Description
In the first and second centuries, the early church flourished in literary activity. A variety of writings collectively named the Apostolic Fathers give us insight into the early church’s diverse life, developing theology, and biblical interpretation. Another group of writers known as the apologists defended the faith against outsiders and defended the church’s rights from infringements by the Roman empire. Editor Kevin Douglas Hill has curated essential readings from these earliest writings of the church outside the New Testament. Readers will encounter the concerns and perspectives of early Christians in their own words as they wrote in service of the early church. With an authoritative and accessible introduction by Paul Foster, short entries providing context for each major text, fully revised translations in contemporary English, and appendices with readings on the early church’s Greco-Roman context, this reader will serve students of the Bible, church history, and theology.
Table of Contents
Series Preface
Introduction, by Paul Foster
The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
The Second Epistle of Clement
The Letters of Ignatius
To the Ephesians
To the Magnesians
To the Trallians
To the Romans
To the Philadelphians
To the Smyrnaeans
To Polycarp
The Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians
The Martyrdom of Polycarp
Didache
The Epistle of Barnabas
The Shepherd of Hermas
The Epistle to Diognetus
The Apology of Quadratus
The Fragments of Papias
The Apology of Aristides
Justin Martyr: The First Apology
Justin Martyr: The Second Apology
Justin Martyr: The Dialogue with Trypho
Tatian the Syrian: Address to the Greeks
Athenagoras of Athens: Embassy for the Christians
Theophilus of Antioch: Apology to Autolycus
Appendix 1: Select Readings on Greco-Roman Religion and the Imperial Cult
Appendix 2: Select Readings on Persecution and the Early Church
Further Reading
Translations Used in this Volume
Scripture Index
Editor
Kevin Douglas Hill (PhD, Durham University) is an independent scholar and adjunct faculty member at Dallas International University. He is the author of Athanasius and the Holy Spirit: The Development of His Early Pneumatology (Fortress Press) and a founder and cohost of the Bridging Theology Podcast.
Introduction Author
Paul Foster (DPhil, University of Oxford) is Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh. He has published widely on the Gospel of Matthew, Non-canonical gospels, and the Apostolic Fathers. He has also published a major commentary on Colossians in the Black’s New Testament Commentaries series.
