The Apostolic Fathers "consists of persons and documents that interpreted and applied the apostolic message in the first apostleless generation..." (Olson, The Story of Christian Theology, p. 41). They were acknowledged as leaders in the early church because of their close connections with the Apostles (e.g. Peter, Paul, John etc.). Thus, they provide a link between the Apostles who knew Jesus and the later generation of Christian apologists and defenders of Christian orthodoxy.