Guided path

Read it in order

All of Shelf 1 in approximate order of date, in three stages. About 171 minutes of reading in total.

Dates are estimates. Scholars disagree about when several of these were written, and some of the order below (especially Polycarp’s letter and Diognetus) is a best guess. Treat it as a rough timeline, not a settled one.

Stage 1: Rome speaks to Corinth (about AD 96)

About 61 minutes

1. First Epistle of Clement to the CorinthiansAbout AD 96 (traditional; debated) · 61-minute read Medium

   The earliest writing on the shelf: a letter from the church in Rome to a divided church in Corinth. It is long, so take it in sittings.

   Look for: Chapters 40 to 44 are the most discussed: they set out how Clement thinks church order and leadership should work.

Stage 2: A bishop on the road to Rome (about AD 110)

About 60 minutes

1. Ignatius to the EphesiansAbout AD 110 (traditional) · 14-minute read Medium

   Written from Smyrna. Ignatius thanks the Ephesians and urges unity.

   Look for: In chapter 19, notice the unusual description of a star announcing Christ's birth.

2. Ignatius to the MagnesiansAbout AD 110 (traditional) · 8-minute read Easy

   Also from Smyrna: unity, and living by Christ rather than the Law.

   Look for: Chapters 8 to 10 show how an early bishop thought about the Old Testament, the Sabbath and the Lord's day.

3. Ignatius to the TralliansAbout AD 110 (traditional) · 7-minute read Medium

   Also from Smyrna: church order and the reality of Christ’s suffering.

   Look for: Read chapters 9 and 10 as a compact statement of what Ignatius thought was at stake in the reality of Christ's suffering.

4. Ignatius to the RomansAbout AD 110 (traditional) · 9-minute read Easy

   The last letter from Smyrna, and the most personal: he asks Rome not to rescue him from martyrdom.

   Look for: Read chapters 4 and 5 for the best-known passages, then ask how he sees his own death.

5. Ignatius to the PhiladelphiansAbout AD 110 (traditional) · 7-minute read Medium

   From Troas, further along the road: one bishop, one Eucharist.

   Look for: Chapter 8 is a rare glimpse of an argument over how the Old Testament relates to the gospel.

6. Ignatius to the SmyrnaeansAbout AD 110 (traditional) · 9-minute read Medium

   From Troas: Christ truly suffered, and the church gathers around the bishop.

   Look for: Note how Ignatius links belief in Christ's real body with how Christians care for the poor and share the Eucharist.

7. Ignatius to PolycarpAbout AD 110 (traditional) · 6-minute read Easy

   Last of the seven, a short letter of advice to a fellow bishop.

   Look for: Watch the images Ignatius uses for a pastor's work, such as an athlete and a soldier.

Stage 3: The next generation (about AD 110 to 200)

About 50 minutes

1. Polycarp to the PhilippiansProbably early to mid 2nd century (debated) · 11-minute read Easy

   Polycarp writes to Philippi and sends along copies of Ignatius’s letters. Its date is debated.

   Look for: Notice how often Polycarp quotes or echoes the apostles' letters without naming them, as if his readers knew them well.

2. Epistle to DiognetusAbout AD 130 to 200 (debated) · 21-minute read Easy

   An anonymous letter explaining Christians to an outsider. Date is a wide range, roughly AD 130 to 200.

   Look for: Read chapter 5 slowly. It is one of the most quoted descriptions of everyday Christian life in the early church.

3. The Martyrdom of PolycarpAbout AD 155 to 160 (traditional) · 18-minute read Easy

   End with the death of Polycarp, about AD 155 to 160 by tradition.

   Look for: Watch how the writers deliberately compare Polycarp's arrest and death to the Gospel account of Jesus.

Other paths: Meet the first Christians, Faith under fire, Unity and leadership in the early church.