ii. The testimony of tradition.— 1. Regard- ing Juhn's residence in Ephesus. — From the time of his meeting with Paul in Jerusalem until his activity in later life at Ephesus. we have no certain knowledge of the Apostle. Nicephorus {HE ii. 2) tells us that Mary lived with John in Jerusalem for eleven years after the death of the Lord. There is nothing unlikely in this story, imless it be, as Godet suggests, that ' his own home ' ( Jn 19-') was in Gdilee rather than in the capital, in which case there would be an ex]dniiatiiiii of tlir' Apostle's absence at the time of l';uirs lir-l \isil to tin' city
(Gal 118-W). It is but ,-..,, jrrlMW, l„,»..vrr, whl.'l,
fixes the date of his liii:i,l .lr|,;,i Mm' trnm .leiu- salem, tli.m.uli «,■ kii..\\ ilnl li.' \\..s not there when Paul i-.-iiur for llir l.i-l I iiiir (Ac 21"'"'-), and that the si-11-.ol 111.. iin|i.ihliim .Ic -Iriiction of the city cans...! all ih,- ('liri-n:iu:. In ivii,-,. to I'ella, c. 68 A.D. (Kus. J//-: 111. ,-,. :i|. It I. ..I i,„,r.- ni..nirii|-, to inquire why In' ^llouM u" to I'-iilicMis, ami in answer two rriisiins may l.r -iN-cn : {,/) tlic iniport- ance of this i-it-^- as a (riiln. I.ir inissiciiary a(li\ity ; and (6) the ncr'cs,!! y of rairyiir^ ..n aial .h^vlopiim the work of Paul.' In thr lall.-r |iavl oi tl.r l.,t cent, 'the Chur<lf> r,.„ir,. .,1 univiiy »as „„l„„,,rr at Jerusalem: i(. was ,ii,f urt al Komi'; it mis at Ephesus ' (Thiers. 1 1,, I uol.d l.y (Jodet, Co/Ji. oh ./o/ih, vol. i. p. 45). N.it .iiil\ wilhiii the borders of this city had Christianity ma.l.' a marked impression, but all about were cities in wliieh the Church had been established. The seven letters in the Apoca- lypse enable us to see what ceaseless vigilance and intelligent care were needed to protect these Churches from error in dor-trine, ami to keep them faithful in life. No l.ai.l.r .all t..r Apostolic service could be given than this part .>f the world
was then giving, and, as far a- iriulition is con- cerned, there can be liltl.' .j.ailil that .John re- sponded to this call. Just at I his point, however, criticism, in the interest ..f it^ .lis. u^sions regard- ing the authorshii> of the Fourth ( i.isp.'l, has taken its stand, and tried to make it appear that tradition is untrustworthy. The Ephesian residence of John is therefore a critical matter, and as such must be given somewliat extended attention. The main witnesses for the common tradition are Irenseus, Polycrates (Bishop of Ephesus), and Clement of Alexandria.
{a) IrentBxs bears repeated testimony to the Apostle's presence in Asia, and says explicitly :
' Afterwards ' (i.e. after the first three) ' John the disciple of the Lo d vl o al o laj o H s breast 1 kev, e publ shed a Gospel
1 le d veU n t E] he s (ad Ha: 1) Pol carp as
not onl nst ted b the Apostl a 1 h d nte course with
anv who had een Chr t but h si tailed by the
Apostle a B si 0] n As a n the Chu 1 at S W e al o
s h n (P I p) our earl t tl f 1 I i 1 ng
preserved 1 y Euseb us (HE v '. e ol ect ons of Polj carp The
e 1 s bod 1 fern the I scours t e account vh ch he ga e of 1
o Lo n I the other Apostles vith ho he had assoc ated (E Hh 4)
The \ al le of all tl testimonj i enhanced w hen one I aik the o eilaipn^ of li\es^\hi his here evident. Polycarp suffered martyrdom in the year A.D. 155 at the age of 86. He was bom, therefore, in the year 69. If John lived until Trajan's time, it were easily possible for the two to have asso- ciated with each other. Irenjeus while a boy (12-18 years of age) listened with peculiar and observant attentiveness to Polycarp. These three names cover over a century. They link together in such a manner the experiences oi personal asso- ciations and reverent memories that the evidence for John's presence in Ephesus seems well-nigh conclusive. Its cogency, however, is supposed to greatly weakened by two important considera-
tions : (a) the silence ing the Ephesian rcsi. (•.)nfusion, on the part Apostle with John tin- the silence of Polycarp but it is not beyond cxj is to the Philippian t'ln ence to John. The ah- Apostle in the Epistle o
i,ul\
older writers regard- l {/)) the possible I us, of John the ■r. At first sight It ins is surprising, I'oly carp's letter I'lills for no refer- ill mention of the s t.) the Ephesians hut an argument I- is pri-.ari.nir, wli.ii .iin' considers how .' lain-s in ev.-n lli.' nam.' of Paul. It is appar.'iitly the similarity of tli.'ir fortunes which lea.ls him to speak of this Apostle at all, for just as I'aul had sent for the elders of the Ephesian ( 'hur.li to meet him at Miletus on his way to im- j.ris.inment in Rome, so Ignatius at Smyrna re- ceived a delegation from Ephesus [Ephes. 12). This would exclude any reference to John ; and in view of all other evidence, it can be as certainly affirmed, as it can be denied, that the general reference in the previous section covers the name of John. This reference is, 'May I be found in the lot of the Christians of Ephesus, who have always been of the same mind with the Apostles through the power of Jesus Christ' {Ephcs. 11). When, moreover, one takes into account the scantiness of the remains of this early period, the probable growth of John's reputation during the 2nd century, .and the prevalence in the Igna- tian Epistles themselves of a Johannine type of teaching (see von der Goltz's ' Ignatius von Antio- chien als Christ und Theolog' in TU, Bd. xii. [1894]), the argument from silence loses much of its force. The other consideration urged against the testi- mony of Irenanis is really a seconding of the cor- rection made by Eusebius of the declaration of Irenseus that ' Papias was a hearer of John and a companion of Polycarp' (adv. Ha-r. v. 33. 4).* The words of Eusebius are found in his History, iii. 39. After quoting the above words from Irenjeus, he says, 'But Papias himself by no means declares that he was himself a hearer and eye-witness of tlie holy Apostles ' ; and then he goes on to infer that it was the Presbyter John who was meant in the statement of Irenseus. This brings us to the examination of the witness of Papias in its bearing upon the whole question. In his preface to his Expositions of the Oracles of the Lord he says :