I have a question..

Discussion about the New Testament, apocrypha, gnostics, church fathers, Christian origins, historical Jesus or otherwise, etc.
Post Reply
SsjTheo
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2020 2:03 pm

I have a question..

Post by SsjTheo »

Hi so, I've been wanting to start reading the church father's writings, and I started in Ignatius of Antioch. I noticed that on this website there are like three different translations of like Ignatius of Antioch to the Smyrnaeans and there was a 'shorter and longer version', so my question is, which version is the correct one the shorter or the longer, and which translation is the best. If anyone can also give the better version for other church father writings that'd be cool, or even a site that had some kind of greek interlinear for the church father's writings, thanks.
Secret Alias
Posts: 18362
Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:47 am

Re: I have a question..

Post by Secret Alias »

I say the Syriac is closest to the original. Most people say the shortest Greek edition is. No one says the longest Greek is.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
andrewcriddle
Posts: 2816
Joined: Sat Oct 05, 2013 12:36 am

Re: I have a question..

Post by andrewcriddle »

SsjTheo wrote: Sat Apr 25, 2020 2:12 pm Hi so, I've been wanting to start reading the church father's writings, and I started in Ignatius of Antioch. I noticed that on this website there are like three different translations of like Ignatius of Antioch to the Smyrnaeans and there was a 'shorter and longer version', so my question is, which version is the correct one the shorter or the longer, and which translation is the best. If anyone can also give the better version for other church father writings that'd be cool, or even a site that had some kind of greek interlinear for the church father's writings, thanks.
The long version of the letters of Ignatius is almost certainly an expansion produced c 350 CE. The shorter Greek version is older than the longer Greek version and is probably what Ignatius actually wrote.

(There is a very short version of Ignatius to the Romans Ephesians and to Polycarp found only in Syriac but this is probably an abridgement.)

Andrew Criddle
Secret Alias
Posts: 18362
Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:47 am

Re: I have a question..

Post by Secret Alias »

An interesting fact. When Irenaeus cites from the Ignatian letters he doesn't name the author. There is a long history of regarding the letters as forgeries - https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ig ... frontcover. The letters ARE forgeries. The purpose is clearly an extension of the orthodox forgeries of the Pauline epistles (where a similar expansion from shorter originals exist) namely to justify the establishment of an ecclesiastical hierarchy centered around a bishop.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Post Reply