After the ApostlesGuide
The Apostolic Fathers
The Apostolic Fathers are a group of early Christian writings from roughly the end of the first century to the middle of the second, mostly by writers who lived in the generation after the apostles.
The name goes back to the seventeenth century, when editors began collecting these works together because they seemed closest in time to the apostles. The list is not fixed. Most collections include the following.
- 1 Clement, a letter from the church in Rome to the church in Corinth (and sometimes 2 Clement, an early sermon);
- the seven letters of Ignatius of Antioch;
- Polycarp's letter to the Philippians and the Martyrdom of Polycarp;
- the Didache;
- the Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas;
- the Epistle to Diognetus (often included, though it is probably later), and fragments of Papias and Quadratus.
Read them on this site
First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
Often dated about AD 96
One of the very earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament: Rome writes to a divided church in Corinth.
The seven letters of Ignatius
Seven letters, about AD 110 (traditional)
The longest of the seven letters: a warm thank-you to the Ephesians, with Ignatius's call for unity and his hymn-like description of Christ's coming.
Polycarp to the Philippians
Early to mid 2nd century
A short pastoral letter from a bishop who knew Ignatius, full of echoes of the New Testament.
The Martyrdom of Polycarp
About AD 155 to 160 (traditional)
One of the earliest accounts of a Christian martyr: an elderly bishop who is said to have known the apostle John.
The Didache
Late 1st to early 2nd century (debated)
A very short early handbook for Christian communities: how to live, how to baptise, how to pray, how to share the Lord's Supper and how to receive visiting teachers.
The Epistle of Barnabas
About AD 70 to 135 (debated)
An early letter that reads the Old Testament as pointing to Christ, ending with a Two Ways teaching close to the Didache.
The Shepherd of Hermas
About AD 100 to 150 (debated)
A long, vivid book of visions, rules and parables from early Rome that some churches read almost as scripture and others set aside.
The Second Epistle of Clement
About AD 100 to 160 (debated)
Often called the oldest surviving Christian sermon outside the New Testament, urging repentance and a life that matches what we confess.
Fragments of Papias
About AD 100 to 140 (debated)
The scraps that survive from a lost book by a bishop who collected the memories of people who had known the apostles, including early remarks on how the Gospels of Mark and Matthew began.
Epistle to Diognetus
Often included; dated about 130 to 200
A short, beautiful letter explaining to an outsider who Christians are and why they live as they do.
The Didache, Barnabas, Hermas, 2 Clement and the fragments of Papias are on Shelf 2, Read but not received, because churches in the early centuries read them but disagreed about whether they belonged with scripture. The fragment of Quadratus is not on the site yet. Who were the church fathers?