Patristics & Early Church

Postulants need to describe how from its ancient beginnings, the Church of England has been a “patristic church.” (A patristic church literally is a “church of the Fathers.”) In this case it means a church that faithfully reflects the teaching of Jesus and the holy apostles as understood and interpreted by the undivided church of over 1000 years and defined by the seven Ecumenical Councils. This faith of the undivided church is the very faith most of the English reformers had in mind as they sought to reform a corrupted medieval church to its apostolic roots. In the case of the Church of England, it is a church originally founded before the 4th Century A.D. in England by anonymous missionaries teaching that apostolic faith inaugurated by Jesus and His holy apostles. Therefore, it is essential for those in Anglican orders to know that faith well before proceeding to understand the later developments in doctrine or the corruptions and heresies, both ancient and modern. This is so we can teach about the Trinity, creation, sin, the incarnation of God’s Son, salvation, sanctification in word leading to eternal life, and we can defend and protect the flock of God from demonic and false human teachings that lead to destruction. Below you can find resources that will enable you to show competency in understanding the “teaching of the apostles” and interpreting the Holy Scriptures through that lens.

For this reason, Anglicans have always been deeply immersed in the writings of these fathers and built our understanding of the Church and the Scriptures based on their teachings. This is what makes us a “patristic” church. These fathers passed on a living tradition of how to be the church and how to understand the Holy Scriptures that we honor and respect. When and where we find them in substantial agreement, we feel that modern and late modern theologians and teachers must do the “heavy lifting” when they disagree with this substantial agreement of the fathers.

For this reason, these earliest fathers should be read and studied by all ordained people.

The early church and foundations of the Faith

- Read Ignatius of Antioch (Letters) and the Diache and Irenaeus of Lyons to begin to grasp what the first Christians believed and taught and how they interpreted Scriptures

- Read Cyril of Jerusalem (Catechetical Lectures or Mystagogical Catecheses)

- Read Athanasius of Alexandria’s On the Incarnation

- Read Augustine of Hippo’s On the Trinity

- Read Basil the Great's On the Holy Spirit

- Read Leo Donald Davis, The First Seven Ecumenical Councils: (325-787) Their History and Theology: know each council, its date and the primary correction or teaching it produced

Recommended Reading

Leo Donald Davis, The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787): Their History and Theology (Michael Glazier, 1983)

William H. C. Frend, The Early Church (Augsburg Fortress, 1982)

Resources

Ignatius of Antioch, Letters ([1])

Didache ([2])

Irenaeus of Lyons, On the Apostolic Preaching ([3])

Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures ([4])

Athanasius of Alexandria, On the Incarnation ([5])

Augustine of Hippo, Confessions, Books 1-9 ([6]) and On the Trinity ([7])

Gregory Nazianzus, Theological Orations 27-31 ([8])

Cyril of Alexandria, On the Unity of Christ ([9])

Martyrdom of Perpetua ([10])

Gregory the Great, Pastoral Rule ([11])

John Chrysostom, On the Priesthood ([12])

Basil of Caesarea, On the Holy Spirit ([13])

Canonical Areas

Church History/Anglican Church History

a. Patristics & Early Church b. Medieval & Reformation Church c. Modern Church