Reading the Early Church Fathers: From the Didache to Nicaea

Introduction
How to Read Early Christian Texts
Chapter 1: THE CHURCH IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE
What Do We Mean by Church?  Relations with Judaism
Relations with the Romans and the Beginning of Persecution  The Martyr Documents
Chapter 2: THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS
The Didache  Clement of Rome  Second Clement  Ignatius of Antioch  Polycarp of Smyrna
The Martyrdom of Polycarp
Papias of Hierapolis
The Epistle of Barnabas  The Shepherd of Hermas
Chapter 3: THE APOLOGISTS  The Apology of Aristides  The Epistle to Diognetus  Justin Martyr
The Martyrdom of Justin
Tatian
Melito of Sardis  Athenagoras  Theophilus of Antioch  Clement of Alexandria
Chapter 4: THE CHURCH IN THE SUBAPOSTOLIC AGE
The Development of the Hierarchy  Worship and the Sacraments
Christology and Theology in the Subapostolic Age  From Apology to Theology
Chapter 5: THE THEOLOGIANS
Irenaeus of Lyons  Tertullian  Hippolytus  Origen
Novatian
Chapter 6: THE NEW TESTAMENT CANON
Stages of Development of the New Testament

Patristic Exegesis
The History of Patristic Exegesis
Chapter 7: THE CHURCH IN THE THIRD CENTURY
Christology and Theology in the Third Century
The Episcopacy and the Emerging Primacy of Rome  Persecution in the Third Century
The Controversy over Baptism and Rebaptism  What, Then, Is the Church?
Chapter 8: THE CHURCH AND THE EMPIRE
The Great Persecution
The First Christian Emperor  The Arian Controversy
Unity through Standardization  Chapter 9: ONGOING THEMES  Anthropology
Ecclesiology  Christology  Soteriology  Conclusions  Charts and Tables
Appendix: The Primary Sources  Notes
Subject Index