The Greek Fathers: Their Lives and Writings

by Adrian Fortescue

The Fathers of the Church were great, holy men of history who lived in the early centuries of Christianity and made a significant impact on the Church and society by their lives and their teachings & writings. There are various groups of such men considered to be Fathers of the Church, and this work focuses on the lives, adventures and central teachings of the great Greek Fathers, whose names are well-known in the history of the Church.

The author covers seven Greek Fathers who lived between the years 293 to 754, most of them living in the 200-400's. These are St. Athanasius (293-373), St. Basil (330-379), St. Gregory Nazianzos (330-390), St. John Chrysostom (344-407), St. Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386), St. Cyril of Alexandria (+444) and St. John of Damascus (+754).

This work gives popular sketches of these great saints, focusing more on their lives than on their theology, and is meant for the inspiration and illumination of the layman. These men are important, great figures of history to know about, men who were mighty patriarchs or famous bishops, who lead councils, resisted Caesar and suffered persecution for Christ. Their lives and dramatic witness stand out as a bright beacon of light for us all.

Genres: Church History, History, Theology

284 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2007

About the author

Adrian Henry Timothy Knottesford Fortescue was an English Catholic priest and polymath. An influential liturgist, artist, calligrapher, composer, polyglot, amateur photographer, Byzantine scholar, and adventurer, he was also the founder of the Church of St Hugh of Lincoln in Letchworth.

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like church history and want to learn more about the lives of the Greek church fathers, this book is a great place to go. Each chapter deals with a different father: Athanasius, Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Jerusalem, Cyril of Alexandria, John of Damascus. While some time is spent on their theology, the focus is more on their life and the controversies in which their theologies developed. The author writes with a definite Roman Catholic bias which comes out most clearly in comments on the supremacy of Rome over the Eastern churches. Also, this book is quite old and thus dated as new scholarship has fine-tuned and even overthrown facts once accepted. But overall, it is an enjoyable read!

[John]

I don't know how long I will last in this one. Almost finished with the chapter on Athanathius and it's chalked full of errors, exaggerations, and naive statements about Constantine and the early controversy with Alexander and Arius. Very unimpressive.... More to come I suppose.

************ Update ***************

I regret to say, that I'm not going to continue on with this book. The scholarship is rotten, flocked with over-statements and negligence. There's not enough space in life to read bad books, nor review them.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting I learned a lot about the early Fathers, and the heresies they fought against.