Historia ecclesiastica
The Weblog of Dr. Michael A. G. Haykin

Where to Start in Reading Patristics

April 13th, 2008 Posted in Ancient Church: 2nd & 3rd Centuries, Ancient Church: 4th & 5th Centuries

I was asked by one reader (www.letmypeopleread.blogspot.com ) about where I would recommend beginning a reading programme in the Fathers. Here is my brief reply. (And thanks, brother, for the great question).

I would start with Robert Louis Wilken, The Spirit of Early Christian Thought: Seeking the Face of God (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003). Then: Christopher A. Hall, Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1998). Finally, a third book that is a gem, but not easy is Jaroslav Pelikan, The Christian Tradition. A History of the Development of Doctrine. Vol. 1: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600) (Chicago/London: University of Chicago Press, 1971).

And do not forget getting into the Fathers directly. Start with Augustine, Confessions, trans. R.S. Pine-Coffin (Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin, 1961) [this is the translation I like, but there are others]. Or read through an excellent collection by Steven A. McKinion, ed., Life and Practice in the Early Church. A Documentary Reader (New York/London: New York University Press, 2001). Another favourite of mine is Basil of Ceasarea, On the Holy Spirit, trans. David Anderson (Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimirs Press, 1980).

For a good overview of the period, see the relevant pages in Tim Dowley ed., Introduction to the History of Christianity (1990 Rev. ed.; repr. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995) and for the key leaders, see John D. Woodbridge, ed., Great Leaders of the Christian Church (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988). The latter is regrettably out of print, but second-hand copies can be gotten easily. I have also had published Defence of the Truth: Contending for the truth yesterday and today (Darlington, Co. Durham: Evangelical Press, 2004), which deals with theological challenges faced by the Ancient Church.

I did blog on this back in 2006: see WHAT TO READ OF THE FATHERS?

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 13th, 2008 at 3:49 pm and is filed under Ancient Church: 2nd & 3rd Centuries, Ancient Church: 4th & 5th Centuries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

5 Responses to “Where to Start in Reading Patristics”

  1. Jeremy VF Says:
    April 14th, 2008 at 8:56 am

    Thanks for your posts, Dr. Haykin. I graduated from SBTS last year and am grateful for blogs like yours that keep me thinking in areas that my pastoral position does directly. I do not have the historical understanding that I want, so I began reading Schaff’s church history; I think I can work through it in a couple years. Is this a good place to start or would you recommend another avenue?

  2. Michael Haykin Says:
    April 15th, 2008 at 8:55 pm

    Schaff is good, bur frankly very dated. He did excellent work for his day, but things have really moved on. The problem is that there is no one tool available to do the whole of church history. Pelikan’s The Christian Tradition is good for vols 1 and the vol on the Reformation. What I would do, if you are interested, is send you some bibliographies for the main areas of church history.

    Let me know your e-mail.

    Blessings, brother.

  3. Jeremy VF Says:
    April 16th, 2008 at 9:48 pm

    Dr. Haykin,
    That would be great. Please send a bibliography to jeremy@stjoecrosspointe.com.
    Do you mean that “things have moved on” in terms of available data, interpretations of events / data, or both?
    Thank you,
    Jeremy

  4. PJ Tibayan Says:
    April 18th, 2008 at 11:38 pm

    Dr. Haykin,

    Thank you for this post. I just listened to an interview of Lig Duncan on this topic posted on the web last week and was beginning to plan on how I might begin reading and learning from the early church (and then through the rest of church history). Thank you for your suggestions which were different than his. Dr. Duncan mentioned a few evangelical scholars who were the best at patristics and your name was mentioned.

    May I also get those bibliographies for the main areas of church history?

    In Christ,
    PJ Tibayan

  5. Dave Bissett Says:
    April 19th, 2008 at 5:25 pm

    Good post — and especially getting into the original works starting with The Confessions. I just read them in a fine edition. One note: various editions make a difference (or so I found even with The Confessions). Thanks.
    PS — can you make the typeface on your comments screens any larger? just a thought as my eyes age! djb in ny

Leave a Reply