Hegesippus

Life

Hegesippus was a Christian writer active in the second century, during the period of the early church. Most of what is known about his life comes from the Ecclesiastical History of the fourth-century church historian Eusebius (whose name is commonly rendered "Yusebius" in Korean). Because Hegesippus cited Hebrew and Syriac sources as well as the Gospel according to the Hebrews, Eusebius regarded him as a believer of Jewish origin.

Hegesippus traveled by way of Corinth to Rome, visiting a number of local churches along the way. He is said to have arrived in Rome during the episcopate of Anicetus, bishop of Rome, and to have remained there until the time of Eleutherus. His death is traditionally placed around 180, though the date is uncertain.

Work and Contributions

Hegesippus wrote the Memoirs in five books. The work has not survived; only the fragments quoted by Eusebius remain. The surviving fragments include the following material:

• Lists of episcopal succession: Traveling among various churches, he examined whether each had faithfully preserved the teaching of the apostles, and he compiled the order of succession of the bishops of the church of Rome. His purpose is understood to have been to show, against the Gnosticism then spreading, that orthodox teaching had been handed down without interruption.
• The martyrdom of James, the brother of the Lord: He recorded in detail how James the Just was put to death in Jerusalem.
• Cleopas and Simeon: He reports that Cleopas (Clopas) was the brother of Joseph of Nazareth and that Cleopas's son Simeon succeeded James as leader of the church in Jerusalem. He also records that Simeon was martyred by crucifixion under the emperor Trajan at the age of 120. Scholars differ on whether the "Cleophas" of John 19:25 and the "Cleopas" of Luke 24:18 should be identified as the same person.
• The relatives of the Lord: He preserved an account of how the grandsons of Jude, traditionally regarded as the author of the Epistle of Jude, were summoned before the emperor Domitian and then released.

Influence on the Korean Church

Hegesippus did not directly influence the Korean church. Nevertheless, the traditions he preserved have become known in Korea through Korean translations of Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History and through church history textbooks. His records are often cited as a source when sermons or Bible studies address topics such as the martyrdom of James, the relationship between Cleopas and the family of Jesus, and the succession of leaders in the early Jerusalem church.

Assessment

Hegesippus's records are regarded as a rare source on the Jerusalem church and the relatives of Jesus in the generation immediately following the apostolic age. His list of episcopal succession was frequently invoked in later discussions of "apostolic succession." The Catholic Church values this list as one piece of evidence that the church's ordained ministry descends from the apostles. Protestants, by contrast, tend to read the list as evidence of the continuity of teaching rather than of the succession of office.

His work has also drawn criticism. Because the original is lost, his writings must be judged solely from the fragments Eusebius chose to quote. Some have also pointed out that certain accounts, such as the scene of James's martyrdom and the age attributed to Simeon, contain legendary elements.