The Church of Smyrna: History and Theology of a Primitive Christian Community by Mauricio Saavedra Monroy (review)

This monograph is a re-working of a doctoral dissertation composed by Mauricio Saavedra Monroy, who has taught at the Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum. Taking his inspiration from Paul Trebilco's The Early Christians in Ephesus from Paul to Ignatius (2004), Saavedra has similarly investigated the early Christians "up the road" in Smyrna, though chronologically extending his study to the Council of Nicaea. What emerges is a rich, full-orbed understanding of early Christianity within a particular, local context.

The first section investigates early testimonies directly tied to the Smyrnaean Christian community, as well as other sources that indirectly impact one's understanding of their milieu. Saavedra examines the Ignatian correspondence to the Smyrnaean church and to Polycarp, Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians, the Martyrdom of Polycarp, and the Martyrdom of Pionius. But he also discusses pagan authors (such as Aelius Aristides), lesser known Christian authors (like Metrophanes), minor texts (such as the Fragments on Polycarp), and even some material objects (including coins). An additional chapter evaluates sources that ostensibly have Smyrnaean ties, such as the Epistle to Diognetus and the anonymous "elder" in Irenaeus (interacting with Charles Hill's hypotheses). Regarding a Corpus Polycarpianum (advocated by Lightfoot/Schoedel and opposed by Dehandschutter), Saavedra concludes, "it is highly probable that this existed at one time, although the textual elements do not provide all the information necessary for determining its history to a greater degree of certainty" (90).

The second section investigates the Smyrnaean context, including the geographical location, the pagan civic foundations, the local Jewish community, the cultural impact of the Second Sophistic, and the rise of the imperial cult. The materials serve as a worthy update to Cecil Cadoux's classic Ancient Smyrna, published in 1938. Chapter Five focuses on the Jewish communities in Asia Minor, including the Jewish-Christian tensions reflected in Revelation, Ignatius, the Martyrdom of Polycarp, the Martyrdom of Pionius, and the Vita Polycarpi. In Saavedra's estimation, although such texts "have been elaborated to respond to internal debates within the Christian community," they still "clearly convey a real conflict between Jews and Christians" (160). Based upon Acts 19.10–27, Saavedra places the Smyrnaean church's foundation between 53 and 56 c.e. (200; though cf. Pol. Phil. 11.3). He meticulously examines the succession of known leaders, the missionary impulses, the Quartodeciman controversy, and the Noetian schism. The following chapter analyzes the imperial cult, as well as spates of persecution. According to Saavedra, "the sources record persecutions of the Christians of Smyrna at the time of Domitian, of Antoninus Pius, and of Decius, although we cannot exclude that the community may have experienced other moments of grave difficulty" (343).

The third section examines theological and ecclesial topics. Separate chapters trace the reception of the Hebrew Scriptures, Pauline epistles, Synoptic Gospels, and Johannine literature by Ignatius, Polycarp, and the Martyrdom of Polycarp. Saavedra reasons that Polycarp "certainly" used Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 Timothy, and 1 Peter (337). Yet, Saavedra's earlier list curiously omits 1 Timothy (257). He also maintains that Polycarp "probably" utilized Matthew, 2 Corinthians, 2 Timothy, and 1 John (337), differing from his earlier claim that Polycarp did not use any Johannine texts (283). The book then reconstructs religious observances and the deposit of faith (the lex credenda and the lex orandi). Smyrna was a pioneer in the development of catholicity, as reflected in references to the "catholic church" in Ignatius and the Martyrdom of Polycarp (312–13). The Smyrnaean regula fidei was hammered out partially in response to the Marcionite, Montanist, and Noetian controversies, and partially in response to the lapsi debates. One is especially struck by the often overlooked role of Quartodecimanism.

Two weaknesses mar this otherwise excellent volume. First, the book contains multiple typographical errors (over fifty, by my count). Unsuspecting readers may also be unsettled by peculiar English...