Church fathers

[InspiredHome]

I'm looking for some books on the early church fathers. What are some good ones?

[furay]

I'm looking for some books on the early church fathers. What are some good ones?

You want books about them or books of their writings?

[InspiredHome]

A little of both would be really nice.

[robto]

I'm looking for some books on the early church fathers. What are some good ones?

I would suggest Early Christian Fathers, by Cyril Richardson, or The Apostolic Fathers, by Bart Ehrman (2 vols.). Both give good summaries of the life of the author and important issues in the writings, as well as complete texts (Ehrman gives both Greek and English texts).

[Amazing Rando]

Yes, the Richardson volume is extremely helpful. It's got a wonderful selection of the writings from the first 2 centuries.

You can read all the extant writings of the early christian bishops, saints, and apologists online at http://www.earlychristianwritings.com

[TheAnalogman]

Yes, the Richardson volume is extremely helpful. It's got a wonderful selection of the writings from the first 2 centuries.

You can read all the extant writings of the early christian bishops, saints, and apologists online at http://www.earlychristianwritings.com

Rando, how much repitition is there between the Richardson volume and the above link?

Thanks.

[Rusty T]

I've heard that Mike Aquilina's Church of the Early Fathers is pretty good. It's on my wish list if anyone wants to order it for me :)

rusty

[Amazing Rando]

Rando, how much repitition is there between the Richardson volume and the above link?

Thanks.

The link is completely comprehensive. Every extant early Christian writing up to and including Origen is there. Only problem is there isn't much editorial content and if you're not familiar with the ECF's writings, you may get confused by the context. But the documents are there, in their entirely. The translations are a little old (done at the turn of the 20th century) and a little archaic in the way the KJV can be slightly archaic, but it's a totally comprehensive site. I use it a lot for reference.

The Richardson book is one I picked up at a sidewalk book sale back in college. It's more of an introduction to early Christian literature and has some extremely useful introductory material and footnotes, explaining some of the tougher points to understand as well as the history and context behind each writing it features. The translations are fresher and more lively as well. Since it's more of an introductory work than a comprehensive reference volume, its selection is limited however. It has the Didache, 1 Clement, the epistles of Ignatius, the epistle of Polycarp, the account of the martyrdom of Polycarp, Justin Martyr's First Apology, Athenagoras' Plea for Christians (a personal favorite of mine), the anonymous epistle to Diognetus (another favorite), the anonymous sermon commonly known as 2 Clement, and some of the more interesting selections from Irenaeus' Against Heresies.

I'd definitely recommend the Richardson volume for anyone who is brand new to early Christian literature because of its rich introductory material, fresh translations, and helpful footnotes.

Another good site is http://www.ccel.org. Lots of early Christian can be found there too.

[humanevitae]

There is a CD Rom version.
"The Early Church Fathers"
Harmony Media
503-393-5736

This includes the classic 38 volume set