Key Works of the Ante-Nicene Fathers
June 18, 2010 by editor · Leave a Comment
While all of the writings in the Ante-Nicene Fathers are worthwhile (except for the gnostic and spurious works), many persons do not have the time to be able to read them all. For that reason, we are setting forth below our recommendation of some of the key works of this period—particularly works of the second century and early third century. A person who has read these works will have a fairly good grasp of the ethos, lifestyle, and beliefs of the pre-Nicene Christians—and yet will have had to read only about a 1/10th of the ten volume set.
How to Use This List
The first item in each line of the list is the name of the author. The second item is the name of the work. The third item gives the volume and page where the work can be found in the Ante-Nicene Fathers. For example, 1.23 means: volume 1, page 23.
General Overviews of Early Christianity
Anonymous Epistle to Diognetus 1.23
Justin Martyr First Apology 1.159
Theophilus To Autolycus (Books I & II) 2.89
Athenagoras A Plea for the Christians 2.129
Tertullian Apology 3.17
Tertullian To the Nations (Bk. 1 3.109
Mark Felix Octavius 4.167
Cyprian Letter To Donatus 5.275
Anonymous Didache (Teaching of the 12 Apostles) 7.377
Worship, Church Leadership, Discipline, and Other Church Matters
Clement of Rome Epistle to the Corinthians 1.1
Ignatius Letter to the Ephesians (short version) 1.49
Ignatius Letter to the Philadelphians (short version) 1.81
Clement of Alexandria The Miscellanies (Bk. 7, Ch. 17) 2.554
Origen Correspondence re Deuterocanonical books 4.385
Cyprian Letter 5 5.282
Cyprian Letter 2 5.280
Cyprian Letter 32 5.311
Cyprian Letter 59 5.355
Cyprian Letter 60 5.356
Cyprian Letter 61 5.356
Cyprian Letter 65 5.366
Cyprian Letter 67 5.369
Cyprian Letters 69-73 5.375
Cyprian On the Unity of the Church 5.421
Cyprian On the Lord’s Prayer 5.447
Victorinus Commentary on Revelation 7.344
The Lifestyle of the Early Christians
Clement of Alexandria The Instructor (Bk. 1, Chaps. 5-8) 2.212
Clement of Alexandria The Instructor (Bk. 2, Chaps. 2-4) 2.242
Clement of Alexandria The Instructor (Bk. 3) 2.271
Clement of Alexandria The Miscellanies (Bk. 7, Chaps. 7-8) 2.532
Clement of Alexandria The Miscellanies (Bk. 7, Chaps. 11-16) 2.540
Clement of Alexandria Salvation of the Rich Man 2.591
Tertullian The Shows 3.79
Tertullian De Corona 3.93
Tertullian On the Veiling of Virgins 4.27
Origen Against Celsus (Bk. 8, Chaps. 65-76) 4 .664
Cyprian On the Dress of Virgins 5.430
Lactantius The Divine Institutes (Bk. 6, Chaps. 4-6) 5.165
Doctrinal Writings
Irenaeus Against Heresies (Bk 2, Ch. 28) 1.399
Irenaeus Against Heresies (Bk. 3, Ch. 25) 1.459
Irenaeus Against Heresies (Bk 4, Chaps. 1-6) 1.463
Irenaeus Against Heresies (Bk. 4, Chaps. 13-18) 1.477
Irenaeus Against Heresies (Bk 5, Chaps. 29-33) 1.558
Clement of Alexandria The Miscellanies (Bk. 5, Chap 1) 2.444
Tertullian Against Praxeas 3.597
Tertullian On Baptism 3.669
Origen On First Principles (Bk. 2, Chaps. 9-11) 4.289
Origen On First Principles (Bk. 3, Chap. 1, Greek) 4.301
Hippolytus Against Plato 5.221
Hippolytus Against the Heresy of Noetus 5.223
Cyprian Letter 62 5.358
Novatian On the Trinity 5.611
Anonymous Treatise on Re-Baptism 5.667
Lactantius The Divine Institutes (Bk. 4, Chaps. 22-30) 7.124
Lactantius The Divine Institutes (Bk. 6, Chap. 3) 7.164
Lactantius The Divine Institutes (Bk. 7, Chaps. 12-27) 7.208
Martyrdom
Anonymous Martyrdom of Justin Martyr 1.303
Tertullian To the Martyrs 3.693
Miscellaneous
Polycarp Letter to the Philippians 1.31
Papias Fragments 1.151
Irenaeus Fragments II and III 1.568
Irenaeus Fragment XXXVII 1.574
Irenaeus: Proof of The Apostolic Preaching
June 18, 2010 by editor · Leave a Comment
A Work Discovered After the Ante-Nicene Fathers Set Was Compiled
The following is a summary of the article that Dr. Edgar J. Goodspeed wrote in the journal, The Biblical World:
In 1904 a native scholar found in Erivan in Armenia an Armenian manuscript containing a lost work of Irenaeus, In Proof of the Apostolic Preaching. Up to that time only one complete work of Irenaeus was known to be extant, his famous treatise Against Heresies, written about A.D. 180. However, here there was restored to us a large book which no one, previous to this discovery, could ever have hoped to see. Irenaeus was born probably at Smyrna, a few miles from Ephesus, within half a century of the traditional date of the apostle John’s death. He enjoyed the instruction of Polycarp, who was a pupil of the apostle John. Irenaeus may have accompnied Polycarp on his journey to Rome in connection with the Easter controversy (A.D. 154).
At any rate, Irenaeus was a missionary to Gaul. Under the persecution of Marcus Aurelius (A.D. 177), he witnessed there the terrible torture and death of many of his fellow Christians. In A.D. 178 he was elected bishop of Lyons, and for the rest of his life this great man and most superb scholar of his generation labored with pen and tongue for Christianity. His writings prove conclusively that in the churches of his day strong emphasis was put upon the New Testament and other Scripture, upon the Apostolic Creed, and upon episcopal organization. In the work previously known, he had made hundreds of quotations from the New Testament in his ardent defense of the “faith delivered to the saints.” It ought to be almost awe inspiring for any devout Christian to read a new literary and spiritual work from the pen of this commanding figure in early Christian literature.
“The newly discovered work,” says Dr. Goodspeed, “was evidently addressed to the laity.” It sets forth in a simple and telling way the apostolic type of Christianity which Irenaeus maintained, and shows its agreement with numerous Old Testament prophecies. Irenaeus’ usual method is to describe an incident in the gospel story and then quote some prophecy which he believes is fulfilled in it. The work shows Irenaeus at the task of teaching his Gallic flock to defend their Christian faith in all its aspects by appeal to the Old Testament. Many New Testament books are reflected in it, but here, as in the older work of Irenaeus, no use is made of Hebrews or Revelations. As a result, it seems clearer than ever that these books were not part of the New Testament he used. It will be remembered that in the second century many theologians were inclined to look upon Hebrews as edifying literature but not as inspired Scripture, and Irenaeus may have seriously objected to Revelation because of the Montanist controversy which made so much of this work.