Zijn papias of polycarp een ooggetuige van de discipelen van Jezus?

Eusebius schrijft het volgende over papias en weerlegt Iranaeus van lyon en diens claim dat Papias een ‘hearer’ zou zijn van john the son of zebedeus.

[The writings of Papias in common circulation are five in number, and these are called an Exposition of the Oracles of the Lord. Irenæus makes mention of these as the only works written by him, in the following words: “Now testimony is borne to these things in writing by Papias, an ancient man, who was a hearer of John, and a friend of Polycarp, in the fourth of his books; for five books were composed by him.” Thus wrote Irenæus. Moreover, Papias himself, in the introduction to his books, makes it manifest that he was not himself a hearer and eye-witness of the holy apostles; but he tells us that he received the truths of our religion from those who were acquainted with them [the apostles] in the following words:]

Papias zelf zegt ook het volgende; “As the elders who saw John the disciple of the Lord remembered that they had heard from him how the Lord taught in regard to those times, and said]:”. Hij heeft het dus niet zelf van john the son of zebedeus gehoord of vernomen. Papias is een vriend en tijdgenoot van Polycarp, hoe kan het dan zo zijn dat Papias hem niet heeft gezien maar dat Polycarp zijn student zou zijn?

Eusebius zegt het volgende over papias; “The same person, moreover, has set down other things as coming to him from unwritten tradition, among these some strange parables and instructions of the Saviour, and some other things of a more fabulous nature”.

Amongst these he says that there will be a millennium after the resurrection from the dead, when the personal reign of Christ will be established on this earth. He moreover hands down, in his own writing, other narratives given by the previously mentioned Aristion of the Lord’s sayings, and the traditions of the presbyter John.

“He also mentions another miracle relating to Justus, surnamed Barsabas, how he swallowed a deadly poison, and received no harm, on account of the grace of the Lord”.