Reading the Early Church Fathers

by Papandrea, James Leonard

• ISBN13: 9780809147519
• ISBN10: 0809147513
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-03-01
• Publisher: Paulist Pr

Summary

An overview of all mainstream early Christian documents (not including the New Testament) up through the fifth century.

Author Biography

James L. Papandrea is assistant professor of church history at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, where he teaches early and medieval church history. He earned his PhD in the history and theology of the early church from Northwestern University.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
How to Read Early Christian Texts	p. 2
The Church in the Roman Empire	p. 7
What Do We Mean by Church?	p. 7
Relations with Judaism	p. 8
Relations with the Romans and the Beginning of Persecution	p. 10
The Martyr Documents	p. 15
The Apostolic Fathers	p. 18
The Didache	p. 18
Clement of Rome	p. 19
Second Clement	p. 23
Ignatius of Antioch	p. 24
Polycarp of Smyrna	p. 27
The Martyrdom of Polycarp	p. 28
Papias of Hierapolis	p. 29
The Epistle of Barnabas	p. 30
The Shepherd of Hermas	p. 30
The Apologists	p. 33
The Apology of Aristides	p. 36
The Epistle to Diognetus	p. 36
Justin Martyr	p. 37
The Martyrdom of Justin	p. 39
Tatian	p. 40
Melito of Sardis	p. 41
Athenagoras	p. 41
Theophilus of Antioch	p. 42
Clement of Alexandria	p. 44
The Church in the Subapostolic Age	p. 48
The Development of the Hierarchy	p. 48
Worship and the Sacraments	p. 54
Christology and Theology in the Subapostolic Age	p. 58
From Apology to Theology	p. 88
The Theologians	p. 92
Irenaeus of Lyons	p. 92
Tertullian	p. 97
Hippolytus	p. 105
Origen	p. 111
Novatian	p. 115
The New Testament Canon	p. 119
Stages of Development of the New Testament	p. 120
Patristic Exegesis	p. 125
The History of Patristic Exegesis	p. 134
The Church in the Third-Century	p. 139
Christology and Theology in the Third Century	p. 139
The Episcopacy and the Emerging Primacy of Rome	p. 147
Persecution in the Third Century	p. 156
The Controversy over Baptism and Rebaptism	p. 168
What, Then, Is the Church?	p. 172
The Church and the Empire	p. 176
The Great Persecution	p. 177
The First Christian Emperor	p. 179
The Arian Controversy	p. 183
Unity through Standardization	p. 191
Ongoing Themes	p. 200
Anthropology	p. 200
Ecclesiology	p. 207
Christology	p. 210
Soteriology	p. 219
Conclusions	p. 225
Charts and Tables	p. 229
Chart 1: The Gnostic Family Tree	p. 231
Table 1: Christology and Theology in the Subapostolic Age	p. 232
Table 2: Assumptions of Patristic Exegesis	p. 233
Table 3: The History of Patristic Exegesis	p. 235
Table 4: Christology and Theology in the Third Century	p. 237
Chart 2: Christological Options and Influences	p. 238
Table 5: Christology and Theology in the Fourth Century	p. 239
Table 6: Christology and Theology in the Fifth Century	p. 240
Table 7: Important Theological Concepts and Doctrines	p. 241
Appendix: The Primary Sources	p. 243
Map of the Roman Empire with Places Mentioned	p. 244
Notes	p. 245
Subject Index	p. 337
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