Preface
How was the preaching of the Gospel first received? What was the "impact" of the Good News on the listeners' lives? How were the early Christians' lives transformed by the demands of following Jesus? To know the answer to these questions, we must read the texts of the early Fathers of the Church, who received the Christ's teachings directly from the apostles.
The apostles transmitted the word of God to a first generation of Christians, who were simple people with some formation in Greek and Jewish culture. Few of these were specialists in philosophical questions. Thus, the extant writings produced by this first generation of Christians –called the Apostolic Fathers, for having being taught by the apostles– are mostly pastoral in character, paternal exhortations written in koiné, the popular Greek language. We hear in these texts the echo of Christ's message of salvation, and of the preaching of the apostles.
The writings of the early Fathers of the Church can help us understand better the revealed truths. Somehow, these writings are like a continuation of the New Testament; they are, in fact, the first links in the chain of Tradition. They may have been written many centuries ago, but they have not lost their freshness and vigor: They can still inspire us in our dialogue with God, stir us out of our self-complacency or lukewarmness, and encourage us to aspire for new goals of sanctity and apostolate.
The so-called Reformers cut off Sacred Scriptures from the living Tradition of the Church. On the other hand, the rationalists treated Sacred Scriptures as purely human documents, and interpreted them by using scientific and historical norms alone. The Church protested against these errors and encouraged us instead to go to the witnesses of Tradition in order to clarify the meaning of Scriptural passages. The First Vatican Council, for instance, warned against interpreting Sacred Scriptures contrary to the unanimous agreement of the Fathers (Sess. 3, c. 2). The Second Vatican Council has also reminded us of the supreme importance of the study of the Fathers of the Church (Optatam Totius, n. 16).
There are excellent critical collections of the Early Fathers' works. Unfortunately, it is not so easy to have one of such collections at home for use as spiritual reading or as inspirational source book. This volume is an attempt to offer these texts to a wider circle of Christians who want to familiarize themselves with the thoughts of our ancestors in the faith–to go to the roots, as it were, so as to understand what the primitive Church believed and prayed.
With this purpose in mind, the author has sought to clear the texts (as translated from the originals) of complicated words and expressions. Whenever possible, archaic terms have been substituted with their modern equivalents.
To ease the burden for those who may have little knowledge of Patrology, a selection has been made of the most relevant passages of each work, but seeking all the while to present a complete picture of it. The paragraphs or chapters omitted have not been indicated in the text. Their chapter numbers identifies all passages.
May the joyful light of Christ's truth, present in these writings, transform the reader's life as was the experience of the early Christians: Each tried to make his life consistent –coherent– with his faith.
The apostles transmitted the word of God to a first generation of Christians, who were simple people with some formation in Greek and Jewish culture. Few of these were specialists in philosophical questions. Thus, the extant writings produced by this first generation of Christians –called the Apostolic Fathers, for having being taught by the apostles– are mostly pastoral in character, paternal exhortations written in koiné, the popular Greek language. We hear in these texts the echo of Christ's message of salvation, and of the preaching of the apostles.
The writings of the early Fathers of the Church can help us understand better the revealed truths. Somehow, these writings are like a continuation of the New Testament; they are, in fact, the first links in the chain of Tradition. They may have been written many centuries ago, but they have not lost their freshness and vigor: They can still inspire us in our dialogue with God, stir us out of our self-complacency or lukewarmness, and encourage us to aspire for new goals of sanctity and apostolate.
The so-called Reformers cut off Sacred Scriptures from the living Tradition of the Church. On the other hand, the rationalists treated Sacred Scriptures as purely human documents, and interpreted them by using scientific and historical norms alone. The Church protested against these errors and encouraged us instead to go to the witnesses of Tradition in order to clarify the meaning of Scriptural passages. The First Vatican Council, for instance, warned against interpreting Sacred Scriptures contrary to the unanimous agreement of the Fathers (Sess. 3, c. 2). The Second Vatican Council has also reminded us of the supreme importance of the study of the Fathers of the Church (Optatam Totius, n. 16).
There are excellent critical collections of the Early Fathers' works. Unfortunately, it is not so easy to have one of such collections at home for use as spiritual reading or as inspirational source book. This volume is an attempt to offer these texts to a wider circle of Christians who want to familiarize themselves with the thoughts of our ancestors in the faith–to go to the roots, as it were, so as to understand what the primitive Church believed and prayed.
With this purpose in mind, the author has sought to clear the texts (as translated from the originals) of complicated words and expressions. Whenever possible, archaic terms have been substituted with their modern equivalents.
To ease the burden for those who may have little knowledge of Patrology, a selection has been made of the most relevant passages of each work, but seeking all the while to present a complete picture of it. The paragraphs or chapters omitted have not been indicated in the text. Their chapter numbers identifies all passages.
May the joyful light of Christ's truth, present in these writings, transform the reader's life as was the experience of the early Christians: Each tried to make his life consistent –coherent– with his faith.