Customer Reviews

Faith of the Early Fathers, Vol. 1

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This set of works is outstanding, many other works I have read pail in comparison. This set is most notable for:
* good translation (much of the Fathers is in ancient Greek)
* presenting the Fathers as themselves, thus the Truth can speak for itself (not relying on commentary to lead, or in some other books mislead)
*provides a relavant/broad sampling of a multitude of Fathers writings, without being overly shallow (the known writings of the fathers would take up at least a few library shelves)
*easy to use (some other works are hard to use, or have confusing lookup systems/layouts)
*there are many other minor points of interest, but I believe these are the most relevant
*my only complaint is that these are not hardcover, as this is preferred by scholars and others who use these books heavily, the publisher probably wanted to insure a low price to make this resource available to a broad readership

I can not stress the value of these books, I have seen them used by many scholars, Evangelical & Catholic alike (even at my University).

For those with an interest in the history of the earliest Christians, this books is an awesome and enlighting read. It starts with the Didache, a writing that is contemporary to the New Testament and covers the first four hundred years of Christianity. If you want to know what to believe, then a logical person to ask (if you could) would be the people who were contemporaries of the apostles or who came immediately after. Well, we can't ask, but we can read what they wrote, which is the next best thing.

Jurgen's The Faith of the Early Fathers is a particularly useful collection of those writings. It is arranged first by authors, which is nice for those who want to study the writings of one early father at a time. Better, though, for the rest of us busy people is the doctrinal index. Each issue of doctrine (from the Bible, to the papacy, to Mary, etc.) has a section, and within that section it is broken down into specific points of doctrine, then each of the points has a paragraph number(s) showing where you can read what these early fathers wrote about that issue. So, when you need to, you can lay your hands on what (for examply) St. Justin Martyr wrote about the Eucharist in about one minute flat, without having to spend hours reading and searching his writings.

The Faith of the Early Fathers is the easiest to use compendium of early Christian writings I have ever seen. Anyone who gets this book is going to be just thrilled with what they can quickly and painlessly learn with this reference in their hands.

This is a great resource with many, many primary sources. One criticism is that not all quotes contain entire context, but overall, many do include entire letters and enough context to see the relevance. Well worth the price!

What can I say? Nothing I have ever read can compare to the collection and compilation of so many differnt church fathers, councils, and heretics. Anyone who wants to know about Christianity after the last verse of Acts of the Apostles needs to read this collection.

The first volume starts it all off. Have you ever wondered what went on in Christianity between the last verse of Acts of the Apostles and 1517? You'll want to read this one and when you do you'll find out that Luther, Calvin, and the rest of the "Reformers" weren't getting any closer to the original church and the teachings of Christ than the indulgence selling, mistress toting, warlord Popes of the time.

The Didache, Ignatius of Antioch, Clement of Rome, Justin Martyr, Polycarp of Smyrna, etc. are all featured in this collection as well as the decrees of Church synods and the Coucil of Nicea. After reading the first one, read the second and third, they're follow up on the church until the time of John of Damascus in the early 8th century

Unless you read Latin and koine Greek pretty well, the only way to access the earliest Christian writings after the New Testament is in English translation. This collection of early Patristic writings is easily the best. The selection of works is comprehesive and intelligent and the translations are clear and contemporary. The introductory material introducing each selection provides scholarly introduction to each work. Except for the needs of the most scholarly, who will have to equip themselves with the language skills mentioned above and tackle the manuscripts, this will serve as a valuable tool to any thinking person seriously interested in the early history of Christianity and the development of its doctrines and practices.

Any Christian who studies the history of the Church will realize that the the Apostolic Fathers and Early Church Fathers professed in One, Holy, Univeral, and Apostolic Church. They defined the 7 Sacrements as well as a hierachal Church. This was and is today the Catholic Church. We need more protestant theologians to wake up and read this.

Discovering what the earliest Christians had to say about their understanding and experience of faith -- in their own words -- is an awesome and inspiring experience. And, believe me, there are *plenty* of surprises.

This is the first of three volumes -- and, in my opinion, the most interesting.

It contains the words of St. Ignatius of Antioch, who was writing around 100 A.D. Scholars tell us that Ignatius most certainly knew the apostles Peter and John, and that he was probably ordained by one of them. We can assume that what he was teaching and preaching to others in the letters contained here, he learned from these towering figures.

And you'll find out about the martyrdom of the beloved St. Polycarp, whose second-century [demise] -- martyrdom by fire at the hands of the Romans -- is described in detail, as is the anguished reaction of the early community of believers.

Best of all, the material is all painstakingly indexed in the back, so you can find references to every religious practice and theological concept presented.

I recommend all three volumes, but get this one first. It is like sitting at the feet of those who sat at the feet of the apostles. And you know whose feet *they* sat at.

I found all three volumes in this series extremely helpful in understanding the developement of christian doctrine. Excellent subject index in the back takes you to the major writings of the early doctors and fathers of the church. If you are interested in seeing how the early church understood itself, this is the work to look at.

This classical work of the writings of the earliest church Fathers points to an ecclesiastical structure before the close of the first century. Any student of the Bible will benefit immensely from knowing the history of the early Church, from which all the doctrines of Christendom emerged. This book also demonstrates that the Catholic Church existed from the Apostolic Age and was fundamental in forming the Scriptures, and determining the Canon as it presently exists. The devotion of the early Church to Christ is evident in the number of martyrs, as well. I highly recommend this book, as well as the other two volumes in this collection.

The Jurgen's series is a good starting point for the lay Catholic apologist. It has many primary sources quoted. The only problem is that some quotes are not presented with context, though many are. All in all, this is a good reference book and is well indexed (if the quote you're looking for is not in its context, at least you now have an author and title to search deeper for more context).