The Faith of the Early Fathers, Vol. 2 [Paperback]

William A. Jurgens (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Faith of the Early Fathers | Publication Date: January 1998

A source-book of theological and historical passages from the Christian writings of the Pre-Nicene and Nicene eras selected and translated by William A. Jurgens, H.E.D.       Volume 1: the Pre-Nicene and Nicene eras;       Volume 2: the Post-Nicene era through St. Jerome;       Volume 3: St. Augustine to the end of the patristic period. The passages selected are keyed to the numerical order established in M. J. Rouet de Journel's Enchiridion Patristicum.  In no sense, however, are these volumes a translation of that standard work.  The author has made his own investigation of theological textbooks in common use and has selected the patristic passages most frequently cited, including much that is in Rouet and much that is not.  All passages have been freshly and accurately translated from the best critical editions. Preceding each selection is a brief introduction treating the authorship, date and place of composition, and the purpose of the work from which the selection is taken.  The author's scholarship and sprightly sense of humor are evident in these prefatory remarks. Of immense value to the reader is the Doctrinal Index provided for each volume.  Here one can find the texts pertinent to particular doctrinal points, a method especially useful to homilists.  In addition, each volume is enhanced by comprehensive Scriptural and General Indices.

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Liturgical Press (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814610072
• ISBN-13: 978-0814610077
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #329,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Faith of the Early Fathers - An introduction in 3 volumes, August 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Faith of the Early Fathers, Vol. 2 (Paperback)

This three volume set is a collection of writings of a number of the early fathers of the church. Fr. Jurgens provides (in introductory text and footnotes) some background, purpose of the particular writing, and, on occasion, some humor. The entire text is indexed to church doctrine, and I found this very helpful. Writings span from around 100CE to almost 800CE so only the briefest glimpses of many writings could be provided. Fr. Jurgens made every attempt to find the "nuggets" in the writings, and certainly succeeded in most areas. The work suffers from being based on "old" translations of the early writings, certainy more recent scholarship and research could be brought to this book. I believe the edition was publised in the early 1970s.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This three vol set is a great resource for Christian study., September 6, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Indian River, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Faith of the Early Fathers, Vol. 2 (Paperback)

This three volume set is an excellent source for knowlege about the teachings, practices and theology of the early Christian church as written and taught by the successors of the the Apostles and disciples of Jesus, the Christ.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Scholarly work, November 23, 2001

By 

"jamlaser" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Faith of the Early Fathers, Vol. 2 (Paperback)

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).