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Baby Book Store > Baby books beginning with E
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Early Christian Fathers |
Author:
Published: 2006-07 |
List price: $39.95
Our price: $26.37
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Customer comments on this selection.
 An extensive Patristic work, of special interest to the scholars
"Of special interest to the scholar is the extensive book list included in the volume." Concordia theological
Cyril Richardson work:
This is one of the best books on the "Early Church Fathers" of the second century, essential for understanding the thought and exegetical writings of the Church Fathers, who lived and wrote during the founding time of the early church. This first volume of The Library of Christian Classics, long acclaimed for its quality translations, contains most of the basic Christian writings of the first two centuries of the Christian Church, with the exception of the Epistle of Barnabas, and the Shepherd of Hermas. These patristic guides are very helpful, providing introductions, explanatory notes, and indices. The series ensures that modern English translations of some of the most significant Christian works are available for scholars and students, allowing searching readers to better understand the early Christian church. Describing this representative work as introductory overlooks the fact that, for the reader to appreciate the writings, he should have a knowledge of Early Church History, as narrated by H. Chadwick, or even some exposure to the Fathers thought in Historical Theology, as exposed by J. Danielou, translated into English by eminent Patristic RPC Hanson.
Cyril Richardson work is partly complemented with Lightfoot's classic 'The Apostolic Fathers', recently revised by M. Holmes.
Those novice readers who want to read selections from the fathers writings, in order to determine the turning points in Church doctrine are thus advised to explore H. Bettenson's The early Christian fathers (Clement of Rome to Athanasius) since the latter was the first of the fathers who dramatically influenced Christian thought beyond Nicea.
Solid introduction
400 pages of early church writings, complete with commentary. A good selection across the board--Ignatius, Polycarp, Clement, Justin Martyr, the Didache, the early Apologists... put together very simply. Great introduction to early post-canon writings. Helpful resources listed, too, in case one wants to do more research on any given topic or writing.
 Good additional information
The book provides a large amount of early Christian writings with particularly helpful footnote comments and an exhaustive index section with references to Biblical scriptures. As such, one can find good information for research on early Christian Church history.
 An Intermediate View of Catholic and Protestant Doctrines
Catholics and Protestants both tend to see their distinctive doctrines reflected not only in Scripture, but also in the early Church fathers. Richardson tends to steer in the middle: He presents various doctrines as being in germ-form, or developmental in nature.
Consider, for example, the papacy. Richardson avoids the extremes of seeing the papacy directly traceable to Christ and the papacy as a centuries-later invention. With reference to Clement, he comments: "This implies more than a casual relation with other churches; and while this should not be pressed to vindicate much later papal claims, it does indicate that the Roman community took most seriously its responsibility as a sister church for the welfare of other congregations. Here, in germ, is that exercise of authority which was to become the papal primacy." (p. 36).
In like manner, Richardson takes a middle view of the validity of apostolic succession. He believes that the Greek of Clement's first letter is compatible with either an "episcopal" or a "presbyterian" interpretation of early church government (pp. 63-64).
Richardson treats other doctrines in much the same manner. All in all, the reader can appreciate Richardson's fairness and objectivity.
Early Church ideas and beliefs
Interesting how the early fathers determined what materials would be used. The arguments which occurred
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