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| | The Catholic Legate |
 | | Secondly the Presbyter was named after Aristion, someone who was obviously not one of the apostles; implying that the Presbyter was at best the equal of Aristion and very likely his inferior when it came to the teachings of Christ. |
 | | So, according to the Tradition, John and Aristion, who, as Papias directly says, were both first-hand disciples of Christ, proclaimed the Word as itinerant evangelists, and then later "settled down" (in their old age) to be presbyter-bishops of the city-churches of Ephesus and Smyrna, respectively. |
 | | This would make it impossible for Aristion to still be the bishop there; and indeed, Ignatius of Antioch, who had encountered Polycarp as bishop of Smyrna years earlier in 107 A.D., of course makes no mention of Aristion "co-ruling" in Smyrna or of any "John" presiding over Ephesus, where Onesimus was the contemporary bishop. |
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