The Fathers of the Church: An Introduction to the First Christian Teachers
by Mike Aquilina
They buried martyrs, argued with emperors, wrote hymns and hammered out the creeds. Then most of us forgot their names. Mike Aquilina wants them back in circulation. The Fathers of the Church is his introduction to the first great Christian teachers, the men and women whose work shaped the Church the apostles left behind.
The publisher's description lays out the stakes. The Fathers helped settle the canon of Scripture, develop the creeds and forms of worship, and define Christianity's moral sense. Aquilina introduces them one by one in brief portraits, with samples of their own writing. The third edition, published by Our Sunday Visitor in 2013, is the current one, and it was extensively updated. It adds twenty Fathers not covered before, poets of the early Church whose hymns are still sung, a revised introduction and a section on the Mothers of the Church. A timeline, topical index and bibliography make it easy to dig deeper.
It suits inquirers curious about where Catholic teaching comes from, Protestant seekers testing claims about the early Church, and catechists who want a handy reference.
Key Takeaways
- Who the Church Fathers were and why they matter.
- Their role in the canon, the creeds and worship.
- The Mothers of the Church and early Christian poets.
- A timeline, topical index and bibliography for further study.
It introduces the early Christian teachers who shaped the creeds, the canon and Catholic worship.
