those the apostles left in charge of the churches are the ones who received the truth firsthand and, therefore, can be trusted to have the correct understanding of truth. He names a few, specifically Clement of Rome (3.3), Polycarp of Smyrna (3.4), and John in Ephesus (3.4) as true witnesses of the tradition of the apostles. He then concludes, in chapter four, that the truth is secured in the Church: “Since, therefore, we have the proofs, it is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it
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