Witnesses of the Early Church
Fathers of the Faith
The pastors, teachers and martyrs who carried the gospel from the age of the apostles into the world — and who first gathered, guarded and preached the Scriptures you read here.
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Hebrews 13:7
Clement of Rome (c. 35–99)
Bishop of Rome. His letter to the Corinthians (c. 96) is one of the earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament, urging humility, order and unity in the church.
Ignatius of Antioch (c. 35–108)
Bishop of Antioch, martyr. On his way to martyrdom in Rome he wrote seven letters to churches, defending the true humanity and deity of Christ and the unity of believers.
Polycarp of Smyrna (c. 69–155)
Bishop of Smyrna, martyr. A disciple of the Apostle John. Asked to deny Christ before his death, he answered: “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” (Martyrdom of Polycarp 9).
Justin Martyr (c. 100–165)
Apologist, martyr. A philosopher converted to Christ, his First Apology gives one of the earliest descriptions of Christian Sunday worship, Scripture reading and the Lord’s Supper.
Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130–202)
Bishop of Lyons. A hearer of Polycarp. In Against Heresies he answered Gnosticism by pointing to the Scriptures and the faith handed down from the apostles.
Tertullian (c. 155–220)
Theologian of Carthage. The first major Latin Christian writer; he gave the church the word “Trinity” (Trinitas) and wrote that the blood of the martyrs is seed (Apology 50).
Origen (c. 185–253)
Scholar of Alexandria. A tireless student of Scripture who compiled the Hexapla, a six-column comparison of the Old Testament in Hebrew and Greek.
Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296–373)
Bishop of Alexandria. Defender of Christ’s full deity at and after the Council of Nicaea (325). His Festal Letter of 367 is the earliest list matching the 27 books of our New Testament.
John Chrysostom (c. 347–407)
Archbishop of Constantinople. Called “golden-mouthed” for his preaching; his verse-by-verse sermons on Matthew, John, Acts and Paul’s letters are still read today.
Jerome (c. 342–420)
Translator and scholar. Translated the Bible into Latin from the Hebrew and Greek. His Vulgate served the Western church for over a thousand years.
Augustine of Hippo (354–430)
Bishop of Hippo. Converted after reading Romans 13:13–14. His Confessions open with the words: “You have made us for Yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”
Reading Them Wisely
The early Fathers are faithful witnesses, not Scripture. Like the Bereans, we weigh every teaching against the Word of God (Acts 17:11). Their writings are in the public domain; the complete Ante-Nicene and Nicene/Post-Nicene Fathers collections are freely available at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
