Recommendations for our 1st group read

[Nemo]

What would you like to recommend for our first group read?

[Nemo]

If you have neither the time nor the interest to read all the early Church Fathers, but you want to read only one book, I commend to you Augustine’s Confessions.

[Genni]

I'm actually reading City of God next year. I wonder if anyone else would be up for that? :o

[Cleo]

I have City of God coming up on my The Well-Educated Mind - Reading the Histories but there are four books before it and three of them "biggies" so it might be around the last quarter of the year before I get to it.

[Kerstin]

I'll read City of God with y'all :)

[Genni]

I'm happy to see people are interested in reading it! I think this group would provide stimulating discussion on it.

[Nemo]

Reading City of God would be a great way to start a New Year, but it is a hard act to follow. :)

Any volunteer to lead the group discussion?

[Genni]

Well, I am not particularly knowledgeable about the early Church Fathers, but I would be willing to organize the read and initiate the discussion posts. However, if someone more knowledgeable were willing to do it, I would rather the discussion be lead by him/her.

[Nemo]

Genni wrote: "Well, I am not particularly knowledgeable about the early Church Fathers ..."

Because St. Augustine writes of the history of the Church and its doctrines, I think it might be better to first read the Fathers that went before him, and get a sense of the unity, diversity and continuity of the Fathers and their teachings.

In other words, reading the Church Fathers is to see the City of God in action.

[Kerstin]

Nemo wrote: "Because St. Augustine writes of the history of the Church and its doctrines, I think it might be better to first read the Fathers that went before him, and get a sense of the unity, diversity and continuity of the Fathers and their teachings."

I just posted a timeline in the resources folder, this may help us navigating our selection process.

Illustrated nicely in the timeline by groups, the Apostolic Fathers, the key persons responsible for passing on the deposit of faith after the Apostles, their writings seem to me crucial in solidifying the early Church.

Clement of Rome, Polycarp, and Ignatius of Antioch were all disciples of St. John the Evangelist. Justin Martyr was a disciple of Polycarp, as was Irenaus of Lyons.

Clement's Epistle to the Corinthians almost made it into the Bible, though I don't remember exactly why it was not included.

[Galicius]

I agree with the suggestions to read one or more of the volumes on the early Church Fathers before moving to St. Augustine.

[Genni]

Sounds like you guys have a good plan going. Carry on.

[Nemo]

Kerstin wrote: "Clement of Rome, Polycarp, and Ignatius of Antioch were all disciples of St. John the Evangelist. Justin Martyr was a disciple of Polycarp, as was Irenaus of Lyons. "

The first volume of the Ante-Nicene Father series covers all the Apostolic Fathers. I posted a 6-week daily reading calendar for it in the Reading Plan thread.

We could either read that together as a group, or select one of the books by the Apostolic Fathers as the focal point of our group discussion.

Either way, I hope to keep the daily reading as an ongoing (background) activity throughout 2017.