Reading the Church Fathers: A History of the Early Church and the Development of Doctrine

Written by James L. Papandrea

Narrated by Tom Parks

Heresies, schisms, culture of death, persecutions, excommunications . . . While reflective of headlines from today, these difficulties roiled Christians of the early Church as well. The earliest Church manual, the Didache, brought clarity to a range of moral issues that our culture continues to grapple with to this day.

Here is one of the most lucid and comprehensive overviews of the Patristic period ever written. With simplicity and clarity, Dr. James Papandrea introduces you to all the major theologians, philosophers, and martyrs of the early Christian church and explains the theological principles that guided the Church from the New Testament era through the apologists, and, ultimately, to the development of the major doctrines. He uniquely situates the teachings of the early Church Fathers against the social and cultural context of the Roman Empire and its relationship to the Church.

Dr. Papandrea will introduce you to the gnostics and their influence on the early Church, as well as explain how Church mothers, such as Macrina the Younger, laid a foundation for the monastic life to come. You'll learn how our understanding of the sacraments developed and when devotion to Our Lady and the saints emerged. You'll also explore how the New Testament canon was formed as well as the criteria used to interpret early Christian writings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Feb 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9798765079522

James L. Papandrea

James L. Papandrea (PhD, Northwestern University) is professor of church history and historical theology at Garrett-Evangelical Seminary at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He is the author of The Earliest Christologies, The Trinitarian Theology of Novatian of Rome, and Reading the Early Church Fathers. He studied Roman history at the American Academy in Rome, Italy.