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Patristic Study
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
208 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 2, 2018
In my continuing study of the writings of the early Church Fathers [1], I have been able to find quite a few books on archive.org like this one which have gone out of print and are in the public domain. It is unlikely that this book was read a great deal when it was published, and its message would be unwelcome to most ministers even today. Despite the best interests of at least a few publishers and writers to better acquaint contemporary readers with the Apostolic Fathers and later writers, most of these people remain obscure to the vast majority of readers. It should be noted that the author's suggestions about developing a familiarity with the early church writers is sensible if one is a Hellenistic Christian. If you believe in the Trinity and want to know why it is that your tradition has such a widespread ignorance of apostolic practice as well as the Old Testament or anything involving Hebrew, this book and its recommended course of study are very worthwhile. If, however, you wish to recover apostolic practice, this book will provide comparatively little of value, because the author's perspective and those he celebrates will have been rejected because they were so far out of the apostolic view.
This book is mercifully a short one of a bit more than 200 pages. The author begins with introductory material that points out the widespread neglect among believers of the writings of the Church Fathers (1). After this he discusses the early Church Fathers and early Apologists of the first two centuries AD giving a discussion of what he thinks the most important aspects of these thinkers is (2). After this he moves on to the third centuries fathers like Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Turtillian of both Greek and early Latin traditions (3). After this comes a detailed discussion of the post-Nicene Fathers of the Greek and Eastern traditions like Eusebius, the Cappadocian Brothers, Cyril of Alexandria, the Syrian writers, and the controversial fathers of Antioch (4). Next the author looks at the post-Nicene Fathers of the Western tradition like Hilary, Ambrose, and Augustine (5), about whom the author has particular praise (similar to his praise of Origin and a few others). After this the author finishes the book with chapters on a course of study that one can undertake of the Church Fathers (6) and some aids to this study that are sadly woefully obsolete at this point, one thinks (7).
The amount of reading this author thinks is appropriate for understanding the Church Fathers ranges on the low end from a few dozen books to, on the high end, hundreds of volumes of material. The author assumes that the reader will have a grasp of Greek and Latin that is sufficient in tackling the Church Fathers in their original languages. On top of all this, the author has a theology that greatly praises the studies of early Catholic and Orthodox writers without necessarily having a high view of contemporary claims for Roman authority. Nonetheless, the High Anglican approach of the author is not one that is ultimately too far from an English Catholic perspective and will likely be unwelcome to those whose interest in ancient church history is not all that profound. For those who have very different theological views from the author, the author's praise for a given thinker for his striking originality or for his elevated Neoplatonism shines a light on less praiseworthy aspects of those thinkers, making this book more or less the opposite judgment on various ancient writers and their approach to Christianity than my own views. What the author praises are those aspects of early Christian thought I find most blameworthy, which means this author and I are at cross-purposes, despite our mutual interest in early religious history.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
This book is mercifully a short one of a bit more than 200 pages. The author begins with introductory material that points out the widespread neglect among believers of the writings of the Church Fathers (1). After this he discusses the early Church Fathers and early Apologists of the first two centuries AD giving a discussion of what he thinks the most important aspects of these thinkers is (2). After this he moves on to the third centuries fathers like Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Turtillian of both Greek and early Latin traditions (3). After this comes a detailed discussion of the post-Nicene Fathers of the Greek and Eastern traditions like Eusebius, the Cappadocian Brothers, Cyril of Alexandria, the Syrian writers, and the controversial fathers of Antioch (4). Next the author looks at the post-Nicene Fathers of the Western tradition like Hilary, Ambrose, and Augustine (5), about whom the author has particular praise (similar to his praise of Origin and a few others). After this the author finishes the book with chapters on a course of study that one can undertake of the Church Fathers (6) and some aids to this study that are sadly woefully obsolete at this point, one thinks (7).
The amount of reading this author thinks is appropriate for understanding the Church Fathers ranges on the low end from a few dozen books to, on the high end, hundreds of volumes of material. The author assumes that the reader will have a grasp of Greek and Latin that is sufficient in tackling the Church Fathers in their original languages. On top of all this, the author has a theology that greatly praises the studies of early Catholic and Orthodox writers without necessarily having a high view of contemporary claims for Roman authority. Nonetheless, the High Anglican approach of the author is not one that is ultimately too far from an English Catholic perspective and will likely be unwelcome to those whose interest in ancient church history is not all that profound. For those who have very different theological views from the author, the author's praise for a given thinker for his striking originality or for his elevated Neoplatonism shines a light on less praiseworthy aspects of those thinkers, making this book more or less the opposite judgment on various ancient writers and their approach to Christianity than my own views. What the author praises are those aspects of early Christian thought I find most blameworthy, which means this author and I are at cross-purposes, despite our mutual interest in early religious history.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
November 30, 2025
A brief handbook to reading the Church Fathers.
This short work provides a background to all the Church Fathers up to Gregory the Great and John of Damascus. Terse and to the point, it assumes some background. The target, as stated, is the turn-of-the-century English parish priest (Anglican). As this is the audience, it assumes the Fathers will be read in the original Greek or Latin, although it does make allowance for those with poor language skills to read some of the more difficult Fathers in translation.
Given the publication date, it relies on Lightfoot for text and background and Harnack for doctrinal history (who has been somewhat superseded). It doesn’t provide any church history context per se (again assumed), only a summary of the development of doctrinal thought in the last chapter.
It works through the Fathers in roughly chronological order. From Apostolic Fathers to the Apologists, to the early Theologians, to the Cappadocians and Nicean Fathers to the Early Post-Nicean Western Fathers. Given the target audience, it refers to the titles of the work mostly in Latin, but sometimes in Greek. It recommends the 388 set of Migne’s Fathers, but recognizes that it is beyond the means of most people (although it does mention that it is available for 290 pounds (in 1900)).
The last two chapters provide a valuable summary of the key works and give a reading plan as well as an organization of the Fathers’ works by theological topic. It also makes the case of the value of the Fathers, beginning with their value for textual criticism (in the critical editions only, please)! It makes a compelling case for their value for biblical study, theology, apologetics, history, liturgies, and pastoral work, as almost all were working pastors. The bibliographies and information in these chapters would have been invaluable in the pre-Internet age.
Recommended with reservations.
This short work provides a background to all the Church Fathers up to Gregory the Great and John of Damascus. Terse and to the point, it assumes some background. The target, as stated, is the turn-of-the-century English parish priest (Anglican). As this is the audience, it assumes the Fathers will be read in the original Greek or Latin, although it does make allowance for those with poor language skills to read some of the more difficult Fathers in translation.
Given the publication date, it relies on Lightfoot for text and background and Harnack for doctrinal history (who has been somewhat superseded). It doesn’t provide any church history context per se (again assumed), only a summary of the development of doctrinal thought in the last chapter.
It works through the Fathers in roughly chronological order. From Apostolic Fathers to the Apologists, to the early Theologians, to the Cappadocians and Nicean Fathers to the Early Post-Nicean Western Fathers. Given the target audience, it refers to the titles of the work mostly in Latin, but sometimes in Greek. It recommends the 388 set of Migne’s Fathers, but recognizes that it is beyond the means of most people (although it does mention that it is available for 290 pounds (in 1900)).
The last two chapters provide a valuable summary of the key works and give a reading plan as well as an organization of the Fathers’ works by theological topic. It also makes the case of the value of the Fathers, beginning with their value for textual criticism (in the critical editions only, please)! It makes a compelling case for their value for biblical study, theology, apologetics, history, liturgies, and pastoral work, as almost all were working pastors. The bibliographies and information in these chapters would have been invaluable in the pre-Internet age.
Recommended with reservations.
July 5, 2013
I read this book with facility with Latin and Greek and an inherent interest in the subject, being Catholic, but with no particular knowledge of early Church history or the Church Fathers.
This book is not very long, and by design cursory. Swete catalogs the prominent authors of the early period, dividing them into chapters: 1) The 2nd century; 2) The 3rd century; 3) Post-Nicene Fathers (Greek and Eastern); 4) Post-Nicene Fathers (Latin). He concludes with recommendations of particular authors and works, several approaches to studying this rich and rewarding field based on interest (Biblical scholarship, theology, history of dogma, etc.), and an extensive bibliography which is almost certainly outdated.
Swete is an excellent scholar and clear writer; his interjections and editorials are rare but welcome. His book delivers on its promise. As I mentioned, I am not a patristic scholar, but I do know that advances in the field have been made in the last 100 years, making this book a good summary but of limited (though decidedly of some) use to aspiring students.
Although he is methodical in his organization, he has no particular template for the Church fathers -- one will receive an extensive biography at the beginning of his section, whereas this element comes at the end of the section of another. Some fathers' works are only briefly described, while those of others receive more detail in no particular order. This makes retention of the information more difficult and the flow more abrupt (although the language is lucid).
This book is not very long, and by design cursory. Swete catalogs the prominent authors of the early period, dividing them into chapters: 1) The 2nd century; 2) The 3rd century; 3) Post-Nicene Fathers (Greek and Eastern); 4) Post-Nicene Fathers (Latin). He concludes with recommendations of particular authors and works, several approaches to studying this rich and rewarding field based on interest (Biblical scholarship, theology, history of dogma, etc.), and an extensive bibliography which is almost certainly outdated.
Swete is an excellent scholar and clear writer; his interjections and editorials are rare but welcome. His book delivers on its promise. As I mentioned, I am not a patristic scholar, but I do know that advances in the field have been made in the last 100 years, making this book a good summary but of limited (though decidedly of some) use to aspiring students.
Although he is methodical in his organization, he has no particular template for the Church fathers -- one will receive an extensive biography at the beginning of his section, whereas this element comes at the end of the section of another. Some fathers' works are only briefly described, while those of others receive more detail in no particular order. This makes retention of the information more difficult and the flow more abrupt (although the language is lucid).
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews