The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers

Description

The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers refer to a group of miscellaneous Christian writings produced in the first and second centuries. The authors of these writings were considered by seventeenth century scholars to be the next generation of Apostles and as a result were named The Apostolic Fathers. Perceived by many scholars to be the most important collection of post-New Testament writings, a number of these texts were in fact considered for the Canon of the New Testament but later rejected. Their obvious significance stems from the fact that they are the first Christian writings produced outside the New Testament Canon and as such contain an essential insight into the development of the early Christian Church and Christian thinking. Much Christian Doctrine came, not from the New Testament, but from the writings produced by the early church and in particular the writings of the Apostolic Fathers. Therefore, these texts are crucial to an understanding of the shaping of Christian thought and Christian doctrine. This volume will provide readers with an overview of each of the eleven texts, together with a general introduction. Communicating the best recent scholarship to a broad audience, each chapter offers a treatment of the most controversial aspects of each text and discusses the theology of each of the writings in order to orient readers to the development of Christian thinking in the second century. Each article ends with a carefully chosen select bibliography to enable further reading.

Paul Foster is Professor of New Testament at the University of Edinburgh, UK.

'This volume is perfect for classroom use, and highly recommended as a convenient entry point into recent research conducted on these important ancient authors and writings.' April D. DeConick, Religious Studies Review, 2008 "This excellent collection brings togheter a set of introductory articles" "this is a very useful, up-to-date handbook on the texts" Journal for the stuy of the New Testament, 30 May 2008 -- Peter Oakes 'This is a very useful collection and it will provide an invaluable resource ... The editor and publisher are to be warmly thanked for making these articles available to a wider audience and readership.' Christopher Tuckett, Oxford, Expository Times "All the articles are both very informative and engaging. Bibliographical references in the footnotes are on the whole concise and up to date...This is a well-conceived introduction to the writings of the apostolic fathers, and it should be recommended to students and scholars who do not specialize in this field...nonspecialists will find this introduction particularly helpful." -Taras Khomych, Review of Biblical Literature, November 2008 * Review of Biblical Literature * "The authors of the articles obviously appreciate the documents they are studying and want to invite readers into them. The chapter on Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians, by Michael Holmes, is an especially good example but not the only one in this reliable volume." -- Walter F. Taylor, Jr. Ogram Professor of New Testament Studies, Trinity Seminary Review -- Walter F. Taylor, Jr. Ogram Professor of New Testament Studies * Trinity Seminary Review *