Megan's Reviews > Fathers of the Second Century: Hermas, Tatian, Theophilus, Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria

As with Volume 1, this is a fascinating glimpse into the early theology and practice of the church.

Sometimes, the Fathers hold utterly unexpected beliefs (Clement is often cited as one of the first to advocate Universal Reconciliation); sometimes, very familiar ones. Clement of Alexandria is far and away my favourite, his shorter "Who is the Rich Man that Shall be Saved?" an excellent source of insight and guide for Christian practice. As a scholar, I appreciate the value that Clement places on philosophy as well as law, and I found his idea that Greek philosophy was a source of grace to the barbarians as the law was to the ancient Jews a fascinating theory, regardless of its veracity. Even Clement's seemingly-harsh moral prescriptions have value. He instructs the church, for instance, to eat very simply; I wondered why eating should be reduced to fueling the body (Yes, that's Clement's analogy) till I read in a magazine that the Romans offered 34-course banquets that required those who attended to throw up halfway through. It's interesting to see how, even then, the church shaped itself to answer the flaws of its culture.

With the other writers, I skipped around some. Personal circumstances ate into the time I had to read anyone else. Hermas was interesting, as an early version of the dream visions that dominated medieval religious writers, but I still found Hermas to overemphasize law in favour of grace. Still, even reading the flawed parts of the church fathers is a good exercise: If nothing else, they remind us that the church then had problems just as the church now does; we are neither better nor worse as people of God.

Recommended for those seeking traditional (as opposed to pop-culture) theology and spiritual encouragement, as well as those who are interested in the history of the church