Hegesippus (chronicler)

Hegesippus (c. 100, † 180 in Jerusalem), also Hegesippus was a Christian author of patristics. He is considered the first church historian Luke, the author of Acts.

Information in Eusebius of Caesarea

Almost all information on Hegesippus submitted by Eusebius of Caesarea ( Eusebius ), who in his own church history often referred to him and quoted him at some points.

According to Eusebius Hegesippus was a converted Jew who knew Jewish-Christian writings such as the Gospel of the Hebrews, but also oral Jewish tradition and quoted from it: So he probably came from Israel. Some researchers hold him therefore for apologists ( defenders ) of the local Jewish Christianity.

Missionary and teacher of Orthodoxy

Hegesippus undertook 154-168 a research trip through Corinth to Rome to find out about the " right things " (Greek " Orthodoxy " ), to ascertain the true Christian faith. This he saw threatened by the new heresies, especially Gnosticism and Marcion. In Rome he stayed for 20 years and explored from there the Christian tradition from the apostles to the bishops of the Roman Christian community. He laid His results since 174 in five books of his Hypomnemata ( memoirs, memoirs ) down. These have existed according to medieval library directories to the 17th century and have been lost ever since.

Founder of succession theory

From the quotes Eusebius and other church fathers, however, is known about the content of at least the fifth volume. Thus, Hegesippus continued the tradition of the early Christian mission sermons in simple language. Against heretics, he relied on the true teachings of the apostles who had been handed down to him by their successors. By this he meant above all the bishops of the church plants that the student circle of Paul of Tarsus zuordneten itself. On his journey he met many bishops and heard by all the same gospel. So he tried to refute Gnosticism with the uninterrupted continuity of the Episcopal faith tradition.

This Hegesippus was the founder of the idea of ​​apostolic succession. A list of bishops of Simon Peter to Anicetus, which he produced in Rome, is regarded as the earliest such list that could have taken other church fathers like Eusebius and Irenaeus of Lyons. This, however, as is the content of the list is highly controversial in the research.