Faith of the Early Fathers (Faith of the Early Fathers)

Rating:
Summary: Nicely organized, indexed and readable translation
Review: A very nice reference work on early Christian writings. The translation is more readable (modern) than what I've seen of an older work that is online. There is a great doctrinal index which makes finding information on specific subjects much easier. An essential for any religious library.

Rating:
Summary: Learn from those who learned their faith from the apostles..
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful resource
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: If you want to study the Fathers....
Review: then read these books. This three volume set is a great introductory set of the writings of the early Church Fathers. The books themselves are organized nicely starting with the earliest sources and then working down through the literary timeline. Jurgens has provided a brief synoposis on each individual author, and every piece of writing is titled, dated, and described. Moreover, the works contain excellent scripture annotations which makes it easy to discover just exactly what Bible verse the father in question is quoting. The topical reference system is very nice as well, but some may not like Jurgens style since he is strongly Catholic and desires to prove the teachings of the Church correct through Patristic sources. Nevertheless, anyone of an Orthodox persuasion or a Protestant curious about Church history will find these books useful and will be able to learn a lot. The only downside to these books is that quotes are only partial; Jurgens' intent is to prove doctrinal points, not provide a handy but abbreviated corpus of Patristic literature. Anyone wishing to study the Fathers more in depth will have to look elsewhere, but these three books offer a fine starting point.

Covered in volume three are the writings of Augustine of Hippo, and his student, Prosper of Aquitaine, Cyril of Alexandria, Vincent of Lerins, John Cassian, Pope Leo I, Gregory the Great, and John of Damascus. Of course, everyone is going to want to read the writings of Augustine since he has had such a tremendous impact on Western Christianity. His writings compose about the first 200 pages of volume 3, so there is plenty to read. Nevertheless, one should always keep in mind that Augustine, no matter how influential, was only one voice among the many great fathers that existed, therefore one should read the writings of men like Vincent of Lerins and John Cassian to maintain a balance perspective. Also, the writings of Cyril of Alexandria are of great interest and will be enjoyed by anyone wishing to know more about the developing Christian faith.

Rating:
Summary: Great but short
Review: This is a very good compilation of ECF writings. In three volumes Jurgens manages to squeeze in an amazing quantity of writings stretching from the Didache to St John Damascene. The three volumes are 1150 pages (total) of brief sections of the Early Father's writings. The General and Doctrinal Index's are very helpful in locating subjects. Furthermore, each category (Church council or author) is introduced by a brief biography and includes ample endnotes on Scriptural references and linguistic points of interest. My only complaint is that the collection is too short and some sections neglect other important writings (especially ones that express none Catholic positions). Maybe this book should be balanced with Abeilard's "Sic et non"

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Scholarly work
Review: 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).

Rating:
Summary: Indispensible reference and study source
Review: This three-volume series is an impressive work of scholarship and an indispensable reference for anyone who wishes to learn more about the writings and teachings of the Early Church Fathers. Volume 1 covers the earliest Christian writings of the Pre-Nicene and Nicene eras from the Didache to St John Damascene. Volume 2 covers the Post-Nicene era through St. Jerome. Volume 3 covers the writings of St. Augustine through the end of the patristic era.

The various selections are preceded by a short introduction to each writer and the work in question. For example, the introduction to the Didache or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles tells of its first publication in 1883 following its discovery in an 11th Century manuscript, and summarizes the best current scholarship on the work's origin and use in the instruction of early catechumens. Extensive footnotes and cross-references to an comprehensive Doctrinal Index make these books an indispensable research tool and reference work.

The Doctrinal Index sets forth a number of concise doctrinal statements arranged in both alphabetical and numerical order followed by a number reference to each writing in the volume that discusses or supports the statement in question. The patristic texts are not intended as "proofs" of a particular dogma, but are extremely useful to demonstrate what the Early Church believed and taught. There is a specific index for each volume and a cumulative index in Volume 3.

In addition, there is an Index of Scriptural References and Citations listing each reference in the patristic texts to specific Scriptural passages from Genesis to Revelations and a General Index.

My only complaint is that nearly all the selections are redacted, making the work less useful as an anthology of the writings of the Early Church Fathers. I can understand the need to edit longer works, but even relatively short works like The Martyrdom of Polycarp are redacted. However, citations to the best translations/editions of each text are given if you wish to read a particular selection in its entirety.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional
Review: 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