, as the notes and commentary were very interactive with critical scholarship. This won't be an easy read for a lay reader or non-specialist. However, the information provided is excellent, and the author presents a coherent theory on the origins and context of this puzzling and complex ancient text. A great resource for serious students of church history.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important compendium of church practice from the third century.

[Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short book on training new Christians in the early church. It's probably like 20-30 pages in length, so don't trust the 200+ page count. Most of it is commentary but it was pretty interesting.

[Michael T Moos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Popular patristics did a great job with this book. Accompanying the text is a reconciliation of the various extant copies as well as a commentary. Good resource.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The importance of this text in history is an open question. Who wrote the book, over what time period was it written, and how representative was it of the greater church community? The editors of this translation can't definitively answer those questions, but they develop an interesting theory that deserves consideration. I recommend taking a look at this version of the text to get an insight on what the writers of at least one Christian community believed, and potentially you will get a glimpse at Christian practice as a whole in the early 3rd century.

The editors translate each small section separately, followed by extensive footnotes detailing discrepancies in the sources and open translation questions. This creates a much more unwieldy text than a straight translation would provide, but it is necessary considering the complex history of the manuscripts we have available today. Whether or not you accept their theory on the origin of the document, the readability of the translation and thoroughness of the attendant notes are quite helpful.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superb rendering of a complicated text. Evidently, though, a new Ethiopian manuscript of the text has been discovered that should soon be incorporated into a new edition of this translation (by the same translator); I look forward to his updated reasoning on the redaction history of this important witness to early 3rd c. Roman liturgical practices. The 3/5 is for two reasons: one, the massive number of footnotes and comments makes the general flow of the actual text difficult to follow (as there are often several pages of notes between sections of the translation); second, there are sections where I simply disagree (liturgically / theologically) with the author - that is to say, my rating is partly lowered because of the layout of this edition, and it is partly lowered because among patristic texts this one just doesn't do a ton for me on a devotional level.

[FatherSwithin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly academic study of this early Christian document. Not for light study. Each short section of the document has Textual Notes, Comments, and Endnotes, making this difficult to follow. Highlighting each 'chapter' of Apostolic Tradition to set them off from the rest might be very helpful. You will definitely know more about the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus than you ever imagined.
I would have appreciated a bit more explanation of what the author thought each section meant for Ecclesiology and Church History, but he has kept his opinions, beyond that of textual criticism, to a minimum.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another critical edition from St. Vladimir's Seminary - the lions share of the discussion is from modern scholars on the text, but much of it is of interest mostly to scholars. Some good insights into the text and the text is interesting.