I really enjoyed reading this 1st volume of the Early Church Fathers. It is surprising how relevant much of these writings still are, 2000 years after they were written. As a Protestant, I wasn’t very familiar with any of these Fathers except for Polycarp. The faith of these men is amazing consideri ...more
This is an easily digestible book providing a chronological development to a syncretic system of belief. The authors live in a demon haunted world and Paul sets the ball in motion with his letters and his not of this world visitations.
Docetism (belief that Jesus was not physical) gets shut down by ...more
It took me a long time, but I got through the first of these two volumes. The Apostolic Fathers I'd read before, so the real work of this volume were just two authors, Justin Martyr and Irenaeus. I found Justin's Apologies interesting, and the other fragments attached to his name mostly the same; hi ...more
I loved reading these ancient church fathers. Highly recommended for any student of historical christian theology.
The best here is Irenaeus' Against Heresies (especially books 3-5). But Justin Martyr's First and Second Apology and the letters of Ignatius and Polycarp are all great also. ...more
I'm not going to read every word of this volume, since I've got bits an pieces of it in other sets. I will, however, use this as a place to complie my reviews of the different bits and pieces...
Essential reading - Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp and others. Puts flesh on the New Testament as the Gospels preached in late First century into the second. Should be added to select New Testaments as good for moral instruction (even with Clement's Phoenix bird). My opinion, of course. ...more
I read through this volume over the year I don't remember when I started, for many of these works it was re-reading or finishing up from last year. All I can say in humbleness is if you are a Christian, one of the best things you can do outside of read your Scriptures every day first and foremost ab ...more
What a treasure to have these writings of the church fathers, some of who were discipled by apostles. In this first volume you can see the progress of thought from heavy quotes and citations of scripture to the development of doctrine and theology. The latter is most evident in Iranaeus as he defend ...more