Ante-nicene Fathers

by Alexander Roberts | 1867 | 4,659,784 words

Summary: These pages represent the writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers (also called the Apostolic Fathers)—encompassing the works of early Christian theologians from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. These individuals are believed to have personally known some of the Twelve Apostles or been greatly influenced by them, making their writings highly significant in early Christianity. However, their works were not included in the New Testament canon despite being contemporaneous with acknowledged biblical texts.

Notably, Clement, Ignatius, and Polycarp stand out among these fathers. The term "Apostolic Fathers" emerged in the 17th century, introduced by William Wake, and gained usage through Jean-Baptiste Cotelier’s 1672 work and L. J. Ittig’s 1699 publication.

Source 1: exoticindiaart.com
Source 2: sacred-texts.com

Contents of this online book ( + / - )

The full text of the Ante-nicene Fathers in English is available here and publically accesible (free to read online). Of course, I would always recommend buying the book so you get the latest edition. You can see all this book’s content by visiting the pages in the below index:

+ Volume 1

. Clement of Rome

. Mathetes

. Polycarp

. Ignatius

. Barnabas

. Papias

. Justin Martyr

. Irenaeus

+ Volume 2

. The pastor of Hermas

. Tatian