Customer Reviews

Faith of the Early Fathers: Three-Volume Set

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The writings of the early church fathers leave no doubt that they are linked directly to the 12 apostles and that their beliefs in dogma which go back 1500 -2000 years ago are consistent with the teachings of the catholic church to-day.The catechism of the catholic church which sets forth what catholics are required to believe to-day is consistent with the teachings of the early fathers.Is would be impossible for this consistency to last 2000 year if the catholic church were not the church founded by Jesus Christ.This volume of books proves this beyond any doubt.Excellent reading for any Christian!

I teach adult education at our parish and this set of books is a "must have" for my research. I never walk away saying I could not find what I needed. Any Christian who wants to understand the Church from the beginning needs this set. You cannot walk away from these books and still hold to erroneous notions like "the Eucharist was a 12th century invention", or "Jesus did not become God until after the Resurrection", or "it doesn't matter which Church you go to." All of the doctrine and sacraments of the Catholic Church are found in the historical Church from the beginning, and Jurgens has compiled a marvelous compendium of the teachings, from the words of the Early Fathers themselves, to confirm this. This had to be a labor of love for Jurgens because it is done with such care and scholarship. He clearly had the intended audience in mind by the way he cross-referenced and indexed everything. The ease with which one can use this set is a marvel. No Christian, and certainly no Catholic, home should be without it. If you are trying to decide on which books you should have in your library, do not hesitate over this set. Just get it. You will not be dissapointed. And if you are a seminarian, or thinking of becoming a priest or professed religious, you need this set.

Probably the most widely-used and popular resource of the Early Church Fathers in print today. Jurgens organizes the writings of the Fathers into 3 different volumes, but for what you get the price is more than just reasonable. This work makes the Patristics accessible to the layperson in a non-confusing way and when you see the wonderful referencing that has been done, it makes using the work as a research tool even much easier. If we are to understand the Church we must understand the origin of her belief's and these three books provide a wonderful tool to do just that.

This three-volume concise survey of the Early Church Fathers is really an extraordinary work, spanning ca 80 A.D. with Pope St. Clement of Rome's Letter to the Corinthians to ca. 743 A.D.'s Second Homily on the Dormition of Mary by St. John Damascene. Being a survey, you will not find the complete writings, but selected excerpts that convey the essential thoughts of each Father. If you need to read the full work, you can find it free at NewAdvent org under the "Fathers" tab.

As a simple lay Catholic with a desire to learn more about the early Church, it was a bit daunting to look at the amount of writings available. Where do you begin? What are the important works? What are the most relevant pieces of those works? In my opinion, The Faith of the Early Church Fathers was made for someone like me. It has three indices - Scriptural, General, and a very helpful Doctrinal index. It is carefully footnoted, sometimes with clarifications of the Greek translation which I found interesting, but is probably of more use to serious students.

Some of the highlights you'll find right off the bat in the first volume:

Athenagoras of Athens - The Resurrection of the Dead
"no work performed by wisdom is without purpose" ... "nothing that uses reason or judgment has been created or is created for use of another creature."

St. Justin Matyr - Second Apology:
"we worship and love the Word who is from the unbegotten and inexpressible God."

St. Ignatius of Antioch - Letter to the Magnesians:
"For Christianity did not base it's faith on Judaism, but Judaism on Christianity, in which every tongue believing in God is brought together."

The Shepherd of Hermas - Vision 2:
"Who is it then?" say I. And he said, "It is the Church." And I said to him, "Why then is she an old woman?" "Because," said he, "she was created first of all. On this account is she old. And for her sake was the world made."

These are just a few examples that I flipped open to at random - the entire work has these priceless teachings on every page.

Here's another interesting entry from Theophilus of Antioch in To Autolycus: "The three days before the luminaries are created are types of the Trinity; God, His Word, and His Wisdom."

Why is this line, written in 180 A.D., important? It's the first use of the word 'Trinity' in reference to the Godhead. My point here is that the same Magisterium that led to the understanding of the Trinity, which is not in the bible, is also what led us to our understanding of the Immaculate Conception and the veneration of Mary, Theotokos.

Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, and Athanasius make up over 1/4 of the first volume, and the content is illuminating; for instance, you'll find St. Irenaeus in "Against Heresies", 180-199 A.D. using much of the imagery found in the Nicene Creed (that's the Nicene Creed we know today; you'll find in here also that the Creed that came out of the Council of Nicea is somewhat different.) Here's Irenaeus:

"The Church, though dispersed throughout the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith: [She believes] in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them; and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who became incarnate for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed through the prophets the dispensations of God, and the advents, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion, and the resurrection from the dead, and the ascension into heaven in the flesh of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord, and His [future] manifestation from heaven in the glory of the Father "to gather all things in one," and to raise up anew all flesh of the whole human race, in order that to Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Saviour, and King, according to the will of the invisible Father, "every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess" to Him, and that He should execute just judgment towards all; that He may send "spiritual wickednesses," and the angels who transgressed and became apostates, together with the ungodly, and unrighteous, and wicked, and profane among men, into everlasting fire; but may, in the exercise of His grace, confer immortality on the righteous, and holy, and those who have kept His commandments, and have persevered in His love, some from the beginning [of their Christian course], and others from [the date of] their repentance, and may surround them with everlasting glory."

There is very little "Catholic" interpretation by Jurgens; the Fathers pretty much speak for themselves, and what they have to say is important: there *is* a Church hierarchy of bishops, priests, and deacons; the 'country of the Romans' has the Church of the 'presidency'; the Eucharist is *not* merely a symbol of bread and wine but the real body and blood of Christ; the sacraments are needed, and only those authorized (ordained) can administer them. On and on it goes.

This is not to take a gratuitous shot at our Protestant brethren: many (most?) of them put me to shame in the holiness of their lives and their understanding of scripture. But any Protestant that really reads what the Early Church Fathers have to say about the Tradition and Magisterium of the Catholic Church with an open mind and an open heart, cannot possibly come away without at least some major questions about the doctrinal underpinnings of the Reformers. To my mind, there is no doubt that the Catholic Church is the true body of Christ, and I pray for the day when we can heal our wounds and come together as one against the work of the prince of this world.

One last comment on the physical characteristics of this set: the layout is functional if not pretty; the cover and binding appear solid but are not great - these are in no way 'heirlooms.' They won't look real pretty on your bookshelf, but they are beautiful when you open them in your hands.

This three-volume set is an excellent reference of Catholic Doctrines, as written about by the early Church Fathers. In the back of each volume is a list of each tenet of Catholic doctrine, with the index numbers showing which of the Fathers quoted in the three volumes addressed that issue. This list also includes a few heresies, which are thoroughly addressed by footnotes in the text. For anyone who wishes to study the development of Catholic Doctrine, this is a must-have resource.

Without exception the best collection of early church teachers. In addition to the writings of the early church is a thorough general index but more than that an invaluable doctrinal index to find the seeds of virtually every doctrine imaginable. Do not presume to understand early church history without this reference. All three volumes are ideal but, at the very least, get volume 1. Do not learn church history by other sources, return to the original documents and rediscover the church that Jesus Christ founded. You will be richly rewarded in what you find.

Nothing is better than reading the Bible and understanding God's word. Here is a way to heighten your knowledge and faith. See how the early Church sees Jesus. Feel how early martyrs stood up for their faith. Hear the call to a deeper faith and understanding. Follow the tradition of how the Church has grown through the centuries and plant your feet into a firm foundation as you reach for the heavens. Pick up this book and read it. You will not be sorry.

This is a well-written and fascinating view of the faith and opinions of the fathers of the early Christian church. Well worth the money!

I bought these books as a further tool for quick reference to the Church Fathers. The only problem is that they are arranged chronologically rather than topically. There is a theological index in the back but it is, in my opinion, sorely lacking. The first topic I wanted to look up wasn't listed (I don't remember now what it was).

That said this is still an important work for those interested in the Church Fathers or early Christianity. Another resource I would recommend, though not without it's own biases, is David Bercot's Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs. It is arranged topically, but only deals with the Ante Nicene period. It does unfortunately leave out a few key verses on topics the author does not agree with (intercession of the saints etc.).

Ultimately no one resource will meet all the needs of the reader, and the best thing yet is to read the writings of the Church Fathers for yourself. Though labour intensive it is.

This set is an absolute necessity for anyone who wants to know what the Early Church Fathers spoke and taught about our Christian Faith.