Derek A. Shaver

The Apostolic Fathers Derek A. Shaver

The Apostolic Fathers

The Apostolic Fathers are a small number of Early Christian authors who lived and wrote in the second half of the first century and the first half of the second century. They are acknowledged as leaders in the early church, although their writings were not included in the New Testament. They include Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, and Polycarp of Smyrna.
The label "Apostolic Fathers" has been applied to them since the seventeenth century to indicate that they were thought of as being of the generation that had personal contact with the Twelve Apostles. Thus they provide a link between the Apostles?who had personal contact with Jesus?and the later generations of Church Fathers, which includes the Christian apologists, defenders of orthodoxy, and developers of doctrine.


Table of Contents


The First Epistle Of Clement

The Second Epistle Of Clement

Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus

The Epistle Of Ignatius To The Ephesians

The Epistle Of Ignatius To The Magnesians

The Epistle Of Ignatius To The Trallians

The Epistle Of Ignatius To The Romans

The Epistle Of Ignatius To The Philadelphians

The Epistle Of Ignatius To The Smyrnæans

The Epistle Of Ignatius To Polycarp

The Epistle Of Polycarp To The Philippians

The Martyrdom Of Polycarp

The General Epistle Of Barnabas

[The Shepherd Of Hermas]

    The First Book Of Hermas

    The Second Book Of Hermas

    The Third Book Of Hermas

The Didache

The Demonstration Of The Apostolic Preaching