Faith of the Early Fathers: Three-Volume Set

This three-volume concise survey of the Early Church Fathers is really an extraordinary work, spanning ca 80 A.D. with Pope St. Clement of Rome's Letter to the Corinthians to ca. 743 A.D.'s Second Homily on the Dormition of Mary by St. John Damascene. Being a survey, you will not find the complete writings, but selected excerpts that convey the essential thoughts of each Father. If you need to read the full work, you can find it free at NewAdvent org under the "Fathers" tab.As a simple lay Catholic with a desire to learn more about the early Church, it was a bit daunting to look at the amount of writings available. Where do you begin? What are the important works? What are the most relevant pieces of those works? In my opinion, The Faith of the Early Church Fathers was made for someone like me. It has three indices - Scriptural, General, and a very helpful Doctrinal index. It is carefully footnoted, sometimes with clarifications of the Greek translation which I found interesting, but is probably of more use to serious students.Some of the highlights you'll find right off the bat in the first volume:Athenagoras of Athens - The Resurrection of the Dead"no work performed by wisdom is without purpose" ... "nothing that uses reason or judgment has been created or is created for use of another creature."St. Justin Matyr - Second Apology:"we worship and love the Word who is from the unbegotten and inexpressible God."St. Ignatius of Antioch - Letter to the Magnesians:"For Christianity did not base it's faith on Judaism, but Judaism on Christianity, in which every tongue believing in God is brought together."The Shepherd of Hermas - Vision 2:"Who is it then?" say I. And he said, "It is the Church." And I said to him, "Why then is she an old woman?" "Because," said he, "she was created first of all. On this account is she old. And for her sake was the world made."These are just a few examples that I flipped open to at random - the entire work has these priceless teachings on every page.Here's another interesting entry from Theophilus of Antioch in To Autolycus: "The three days before the luminaries are created are types of the Trinity; God, His Word, and His Wisdom."Why is this line, written in 180 A.D., important? It's the first use of the word 'Trinity' in reference to the Godhead. My point here is that the same Magisterium that led to the understanding of the Trinity, which is not in the bible, is also what led us to our understanding of the Immaculate Conception and the veneration of Mary, Theotokos.Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, and Athanasius make up over 1/4 of the first volume, and the content is illuminating; for instance, you'll find St. Irenaeus in "Against Heresies", 180-199 A.D. using much of the imagery found in the Nicene Creed (that's the Nicene Creed we know today; you'll find in here also that the Creed that came out of the Council of Nicea is somewhat different.) Here's Irenaeus:"The Church, though dispersed throughout the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith: [She believes] in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them; and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who became incarnate for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed through the prophets the dispensations of God, and the advents, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion, and the resurrection from the dead, and the ascension into heaven in the flesh of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord, and His [future] manifestation from heaven in the glory of the Father "to gather all things in one," and to raise up anew all flesh of the whole human race, in order that to Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Saviour, and King, according to the will of the invisible Father, "every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess" to Him, and that He should execute just judgment towards all; that He may send "spiritual wickednesses," and the angels who transgressed and became apostates, together with the ungodly, and unrighteous, and wicked, and profane among men, into everlasting fire; but may, in the exercise of His grace, confer immortality on the righteous, and holy, and those who have kept His commandments, and have persevered in His love, some from the beginning [of their Christian course], and others from [the date of] their repentance, and may surround them with everlasting glory."There is very little "Catholic" interpretation by Jurgens; the Fathers pretty much speak for themselves, and what they have to say is important: there *is* a Church hierarchy of bishops, priests, and deacons; the 'country of the Romans' has the Church of the 'presidency'; the Eucharist is *not* merely a symbol of bread and wine but the real body and blood of Christ; the sacraments are needed, and only those authorized (ordained) can administer them. On and on it goes.This is not to take a gratuitous shot at our Protestant brethren: many (most?) of them put me to shame in the holiness of their lives and their understanding of scripture. But any Protestant that really reads what the Early Church Fathers have to say about the Tradition and Magisterium of the Catholic Church with an open mind and an open heart, cannot possibly come away without at least some major questions about the doctrinal underpinnings of the Reformers. To my mind, there is no doubt that the Catholic Church is the true body of Christ, and I pray for the day when we can heal our wounds and come together as one against the work of the prince of this world.One last comment on the physical characteristics of this set: the layout is functional if not pretty; the cover and binding appear solid but are not great - these are in no way 'heirlooms.' They won't look real pretty on your bookshelf, but they are beautiful when you open them in your hands.

This set is a great introduction to the Early Church Fathers from the first to the seventh centuries. Although it is excerpts, you can learn much and broaden your understanding. Don't forget the three helpful indexes at the end of volume three:* Index of Scriptural References and Citations* Doctrinal Index* General Index

This set is priceless to have in your library. These 3 volumes have the writings of the early Church Fathers including the Didache and others that even predate the Bible. It opens ones eyes to see the worship, beliefs, etc of those who walked with Christ and taught by those who were the first Church leaders. The 2nd and 3rd books cover later Fathers but include Augustine and others like him.

If you want to get back to that old time religion it is impossible to do without reading Jurgen's three volume set. Each book provides the reader with invaluable primary sources. This book is eye opening to those interested in what the earliest Christians believed. To understand what it is to be Catholic it will be necessary to read this book. Where did those Catholics get all their ideas and ideals? You will find it here. This is eye opening to what the early church was really like and what it believed. If this does not convince you about the Catholic Church's unchanging Traditions nothing will. Think you are cleaning up those unnecessary man made laws in the Church in order to get back to that old time religion? You may be quite surprised.

This series is absolutely a must for understanding the early beginnings of the Church. I've actually had to buy another one due to how torn and tattered the first volume has become from reading it. Highly recommended!

This set/ collection of teachings by our Church Fathers was poignant in my formation. I returned to the Church with nothing in mind except that I knew I was Baptized in the Catholic Church. My search into Christianity began here with the New Testament of Our Lord and the Psalms. I have a deep sense of gratitude for the 'meat and potatoes' which I received from these when I sought the Truth and was starving for answers. I was converted by Scripture and was taught The Faith. I had nothing and was given everything by beginning to understand the key components of the Apostolic Faith. I had no idea how the Priesthood was real and other things, like that I could still go to confession as a grown up or that at Mass God is with us, that He shows up, not just our thoughts and sentiments of what He once did. When some of my family members would celebrate Christmas Eve by going to Midnight Mass I would decline the invitation. Now I love to come and adore Him... Christ is my Lord!

I bought these books as a further tool for quick reference to the Church Fathers. The only problem is that they are arranged chronologically rather than topically. There is a theological index in the back but it is, in my opinion, sorely lacking. The first topic I wanted to look up wasn't listed (I don't remember now what it was).That said this is still an important work for those interested in the Church Fathers or early Christianity. Another resource I would recommend, though not without it's own biases, is David Bercot's Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs. It is arranged topically, but only deals with the Ante Nicene period. It does unfortunately leave out a few key verses on topics the author does not agree with (intercession of the saints etc.).Ultimately no one resource will meet all the needs of the reader, and the best thing yet is to read the writings of the Church Fathers for yourself. Though labour intensive it is.

I am often looking for collections of texts from the church fathers and I have yet to find one that contains more than this set of books.

For years I have been using DVD's plus a variety of books while trying to establish what the Early Fathers taught on specific topics. It was a 'hit and miss' process that more often resulted in misses even after many laborious hours of research. Now, with this 3 volume guide to the 'Faith of the Early Fathers' the answers to such queries are at hand, thanks to the impressive, systematic analyses carried out by the author, William A. Jurgens.

Proves that the early church fathers believed in the Roman Catholic Faith, and that the other "Christian" sects are not Christian at all!One Lord, One FAITH, One Baptism!

Excellent volumes which give substantial quotations from the Fathers on the great doctrine of the Catholic Faith. A "must" for students of the Early Church.

good