The Fathers of the Church, 3rd Edition

by Mike Aquilina

This new and extensively updated edition is the definitive resource for anyone interested in learning about the Church Fathers and their legacy. Ideal for RCIA, catechists, clergy, as well as lay Catholics who want to learn more about the great teachers of early Christianity.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, History, Theology, Christianity, Christian, Nonfiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1976

About the author

Mike Aquilina is author or editor of more than thirty books, including The Fathers of the Church, The Mass of the Early Christians, and A Year with the Church Fathers. He has co-hosted eight series that air on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). He has co-authored books with Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C., and theologian Scott Hahn. He is past editor of New Covenant magazine and The Pittsburgh Catholic newspaper. He appears weekly on Sirius Radio's "Sonrise Morning Show." Mike and his wife, Terri, have six children, who are the subject of his book Love in the Little Things.

In 2011 Mike was a featured presenter of the U.S. Bishops' Diocesan Educational/Catechetical Leadership Institute. He also wrote the USCCB's theological reflection for Catechetical Sunday in 2011.

His reviews, essays and journalism have appeared in many journals, including First Things, Touchstone, Crisis, Our Sunday Visitor, National Catholic Register, and Catholic Heritage. He contributed work on early Christianity to the Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought.

Mike is a also poet whose works have appeared in U.S. literary journals and have been translated into Polish and Spanish. He shared songwriting credits with Grammy Award-winner Dion DiMucci on the forthcoming album "Tank Full of Blues."

Reviews

[Manny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid book that surveys the Church Fathers (and a few Mothers too) from the very early days – shortly after the New Testament documents were written (first century) to the eighth century. It spans St. Clement of Rome, who was probably a disciple of St. Peter, to St. John of Damascus, who was part of the refutation of the iconoclastic heresies in the eighth century. There are fifty-four different Church Fathers represented, and what is particularly excellent is the background information. Where the Acts of the Apostles leaves off, the Church Fathers pick up to provide the history, theology, and apologetics of Christian thinking. Aquilina states:
“As heirs to the Apostles, the leaders and teachers of the early Church – the Fathers of the Church – were intensely concerned with preserving the unity and integrity of the “company of those who believed,” even as that company grew from a small band of several hundred to encompass millions of people speaking dozens of languages and dispersed throughout the Roman Empire.”

Aquilina discusses each of the Fathers and provides excerpts of key texts and important biographical information. Take for instance the first paragraph on St. Polycarp of Smyrna:
“St. Polycarp (c. 69-155) could be called the most well-connected man in the ancient Church. At one end of his long life, he was a young disciple of St. John the Apostle. At middle age, he was a bishop-colleague of St. Ignatius of Antioch. As an old man, he was master to the young boy who would grow up to be St. Irenaeus of Lyons. By his longevity, St. Polycarp was able to teach many how to live as the Apostles had taught him to live. By his death as a martyr, at age eighty-six, he taught generations of persecuted Christians after him how to die.”

Aquilina concisely explains the shifting political situations as the centuries roll by and the key arguments and heresies of the times. He provides a handy list of the councils and the evolution of the creeds. Mostly Aqulina lets the Fathers speak in their own voice. All the well-known fathers are represented: St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Justin Martyr, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Origen, St. Anthanasius, St. Basil, St. Gregory of Nazianus, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and so on. I can’t name them all, but it includes both east and west traditions. It also includes many that are less well known, ones I never heard of: Hermas, Lactantius, St. Pacian of Barcelona, St. Ramanus the Singer, Theodore of Mopsuestia.

What kind of works are represented? We see in the writings all the Church doctrines we have now. We have an excerpt of St. Aristedes of Athens’ apologetic letter to the Greco-Roman pagan (actually addressed to the Emperor Hadrian) world explaining the nature of the Christian deity. Then in a different era with Christianity now the prominent religion, we have St. Ambrose’s letter to his emperor explaining how it was out of place for him, a secular leader, to intrude on Christian doctrine. We have a nativity hymn composed by St. Ephrem of Syria in the middle of the fourth century and a Christmas carol from Prudentius composed a century later. We have from St. Irenaeus in the second century a discourse on Mary as the new Eve and from St. Jerome in the fourth or early fifth centuries on Mary’s perpetual virginity. We have from St. Basil “On the Holy Spirit” and from St. Augustine “On the Trinity.” We have recounts of martyrdoms from an anonymous letter recounting the martyrdom of St. Polycarp, from St. Perpeuta herself leading up to her martyrdom, and the heroic martyrdoms witnessed by St. Dionysius the Great. We have refutations of heresies from St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Irenaeus, St. Clement of Alexandria, and others. We have pastoral texts on how to live the Christian life, how to understand the Church and the sacraments, and how to read and understand sacred scripture. What we have in these excerpts is the complete faith in microcosm.

This is a handy reference for one’s bookshelf. I gave it four stars but four and a half is more accurate. If not this book, you should have one just like it.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Some may not, as they may find the discussions of the individual fathers too brief...but that is kind of what I like about it. It notes that it is an introduction right in the title, but I find it very helpful to have one book where they are all included and differentiated by time periods, from the Apostolic Fathers, outward....It allowed me to grasp them in context better, in the whole general overview of time, with just enough information to pique my interest about each of them. I think it is a great resource to have.

[Elizabeth Faustina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took this as part of a course, and I loved every minute of reading the excerpts, and want to read it again on my own! Reading it made me even more passionate about my Catholic Faith than ever and ready to defend it, especially in regards to Scripture and Tradition.

[Mary O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent historical backgrounds provided on each of the Fathers (and a short chapter on the Mothers who can also be found in their own book by Aquilina) followed by some of their most important writings. Keeping this on my reference shelf. Samples include:

St. Clement of Rome, the 4th pope who learned from Sts Peter and Paul, wrote some time between AD 69-96 on order in the Church: “The Apostles preached the Gospel to us from the Lord Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ has done so from God. Christ therefore was sent forth by God, and the Apostles by Christ. Both these appointments, then, were made in an orderly way, according to the will of God. Having therefore received their orders, and being fully assured by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and established in the word of God, with full assurance of the Holy Spirit, they went forth proclaiming that the kingdom of God was at hand. And thus preaching through countries and cities, they appointed the first-fruits of their labors (having first proved them by the Spirit) to be bishops and deacons of those who should afterwards believe....
Our Apostles also knew, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that there would be strife on account of the bishop's office. For this reason,... they appointed those already mentioned, and afterwards gave instructions that when these should fall asleep, other approved men should succeed them in their ministry...”

St. Ignatius of Antioch who was a disciple of John and installed as Bishop of Antioch by Peter and Paul, and was martyred in Rome in 107 wrote on heresy and the Eucharist: “They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, and which the Father, of His goodness, raised up again. Those, therefore, who speak against this gift of God, incur death in the midst of their disputes.....
See that you all follow the bishop, even as Christ Jesus does the Father, and the priests as you would the Apostles. Reverence the deacons as those who carry out the appointment of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist which is administered either by the bishop or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude also be; even as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God, so that everything done may be secure and valid.”

St Ambrose writing in the 4th Century on Grace Greater Than Nature: “We observe, then, that grace has more power than nature, and yet so far we have only spoken of the grace of a prophet's blessing. But if the blessing of man had such power as to change nature, what are we to say of that divine consecration where the very words of the Lord and Savior operate? For the sacrament that you receive is made what it is by the word of Christ. But if the word of Elijah had such power as to bring down fire from heaven, shall not the word of Christ have power to change the nature of the elements? You read concerning the making of the whole world: "He commanded and they were created" (Ps 148:5). Shall not the word of Christ, which was able to make out of nothing that which was not, be able to change things which already are into what they were not? For it is not less to give a new nature to things than to change them.”

St. Jerome who lived from 342-420 on Mary’s Virginity: “I was asked by some of the brethren to reply to a
pamphlet written by a Helvidius. I have delayed doing so — not because it is a difficult matter to maintain the truth and refute an ignorant boor who has hardly known the first glimmer of learning — but because I was afraid my reply might make him appear worth defeating... But all these good reasons for silence no longer influence me, because of the scandal caused to the brethren.... Therefore, the axe of the Gospel must be now laid to the root of the barren tree, and both it and its fruitless foliage cast into the fire, so that Helvidius, who has never learned to speak, may at length learn to hold his tongue....
His first statement was: "Matthew says, Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly.
But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit' (Mt 1:18-20). Notice, says Helvidius, that the word used is betrothed, not entrusted as you say, and of course the only reason why she was betrothed was that she might one day be married. And the Evangelist would not have said before they came together if they were not to come together, for no one would use the phrase "before he ate" to describe a man who was not going to eat. Then, again, the angel calls her wife and speaks of her as united to Joseph. We are next invited to listen to the declaration of Scripture: "When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus" (Mt 1:24-25).

St. Leo the Great writing in 451 against the heresies of Nestorianism and Monophysitism: “The whole body of the faithful confess that they believe in God the Father Almighty, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. By these three statements the devices of almost all heretics are overthrown. For not only is God believed to be both Almighty and the Father, but the Son is shown to be co-eternal with Him, differing in nothing from the Father because He is God from God, Almighty from Almighty, and being born from the Eternal One, is co-eternal with Him; not later in point of time, not lower in power, not unlike in glory, not divided in essence: but at the same time, the only-begotten of the eternal Father was born eternal of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary....
Without detriment, therefore, to the properties of either nature and substance which then came together in one person, majesty took on humility; strength, weakness; eternity, mortality. And to pay off the debt belonging to our condition, inviolable nature was united with Passible nature, so that, as suited the needs of our case, one and the same Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, could both die with the one and not die with the other. Thus in the whole and perfect nature of true man was true God born, complete in what was His own, complete in what was ours.”

St. John of Damascus addressed iconoclasts (those who believed praying before images was idolatry) in 728 by appealing to Scripture, Tradition, and common sense. He acknowledged that the Old Covenant forbade prayer before images. But, he added, the Incarnation changed everything. "In former times, God, being without form or body, could in no way be represented. But today, since God has appeared in the flesh and lived among men, I can represent what is visible in God. I do not worship matter, but I worship the Creator of matter who became matter for my sake... and who, through matter, accomplished my salvation."
Next, he listed the times when God either commanded or approved the making of images: Moses raising of the bronze serpent in the desert; the figures of cherubim woven round the Ark of the Covenant; and the angels of gold in Solomon's Temple. Yet all these, though commanded by God, would be forbidden by the iconoclasts.
John went on to make a now-classic distinction that may be his greatest contribution to theology. He explained the difference between latria, which is adoration or worship due only to God, and proskinesis, which is honor or veneration given to creatures. A Christian offers latria in prayer to God and in the liturgy; he offers proskinesis to his parents, to civil authorities, to the flag, to the saints and angels, and to the images and relics of Christ.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 3 out of 5]

My biggest complaint is the disconnect between the biographies Aquilina provides for each Father and the subsequent extracts from their surviving works that had little to do with what he'd just been saying about them. This is fine for anyone who is merely interested in a theological survey, but for those who'd like to know the personalities of these figures a little better, I'm just not convinced this book nailed that aspect. So I would chiefly recommend it to those who merely want to get to know the Fathers, rather than what they wrote. Apparently many of the Fathers became known as such for their battles against various heresies, and ironically some of them later fell into heresy. It makes for fascinating reading, but again, at the point when he wrote this I just think Aquilina was entirely out of his depth, more interested in codifying religious canon than exploring the figures he set out to investigate. To be clear, it's almost as if this is a collection of homilies with contextual embellishment. It just might be that it's not what this particular reader expected. Interesting reading, anyway.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good. It outlined some key heresies in the Church and showed how the Church Fathers had a positive impact to combating some of these pivotal heresies which the Church was riddled with. This provides an intellectual foundation for knowing who the Church fathers were throughout history and what exactly they did. I loved learning about the history of each of these theological icons, and some of their teachings on the Incarnation, the Trinity, and other spiritual concepts. Highly recommended!


P.S: I do wish I had more time to read this, but it was really good even in the short time I had.

[JJ Cylk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pick this book up from my church library. I started reading. Hope I would only take a month or so but as you can see, it took a few months I would read maybe five or 10 pages a day and then a time skip for a week. It was a very easy read. It was a very enlightening read.

I understand how some reviewer‘s. We’re a little disappointed because they didn’t go into much detail, but this being a single book you could only dedicate so many pages per father of the church, so I found all the information to be a great starting point and now I can say I have started reading the fathers of the church

[Eduardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a Christmas gift from Laura.

Alright! The Church Fathers! A vaguely-defined group of prominent men from the early Church that helped to work out theology in the first few centuries of Christianity. Not all of them are saints! Some of them are, and they had rather interesting lives and angry letters towards the other scholars of the day. This book gives a run-through of the big names, along with short excerpts of their writing.

[There is also a brief bit on Church Mothers, as the author felt he couldn’t finish without mentioning them, though he has a full book about them.]

As the author describes in the acknowledgments, this is an introduction to the topic. He includes a bibliography of texts that you can use for further research, along with notes on those sources and how best to approach them.

I wondered if and how Origen would be covered in the book. There are some who don’t really consider him a Church Father, but he does have an entry in this book. It also covers the whole self-castration thing, though my understanding is that there’s debate as to whether that actually happened. I suppose when discussing Origen, you have to bring it up, though.

And Saint Polycarp sounds awesome, actually? I need to research them more.

It’s a very good introduction to the Church Fathers–if you have an interest in the topic, in Church history, or the development of theology as a field, then this is not a bad place to start.

[Emily Sparks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid and worth reading. There are many well known names in here, plus some I had never heard of. The brief bio and selection is a smooth format, and it is very helpful to see everyone discussed in chronological order.

It occasionally gets overly apologetical, with unnecessary references to Protestant points of dispute, which is a bit distracting since that is not the point of the book, and because the selections speak for themselves. His commentary is sometimes anachronistic, especially regarding the papacy and how other bishops related to it. Also, sometimes the selection choices are odd. Gregory the Great, for example, does not seem like it gives a good representation of his writings.

Nevertheless this book is helpful to anyone wanting to learn more about this era and literature. It is worth reading.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Fathers of the Church” is an interesting, but brief and scattered, synopsis of early church history and the men who established the Catholic Church in the first few centuries. The letters included range from tedious to deeply philosophical, but leave the reader wanting a much more comprehensive history. The history would have also been enhanced with much less bias from the author in several different episodes. The two central takeaways: there were many schisms of the early church which was far more fragmented than united, and seeing these early wise men decipher, interpret, and argue about competing doctrinal disputes.

[Adam Lees · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tour through early Christian history via biographies of the Church Fathers, with selected writings from each. Very clever and enjoyable way to structure a book like this. Aquilina is a Roman Catholic and makes this known in his presentation of some of the fathers. That's his right, it's his book and he's making the case for what he believes to be true, but I prefer something with a more neutral stance.

[Dagmara R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book to anybody who wants to learn how early Christians understood Christianity. Thanks to their writings the unbreakable chain of apostolic succession would be preserved for future generations, and their voices can be heard today with astounding clarity. This is an excellent book, which can serve as a reference point to further research. Happy studies!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would shelve this book as the top ten books Catholic must read. Most Christian media I've seen is protestant, so reading this book was eye opening to understanding my own history as a Catholic. Learned so much about doctrine and met some astounding saints, and this was just the introduction! Looking forward to researching more about each one!

[Brace1737 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fathers of the Church can be read as a reference book, a collective biography, or a history of the early church. Whatever approach you take, you will agree that Mike Aquilina does a fine presentation.

[Lucinda Vinoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good teaching tool for those wishing to learn more about the roots of their Catholic faith. It gives a great overview of many of the Church Fathers and their part in the formation of the Catholic religion and its Biblical basis.

[Jordan Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable read. My respect for the Fathers has really, really intensified as of late, and this book contributed to that. The way they lived their lives—in holiness—has been motivating to me, also.

[Rachael Malfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start for anyone interested in the foundational aspects of Christianity. I'm familiar with most of the early church members, but didn't really read a whole lot of their writings. For anyone that wants a cliffs notes version of that era of history, would recommend.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

What better way to learn about my faith that to learn it from the early Church Fathers? This book is a very good start. Brief biographies, two or three examples of their writings and plenty of resources cited at the end of the book.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, the only reason that I technically "didn't finish" this is because my class skipped around to different parts. But this was an interesting collection of primary sources from antiquity.

[Dona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very interesting to hear what the early fathers said. A lot of back ground.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview. A few unproven assumptions like into the text to support the Roman Catholic viewpoint. However on the whole a worthwhile read for all denominations.

[Monica Canales Trujillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read with my Women's Bible Study. Though provoking

[Joan Mattingly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and I learned alot! The books gives a little bio of each father and then some of their writing. The writing from some of the fathers was difficult for me but that's how we learn!

[Pamela Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will be made easy to read and understand what is a Father? Who Are the Fathers? Their place in the Theology that forms the Church. For those who want to understand the influences of the Fathers and where their beliefs may have derived from this is not a scholarly book, but it is well preserves the truths to a natural understanding. There will either be Greek Fathers who has a strong influence from philosophy, and are culturally eastern and the Western are Latin. There will be a lot of differences as their are personalities. Some are considered Saints and others are not. Regardless of their upbringing and influences they each contribute to the gospel of Paul's whose Theology they all resembled closely to and with the wisdom of Jesus.

With persecutions going on at this time they became more like protectors of the word. They struggled with docetic heresy such as Jesus only seemed to be human and wasn't really a pure spirit.

How could God not be a Spirit?

In there time the Gospel was of truth not as we perceive it as being 66 books in one book.

Some were divided because of the understanding of allegorical, moral, and anagogical senses.
They went through processes as most will today in determining what should be accepted or rejected in their faith. This book will show each one as honored in their belief to actual teaching of faith in the Lord. This is more for a serious bible student on a mature level as others can easily misinterpret what the Fathers were really saying.

Like the Greek philosophers I agree with asking questions and to look within for truth. This would be more comparable to the leading of ones life not simply based on moral teachings.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent, greatly expanded edition of an overview for intelligent Christians who are looking for a place to begin to understand Patristics (the writings of the Church Fathers). I can't think of anything that is more important for a Christian or a student of Christianity. We strive to hear the Spirit, but sometimes we disregard the Spirit speaking through Tradition. Mike Aquilina has added more authors and focused more on the texts of the Fathers. He's also added a section on female writers in the early Church.

Aquilina's brief, readable book serves as an introduction to the Fathers and how their ideas relate to the great councils of the Church. He follows that foreword with 3 chapters, one for those thinkers who preceded the Council of Nicaea, those who were contemporaneous, and those who followed it. For each Father, Aquilina gives a well-researched biographical sketch, followed by a representive piece of that Father's writing. It's a nice blend of commentary and tract, context and text. The author's prose is sharp, direct, concise and unobtrusive, the selections well-chosen and, in this edition, greatly expanded. The result is an eminently readable book that leaves you wanting to drink more deeply at the Patristic well.

[Graham Cammock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a tremendous book! A humbling experience, the book really makes you come to appreciate the earliest Christian bishops, popes, monks and teachers, of which I would have been otherwise totally ignorant of. They were such important and good people, as many of them were martyrs, they bore so much suffering and torture for the Christain faith. In fact they are so essential to Christianity, that with out their devotion and martyrdom, the faith would probably not be here in the form we have it today. I also admire how the fathers kept a tight lid on heresy and mysticism, and preserved the orthodox doctrine of Christianity that we have today, I have read a lot a about mysticism and find it inferior to orthodox doctrine. The book also gives you a deep appreciation of Catholicism. I would say we are in a state of ignorance if we have not read about the fathers of the church.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one up on a whim one day. It's a pretty good introduction to Patristics, and it gives a history of the Church Fathers, along with some excerpts from their writings. The book is quite good, and I believe it is used in seminary courses.



If you're looking for a good introduction to the Church Fathers, and don't have the time to start reading the voluminous outputs of them, then I would recommend this book.

[Gillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, having always held a curiosity about who these "fathers" of the church were. It was a pretty easy read - a true "introduction." After I finished this, I read "The Mass of the Early Christians," also by Mike Aquilina. That book was a good follow-up and expansion of this one. It is very interesting historically but also ties the hearts of modern-day Christians to our fore-brothers and sisters in the faith.

[Kevin Bensema · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fathers of the Church is a good introduction to the Fathers of the Church. Written from a Catholic point of view, the author gives some contextual details about Fathers from the apostolic, ante-Nicene, Nicene, and post-Nicene eras, along with one to several excerpts from their works. In addition to giving a quick overview of what some of the fathers (and early Christian women) believed, this book does a great job helping to populate a Patristics reading list.

[Richard R., Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an OK book given its stated purpose in the title. It give a brief biography of each of the Fathers and then some selected writings from them. Sometimes the writings were hard to understand and the introductory reader could have benefited more from a more in depth explanation of the reading. I also would have preferred a more in depth biography. One item in the book that is very useful is a brief description of various heresies of the Patristic era.