The Fathers of the Church: Two Very Different but Equally Indispensable Books

Anyone interested in patristics (the era of the Church Fathers) will be glad to learn that Boniface Ramsey’s classic Beginning to Read the Fathers has recently been reissued in a revised, updated edition as a sort of belated celebration of the 25th anniversary of the book’s original publication. Much has happened in the intervening twenty-five years that would affect the content of this indispensable reference—not least the heightened interest in “alternative” forms of Christianity popular in those early centuries (think, for example of Elaine Pagels’ work on the Gnostics) and the rise of feminism, and the author has endeavored, where possible, to take these developments into account. Most importantly, the bibliography has been considerably lengthened and updated.
How does one pack nearly 900 years of information about some of the most amazing people in Christianity into one manageable book intended for casual, interested reader and serious student alike? Fr. Ramsey uses a thematic approach. Thus, under (for example) Prayer, Martyrdom, Christ, Poverty and Wealth, he discusses how the various Fathers agreed, how they differed, how thought on the topic developed over the years. It has obviously been a successful methodology, since those of us (some of us now professors) who first used this book not long after it first appeared still keep it on our shelves as a ready reference and reliable resource—and now updated and with an attractive new cover.

A recent arrival on the patristics scene is Reading the Early Church Fathers by James L. Papandrea. As the title suggests and the subtitle—From the Didache to Nicaea—makes clear, Dr. Papandrea covers the time period up to about mid-fourth century. Dividing his chapters into “The Church in the Roman Empire,” “The Apostolic Fathers,” “The Apologists,” "The Church in the Subapostolic Age,” “The Theologians,” “The New Testament Canon,” “The Church in the Third Century,” “The Church and the Empire,” and “Ongoing Themes,” he introduces the reader to individual Church Fathers and comments on their writings. Most importantly, and unique to this book, is his focus on history: a trained historian, Dr. Papandrea sets his discussion against the social and cultural backdrop of the Roman Empire and its relationship to the church. These were centuries in which new interpretations of the meaning and teaching of Christ were constantly appearing. Discussion was permitted and encouraged (after all, one of the first church “crises” occurred when Paul dared to confront Peter—and won his point), for only in such an atmosphere could true orthodoxy be discerned. This was a very different atmosphere from what the church experiences today, and undoubtedly the early Fathers, and those they eventually deemed to be heretics, would be surprised at the change.
Of his own book Dr. Papandrea notes, “This is the book I wish I had when I was first studying the early church and the development of doctrine.” A great part of the book’s strength is that it was born out of years of teaching, out of extensive experience of knowing what works and what does not, what questions are raised in the classroom year after year. His Introduction, in which he lists and unpacks various potential misconceptions (e.g., “Don’t assume that something is new the first time it is mentioned”) is applicable to many contexts and is thus alone worth the price of the book. Because of their different approaches, Beginning to Read the Fathers and Reading the Early Church Fathers complement each other very effectively. Both belong on the bookshelf of all who want to learn more about the Church Fathers and the times in which they lived and wrote.
An important note: Instead of reproducing primary source texts—which would have made for bulkier and thus more expensive books—each book directs the reader to a source on the publisher’s website that gives links to online versions of the primary sources discussed in the books. This kind of information can change, of course, and will, I understand, be updated regularly as needed.
Boniface Ramsey, Beginning to Read the Fathers. Paulist Press, 2012.
James L. Papandrea, Reading the Early Church Fathers. Paulist Press, 2012.

Welcome to Good Religious Books

Hello! Welcome to my blog, Good Religious Books. In my blog posts I will be reviewing books with religious themes, sharing with you why I like them, and, I hope, pointing you toward books you may want to read.
In general, the books I discuss will be "serious" books--something that will enhance your knowledge and understanding of church history, theology, religion and the arts, spirituality. They will not necessarily, in each and every case, be books that have come hot off the presses, but I promise that they will be books that are still in print and still relevant. (In the academic world, nothing is more frustrating than to read a great review of a book, only to find that the book is now out of print!)
A disclosure: I'm an editor for a publisher of good religious books and so many, but by no means all, of the books I review will be from the publisher I work for. Having said that, I sincerely promise you that my chief aim with this blog is to recommend books about which I'm enthusiastic and whose good value I believe in. Those are the only kinds of books you will read about--Good Religious Books.