* In the fragment, Papias uses the same words-presbyter ( or elder ) and disciples of the Lord-both in reference to the Apostles and to the second John.

" A similar claim comes out more clearly in a text by Irenaeus, but this testimony is later than ( and probably based on ) Papias.

Bauckham states that by “ our times ” he may refer to his early life, rather than when he wrote ( 117 – 124 ), which would be a reference contemporary with Papias.

This is what was related by Papias about Mark.

On the question of the relationship of the Synoptic Gospels, Holtzmann in his early work, Die synoptischen Evangelien, ihr Ursprung und geschichtlicher Charakter ( The Synoptic Gospels: Their Origin and Historical Character ; Leipzig, 1863 ), presents a view which has been widely accepted, maintaining the priority of Mark, deriving Matthew in its present form from Mark and from Matthew's earlier " collection of Sayings ," the Logia of Papias, and Luke from Matthew and Mark in the form in which we have them.

In one fragment, Papias cites an older source who says, " When Mark was the interpreter possibly " translator " of Peter, he wrote down accurately everything that he recalled of the Lord's words and deeds.

As stated above, some scholars identify the work that Papias attributed to Matthew with the hypothetic Q document that would explain the many similarities between the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke that are not accounted for in the presumedly earlier Gospel of Mark.

In his work Redating Matthew, Mark and Luke Wenham wrote regarding the book of Matthew the following: " The fathers are almost unanimous in asserting that Matthew the tax-collector was the author, writing first, for Hebrews in the Hebrew language: Papias ( c. 60-130 ), Irenaeus ( c. 130-200 ), Pantaenus ( died c. 190 ), Origen ( c. 185-254 ), Eusebius ( c. 260-340 ), Epiphanius of Salamis ( c. 315-403 ), Cyril of Jerusalem ( c. 315-86 ) and others write in this vein.

It has been argued, because Papias does not cite an authority for his assertions concerning Matthew but does concerning Mark, that Matthew was already fully accepted at the time of his writings.

Earlier church fathers were also associated with apostles: Clement with Peter ( associated closely with Rome ) and with Paul ( as the Clement Paul wrote about in Philippians 4: 3 ), Papias and Polycarp with John ( associated with Asia Minor ).

Papias of Hierapolis ( c 60-130 AD ) was an Early Christian Bishop of Hierapolis in Anatolia, whose book, " Expositions of the Oracles of the Lord ", in which he stated that " Matthew compiled the logia ( τὰ λόγια ) in the Hebrew language, and each person interpreted them as he was able ", survives only in quotations made by Irenaeus and Eusebius.

Jerome's attribution of the Second and Third Epistle of John echoes the text of these books, in which the writer refers to himself ho presbyteros, which can be translated as " the presbyter, " the elder ", " the ancient ", " the old ", the same word used by Papias.

The demonstration, mainly by English scholars, of the impossibility of the late dates ascribed to the New Testament documents ( four Epistles of St. Paul and the Apocalypse were the only documents generally admitted as being of early date ), and the proofs of the authenticity of the Apostolic Fathers and of the use of St. John's Gospel by Justin, Papias, and Ignatius gradually brought Baur's theories into discredit.

The demonstration, mainly by English scholars, of the impossibility of the late dates ascribed to the New Testament documents ( four Epistles of St. Paul and the Apocalypse were the only documents generally admitted as being of early date ), and the proofs of the authenticity of the Apostolic Fathers and of the use of St. John's Gospel by Justin, Papias, and Ignatius gradually brought Baur's theories into discredit.

This means that early writers, like Papias, Clement, Ireneas, and Justin Martyr would have quoted them, and the message of the Agrapha must not conflict with the teachings of Jesus contained in the Canonical Gospels.

And these things are borne witness to in the fourth book of the writings of Papias, the hearer of John, and a companion of Polycarp .” ( 5. 33. 3 ) Apparently Irenaeus also held to the sexta -/ septamillennial scheme writing that the end of human history will occur after the 6, 000th year.

Eusebius also had low regard for the chiliast, Papias, and he let it be known that in his opinion Papias was " a man of small mental capacity " because he had taken the Apocalypse literally.

Although in line with many stories in the Gospels and probably primitive ( Didascalia Apostolorum refers to it, possibly Papias also ), critics argue that it was " certainly not part of the original text of St John's Gospel.

Apart from Papias ' comment, we do not hear about the author of the Gospel until Irenaeus around 185 who remarks that Matthew issued a written Gospel of the Hebrews ( Against Heresies 3. 1. 1 ) Pantaenus, Origen and other Church Fathers also believed Matthew wrote the Gospel of the Hebrews ( Church History 5. 10. 3, 6. 25. 4 ) None of these Church Fathers asserted that Matthew wrote his Gospel in Greek.

Papias tells us that the Gospel of the Hebrews also gives story of a woman accused of many sins before the Lord.

Advocates of an Aramaic original also refer to the patristic writings ( Papias, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius, Jerome ) that indicate Aramaic was the original written language of parts of the New Testament.

Clopas also appears in early Christian writings such as the 2nd century writers Papias and Hegesippus as a brother of Joseph, the husband of Mary, mother of Jesus, and as the father of Simeon, the second bishop of Jerusalem.

Distinguishing between two persons called John, Eusebius could downgrade that book as the work of the Presbyter instead of the Apostle and also undermine Papias ' reputation as a pupil of an Apostle.

In his book Adversus Haereses, which survives in a Latin version, Irenaeus mentions " Papias, the hearer of John, and a companion of Polycarp " ( Book V, chapter xxxiii ), without indicating that this was another John than " John, the disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon His breast did himself publish a Gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia.

A third ancient source, Irenaeus, also provides further information about the traditions, especially that of Papias, and possibly adds a third related tradition to the sources.

The Talmudic evidence for early Christian gospels, combined with Papias ' reference to the Hebrew " logia " ( Eusebius, Church History III.

The tradition that this was the disciple Matthew begins with the early Christian bishop Papias of Hierapolis ( about 100 – 140 AD ), who, in a passage with several ambiguous phrases, wrote: " Matthew collected the oracles ( logia — sayings of or about Jesus ) in the Hebrew language ( Hebraïdi dialektōi — perhaps alternatively " Hebrew style ") and each one interpreted ( hērmēneusen — or " translated ") them as best he could.

" Scholars have put forward several theories to explain Papias: perhaps Matthew wrote two gospels, one, now lost, in Hebrew, the other our Greek version ; or perhaps the logia was a collection of sayings rather than the gospel ; or by dialektōi Papias may have meant that Matthew wrote in the Jewish style rather than in the Hebrew language.

Papias does not identify his Matthew, but by the end of the 2nd century the tradition of Matthew the tax-collector had become widely accepted, and the line " The Gospel According to Matthew " began to be added to manuscripts.

" In this connection, he attributes to Christ the saying about the vine with ten thousand branches, and the ear of wheat with ten thousand grains, and so forth, which he quotes from Papias of Hierapolis.

According to Irenaeus, Polycarp was a companion of Papias, another " hearer of John " as Irenaeus interprets Papias ' testimony, and a correspondent of Ignatius of Antioch.

A date past 110-115 is unlikely, as parts of the 1John and 2 John are quoted by Polycarp and Papias.

An alternative account of John's death, ascribed by later Christian writers to the early second century bishop Papias of Hierapolis, claims that he was slain by the Jews.

Most Johannine scholars doubt the reliability of its ascription to Papias, but a minority, including B. W.

Bacon, Martin Hengel and Henry Barclay Swete, maintain that these references to Papias are credible.

* Another account was preserved by the early Christian leader, Papias: " Judas walked about in this world a sad example of impiety ; for his body having swollen to such an extent that he could not pass where a chariot could pass easily, he was crushed by the chariot, so that his bowels gushed out.

Before the 18th century, the belief of many, including the Church Fathers Papias ( c. 60-130 ), Irenaeus ( c. 130-200 ), Origen ( c. 185-254 ), Eusebius ( c. 260-340 ) Jerome ( c. 340-420 ), and Augustine of Hippo ( c. 354-430 ), had been that Matthew was the first gospel to be written.

This man, said in one document to be the author of two of the Epistles of John, was supposed to have been the teacher of the martyr bishop Papias, who had in turn taught Eusebius ' own teacher Irenaeus.

Papias () ( writing in the first third of the 2nd century ) was a bishop of the early Church.

Thus Papias reports he heard things that came from an unwritten, oral tradition of the Presbyters, a " sayings " or logia tradition that had been passed from Jesus to such of the apostles and disciples as he mentions in the fragmentary quote.

Eusebius held Papias in low esteem, perhaps because of his work's influence in perpetuating, through Irenaeus and others, belief in a millennial reign of Christ upon earth, that would soon usher in a new Golden Age.