A Patristic Treasury, Early Church Wisdom for Today

by James R. Payton Jr.

The writings of the Church Fathers are regularly lauded but rarely read, partly because their sheer volume is so daunting. Yet they constitute the "first story" of the Christian faith, built upon its apostolic foundation, which we ignore at our peril. Patristic scholar James Payton has made the Fathers easily accessible by selecting passages that are devotionally stimulating, doctrinally thought-provoking, or epigrammatically striking. With his help, the average Christian can find stimulation, comfort, challenge, and inspiration in the Church Fathers.

Genres: Christianity

649 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2013

About the author

James R. Payton Jr. (PhD, University of Waterloo, Canada) is emeritus professor of history at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. He is the author of Light from the Christian East: An Introduction to the Orthodox Tradition and Getting the Reformation Wrong: Correcting Some Misunderstandings, as well as the editor of A Patristic Treasury: Early Church Wisdom for Today.

Reviews

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is OK for reading Patristic quotes on a variety of topics, but as with any such book you are reading quotes that the editor decided were significant, but you don't know why he chose these particular quotes, nor do you have the context they occur in, nor do you know what he chose not to include. I read these type of books mostly looking for quotes to put in the parish bulletin or on my blog but they don't help you understand the Fathers completely. All you are getting is a collection of "sound bites" from church fathers with no idea whether the quote is mainstream to the father or was rather an unusual idea for the father but of significance to Editor Payton or advances some agenda Payton has. There are better ways to read the Fathers than to sort through quotes taken out of context.

[Saint Katherine BookstoreVA]

Christians are quick to urge each other to read the Bible. And so should we, there are harvests beyond measure within. But what can one expect to gain when one invests time and effort in working through the “shoots and branches”, the writings of the faithful men and women of the
unified Church of the first thousand years?

If read with an open heart and mind, one sees a structured Body of Christ, an institution spanning centuries, but touching individual lives in each particular moment. One sees ascetics, presbyters, and bishops, first and foremost pastors, who lived and preached their theology as embodiments of the Good Shepherd tending His flock. One finds one’s ancestors in the Faith, two or three of whom will speak to your heart as do your closest friends. One stops imposing one’s modern vanities on how the Bible’s words are to be lived out. One sees men and women for whom grace was costly—their lives, their fortunes, their aspirations, their very being was given over to God.

Payton can help you find the Father who speaks to you. He features short passages quoting a
multitude of Church Fathers, from the immediate successors of the Apostles—such as Justin Martyr and Ignatius of Antioch—through Fathers alive during the Third and Fourth Ecumenical Councils--Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Cyril of Alexandria and Augustine. The majority of Fathers featured are from the Christian East, but the West is well represented by Hilary, Jerome, Augustine, among
others. The readings are coupled with brief introductory biographies that will provide
enough context and background for most readers.

[Ben Smitthimedhin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great quotes by the church fathers from the ante- to post-nicene period. Reading the church fathers in one collection really conveys the unity of their faith. I could catch similarities in the way they interpret Scripture allegorically and typologically: the canon of Scripture is seen in light of the life of Christ.

They also, like Paul, love long lines of thematic paradoxes in Scripture (i.e. Adam brought death, Christ brought life, Eve was disobedient, Mary was obedient, through a tree we all fell, through a tree we're all saved etc.).

My only complaint is that it's less of a collection and more of a quote book from the fathers, but overall you get a sense of what each father stood for. It's sometimes a little difficult to tell them apart though.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not finish this book, but I would like to read it again another time. I found it an excellent resource for quotes from the church fathers and their writings, but it was a little dense and some of the quotes lacked context. I do hope to come back to this book another time.

[Leon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice little introductions to the Church Fathers, but you lack the context while reading. I can understand the appeal for some, but for me, it felt like reading a list of bullet points.