Papias

Life

Papias served as bishop, the leader responsible for the church, in Hierapolis, a city in the region of Phrygia in Asia Minor (present-day western Turkey). The city is mentioned in Colossians 4:13. The dates of his birth and death are unknown, and his writing is generally dated to roughly AD 110–130. Irenaeus, a Church Father of the late second century, called him "a hearer of John and a companion of Polycarp." By contrast, the fourth-century church historian Eusebius held that Papias had not known the apostle John personally but had received traditions from a different figure, "John the Elder." Which view is correct remains a matter of debate.

Ministry and Work

Papias wrote Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord in five books. The original work has not survived; only fragments quoted by Irenaeus, Eusebius, and others remain. Papias stated that he valued "a living and abiding voice" more highly than books, and he therefore sought to collect what he had heard directly from the elders who had followed the apostles.

The most widely cited of the surviving fragments are his statements concerning the origins of the Gospels:

• Gospel of Mark: Mark was the interpreter of Peter and wrote down accurately what he remembered of Peter's teaching, though not in order.
• Gospel of Matthew: Matthew compiled the sayings (logia) in the "Hebrew dialect," and each person interpreted them as best he could.

Other fragments indicate that he held a literal expectation of the millennial kingdom. A distinctive tradition concerning the death of Judas Iscariot has also been preserved. Eusebius reports that Papias included a story about "a woman accused of many sins." Some scholars connect this account with the passage in the Gospel of John concerning the woman taken in adultery.

Influence on the Korean Church

In Korean seminaries and churches, Papias's testimony is commonly discussed in New Testament introductions, Bible handbooks, and commentaries. It is cited as evidence when explaining the authorship of the Gospels of Mark and Matthew or when addressing the Synoptic Problem (the question of how Matthew, Mark, and Luke are related, being similar yet distinct). His name also arises in Korean discussions of eschatology. Proponents of historic premillennialism (the view that Christ will return before the millennial kingdom) cite Papias, together with Irenaeus, as evidence of millennial belief in the early church, whereas amillennialists regard this as merely the view of some early Church Fathers.

Assessment

Because they represent testimony from a period close to the apostolic age, Papias's fragments are regarded as important sources for the study of the early church. He has, however, attracted considerable criticism. Eusebius, commenting on his understanding of the millennium, harshly described him as "a man of very limited understanding." Modern scholars likewise differ on how his testimony should be read:

• Whether the logia refers to the present Gospel of Matthew or to a collection of the sayings of Jesus
• Whether the "Hebrew dialect" denotes a language, such as Hebrew or Aramaic, or a Jewish style of composition
• How historically reliable the tradition is that Mark served as Peter's interpreter

Conservative scholars generally trust his testimony, while critical scholars treat it cautiously as tradition colored by the interpretation of the second-century church.