Ante-Nicene Fathers to AD 325

The Letter of the Smyrnaeans or the Martrydom of Polycarp

Barsamya, Bishop of Edessa

The Martyrdom of Barsamya, Bishop of Edessa- (Martyrdom ca. AD 105)

Clement

The Letter of the Smyrnaeans or The Martyrdom of Polycarp

Polycarp of Smyrna
Polycarp is said to have been among those converted by the Apostles, and to have been a disciple of St. John; on the other hand, his martyrdom took place c 155 CE. He thus represents the generation linking the age of the New Testament to that of the Apologists.

Polycarp's life is known mainly from the writings of his disciple Irenaeus of Lyons, made familiar to a wide audience by the extensive quotations in Eusebius. Irenaeus is depicted as the heir to the Johannine tradition; his uncompromising opposition to the heretic Marcion is equated with the evangelist's to Cerinthus. Polycarp was also a defender of the Johannine Easter date, and late in life made a visit to Rome for inconclusive talks on the subject with Pope Anicetus. Besides John, Polycarp was connected with another outstanding figure of the apostolic church: Ignatius of Antioch addressed an epistle to him.

Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna (modern Izmir) in western Asia Minor. Members of his flock wrote an extremely detailed account of their aged hierarch's martyrdom, one of the most famous documents to be passed down from the age of persecution.

The Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna

Hermas

The Shepherd of Hermas

Saint Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius is traditionally said to have been one of the little children whom Jesus bade the Apostles imitate. There is little doubt that he was indeed a disciple of the Twelve: his name is linked especially with those of John, Paul, and Peter. (He is listed as the second successor to Peter in the see of Antioch.) Around 107 CE, during Trajan's persecution, he was taken to Rome and sent to his death in the arena.

Numerous letters have been attributed to Ignatius, and at least seven are authentic. These have sufficed to establish "the Godbearer," as Ignatius is traditionally styled, in the front rank of early Christian theologians. His remarkably developed eucharistic ecclesiology, emphasizing the bishop's central role in the community, has drawn particular comment from modern writers.

Saint Ignatius of Antioch was the third bishop of Antioch. In the year 107, he was brought to Rome under Trajan and thrown to wild beasts. On the way to Rome he wrote to the Christians at Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, and Smyrna and to Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna. These seven letters give an enlightening glimpse not only of the beliefs and internal conditions of early Christian communities, but also of the character of their author.

Ignatius wrote about the virgin birth and divinity of Christ, but stressed especially Christ's human nature. The first writer to call the church catholic, Ignatius described it as a society of love, presided over in love by a bishop with his presbyters and deacons, and assembled in grace, in one faith and one Jesus Christ (Eph. 20). Ignatius considered martyrdom a great honor and asked the Roman Christians not to save him

To the Philadelphians

To the Smyrnaeans

To Polycarp

Justin Martyr
Justin Martyr (d c 165 CE) was a Christian Apologist and Martyr. He was born around the turn of the century in modern day Palestine. He claimed to have been raised a Gentile, and in his search for truth he studied with the Stoics, Aristotelians, Pythagoreans, and Platonists. Impressed by the devotion of Christian martyrs, he was eventually converted to Christianity by an old Christian who taught him about the Hebrew prophets. According to Justin, Christianity filled the highest aspirations of Platonic philosophy and was, therefore, the "true philosophy." During the reign of Antoninus Pius (131-161) he taught in Rome, influencing Tatian and Irenaeus. He was one of the first to consistently use Greek philosophy (especially Platonism) to explain Christian doctrine, thereby setting himself in dramatic opposition to Tertullian, who would ask "what does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?" The Logos (God immanent), he believed, was "other than" the Father (God transcendent) in number, but not in will. Three of his writings, The First Apology, The Second Apology, and The Dialogue with Trypho, the Jew, exist in complete form, though there is some question about the precise relationship between the First and Second Apology. Justin, a central figure in the history of second century Christian thought, suffered martyrdom early in the reign of Marcus Aurelius under Junius Rusticus (prefect 162-168).

Tertullian [ca.155- c.225]
Tertullian of North Africa (probably Carthage) was a Christian apologist and writer, one of the first to write extensively in Latin. Around 195, he converted to Christianity from Paganism. Later he joined the Montanists, a strict, puritan sect, and thereby passed outside of the orthodox Church. He was well-educated and admired by Jerome and Cyprian. Known as the greatest theologian of the West until Augustine, he is described as brilliant, sarcastic, and intolerant. Skeptical of the value of Greek philosophy in articulating Christian truths, Tertullian asked "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?" His treatises, thirty-one of which still exist, are arranged according to Apologetic, Disciplinary and Controversial texts. His Apology is dedicated to proving the social injustice directed against Christians, and his Against Praxeas was written to refute Modal Monarchianism. Tertullian was the first to use the term Trinitas (trinity) to describe the Godhead. In so doing, he paved the way for the development of orthodox Trinitarian and Christological doctrines.

The Apparel of Women (AD 197)

To the Martyrs (AD 197)

Spectacles (de Spectaculis) (AD 197)

Patience (AD 203)

Tertullian`s Against the Valentinians.

Tertullian`s Prescriptions against Heretics.

Tertullian`s Against Marcion, book.1

Tertullian`s Against Marcion, book.2

Tertullian`s Against Marcion, book.3

Tertullian`s Against Marcion, book.4

Tertullian`s Against Marcion, book.5

Tertullian`s Against Hermogenes

Tertullian`s Against Praxeas

Tertullian`s Scorpiace

Apology

On Idolatry

The Shows, or De Spectaculis

The Chaplet, Or De Corona

To Scapula

Ad Nationes [BOOK I]

Ad Nationes [BOOK II]

An Answer To The Jews

The Soul's Testimony

A Treatise On The Soul

On The Flesh Of Christ

On The Resurrection Of The Flesh

Appendix

Clemens Alexandrius
Clement of Alexandria (c 150 - c 230 CE) (born Titus Flavius Clemens) united philosophy and theology by using ideas from Greek philosophy (primarily Plato) to elucidate truths within Christian doctrine. His three main works (Protrepticus, Paedagogus and the unfinished Stromateis) were directed at knowing and practicing a moral, Christian life, by which human beings prepared for their ascent to God, the creator of all things. Clement departed from traditional Christianity by esteeming a true gnosis over and above the belief of ordinary Christians. True Gnostics were held in higher acclaim because they had access to a knowledge that allowed them to receive sacred truths regarding the Word of God. In so doing, Clement united knowledge with the act of faith, maintaining that both are necessary in order to truly understand how to live according to the will of God. Clement was the head of the Catechetical School of Alexandria from 199 to 202.

Clemens Alexandrius, Stromata-Book 1.

Clemens Alexandrius, Stromata-Book 2.

Clemens Alexandrius, Stromata-Book 4.

Clemens Alexandrius, Stromata-Book 6.

Clemens Alexandrius, Stromata-Book 7.

The duel between Simon Magus and Peter, in the Pseudo-Clementine Recognitions, Book 2, Chapters V- LXXII.Pseudo-Clement

Pseudo-Clementine Recognitions, Book 3.Pseudo-Clement

Hippolytus
St. Hippolytus (170- 235 CE) was a leader in the Roman Church from 199 to 217, but in 217, Callistus was named pope over Hippolytus, because the latter held a conservative position concerning the forgiveness of sins. This act so enraged Hippolytus that he left the community in Rome and formed his own religious community outside the city, becoming the first anti-pope. There, he and his followers continued to oppose the succeeding popes until Hippolytus was exiled to the Sardinian mines. During his exile, he met Pope Pontian and made peace between his community and the Catholic Church. Shortly after, both Hippolytus and Pontian resigned their positions to make way for Anteros, whose successor, Fabian, would bring their bodies back to Rome for burial as martyrs. Hippolytus wrote many liturgical treatises throughout his life, the most famous being the Pascal Table and the Philosophumena. The Pascal Table achieved its fame by being carved into the chair of Hippolytus' monument which rests in the Vatican Library. The Philosophumena is contained in the larger work, Against all Heresies, which showed how 32 Christian heresies were traceable to pagan philosophies.

Hippolytus Refutations of all Heresies, Book 1.

Hippolytus Refutations of all Heresies, Book 4.

Hippolytus Refutations of all Heresies, Book 5.

Hippolytus Refutations of all Heresies, Book 6.

Hippolytus Refutations of all Heresies, Book 7.

Hippolytus Refutations of all Heresies, Book 8.

Hippolytus Refutations of all Heresies, Book 9.

Hippolytus Refutations of all Heresies, Book 10.

St. Ireneaus of Lyons
St. Irenaeus (c 130-202 CE) was the most important theologian of the second century. In his youth, Irenaeus knew Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna. Pothinus, first Bishop of Lyons, asked Irenaeus to become a presbyter at the Church of Lyons. During peace missions to Rome, Irenaeus strongly opposed Gnosticism and urged Victor I to maintain peace with Asia Minor concerning a controversy over the correct date of Easter. Pothinus was martyred under the persecutions of Marcus Aurelius in 177 while Irenaeus was away in Rome. Upon Irenaeus' return, he was appointed Bishop of Lyons. Irenaeus' best known writings are Against Heresies and Proof of the Apostolic Preaching. In these works, he refuted Gnosticism and defended the belief that the Old Testament God and the New Testament God are one in the same, using the notions of recapitulation and apostolic tradition as proof. Irenaeus was the first person to develop an Old Testament and New Testament that worked together. He was also the first person to cite reasons for admitting or rejecting books into the canon. Irenaeus died in Lyon around 202.

Ireneaus of Lyons, Against All Heresies - Book 1.

Ireneaus of Lyons, Against All Heresies - Book 2.

Ireneaus of Lyons, Against All Heresies - Book 3.

Ireneaus of Lyons, Against All Heresies - Book 4.

Ireneaus of Lyons, Against All Heresies - Book 5.

Origen

Origen`s Contra Celsum.- Book 1.

Origen`s Contra Celsum.- Book 2.

Origen`s Contra Celsum.- Book 3.

Origen`s Contra Celsum.- Book 4.

Origen`s Contra Celsum.- Book 5.

Origen`s Contra Celsum.- Book 8.

St. Chrysostmos

St.Chrysostmos Homily Against Marcionists and Manichaeans

Saint Cyprian [ca.200-258]
Cyprian was the Overseer of the church in Carthage, Northa Africa, during a period of fierce persecution. After many years of persecution during which the church existed underground he was captured and executed by the Romans.

To Demetrian

To Donatus

The Dress of Virgins

That Idols Are Not Gods

Jealousy and Envy

The Lapsed

The Lord's Prayer

Exhortation to Martyrdom, to Fortunatus

Mortality

The Good of Patience

The Unity of the Catholic Church

Works and Almsgiving

Alexander of Alexandria

Alexander of Alexandria's Letter to Alexander of Constantinople (AD 324)

Arianism, a Trinitarian doctrine promoted by Arius (c 250-336 CE), denied the divinity of Christ and focused on the dissimilarity between the Father and Son. The Son had a beginning unlike the eternal Father who always existed. Therefore, the Son was subordinate to the Father; he earned his rank from participation in grace or adoption by God. Around 320, Arius's beliefs were questioned by Bishop Alexander of Alexandria. Later, Arius was excommunicated by the entire Egyptian episcopate. Athanasius, successor to Bishop Alexander, also protested against Arianism. Despite these setbacks, Arius gained support from Eusebius of Caesarea and Eusebius of Nicomedia during his travels to Palestine, Syria, and Asia Minor. The Arian controversy led to a serious division between the East and West. The Emperor Constantine succeeded in suppressing Arianism for a brief time by summoning the Council of Nicaea I (325). After Constantine, the popularity of Arianism rose again because of support from emperors Constantius II (337- 361) and Valens (364-378). After Valen's death, the threat of Arianism subsided with Theodosius, who summoned a council in Constantinople (381) that sealed the faith of Nicaea for all the Church. A Chronology of the Arian Controversy
Arius' Letter to Eusebius of Nicomedia- c. AD 319
Arius' Letter to Alexander of Alexandria (excerpt)- AD 320
Arius' Letter to the Emperor Constantine- AD 327

Nicene Council

Link to the Nicene and Post-Nicene Archive

Severus, Bishop of Al-Ushmunain [fl. ca. 955-987]

History of the Patriarchs of the Coptic Church of Alexandria (Four Prefaces)

Ethiopian Coptic Orthodox Church

The Martyrdom (Epistle) of St. Pelagia of Caesarea- There are a number of Orthodox saints named Pelagia; the life of Pelagia of Caesarea has been preserved only in an Ethiopic version. The curious title "epistle" evidently refers to the fact that the story takes place in apostolic times and features St. Paul as its main character. One has the impression the text may even be a fragment from a lost version of the Acts of Paul and Thekla. -N. Redington]

Other Orthodox Writings

Eucherius of Lyons, On Contempt for the World

Anti-Gnostic Movements

Adoptive and Modal Monarchianism

St. Ephraim, A Hymn Against Bar-Daisan- This hymn was written by St. Ephraim during his controversy with the Bardesene heretics. Bar-Daisan was an outstanding scientist, scholar, and poet (along with Ephraim himself, one of the greatest to write in Syriac); he was also an expert on the culture of India, about which he wrote a standard work, now lost. Like Origen whom he in many ways resembles, he sought to "baptize" his vast erudition, but instead created only an awkward synthesis of Christian and occult beliefs. Again like Origen, his errors were largely overlooked in his lifetime, and he might have been remembered as a great Father like Clement of Alexandria had not his followers chosen to emphasize the gnostic part of his teaching.

Unorthodoxy and Marginal Christianity

The Book of Morman

Apocraphal and Gnostic Writings and Movements

Link to Archive of Apocraphal & Gnostic Writings
Philosophic Movements

Link to Ancient Philosophic Writings