Reading the Early Church Fathers

This page contains introductions to some of the Early Church Fathers as a basis for study. They are intended to be read slowly and thoughtfully a few paragraphs at a time, and a separate evening is devoted to each.

Each evening provides a condensed two page guide to the author(s) concerned, a selection - typically 4-5 pages of key readings (including spares for reading at home), and ends with sung Compline. Scroll down to see the handouts.

For those new to the subject, a two page Reference Guide ("Cheat Sheet 1") is provided, giving a map of the Roman Empire on one side, and a Timeline of key events on the other.

The Early Church read the Bible not merely in terms of its literal or historical meaning, but interrelating the Old and New Testaments, and in the light of Christ and of standard Jewish imagery: an outlook which was standard at the time, but not so widely encountered today. To provide guidance on this aspect, the subject is covered briefly at each evening, and a Reference Guide ("Cheat Sheet 2") is provided.

All evenings conclude with sung Compline.

Sessions given or in preparation comprise:

R-01 Evening 1 St. Benedict and his Guidelines for Living (the "Rule of Benedict"). A very standard and compact guide to Christian living, not only in the monastery, but in companies, homes and organisations from the earliest times until today.

R-02 Evening 2 St. Ephraim the Syrian and his colourful hymns of the Early Church. A tremendous author, with hymns with strong imagery, based closely on the Bible.

R-03 Evening 3 The Desert Fathers. Brief, to the point and very relevant. Reflections of Christians living in the Deserts in Egypt and Syria in the fourth century onwards, typically providing advice to people from the busy towns who had gone out to see them. Sessions were repeated (slightly modified) to the Oblates of Ealing Abbey - 17th October 2010.

R-04 Evening 4 St. Augustine of Hippo. A compact introduction to one of Christendom's most influential writers. Not to be confused with St. Augustine of Canterbury. Note: A more detailed course of four evenings on St. Augustine of Hippo is also in advanced planning.

R-05 Evening 5 The Venerable Bede. England's leading Christian writer, and famous throughout Europe. Mainly noted for his History of the English-speaking peoples, but arguably his priorities would have been with his Bible Commentaries, Sermons and Student text books on many subjects from mathematics to biology, which were used widely throughout Europe.

R-06 Evenings 6 and 7 St. Gregory the Great. In the context of St Augustine of Canterbury's mission to Britain. Main focus is on his Book of Pastoral Rule.

Note: Sessions on John Cassian are provided as a separate course. For the Sessions on John Cassian, it is very preferable to be familiar with both the Desert Fathers and with the Rule of Benedict. The Ladder of Divine Ascent by John Climacus is an excellent alternative, and is much less verbose than Cassian.

Files shown below prefixed R-nn are the two page summaries for each session. Actual pages of readings are generally not included on this site due to copyright restrictions.