1885 205 Justin Martyr (Apology II, Cologne Edition of 1686 p. 87): "The second (coming), when it is proclaimed that He will come with glory out of heaven with His angelic army when He will raise the bodies of all men that have existed, and those of the worthy will clothe with incorruptibility, and of the unjust will send into fire with eternal sense or feeling (aisthesis — perception of what they are in) with the wicked demons."
Elsewhere he tells us (p. 71), "For among us the leader of evil demons is called serpent and Satan and Devil, as you may also learn, if you search them, out of our writings, who, with his armies and the men that have followed him, Christ has made known, will be sent into the fire to be punished for an endless eternity (an eternity without limit). That this is not yet done by God is on account of the human race; but that they are inexcusable with God."
Irenaeus, Lib. iii. cap. xxiii. "Go, ye cursed, into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, signifying that the eternal fire is not principally (in the first instance) prepared for man, but for him who seduced man and made him offend, and who, I say, is the prince (first origin) of the apostacy — for the prince of the world and his angels who have become apostate with him, which indeed (eternal fire) more also will justly get who, like them, without repentance and without return, persevere in works of evil."
V. 4. Against those who ascribed material creation to another than God the Father, and denied the resurrection of the body by the good God, he says, "Those things which it is evident to all-continue immortal, as say spirit and soul, and which are such since they are vivified by the Father," and another thing "which is not otherwise vivified unless God afford it life should lose life." Thus he declares the soul and spirit to be unquestionably immortal. In Greek fragments of the same (p. 372, Bened. Edition) he complains of Heracleon denying the immortality of the soul not fitly prepared for salvation, saying, that it was that corruptible thing which put on incorruption etc., and taking the words of scripture, he knows not how, thinks to subvert the opinion of those who hold the soul to be immortal, thinking the soul will be cast into the same place and perish in hell as well as the body.
He distinguishes clearly God's immortality and ours. The Gnostic heretics argued that man must not be born if he was immortal, or, if there was a beginning of generation, the soul must die with the body. Now as he says, God alone is without beginning, but all things whatever have been and are made of Him, receive indeed their beginning of generation and in this are inferior to Him who made them, since they are not unborn, but they continue and extend unto the length of ages according to the will of Him who made them (ii. 34). Again God giving them life and perpetual continuance … and souls which before at the first did not exist — hence continue since God has willed they should be and subsist. The only Father who speaks of the gospel uses language perfectly clear to me; but as one might cavil about the Greek word, I do not quote it.
I attach no authority to these sayings of the Fathers, or to the Fathers themselves. They are all in my judgment grievously in error: not one but the nameless one I have referred to has an idea of the gospel, and many were in grievous error. But these quotations show how much the statements of Mr. Constable are to be trusted (I never knew a person that was following his own mind into heresy who could): it is one of the marks of the source of these things, a very important point — indeed of the highest importance.
As regards the others he mentions, Barnabas (whether genuine or not, pretty surely not) is full of as much nonsense as may well be supposed; but he speaks of the day of the Lord, when the wicked will perish with the wicked one; and he does speak of eternal death, but Mr. Constable omits "with punishment" which the writer adds, aionios thanatos metas timorias, proving, if it means anything, that it is not ceasing to exist. Clemens Romanus says nothing of the death, that I know of or can find. As to Hermas' Pastor, if he ever read it, he ought to be ashamed to quote it. It is not of 107, A.D. but about 160. It is now fully admitted he was the brother of Pope Pius; and such a farrago of error, blasphemy, and wickedness, it would be hard to find; not a particle of Christian faith is in it. Ignatius teaches no such thing; there is nothing said about it; further, five out of eight epistles are by the best critics counted spurious. Their object, as they stood before witnesses, is to make people stick to their worship. Polycarp says nothing about it. I really don't understand what Mr. Constable is about. The most Christian document of the whole lot is express as to it. Polycarp says to the judge, "You threaten me with a fire which is soon extinguished, and are ignorant of coming judgment and eternal punishment (or torment) reserved for the impious" (Smyrneans' account of Polycarp's martyrdom, XI).
As to Theophilus, here are his words, end of Lib. I., "If thou art now unbelieving, thou wilt be one time compelled to believe, made miserable then in eternal punishment, which punishment foretold by the prophets, the poets, and philosophers who came after them have stolen out of the sacred writings, that their dogmas might be more firm." Again in the second book he borrows the Sibylline verses. "They will be burnt with flames throughout eternity all the day." And then he returns to poets, etc., as borrowing from prophets. If he was in any way unsound, so far from eternal death, it was toward restoration, referring to heathen authority for it; but his positive statements are of eternal punishment.
It is possible passages in the larger works may have escaped me. I attribute no authority whatever to these Fathers. What is christian among them is simple and clear on the point, taking scripture as we ought to do. But Mr. Constable's statements are wholly untrustworthy in every respect. I cannot but doubt he looked at the authors he speaks of. Why does he not give the places?
My dear brother, above you have the examination of Mr. Constable's statements. I repeat, I recognise in no way the authority of Fathers: few of them were sound in the faith; none but a nameless one had the doctrine of salvation; the saints at Smyrna show this too.
I chance on the word "Eternal life in hell." This has no sense. The last Adam is eternal life — He only. But this does not touch the question of whether the soul of the first is immortal. I find always the source of it is to satisfy infidel men, not a reference to faith and the word.
Your affectionate brother in Christ, J. N. Darby.