A site which:-

- gives access to a wide range of resources for those who wish to learn and know about Early Church History;

- has English translations (alongside original Greek and Latin texts) of important texts from the first five centuries of the life of the Church;

Click here to go to the Early Church Texts Home Page.

Van Eyck - Jerome  

An Icon of St Basil

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Keywords: Patristics, Early Church Fathers, Early Church Councils, Early Church Creeds, Greek and Latin Texts, Patristic Texts

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Current texts available (all with English translation) are :-

Ambrose letter to Emperor Theodosius after the massacre at Thessalonica

Apollinaris, Apollinarius, his teaching on Christology from fragments of his writings

Arius letter to Eusebius of Nicomedia as found in Theodoret and Epiphanius. Arius speaks about his Christology.

Athanasius on the atonement

Athanasius 39th Festal Letter stating the Canonical books of the New Testament - Greek text with English translation

Augustine on how he was influenced by Ambrose. Confessions, 5. 13. 23 - 14. 25.

Augustine on his conversion from Confessions 8. 12. 28-30

Augustine on the episcopate

Augustine on free will

Augustine on Philosophy and Theology / Christianity and Pagan learning from De Doctrina Christiana (On Christian Doctrine), 40 (60, 61) - Latin text with English translation

Augustine on The Relation of the Old and the New Testaments from De Utilitate Credendi 9.3.

Augustine on The Trinity from De Trinitate, 9

Barnabas, Epistle of, 9: 6-9, and 12: 1-7. The Greek text is from the Kirsopp Lake edition of the Apostolic Fathers

Basil of Caesarea on ousia and hypostasis

Canons of the Council of Ephesus, 431 - Greek text from Bright's Canons, and Latin from Dionysius Exiguus

Canons of the Council of Nicaea, 325

The Chalcedonian Definition

1 Clement on Christian Ministry - Greek text with English translation

Clement of Alexandria on Philosophy and Christianity

Creed of Nicaea in Greek and Latin - Greek text as agreed at Council of Nicaea in 325

Cyprian Letter to Pompey about Stephen's views on the baptism of "heretics" - Epistle 73 or 74, LXXIII or LXXIV - Latin text with English translation

Cyprian Letter to Quintus about the baptism of "heretics" - Epistle 70 or 71, LXX or LXXI - Latin text with English translation

Cyprian On the Unity of the Church

Cyril of Alexandria Twelve Anathemas against Nestorius

Cyril of Jerusalem on  the significance of baptism from Mystagogica Catechesis, 1. 1-3 (Catechetical Lecture, 19 XIX)

Cyril of Jerusalem on the Catholic Church from Catechetical Lecture, 18. 23 & 26

The Didache - Greek text with English translation

Diognetus, Epistle to - chapters 5-7 - Greek text with English translation, Epistle to Diognetus, Letter to Diognetus

Epiphanius - Marcellus of Ancyra apologia to Pope Julius (containing the Old Roman Creed)

Eusebius of Caesarea on the Canon of the New Testament, from Historia Ecclesiastica 3.25.

Eusebius of Caesarea on the Canonical Epistles (Peter and Paul) of the New Testament, from Historia Ecclesiastica 3.3.

Eusebius of Caesarea - The Edict of Milan - translation into Greek from the Latin (See under Lactantius.)

Eusebius of Caesarea - Life of Constantine, Constantine's vision of the cross

Eusebius of Caesarea - Montanism - the Origins of, from Historia Ecclesiastica, 5.16

Eusebius of Caesarea - Origen's work on the Text of the Old Testament (his Hexapla), from Historia Ecclesiastica, 6.16

Eusebius of Caesarea - Persecution under Nero and the martyrdom of Peter and Paul, from Historia Ecclesiastica, 2.25

Gregory of Nazianzus on the Deity of the Holy Spirit

Gregory of Nazianzus Critique of Apollinaris and Apollinarianism, from letter 101 to Cledonius

Gregory of Nyssa on the self-emptying of the Godhead

Hadrian Rescript to Caius

Hilary of Poitiers on The Trinity: From De Trinitate, book 12. 52 and 57 - Latin text with English translation

Hippolytus writing about Callistus

Hippolytus on Montanist Prophets from  Refutation of All Heresies, 8. 19.

Ignatius Letter to the Magnesians - about Christianity and Judaism - Greek text with English translation (also whole letter)

Ignatius Letter to the Romans, chapter 5 about Martyrdom - Greek text with English translation (also link to complete letter)

Ignatius Letter to the Smyrnaeans - about Ministry and Sacraments - Greek text with English translation (also whole letter)

Ignatius Letter to the Trallians - about Docetism - Greek text with English translation (also whole letter)

Irenaeus about Basilides (Gnostic) from Adversus Haereses - Latin text with English translation

Irenaeus about Ebionites from Adversus Haereses - Latin text with English translation

Irenaeus on Tradition from Adversus Haereses

Irenaeus on Marcion from Adversus Haereses

Irenaeus on Recapitulation in Christ from Adversus Haereses

Irenaeus "The Rule of Faith" from Adversus Haereses

James, Protoevangelium of - Greek text with English translation

Jerome Contra Joannem Hierosolymitanum, 7. (A negative attitude towards Origen)

Jerome Fragment of Letter 33 to Paula. (A positive attitude towards Origen)

Jerome Letter 22 to Eustochium (section 7), about Jerome's experiences as an ascetic in the desert

Jerome Letter 53 to Paulinus, on the importance of Scripture and how to understand it

Jerome preface to the Four Gospels

John Chrysostom on free will and grace - Homily 16 on Romans 9

Justin Martyr on the possibility of Christians before Christ

Justin Martyr on Baptism from Apology 1. 61.

Justin Martyr on the celebration of the Eucharist and the pattern of Sunday of Worship from Apology 1. 65 - 67.

Lactantius Liber de Mortibus Persecutorum, XLIV. Constantine's heavenly vision before the battle of Milvian Bridge in 312.

Lactantius Liber de Mortibus Persecutorum, XLVIII. The Edict of Milan granting freedom of worship to Christians.

Leo - The Tome of Leo. Both the Greek Text and the Latin Text of this influential Christological document.

Libellus from the time of the persecution under the emperor Decius

Martyrdom of Polycarp

Muratorian Canon, both as found in Migne PL and in Gwatkin Selections from Early Christian Writers.

Nicene Creed in Greek and Latin - as agreed at the Council of Constantinople in 381

Old Roman Creed - forerunner of the Apostles Creed - Greek and Latin texts

Optatus on the origins of the Donatist Controversy from De Schismate Donatistarum, 1.15-19. Latin text with English translation.

Origen from De Principiis 4.2.4 (in Greek)- how to understand the Scriptures - threefold understanding

Origen from De Principiis 4.16 about the Parabolic Element in Scripture

Pelagius on free will

Pirminius, Abbas - the apostles' creed

Pliny Letter to Trajan in Latin about the treatment of Christians in Bithynia

Rufinus on the Apostles' Creed

Socrates' description of the start of the Arian controversy

Socrates on John Chrysostom and the statue of Eudoxia

From Socrates Historia Ecclesiastica, The Letter of the Council of Nicaea to the Egyptian Church

Tertullian passage from Apologeticus pro Christianis (Apology), 29 - 32 - about Christians and loyalty to the Emperor. Latin text with Englsh translation.

Tertullian on the Incarnation from Apologeticus pro Christianis (Apology),  21: 10-14

Tertullian on Marcion from Adversus Marcionem, 1.19, 1.27, 3.8

Tertullian on Marcion from De Praescriptione Haereticorum, 30

Tertullian on philosophy and Christianity

Tertullian on The Trinity from Adversus Praxeam, chapters 2 & 3

Theodoret Letter 180 to Domnus, on the death of Cyril of Alexandria

Trajan reply to Pliny in Latin about the treatment of Christians in Bithynia

 

total of 89 texts