THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS: The Early Christian Writings of Church Leaders Who Followed Soon After the Apostles of Jesus Christ

by J.B. Lightfoot

The Apostolic Fathers are a small number of Early Christian authors who lived and wrote in the second half of the 1st century and the first half of the 2nd century. They are acknowledged as leaders in the early church, although their writings were not included in the New Testament. They include Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, the author of the Didache, and the author of the Shepherd of Hermas. The Apostolic Fathers, the earliest extant Christian writings outside the New Testament, are a primary resource for the study of early Christianity. These works are important because their authors were contemporaries of the biblical writers. J. B. Lightfoot is known as the greatest British New Testament scholar of the nineteenth century.

Genres: Christian History

243 pages, Paperback

Published March 19, 2020

About the author

The Right Reverend Joseph Barber Lightfoot, D.D. (Trinity College, Cambridge University, 1864; M.A., Cambridge, 1854; B.A., Cambridge, 1851) was an Anglican theologian who was ordinaed priest in 1858. He served as Hulsean Professor of Divinity at Cambridge, 1861–75, Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity 1875–79, and was consecrated Bishop of Durham by William Thomson, Archbishop of York, entering the House of Lords ex officio in 1879.

Reviews

[Daniël Linzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the contents (except The shepherd of Hermas), to read what those early Christian writers thought and were concerned about, but this translation and editing were a bit sloppy. It is very much "King James" language, which is not always as clear as it could be, but there were also many spelling errors, missing letters, spaces and interpunction. If you are interested in the apostolic fathers, I would recommend a different translation.