Early Church Texts

Athanasius, The Life of Antony

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 14:32:30 +0000

Chapters 5 - 10 and 89 - 94 of Athanasius' account of the life of the famous desert hermit have been uploaded. There are links to the complete Greek text and an English translation.

Perseus Morphology Links update

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 22:18:37 +0000

The updates to Greek and Latin Morphology links through Perseus 4.0 should now all have been completed. This is following the apparent phasing out of the older morphology. Please report any problems to the Webmaster.

Due to other commitments on the part of the Webmaster it is unlikely that there will be any further updates to the site until early March. Development will then resume.

Meletius of Lycopolis

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 13:07:51 +0000

Meletius of Lycopolis - Codex Veronensis LX:- Letter of Four Egyptian Bishops, A note about the Meletian Schism, Letter of Peter of Alexandria to his flock. Bacgkround to the 4th century schism in Egypt caused by the ordinations performed by Meletius.

Dionysius of Alexandria defends his theology.

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:22:30 +0000

Dionysius of Alexandria responds to criticisms of his theology relating to accusations that he had separated the persons of the Trinity and taught that the Son was "created". From Athanasius, De Sententia Dionysii, 14 - 18.

Dionysius of Rome Against The Sabellians

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:41:38 +0000

Letter Against The Sabellians. Greek text from a fragment as given in Migne PL vol. 5 (from Athanasius, De Decretis Nicaenae Synodi, ch. 26, which is in PG vol. 25A). The letter addresses concerns raised about the theology (perceived as tritheistic) of Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria.

Chrysostom Sermon on Matthew 2: 1-2 (The Visit of the Magi)

Sat, 2 Jan 2010 23:18:34 +0000

John Chrysostom Sermon VI on Matthew 2: 1-2 (the first part of this sermon, with links to the complete Greek text and English translation).

Leo - 8th Sermon On The Nativity

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:47:07 +0000

Leo - Sermon on the Festival of The Nativity VIII, (Sermon XXVIII). An encouragement to rejoice in the Festival, affirming the two natures of Christ and warning the faithful to be wary of all "heresies" which deny that twofold nature.

Eusebius on Papias

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:35:44 +0000

A text has been added about Papias: Eusebius of Caesarea, Historia Ecclesiastica, 3. 39. There are also links to fragments of Papias and references to him in other writings. Writing in the 2nd century Papias gives testimony about the nature of the gospels of Mark and Matthew.

Salvian De Gubernatione Dei

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 08:58:35 +0000

Salvian De Gubernatione Dei extracts. Salvian, writing in the fifth century, reflects on why the Christian God allowed the "barbarian" invasions of the Roman Empire. The webpage also has links to the complete Latin text and the complete Sanford translation.

Alexander of Alexandria on Arius

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:10:08 +0000

Socrates Historia Ecclesiastica, 1.6. 4 ff, The letter of Alexander and his clergy (c. 319) about the controversy surrounding Arius has been added to the website. Reference is also made to Eusebius of Nicomedia.

Dio Cassius on Persecution Under Domitian

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:13:05 +0000

Dio Cassius, Historia Romana, 67. 14 has been added on Persecution Under Domitian. There is also background information and links to other works where Domitian's persecution and claims to divinity are spoken of.

Quadratus and Aristides

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:12:32 +0000

Two texts about Quadratus and Aristides (2nd century Apologists) have been added: from Eusebius, Historia Ecclesiastica, 4. 3, and Jerome, De Viris Illustribus, 19 - 20.

Updates to Canons of Ecumenical Councils

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:46:49 +0000

Canons 7 and 8 of the Council of Ephesus (431) have been added together with the associated notes from Bright and the Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers. Also the Bright notes for the Canons of Nicaea (325) have been added. This means that now the Canons of the first four Ecumenical Councils are all on the site together with associated background notes. On every "Canons" text page there is now a link to the texts of the Canons of the other Ecumenical Councils.

The "Dated" Creed - Fourth of Sirmium (359)

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:39:19 +0100

The Fourth Creed of Sirmium (The "Dated" of the year 359) has been added to the site. The Greek text is from Athanasius, De Synodis, 8, and Socrates, Historia Ecclesiastica, 2, 37. This creed, with strong backing from the Emperor Constantius, affirmed that the Son is "like" the Father and prohibited the use of terms that included "ousia". A link to the text of the "Homoian" creed of Constantinople agreed in January 360 is also included.

Sulpicius Severus on Martin of Tours

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:10:26 +0100

An extract from Sulpicius Severus, Vita Martini, has been added to the website: chapter 10 describing Martin's monastery at Marmoutier.

Augustine on The Eucharist

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 18:39:30 +0100

Augustine's Sermon 272, on the nature of the Sacrament of The Eucharist, has been uploaded to the site. The Latin Text is from Migne and the translation is by Nathan D. Mitchell.

The 2nd creed of Sirmium (357) - "The Blasphemy"

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:02:08 +0100

The 2nd creed of Sirmium has been uploaded to the website. This creed was something of a triumph for Arianism - stating that the Father is greater than the Son and that terms like "substance" and "ousia" should not be used because they are unscriptural. The Latin version found in Hilary, De Synodis is given along with the Greek translations in Athanasius, De Synodis and Socrates, Historia Ecclesiastica.

The Shepherd of Hermas

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:55:06 +0100

Extracts from the Shepherd of Hermas have been uploaded to the website, together with a complete version of the Greek text and English translation which has been integrated into the Apostolic Fathers section of the website. The complete Greek text needs some further work on correction and update but has been uploaded as a helpful resource. The work of updating to correspond to the Kirsopp Lake Greek text will continue over the next few weeks. A note accessible from the Hermas pages indicates progress. The Shepherd of Hermas was a very popular text in the early centuries of Christian history.

Basil on God's Essence and God's Attributes

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:20:20 +0100

A new text has been uploaded to the site: Basil on God's Essence and God's Attributes - Letter 234 to Amphilochius.

The 30 Canons of Chalcedon (451)

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:03:01 +0100

The 30 Canons of the Council of Chalcedon (451) have been uploaded to the website. The full Greek text (and Latin) of the Canons is there, together with all the notes from William Bright's Canons of the First Four General Councils (scanned from the book), and the NPNF notes. The work on incorporating links (within the menu system) to the texts of Christian Greek and Latin writers available at www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu has now also been completed for the fifth century as well as the first to fourth.

Tertullian on the Rule of Faith

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 14:54:50 +0100

Tertullian on the "Rule of Faith" from Liber de Praescriptionibus adversus haereticos, ch. 13. The text also has links to other places in which Tertullian speaks of the "Rule of Faith".

Tertullian on Christ's Two Natures

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 09:07:26 +0100

Tertullian (Adversus Praxeam, ch. 27) writes about the divine and human natures of Christ, insisting that Christ is both God and man with the essential qualities of both natures remaining intact.

Novatian on The Trinity

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 07:35:15 +0100

A new text has been added to the website: Novatian De Trinitate, chapter 31. The Latin text from the Fausset 1909 edition with the NPNF translation. This was one of the first substantial Christian theological works in Latin to come from Rome.

The First Creed of Sirmium (351)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 20:11:30 +0100

The first Creed of Sirmium from the year 351 - notable for its 27 anathemas - has been uploaded to the Early Church Texts website. From Athanasius, De Synodis, 27. Also included are the Greek text as given in Socrates, Historia Ecclesiastica, and the Latin text from Hilary, De Synodis.

The Martyrdom of Alban

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:51:48 +0100

Bede's chapter on the Martyrdom of Alban has been uploaded - Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum, 1. 7. The first British Christian martyr.

Julian Rescript on Christian Teachers

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:28:04 +0100

Emperor Julian's Rescript (362) on Christian Teachers has been uploaded. Letter 36. The Rescript effectively prevented Christians from teaching Greek and Latin classical literature. This was linked with Julian's policy of restoring paganism within the Roman Empire.

The Creed of the Long Lines (345)

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:37:29 +0100

A new text has been added to the website - Creed of the Long Lines, Ekthesis Macrostichos (from Athanasius, De Synodis, 26) - there is also a link to the Greek text from Socrates, Historia Ecclesiastica, 2, 19. This (Eastern) statement of faith was discussed by Eastern and Western Bishops in Milan in the year 345.

The Martyrdom/Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 12:49:52 +0100

A complete work (Latin and Greek text with translation) has been added to the Early Church Texts website - "The Martyrdom/Passion of Perpetua and Felicitas". Perpetua and her fellow catechumens were martyred in Carthage in 203. This work gives valuable insights into church life at this time, and is an example of a Christian woman's autobiography.